Aphrodite's Passion by Julie Kenner Read Free Book Online

crime that one of her animal patients somehow helped her solve.
    Unlike her literary counterpart, Mrs. Dolittle didn’t talk to the animals. That was Tracy and Mel’s job—talking to them and making sure they knew their cues and what to do when the camera turned their way.
    Mel had left early to tackle a day full of meetings, and none of the interns were scheduled to work. Which left Tracy to handle the parade scene—complete with a Bengal tiger and Mrs. Dolittle’s dog Pepper. The scene had gone fine, but now Tracy was stuck with the unpleasant task of cleaning up.
    Tightening her stomach, Tracy took her bucket, and headed out toward the parade route. This was definitely not the part of the job she liked best, but at least Mel or one of the interns usually shared it. Considering the company belonged to Mel, and Tracy was only an employee, the woman could easily have put her on permanent poop patrol.
    She’d just filled one bucket and was heading back to the trailer to dump it when Tracy saw him again. Leon leaned against the Volkswagon Beetle he drove in the show, his wavy brown hair gilded by the afternoon light. A group of extras stood around chatting with him. Her first instinct was to turn and run—she wasn’t exactly at her best—but then he waved in her direction and smiled.
    She swallowed. Mel had said to talk to him, to be herself. He’d liked her before, surely he’d like her still. Taking a deep breath, she marched toward him. When she was near enough, she waved back. He blinked but didn’t respond. Had he seen her?
    Summoning all her courage, she continued on. When she reached the far side of the car, she stopped and smiled. He looked up, his eyes vacant, then he looked off somewhere over her and smiled. A blond extra in a too-tight tank top appeared in Tracy’s peripheral vision.
    Tracy suddenly felt cold. She considered just turning away and running as fast as she could back toward the trailer, but no, she was a grown woman. She might as well act like one.
    “Hi, Leon,” she began.
    He turned back to her, obviously put out. “Can I help you?”
    She was beginning to have a very bad feeling about this. “No. I mean yes. I mean, I just wanted to say hello.” She lowered the bucket so it was hidden behind the car, feeling lower than low because she was on poop patrol. “We, uh, met this morning. Over at the trailer. You were looking for Melissa. Remember?”
    The blond extra gave Tracy the once-over, then turned away, apparently convinced she wasn’t a threat.
    “Oh, yeah.” Leon smiled, and a wave of relief crashed over her. “Elizabeth, right?”
    “Tracy,” she said, her mouth dry.
    “Oh. Oh,
right
.” He flashed his I’m-so-cool grin. “Sorry. I just didn’t recognize you.” His voice suggested that he was still clueless.
    The creep
. He hadn’t been flirting with
her
, he’d just been flirting to get something he wanted. Exactly what Mel had claimed—and what Tracy had foolishly denied. Lord, she was stupid!
    The tears that welled in her eyes only added to her humiliation, and she took a step backward, desperate to get away. Unfortunately she misjudged her footing and somehow managed to slip off the curb. Her arms flailed as she tried to. balance, but it just wasn’t working. She tumbled forward.
    Horrified, Tracy watched as the bucket flew out of her hands and landed on the roof of the Beetle. Like smelly missiles, the stinky contents shot out toward the far side of the car as Leon and the extras—as if in slow motion— gasped and backed away.
    They didn’t move fast enough.
    The splattering mess missed most of the extras.
    It didn’t miss Leon.
    And as he stood there, his eyes wide while tiger poop clung to his hair and clothes, all Tracy could think was that this time, at least, he wouldn’t forget her.

    She walloped him
! Elmer howled.
Way to go, girl
!
    “Shhh,” Hale whispered. He almost wished he’d brought popcorn, the show going on below his rooftop perch was