“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, much to her delight. “I would never.”
“Hey,” she says, still grinning like she is hilarious. “She could be into it. Maybe she’ll play doctor and patient with you then write about it.”
I groan inwardly, and she laughs. “Right, Kip? Dad should just go over and be like, “’I know you’re a writer. Can I spread your pages with my mouth?’”
“What the hell?” I shout, covering Kip’s ears. “He is a child!”
She snorts. “He’s like three. That’s twenty-one in dog years. He can legally drink.”
I gawk at her. “No, he is just a baby!”
Her laughter fills the small space as I rub Kip’s ears, kissing his head. When I look up, she’s watching me, the playfulness gone. I swallow, and then my eyes catch on the photo of us the day I left for college, before I look back at her.
“I hate watching you like this,” she admits quietly. “You’d rather live in a book than in real life.”
I shrug. “Book girlfriends don’t hurt me.”
Her lips turn down, and she shakes her head. “Not everyone wants to hurt you. Especially an author of romance books. I bet she’d treat you like a king and suck your soul out of your penis.”
My head falls back. “Please God, don’t say that again.”
She giggles loudly, and when I look at her, she gives me a tight-lipped smile. “For real, Mot. Start living again. Put yourself out there. So, you had a run of bad girlfriends?—”
I bark out a laugh. “A run? I’ve been cheated on four times, while in four serious relationships.”
She cringes and then holds up a hand. “Yes, but all that was when I wasn’t in your life. Do you really think I’d let you date someone who would hurt you?”
I shake my head. “Tess.”
“I want you to find happiness outside of a book, Mot.”
I know deep in my marrow I want the same, but I haven’t had the desire to do so. To find that happiness she speaks of. I feel her eyes on me, and then, to my mercy, she says, “Fine. I’ll leave that alone, but I will not accept the excuse that you’re busy anymore.”
“I’ll be better.”
“You’d better,” she demands before waving me to her. “Come on. Help me break this down.”
I raise an eyebrow. “So I pay for an app, and I have to give you free labor?”
She winks. “What’s family for?”
I just smile at that as Kip barks loudly, as if to say he’s family too. I pat him again and then push up my sleeves to help. She’s right. This is what family is for, and we only have each other.
I took longerthan I wanted for my lunch break to help Tessa, but I have no appointments this afternoon so the clinic is quiet when I come through the back door. Tenille, my office manager, turns in her seat and smiles widely as Kip gallops toher. She kisses his nose before he falls into his bed, acting as if he ran here from Lake Placid instead of snoozing in the back seat.
Spoiled-ass dog and, yes, I’m aware I’m the reason.
I lean on the long L-shaped counter behind Tenille. I push her favorite hazelnut latte over toward her, and she makes gimmie hands before picking it up, sighing after she takes a long sip.
“Sorry I took so long.”
She waves me off. “No worries. It’s been quiet, and I was able to get caught up on some insurance stuff without you and Kip bothering me.”
She waggles her brows at me, and I laugh. Tenille was the office manager for Dr. Jacobs, the owner before me, and she reminded me of my grandma, so I begged her to stay. She is a great manager and kicks ass at making sure everything is running smoothly. The nurses love her and so do the patients, so it was a done deal for me.
“How is Tessa?”
I cup the back of my neck. “She gave me shit for not coming around enough. Told me to put down my book and enjoy the world.”
