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Rolling her eyes, she let out a frustrated sigh. “Have you gone and talked to the counselor like I said, honey?”
Pinching my eyes together, I glared at her. “I don’t need to talk to a shrink, Sherry.”
Raising an eyebrow, Sherry mumbled under her breath, “Yeah, you do.
“Listen, Preston,” she continued, “I’ve needed a fun night out and when Sandy said she was having a party with a few friends, I jumped all over it. With how important her dad is, the tighter we get with her, the better for you and for me.”
I pulled my head back in surprise. When Jake had asked if Sherry and I wanted to meet for dinner three months ago, I wasn’t sure. Now I knew why I wasn’t sure—Sherry and her obsession with Sandy’s father. Shaking my head, I asked, “How is getting in tight with Sandy going to be better for me?”
Giving me her naughty smile, Sherry winked at me. “Don’t you want to do something else with your life besides be a firefighter? I mean, look at Jake. He’s going to be a doctor, for Christ’s sake, Preston. A doctor.”
My mouth dropped open and I was about to lay into Sherry when the elevators opened straight into Sandy and Jake’s condo. The first time Jake introduced us to Sandy, I saw Sherry’s eyes light up and I knew I was in trouble. Ever since then,
Sherry had been trying like hell to be Sandy’s BFF.
Stepping into the room, I looked around for Jake. We had been hanging out more and more and met for lunch when Jake had the extra time. I wanted to ask him about Harmony, but I didn’t want to seem desperate for information. It had been almost four months since I had seen her at the funeral. I’d casually asked a few times about her, and when Jake suggested I give her a call, I panicked for some reason.
Catching a glimpse of Jake across the room, I made my way over to him. He was my saving grace at these parties and he knew it. His smile from across the room told me he knew Sherry had dragged me here.
“Dude, what a surprise seeing you here tonight. I thought you were on shift.”
Looking down, I kicked my foot at nothing and said, “Nah, I took a couple days off.”
Slapping his hand on my back, he laughed. “Jesus, it’s about time. You’ve been working too hard. Let’s go out onto the balcony; I need some air.”
Following Jake out to the balcony, I quickly glanced around the room. Something felt…different. The hairs on my arms stood up and it felt as if someone was watching me.
Stepping out into the cool, fall night air, I inhaled a deep breath. The view of downtown Boston from Sandy and Jake’s condo was amazing. I could spend hours out here just thinking.
“How’s the residency going?” I asked as I took a sip of the beer I had grabbed on the way out.
“Busy as hell, but it’s going. I can’t complain.”
Jake took a sip of his beer as I shrugged my shoulders. “Hey, at least you got to do your residency here at Mass General.”
Laughing, Jake shook his head. “Yeah, with the help of someone.”
Pulling my head back, I asked, “No shit? Sandy’s dad?”
Pointing at me, he said, “Ding! Ding! Ding! You got it. Sandy worked her daddy some and managed to get me on at Mass General.”
Shaking my head, I said, “Damn, dude, I’m sorry. I know you didn’t want to use your parents or Sandy’s dad to pull strings.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Jake looked out over the city. I took this as my opportunity to ask about Harmony.
“At least it kept you close to your sister. Speaking of, how’s Harmony? The last you told me, she was selling the house and looking for something downtown, close to school and the hospital.”
Jake cracked his neck. “She sold the house over a month ago. Moved into her new condo about three weeks ago.”
“Wow.”
Jake laughed. “Yeah.” Jake’s smile faded as he said, “I’m worried about her.”
Before I could ask any more questions, someone cleared their throat. “Are you guys going to hide out here all night, or are you going to come in and play a few games?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled at Sherry. She stuck her hand out, and I took it and let her lead me into the living room.
Sandy slapped her hands together and said, “First game for the night is Sixes!” Dropping the dice onto the coffee table, Sandy let out a small squeal. Sitting down, I glanced across the giant coffee table and was met with blue eyes. My breath caught and I was stunned with how my stomach fell at the sight of her.
