4th & Girl

“Looks like our special guest has arrived!” Alma singsonged and shuffled her slipper-covered feet into the entryway.

The old bat had said he’d be here a little later. But, hot damn, if it’d been all of five minutes since she’d dropped the lunch bomb on me.

So much for making a discreet getaway. I hadn’t even had time to clean up!

“Well, well, well…” Her voice echoed off the walls and into the dining room. “It’s about time you paid your dear old aunt a visit.”

Panic took hold. Alma was maternal in a really twisted way, but she didn’t like when she asked you to do something and you didn’t get it done. Even if the demand-to-time ratio was ridiculous. Instead of carefully organizing the shit on the dining table, I grabbed an empty cardboard box and shoved everything I could fit inside of it until it was full.

I repeated that cycle two more times before all that was left on the table was a handful of already packed envelopes and Alma’s laptop.

No King Dongs or Motherfluffers or Fleshlights in sight, I sighed in relief. Who knew if good old Leonard knew about his aunt’s pleasure business, but I sure as hell refused to be the bearer of disturbing-dildo news.

Their muffled voices started to get closer, and I did my best to make myself scarce.

I grabbed Alma’s laptop, with the mind-set that I could at least finish organizing my shipping labels, and went into the small sitting room off the formal living room and stayed quiet as a mouse.

Maybe Alma will forget I’m here?

Hah. You wish she was that senile, my subconscious taunted.

“Gemma!” Alma called out. “Where are you? I have someone I want you to meet!”

Shit.

“I’m in the sitting room!” I called back. “Just finishing up some invent—” I started to excuse myself, but the old bat was way quicker with her wit than she was with her feet, and I had a feeling she’d known where I was all along.

Alma and her nephew walked into the sitting room, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t choke on my own tongue.

Familiar, haunting blue eyes.

Chiseled jaw.

Memorable body.

Holy cannoli. It was the guy.

Leo “I spilled his pee on myself” Landry.

“Gemma, this is my great-nephew, Leonard,” she said, a proud smile permanently etched across her hot pink-colored lips. “Leonard, this is Gemma, my newest and favorite employee for my…uh…online shop.”

Newest and favorite employee? I was her only goddamn employee.

And great-nephew? That clarification would’ve been nice a week ago.

Sweet Lucifer, I didn’t know how to react to any of it.

So, I did what I seemed to do best.

I opened my mouth and let words fly out unchecked.

“Uh, hi!” I all but shouted as I hopped to my feet, and my voice echoed awkwardly off the windows of Alma’s sitting room. “Hi, Leonard!”

Seriously, you can stop saying hi anytime now…

Good God, obviously, I had no idea what to do.

Do I act like I know him?

Does he even remember me?

How in the hell was I supposed to handle a situation like this?

Just play it cool, Gemma.

“It’s…uh…nice to meet you!” I said far too enthusiastically and held out my hand like I was brokering a goddamn business deal. “I’m Gemma!”

So much for playing it cool.

He smirked and took my proffered hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Gemma.”

The way his blue eyes sparkled and shone with recognition and his full mouth crested into a knowing smirk, it was apparent Leo Landry knew exactly who I was.

I was that girl.

The “I’m so sorry I spilled your pee on myself” girl.

What were the fucking odds I’d ever have to face that guy again?

I kind of felt like the universe was trying to shove her boot up my ass.

Here, Gemma, the universe whispered. I’m going to make you experience one of the most humiliating moments of your life with a really fucking gorgeous man and just a simple specimen cup filled with urine. And then, I’m going to make sure that guy reappears, and then you get to relive it. Isn’t that nice?

No, universe, you conniving little biotch. It wasn’t nice at all.

But Leo Landry? Yeah. He looked just as good, if not better, than the first day I’d laid eyes on him.

And this time, I had my doubts a golden shower was the kind of thing that would get me fired. Around here, it might just get me a promotion.

Gemma.

Mystery girl from going on two months ago, girl who’d driven me to the brink of crazy thinking about her, girl I never thought I’d find.

Fucking Gemma.

And of all places, I’d found her at my Nonna’s house, working as her newest employee. And the fact that my dear old aunt needed employees for whatever zany online business store she ran was frankly shocking news, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Gemma was here, and that was pretty much all I cared about.