“And youchoseto work with him? Why?”
“Because I was promised a chance at purchasing the clinic. That’s something that would take another decade at least in a bigger town. When I got the call asking if I’d be interested in taking a position here with that as an opportunity, it felt like it was meant to be.” I blew a breath out slowly, shaking my head. “But if this awful month has shown me anything, it’s that he has absolutely no intention of selling it to me unless I suddenly show up married one morning.”
“What a complete shithead. Addison always told me that guy was an asshole.” He pressed his lips in a tight line, his jaw flexing. I’d never seen Ford anything but cool as a cucumber, but this was getting under his skin, no doubt realizing just what his sister had been putting up with at the hands of the doctor. “You know what? I think this calls for a little street justice.”
A grin kicked up the corner of my lips. “Ihavebeen tempted to slash his tires on more than one occasion.”
“Now I see why you’ve needed the extra late-night emotional support coffees the past couple weeks. It makes the run-in with my ex look like child’s play.”
“Your ex?”
“Chelsea Dread. You remember her?”
It was hard to forget a bitch like that. I didn’t like to fall into the catty female stereotype and preferred to support women and lift them up rather than tear them down, but that sentiment didn’t extend to Chelsea. She’d been the epitome of a mean girl in high school, and she’d made my life a living hell every chance she got. All because Ford and I had always seemed to be paired together in any classes we shared—an extra-special little punishment that’d lasted nearly all four years.
Why she’d been jealous of me whenshe’dbeen his girlfriend, I had no idea. Little did she know, we’d spent the entire time at each other’s throats, and I’d had to stop myself from strangling him just to shut him up.
“I may have a vague recollection…” I said.
“Yeah, well, just be glad it’s only that. She cornered me in the grocery store a couple weeks ago. She’s getting married and doesn’t think I can handle it because I’m apparently still hung up on her.”
“Are you?”
He laughed. “Fuck no. Which pisses her off, I’m sure. But I had to make sure she knew that, so somehow I got myself wrangled into attending her wedding with mygirlfriend.”
“You have a girlfriend?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice.
“No,” Ford scoffed. “So you can see my problem. Now I just need to find someone who pities me enough to go.”
A flash of him attending this wedding with someone else made the bottom drop out of my stomach, and I had no idea why.
“Oh please,” I said. “You haven’t had a single pity date in your entire life. Women are lining up for a chance to go out with you—hell, you had three of us willing topayfor it—so it shouldn’t be hard.”
“Actually, I was planning to sweet-talk my auction date into it, and, well…” He lifted his brows and gestured to me. “Besides, a one-off date is going to do fuck all to prove I don’t give a shit about who she’s marrying. I dodged a bullet with that one. What I need is a relationship.”
Around a bite of my scampi, I said, “Sounds like what we both need is a spouse.”
Ford was quiet for a long moment, and when I finally glanced at him, his eyes were calculating. He braced a forearm on the table and leaned toward me. “You said you’ve thought about slashing Don’s tires, but you need to think bigger, kitten. How about instead of that, you take his practice?”
I breathed out a short laugh. “Well, that’s not gonna happen unless I get a husband, and I don’t see any of those around.”
“Uh, hello?”
I tipped my head to the side, brows drawn. “Hi?”
“Ineed a semi-permanent date for this wedding.Youneed a husband.Weshould take care of our problem together and just get married.”
If I’d been drinking when those words came out of his mouth, no doubt I would have spewed it across the table. I stared at him, openmouthed. “You’re kidding me.”
“Not even a little. If you’re really serious about this, you’ve gotta commit to the bit.”
I breathed out a laugh. “Commit in the form of marriage… That’s what you’re suggesting?”
He lifted a single shoulder. “If that’s what it takes.”
“Marriage…tome.” I gestured to myself just to be clear.
“Why not? Might as well get the first divorce out of the way.”
