“Wow. You need to call and tell your mom. She will be so excited for you.” Harper had been the cheerleader. I had been the girl reading books and volunteering at animal rescue centers. When everything was going to shit with Mom, I found comfort in animals, putting all my energy into finding them homes. If I could make their life happy and find them the perfect family, it would make up for mine.
“Yeah.” She swished her hand. “I will.” Sounding more like I’ll do it if I have to. “But…” Another squeal came from her. I seriously hadn’t seen Addison this happy in a long time.
“There’s more?”
A blush covered her cheeks, a slight embarrassment fluttering down her lashes.
“The head cheerleader, Elena, well, she wanted to introduce me to the football team. You know, meet the guys we’ll be cheering for.”
“Of course.” I grinned playfully, though a small knot tied in my stomach. Addison had gone full boy crazy, which had gotten her into trouble. She was caught cutting school and found drinking and smoking. A boy is why she fell into the wrong group at her last school. She acted tough but seemed easily swayed.
“And oh my god.” Her cheeks went bright red, fanning herself.
“They’re cute?”
“The football team? Yeah, tons of really cute boys, but they aren’t who I’m talking about.” She blew out like she was going to faint. “The assistant coach.”
“Addison!” I balked at her.
“No! No! He’s a student. A senior. He was held back a year or something,” she quickly explained. “Elena heard before he moved here two years ago that he was a top football player, like really good. But he quit for some reason. He was so good, the coach here wanted him to assist in games.”
That sounded odd. Why would a kid at the top of his game quit? And then help coach instead?
“Oh my god, Aunt Emery. I seriously think I’m in love.” She twirled her long hair, letting her head fall back. “Mason James…” She cooed. “He’s like six-foot-three, dark hair, dark eyes. He seriously is one of the hottest guys I have ever seen. In. My. Life. He has this sexy, mysterious vibe going.”
“You really are your mother’s daughter.” I laughed, herding her out of my bedroom.
During school, I may have crushed on the bad boy from afar, but he was never the guy I went for. Somehow, I sensed they would only hurt me. Leave me. Move on to the next girl and shatter my heart. I liked the Bens. The ones I knew would be there the next day.
“He totally checked me out. I’m sure of it.” She paraded into the kitchen. “Our eyes met. And I felt it all the way to my toes.”
I hummed in response, opening the fridge, though I knew there would be nothing more than leftovers from last night’s takeout.
“I could tell all the girls on the squad want him. Sophie told me he hooks up with a lot of girls but doesn’t actually date any of them.”
“Sounds like a charmer.” I already didn’t care for this kid. “Please, don’t be another one on that list.” I whirled around to her. “You are worth so much more.”
She fluttered her eyes at me. “I know.”
This was the exact response Harper would have before jumping headfirst after the boy, getting her heart crushed. I knew I could warn Addy over and over, but at this age, she wouldn’t listen. You wanted to be the one who nabbed the hard-to-get guy. The one everyone wanted but no one could get. Every girl believed they might be the one.
As much as I wanted to protect Addison, I couldn’t, because I learned even the good guy could break your heart.
Chapter 6
Emery
“Hey, Emery.”
I brushed the crumbs away from my mouth and scrubs, straightening up when my boss entered the room. “Hey, Dr. Ramirez.”
“Please. Call me Daniel.” He shot me a soft smile, heading over to the staff fridge, grabbing a yogurt and apple while I picked at my stale chocolate croissant. “I was hoping to catch you.” His smile was warm but held something that made an alarm go off in the back of my head. “I wanted to see how you were doing here?”
I had been here for about a month. The staff was welcoming, and I had already been invited to drinks with some of them next week. Once a month they got together for a happy hour night.
“Good.” I nodded. Dr. Ramirez ran a small but very highly rated practice. He was everything a dentist should be. Calm, kind, and spoke to every client as if they were important. He remembered everyone’s names and asked about their children and what they were up to.
Several of the assistants had crushes on him. He was single, in his mid-to-late thirties, with a handsome face, tan skin, and soft caramel eyes. Only a few inches taller than me, he wasn’t fit by any means but was in good enough shape. He was the type I would normally have a crush on.
Once again, I felt nothing except this strange panic to leave the staff room, to get away from the way he looked at me.
“I’m glad.” He nodded. “I’ve heard nothing but praise about you so far. The patients love you.” He twirled his spoon. “You fit right in with us. I’m glad you came to work here. Everyone already adores you.” His eyes landed on me. Not sleazy, not even flirting, but my stomach still knotted up, sensing more to his words.
“Oh. Well, they’re all sweet. Everyone has been very welcoming.”
He dipped his head, spooning yogurt into his mouth. “You’re coming to cocktail night next week?”
“You’re going?” I almost choked on my baked good.
“I don’t all the time, but it’s nice to hang out with everyone outside of here, where I’m not the boss.”
Why did every word he uttered feel poignant and full of more meaning than he said?
“Um. Yeah. I think so.” I peered at the clock on the wall. “Oh, I better get back to work.” I stood up. “Don’t want to get in trouble with my boss.”
“I think he’d let this one slide.” He grinned at me.
The smile I had perfected curved my mouth before I practically ran from the room. No one here knew my full story. I didn’t want pity-filled eyes and the standard I’m sorry for your loss, response. Or even worse, the shift in them when they learned it’s been over three years ago. That seemed to be the line for people, where their compassion stopped, and they looked at me like something was wrong with me.
“Hey, girl.” Marcie tapped her long nails on a folder, handing it to me. “Your next cleaning is here. Billy Thomas.” She lifted a brow. “Let me warn you, he bites and kicks.”
“Great.” I exhaled.
“Now, if it was Billy’s father, I’d be into that. Grab me by the hair kind. You know what I mean?” She winked playfully, her laugh trailing after as she walked away.
No, I didn’t. Ben had been nowhere near that type. He wasn’t the first guy I slept with, though he might as well have been. The first guy in college I hardly remembered, the second was good, but we had no real connection. Then it was Ben. Sweet, slow, always making love to me.
Though Marcie’s words scraped a fantasy through the back of my head, I had an image of someone doing just that. Yanking my hair, pounding into me from behind. I had secretly wished for Ben to do it to me the night he died. Taking me hard and ruthless against the kitchen counter.