“Make sure to give him the worm medication, and he will be just fine.”
“Thank you, Doc.” Mr. Morrison wobbled with Barry under his arm and lifted the cat up to his face. “You hear that, buddy? You’re going to be fine.”
I stifled a smile. Mr. Morrison came in often with Barry. He was a bit of a hypochondriac when it came to his cat. After Mr. Morrison checked out and paid for Barry’s medicine, I officially clocked out.
“Tessa, you know you can take as much time off as you need if things at home need more attention.” Dr. Ford picked up a chart, a mug full of sludge coffee in the other hand. She took a sip and the mug came away with a red lip stain.
“Thanks, Sheila. I’ll let you know.”
I grabbed my bag from under the counter and headed out the door, squinting against the bright sunlight. I walked to the car, head bent as I unzipped my bag to find my keys, when someone collided against my shoulder, jostling my movements.
“Whoa, Hopper. Watch where you’re going much?”
I froze and my heart took stuttered beats. Sweat broke along the back of my neck. “Jared.” I pursed my lips and met the familiar blue eyes. “What are you doing here?”
The sun glinted off Jared’s streaked-blond hair. He wore his usual preppy style button-up and bro-shorts, as Paige referred to them.
“Looking for you, of course.” His cocky smile made my stomach writhe, and not in a sexy way.
I grabbed my keys out of my bag and walked around him. “I told you to stop doing that.” He quickly blocked my path to the car.
I threw my head back and groaned. “Would you please stop? This”—I pointed to him and then back to myself—“isn’t going to happen. Not again.”
Jared held up his hands in surrender. “Look, I’m sorry. Please, hear me out, Tessa. I’m not that guy anymore.”
I gave him my best skeptical stare. “Move.”
“Tess, please.” He palmed his hands in a prayer position. No one was going to answer that prayer, least of all me. “You always said people deserve a second chance.”
A shot of anger hit my veins, but I resisted getting drunk on it. “Second chances are for people who own up to their mistakes.” I kept my voice level.
Jared’s face turned ten shades redder, and I knew I had struck a nerve. But he deserved it after using my own words against me to justify his actions.
“You know who my family is.” He stepped closer. “I panicked. I’m sorry.”
I placed my palm on his chest and pushed him away. I hated when he invaded my space like that. It was his go-to intimidation tactic. “You left me in the car, Jared! I woke up alone. Do you have any idea how scary that was? No, you don’t, because you’ve never thought about anyone but yourself.”
I stomped past him and yanked open the car door. “It’s over, Jared,” I tossed over my shoulder. “It was over the minute you decided to abandon me after you screwed up.”
Sliding into the driver’s seat, I slammed the door shut and turned on the ignition, driving out of the strip mall, tires squealing in protest.
* * *
By the time I got home, I’d forgotten all about lunch, still reeling from the run-in with my ex.
It turned out I didn’t have anything to worry about. Uncle Mike and his husband, my uncle Steven, had brought over some pho from our favorite place, and there was enough left over for me as well. My appetite had taken a nosedive after seeing Jared, but I forced myself to eat and eventually the aromatic, spicy broth worked its magic, and I felt stable enough to help Dad.
Jiminy whined by the back door when I finished changing, and I pulled it open to let him out before running down the steps to where Dad stood in front of the open garage. Sweat dripped down his face. He’d gone on a run to calm himself down, but it appeared to have done little in that department. Instead, he seemed more agitated than before, pacing back and forth, rubbing the back of his neck, muttering to himself about some case he needed to get to and how he didn’t have time for this BS.
I grabbed a trash bag and started working, hoping it would give him the push he needed to focus on the task at hand. The anxiety built higher along my nerves. It made it difficult to force past my own fears. The idea of Dad having another heart attack put my life into a crystalline resolution, highlighting all my mistakes, the ugly truths, and the guilt that floated right below the surface of my skin.
I chewed on my lip. The box fan Dad had set up inside the garage leveled out the temperature wavering inside of me. Small ripples of dread shuddered on my skin. I hadn’t been inside the garage since the other night. I glanced at Dad quickly; the bags under his eyes were dark and his shoulders hunched over. Worry crested in my chest. I hated how much this weighed on him. I pictured him with the tubes that went through him last year at the hospital after he had his heart attack and fought back the tears clinging to the surface of my eyes.
Grabbing a broken trophy, I stuffed it into a garbage bag, ignoring the pain tracing circles around my chest whenever my eyes passed over Dad’s Porsche.
“You don’t have to do that, Tess,” Dad said, his voice strained. His eyes didn’t move away from the car.
I slipped the plastic bag in between my fingers, the elastic stretching against my skin, hoping the touch would help me forget that some idiots had dared to break into our place.
“It’s okay, Dad. I don’t mind.”
He rubbed his head, breathing in and out of his nose, and finally pivoted to me. “You shouldn’t be doing that. You act like you’re not scared by what happened, kiddo, but I know it bothers you.”
I spent last night jerking awake at phantom noises and then pacing the house with my baseball bat for any returning thugs. Not exactly sure what I would have done if the offenders had returned. I liked to think I picked up a thing or two watching way too many kung fu movies with Paige and her boyfriend, Alex, but I most likely would have ended up flailing around like a jellyfish.
“You don’t have to be brave for my sake,” Dad said.
“Says the man who sleeps with a gun under his pillow.” A small corner of his lip twitched. I almost got him to smile. Since coming home, he’d mostly frowned and flared his nostrils. Dad was supposed to go back to work today, but he had let the office know he was taking one more day.
The back of Dad’s shirt was drenched in sweat so I grabbed the bottle of water sitting on the workbench, handing it to him.
“Thanks,” he mumbled before getting back to work.
I frowned at his inability to take a break and simply rest for more than a few seconds. Jiminy whined by my side, waiting for a pat. I bent down and hugged his black coat. The phone in my pocket buzzed.
Wanna go for a ride later? Alex is getting antsy being cooped up at work all the time.
I read over the text from Paige. I held back a laugh. Like they needed to even ask—I was always down for a ride.
“That Paige?” Dad asked, noticing the smile on my face. He took the garbage bag out of my hand. I nodded. “You should go inside and give her a call.”
I tilted my head to the side and crossed my arms. “I can work, Dad. You can’t get rid of me.”
He shook his head. “Do whatever you want, sweetie. You always have,” he said with a laugh.