Relief washes over me. “What a great idea.”
“Yeah, we thought so.” He washes his hands. “What would you be doing there? Vet nurse?”
“He’s offered me Senior Veterinary Nurse, overseeing the animal welfare standards. And he said I could design handling protocols for the therapy animals.”
“Ah, that sounds amazing. You’re a great veterinary nurse—you work hard and you’re so good with the animals. I hope you’ll stay on our books though, maybe provide some relief cover if we’re ever short staffed?”
“I’d like that a lot, thank you.” I’m so relieved that the two places are happy to work together. That will make Archer feel better.
We walk out of Ward Seven and into the reception area, and stop as we see Frieda, the receptionist, and a couple of others standing by the window, looking out at the Quad.
“What’s going on?” Stefan asks.
“It’s Archer and Jude,” Frieda says. “There’s something wrong.”
Cold filters through me as if I’ve drunk a glass of ice-cold water. Stefan goes over to the window and looks out, then strides to the door, yanks it open, and goes out into the Quad. I follow, my heart banging against my ribs.
Archer and Jude are standing in the middle of the Quad, arguing, their voices raised. Noah’s a few feet away, watching them, obviously unsure whether to intercede. Leon has just come out of the office building, and he stops and stares at the unusual commotion. Hal and Izzy are on their way back from the car park, and they slow and pause on their way past. Fitz is painting a fence, and he straightens and lowers his brush, watching the scene.
“I can’t believe you,” Jude yells to Archer, moving closer to him. “I think of you like a brother!”
Ohhh… shit.
Archer doesn’t move. He’s holding his hands out to the sides as if to show—who, Jude? Everyone watching?—that he’s not being threatening. “I know,” he says.
Jude’s chest heaves with ragged breaths. “How could you do this to me?”
“It’s not about you,” Archer says calmly.
Jude’s eyes flare. “What do you mean it’s not about me? Who the fuck else would it be about?”
“You’d broken up with her, remember?”
Jude looks aghast. “Yeah, for, like, an hour! Jesus, you move fast!”
“It wasn’t like that.” Archer’s trying to stay calm, but I can see he’s getting angry. He’s embarrassed that Jude wants to air their dirty laundry in public.
Jude is obviously past the point of caring, though. “Tell me what it was like, then,” he demands. Despite being about three inches shorter than Archer, he’s right up in his face. “Explain to me exactly how you can end up in bed with your best mate’s girl on the same evening that they break up.”
My face burns as the others in the square glance at me, eyebrows rising. Archer must be able to see me because I’m right in his eyeline, but he doesn’t look over. He keeps his gaze fixed on Jude.
“I don’t need to explain anything to you,” he states. “She’s not an object. She doesn’t belong to you. You don’t own her.”
Stefan grumbles deep in his throat and walks closer to them. “Guys,” he says, “come on, let’s not do this now…”
“Stay out of this,” Jude snaps at him. He looks back at Archer and yells, “She’s my girl!”
“Not anymore,” Archer says.
My hand rises to cover my mouth. Archer glances at me then. For some reason, I’m shocked that he doesn’t look guilty or regretful. He holds my gaze for a count of five, and the look in his eyes gives me goosebumps. He’s not a loud man, or an aggressive one. He avoids confrontation, and he’s a peacemaker, if anything. But that look says one thing:You’re mine.
Jude glances over his shoulder and sees me, and I inhale as he turns and marches across the Quad to me. “How could you?” he says as he nears me. He looks really upset. “With Archer, of all people.”
“I’m sorry.” The words are out before I can stop them, and I wince. I don’t need to apologize to him. “Who told you?”
“You were seen in The Driftwood,” he snaps. “Going home with him.”
“I told you I spent the night at his house,” I remind him defensively.
