Blurring the Lines (Men of the Zodiac) Read Online Free PDF Page A

added to the interest in him she didn’t want to have.
    She still couldn’t believe Tish had convinced her to confront Blake. Now, she had a great paying job and The Bromwell Building might be saved without getting her dad involved, assuming her boss followed through with his end of the deal. Lucky for her, she’d be working for him, and she could follow-up with his promise to entertain other design options.
    Tish rolled her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell your dad?”
    “My dad said real estate wasn’t in his wheelhouse, and that if I wanted, he’d find me another building. He never felt any attachment in the same way I did and complained about the upkeep and money spent on refurbishments. It’s not just the building for me.”
    She grabbed a blazer and buttoned it over the sundress.
    After nodding her approval, her friend exited the room as she said, “I know. We’ll make this work without your dad.”
    Kira sighed and took one last stare at herself in the mirror. Until yesterday, she hadn’t worn a blazer in a year, but that year felt like it happened a different lifetime ago. Back before she figured out that life wasn’t a sprint, and she didn’t want to be first.
    She didn’t deny she earned her JD-MBA to please her father, but it was her mother’s journal he’d given her just before graduation that changed her attitude about what it meant to be successful. So many charities needed capable volunteers and there weren’t enough hours in the day to do everything. After a year working endless hours for her father’s consulting company, she felt like she wasn’t connecting with the corporate life or doing much good for the community. She’d had a serious discussion with him about her interest in spending more time on the community revitalization efforts to continue her mom’s vision of creating historic Edgewater Bay.
    It terrified her to have a tiny bubble of excitement brewing in her gut at working for a big corporation again. No way would she allow the adrenaline of a new job to make her feel like a sellout. This time would be different. She’d have a charity allowance, money to devote toward local projects, and as Blake said, she’d have a chance to be part of the solution. She’d be there when the board voted on which plans to approve, and she’d probably have a louder voice if she was someone on the inside.
    “Are you ready?” Tish leaned her perfectly French-braided head into the doorframe.
    Ready to return to an office. Ready to face her new boss. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly. Mellow. Think mellow.
    Kira followed her friend to the kitchen and after refilling the water and food bowls, opened a doggy crate for their latest foster puppy to hop inside. This one, a malnourished Maltese mix, strolled into the cushioned crate, wandered in a circle a couple of times, and then curled into a ball. Kira latched the baby gate separating the kitchen from the rest of the apartment.
    “See you at lunch, Coconut.”
    When she realized her humans were leaving, Coconut scrambled off the cushion and gave a mournful howl. Kira shot Tish a desperate stare. “We can’t leave her.”
    The dog yelped and scrambled at the gate.
    Kira shook her head. “No. I’m not leaving her here.” The Maltese needed to be fed every couple of hours, and leaving her in the crate until lunch would be cruel. With a sick knot in her gut, she ran to her room to find a large tote. Blake would be fine with Coconut. He had to be. He liked dogs and had picked the animal shelter for his charity donations.
    With the dog safely tucked into the tote over Kira’s shoulder, Tish grabbed the water bowl and formula. “I have morning meetings, but maybe if you hide her under your desk, I can take her in the afternoon.”
    Once in Tish’s reliable silver sedan, Kira leaned her head back and gently caressed Coconut to calm her. “I need another coffee.”
    Ironic really, after chastising Blake for his caffeine