Page 71 of The Virgin Romance Novelist Chronicles
No, avoidance was the best andonlyoption.
Delaney text me earlier, asking if I was all right since she’d heard Henry and me arguing, even over her hyena screaming. I told her I was fine, that Henry was drunk last night, and had said things he probably hadn’t meant, especially the comment about me being beautiful. That was a drunken slip for sure. I’d seen the girls he’d taken out over the years, and they were far above my level of pretty. I was good-looking, but I was curvier than others and had my own style that didn’t come close to rivaling the models Henry took out.
I hated being sad, especially at work, because most of the time, work was awful with Gladys breathing down my neck, making sure I represented cats in the best way possible. Then there was trying to stay as far away from the pussycat posse as possible, which was quite difficult given the space in our building. I didn’t need more sadness in this dreadful and depressing environment.
The only thing that made me smile today was the picture Jenny sent me of a cat flying in outer space with a Pop-Tart body and a rainbow coming out of its ass. It was by far, the weirdest thing I had ever seen, but it made me laugh. I even printed the picture out and put it on my bulletin board. I was waiting for Gladys to see Pop-Tart cat and tell me what a bad depiction it was of our feline friends. Until then, Pop-Tart cat was staying.
“Hey.”
That voice, I would know it anywhere.
Henry stood in my door, propped up against my doorframe with his hands in his pockets. Henry knew how to wear a suit. The way the navy-blue suit brought out the color of his eyes was always a little mesmerizing. It was most definitely my favorite. Even dressed down with the two top buttons of his white button-up shirt undone, he was drool-worthily gorgeous. It was hard not to stare, even though I still felt hurt from the night before.
Frankly, I was surprised to see him standing in my office doorframe, not only due to our spat last night, but because he never came to visit me at work. He hated cats, especially Sir Licks-a-Lot, who seemed to have a big crush on Henry and wouldn’t leave him alone whenever he was around.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, looking away from my computer.
“Can we talk?”
“Don’t you have work?”
“Took a long lunch. Please, Rosie?”
I sat back in my chair and crossed my hands over my chest as I said, “Fine. Shut the door if you don’t want Sir Licks-a-Lot to find you.”
Henry quickly shut the door and took a seat in the chair across from me. He unbuttoned his suit jacket so he could sit and positioned himself a little forward in his seat.
“Rosie, I want to apologize for last night. I was way out of line, drunk, and a complete ass to you. I’m really sorry.”
I had to hand it to the man, he knew when he was wrong and when to say sorry.
“Yes, you were, Henry. You said some pretty mean things to me.”
He shook his head in shame and looked at his hands. “I know and I’m sorry. I was in a pissy mood and decided to blame everything on you when none of it was your fault.”
“So you don’t blame me for not being able to get it up?”
“No.” He shook my head. “Not at all. That was my problem. Things have been different for me lately.”
“What do you mean? How have things been different?”
Clearing his throat, he shifted in his seat as he adjusted his pant legs. I don’t think I’ve seen this side of Henry before . . . nervous almost. “I’d been doing a lot of thinking recently, Rosie and—”
Jenny knocked on my door and held up a vase with a box over the top. I waved her in with a questioning look.
“What’s that?” I asked as she set it on my desk.
“It’s a little delivery that came in for you. Maybe it’s from Atticus. Henry.” Jenny gave Henry a curt nod.
“Jenny,” Henry returned pleasantries. “The guy she kicked in the balls?” Henry asked, sounding skeptical.
“Yes, he said he liked her.”
“It’s not from Atticus, Jenny. Believe me, he’s not going to call me again.”
“Then who is it from?” she asked, practically jumping up and down.
I shrugged and opened the package. Inside was a bouquet of lint rollers. The sight of the set of five lint rollers made me laugh out loud. Nestled inside was a card that I read out loud.
