Page 96 of Ridin’ Dirty

“You remember who my boss is, right?”

He grunted his understanding then tried again.

“Call in sick, then.”

God, he was killing me.

I whined pathetically.

“Much as I’d rather stay in this Sunday bubble, it’s been a weird couple of weeks. Viv has already had to deal with me being out more than usual.”

This time, he didn’t counter my point. Instead, I watched him reach into his pocket for his phone and immediately start tapping on the screen. Before I could even guess what he was up to, he had the device against his ear.

“What are you doing?” I asked, wide eyed.

“Hey,” he spoke, clearly not to me.

“Who is that?” I whisper-shouted.

“You workin’ today?”

He paused as the person on the other end of the line answered.

I stopped trying to get a direct response out of him and listened.

“Alright, who’s not on shift?”

Another pause.

“Get her to swap shifts with Lyla. She’s not comin’ in today.”

I gasped, my instincts taking over as I launched myself at him, attempting to reach for his phone.

“Riley!”

He twisted away from me with ease, winding his free arm around me in order to push me away and simultaneously pin me to the back of the couch.

“Yup. Let me know when it’s done.”

He hung up and loosened his hold around me, a satisfied smirk curling the corner of his mouth.

“Who was that?”

“Max. She’ll get you sorted. ‘Bout ready for lunch? I’m thinkin’ pizza.”

I stared at him, my jaw hanging open, momentarily at a loss for words.

“One meat lovers pie and a supreme,” he continued, pulling up the delivery service on his phone.

He wanted me to stay.

I wanted me to stay.

Shit.

I pinched my eyes closed, pulling my fingers through my hair as I finally replied, “Donuts for breakfast and pizza for lunch…I think there’s a fine line between veg mode and total sloth, and we’re flirting with it.”

“You’re right. We should get breadsticks, too.”