“She’s got diarrhea again.The pills from last week aren’t working.”
“Oh, Lexi.”Erika rocked the dog back and forth against her.“Let’s get her sorted out.I’ll meet you over in room three.”She handed back the dog and pointed to the door.“I need to grab my stethoscope.”
Once Bunny was out of the lobby, Erika asked, “If you’re leaving and Marty is gone, should we put up a sign or have people sign in for the appointments today?”
“Sure.”
Erika gave me an odd look.She chewed on her lower lip as if stewing about something.“I agreed to go on a date with Drew.We’ll probably do the spring festival at the park, which I think isn’t this weekend, but the next.Just putting it out there.Don’t be weird about it to him, if you see him today.”
Show nothing.Don’t snap.It was hard when my mind detonated a loudoh-hell-no.I managed to get out, “Okay.That’s pretty far in the future for a date.”
“I’ve got a lot of things to sort through.”She watched me closely.
“Are you wanting me to congratulate you on yourdate?”
She rolled her eyes and brushed by me.She strode into the office, dropping her oversized purse onto the counter.One by one she pulled out a water bottle, a few pens, and her stethoscope, like she was arming herself.
I stood in the doorway, silent.I wanted… hell, I didn’t know what I wanted other than to not have a visual of Drew and her as a thing.I should grab the keys to the work truck and leave.
She turned my way.“Do we have more to talk about today?”
“Drew—”
“No,” she interrupted.“You have your date, and I have mine, even if it is in the future.Maybe I’ll see you at the festival?”She made anoops-face because she knew more than anyone that I didn’t do those events.“I’m sorry.Maybe not.All that isnon-work stuff.I won’t judge your for being stupid in who you choose to date.And you?—”
“You just did.”
Her mouth flattened into a razor-thin line.
“We’ll make our own mistakes, or…” She lifted a shoulder and let it drop.“Maybe we won’t.But one thing wewilldo is forget what happened in here on Sunday.”
“I can’t.”
“We have to.”She slipped her stethoscope around her neck, the gesture sharp and final.
It stung to be labeled something she was determined to erase.I reached past her, stretching to snag the truck key from the peg behind her shoulder.
“You’re not going to run on to Drew about it either,” she added without looking at me.
Which, unfortunately, was exactly what I wanted to do.
“Josh?”
I stopped my exit.“What?”
She chewed her lower lip again.
“Fine.I won’t tear into Drew.Happy now?”My arms crossed tight, holding in everything I wanted to throw.The promise tasted like blood and wasn’t anywhere close to what I planned.
She gave me a small nod.
“Are you thinking you’re serious about Drew?”My voice scraped out, low and reckless.“Does he make you lose your mind like—” I jerked my chin toward the space between us, to the scene where we’d just about torn each other’s clothes off days ago.
Her mouth trembled, tugging at both corners like the words were fighting their way out.
“What?”I snapped, impatience crackling under my skin.
“You and me, whatever this is…” She exhaled like it burned.“No one else makes me act stupid the way you do.No one else,ever.We should be past it, so far beyond it.”Her eyes lifted, slow and weighted, catching mine like a collision.“Somehow, we have to figure out how to work together without…” Her throat tightened, the swallow visible and painful.
