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Probably not the correct emotions and feelings, but what the hell did I know? I was fucked up when it came to relating and empathizing with others.
“I was standing there in the middle of the conference and I said fuck it,” I continued. “Fuck it all.”
I couldn’t believe I did it, but here I was. Drinking beer with my brother instead of pulling another twenty-four-hour shift at the hospital. That was exactly where I’d be at this moment.
“You’re going to miss surgery though,” he said, mansplaining my job to me. “The ER. The rush. I mean, it’s what you do.”
I shrugged because what did he know about being a doctor or dealing with dying patients day in and day out? But he wasn’t talking about them. He was talking about me.
“Maybe I’ll see if they’re looking for a part-timer at the hospital here. A sub like Bridge at the high school. But for now? Today? I get to sit on my ass drinking beer with my brother while my other one is on TV scoring goals.”
Mav looked at his watch and stood. Scout stirred, flipped over, and hopped to the floor to stand beside his human. “Speaking of scoring. Gotta pick up Bridge.”
“Fucker,” I said with a grin. I was happy for him. I’d never imagined a twenty-two-year-old would be what he needed, but my life was a cluster fuck. Who was I to question?
“Get a woman of your own,” he snapped, but without any heat since he was grinning. “One who isn’t part reptile or have a foot fetish.”
Instantly, I thought of Mallory. She definitely ran hot, and I doubted she had a thing for feet. I wondered then what she had a thing for. Being sassy and getting punished for it. Definitely. Maybe a little exhibitionism. Or–
Hell, she was pretty much a virgin. She probably didn’t know what got her hot. Fuck, wouldn’t that be fun to find out. To make her squirm and squi–
“Earth to Theo,” Mav said, waving his hand in front of my face.
I blinked.
“Are you having a stroke?”
I frowned. “What? Fuck, no.”
“Then where the fuck did you just go?”
I frowned even deeper. “You don’t want to know.”
He studied me. “Yeah, I probably don’t.”
I stood and he smacked me on the shoulder. “Glad you’re in town. Oh, Bridge says to tell you dinner tomorrow night. I know you’ll be there because one, you can’t cook. Two, you just told me you have a normal person’s schedule. Three, you have no life.”
“You had me atI can’t cook.”
6
MALLORY
Which saidfuck mebetter?The yellow lace or the red satin? Both were newly purchased off the clearance rack just for tonight. And Vegas. Wearing my ratty flannel robe, I stared at the options I put out on my bed before my shower. I thought of Tom. From the photos I saw, he was handsome. Bridge’s classroom was across the hall from his and she said he was nice. Got along well with his students. A little goofy.
Bridge hadn’t said he was hot. Or sexy. Or had big dick energy. Or… well, she wouldn’t. Compared to Mav, Tom probably looked like a garden gnome to her.
“Done in the bathroom?” Maggie called through my closed bedroom door.
“Yes!”
My roommate and I had gone to high school together but hadn’t ever hung out. But after college, I’d heard she was looking for a roommate to sublet because her old one had moved out. I was desperate not to move in with my parents and jumped at the opening. We were friendly, but not tight, which worked out fine.
As an agricultural rep, she traveled a fair amount. Plus, she had a boyfriend who lived in Havre, a few hours away. She stayed with him as much as she was here. She’d been hinting at moving in with him because they’d gotten pretty serious, which meant I’d have to float the entire rent on my own. A teacher’s salary wasn’t huge, and while it was consistent and had good benefits, renting solo would cost more than owning. At least for the little house I had my eye on. Mrs. Jonsdottir, who’d been a teacher at the elementary school for over forty years, had the cutest little place and I wanted it.
Bad.
Crazy bad. Hopefully Maggie could relocate to Havre at the same time I bought my dream house.
