Law #2: Don't Play with a Player: A Sweet Office Romance Story (Laws of Love) by Agnes Canestri (web ebook reader .txt) 📕

I opt to follow Devon.

At some point, I’ll need to leave his guest room anyway. Also, the delicious smell seeping in from the kitchen is almost unbearable for my empty stomach.

Devon has set the large oval table in the living room. There’s a white plate filled with various yummy treats on a red tablecloth. His scrambled eggs look like they’re cooked to perfection.

I take my seat and press my palms to my thighs because my fingers want to immediately grab the fork.

Devon sits down, too, and pours himself a coffee. He doesn’t have a plate. Has he eaten already? Does it mean that I can start without waiting for him?

Devon grins at me. “Dig in before it gets cold. I’m already done with breakfast.”

He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I’m so hungry it takes all my willpower not to fetch the bacon with my bare fingers.

I’m just chewing on a delicious piece that’s as crispy as if my mother made it when Devon asks, “By the way, did you lose your house keys?”

“What? Did I? Oh, no.”

Chelsea will kill me when she finds out. We’ve already changed the lock once when I forgot my keys in San Sebastian after visiting my family.

Devon opens his arms and shrugs. “I’m not sure. I tried the ones from your purse last night. They didn’t work. That’s why I brought you here. I didn’t want to wake your neighbors.”

Then it hits me. I swallow my bite. “You must’ve taken me to Luis’s flat. That’s not where I live.”

Devon’s jaw drops. “Who is Luis?”

“He’s my brother. A soldier. He currently serves at a military base in Germany. I listed his house on my resume. In reality, I live together with Chelsea. When we came to the interview, we decided to give separate postal addresses.”

“Why?” Devon inquires.

“We feared that being roomies might be a problem in the selection process.”

“Well, it wouldn’t have been. But it could have saved you from spending a night in the company of my cat.” Devon winks.

“Oh, I didn’t mind. Your bed was very comfortable. Your guest bed, I mean,” I add.

“I’m glad.” He flashes a bright smile. “When I bought my place, I imagined my parents would come to Phoenix more often after they retire. That’s why I set up the spare room. But my folks prefer to stay put and have Ellie and me visit them.”

“So you’re not from Phoenix?” I arch my brows.

I somehow assumed that a popular man like Devon must’ve lived his whole life in a big city.

“No, I was born in Washington State, in a small town. Before starting high-school, after my breathing therapy finished, my family decided to move to Kingman, Arizona.”

“Kingman? Get out? You lived there?”

Devon arches his brows. “You know it? It’s not a famous place.”

“Well, not according to my father. He’s a fan of the Route 66 Museum, primarily their cars exhibit, of course. He dragged our family there once when he was on leave. For years, I used to have a picture in my bedroom of a Studebaker I snapped during that trip.”

Devon’s eyes widen. “Huh, that’s still a place I often hit when I go home. Especially since they added their international electric vehicle exhibit. There’s a 1912 CT commercial truck on show. It’s not like any duallys you’ve ever seen. It boosts triple-wide, solid rubber tires mounted on wooden spoke wheels. It basically makes the driver sit ten feet in the air…it’s a real monster!”

“Ah, I’d love to see that,” I say because Devon’s description gives me the goosebumps. “You know, I have a hard time believing you come from a small town like I do.”

“I guess we have more things in common than you thought.”

“I guess so, too. This could be the reason I—” I bite my lip just in time.

Devon cocks his head. “You what?”

Oh dear, this fun chat about our shared passion almost made me slip how much I like him.

I pick up a small piece of bread from my half-empty plate and shape it into a ball before I raise my eyes to meet his. “I like working for you.”

“Just working?”

My eyes widen. “What do you mean?”

He shrugs and gives me a lopsided grin. “I thought you might enjoy spending time with me outside of the office, too. Our afternoon at the car show was fun. Maybe you should come to Kingman someday. I’d love to take you to the museum and show you the new vehicles they’ve got.”

My jaw drops. “You would?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

Doesn’t he remember last night?

“Because of what happened in the club. I ruined your evening.” I meant to excuse myself for my behavior sooner, but the smell of bacon must’ve hijacked my reason. “I want you to know I’m mortified. I don’t usually…well, I’ve never actually gotten drunk in my life.”

Devon adjusts his coffee cup and shakes his head. “No need to excuse yourself. You’re a cute tipsy person. A tad more daring than your usual self, but…” He pauses as if he remembers something. He clicks his tongue before he continues, “It wasn’t a burden to chaperone you. On the contrary.”

“So you won’t fire me?”

His eyes widen. “Fire you? No, why should I?”

“Because…I said things I shouldn’t have. I called you stupid.”

“You did.” Devon nods. “But you were right, I might have been stupid.”

It’s my turn to look surprised. “Why would you say that?”

“My sister told you about what happened with Morgan, right?”

He stares at me, and the intensity of his gaze is such that I can’t bear to make a sound so I only nod.

“I figured as much. Did she also mention I asked Morgan to marry me before finding out that she’d cheated on me?”

I clasp a hand to my mouth to suppress a shocked gasp.

“So Ellie didn’t dish everything.” Devon’s voice isn’t annoyed, only sad. “Well, I did. I proposed to Morgan, and she accepted. But only a few hours after I became her fiancé,