He didn’t look happy. In fact, he appeared horrified at what had transpired between me and my father. “They had to know, Annabel.”
“Now do you understand why I didn’t want to call them?”
He jerked a hand through his hair. “Yes, I do. And I’m sorry—not for making you call, but I’m sorry that’s the family you have to go back home to.”
“It is what it is. My parents are horrible, my sister is tolerable, but at least I have a really good group of friends. They’re the ones I would want to know I was okay.”
His expression turned suddenly contemplative. “Do you have a boyfriend back home?”
For some reason, the very innocent question didn’t seem so innocent. “Why would you ask me that?”
He shrugged. “Just wondered who else there might be in your life worth getting back home to.”
“No, there’s no boyfriend.”
His brows shot up in surprise. “How is it possible a girl as pretty as you doesn’t have a boyfriend?”
The compliment seemed so foreign coming from him. In spite of that fact, warmth flooded my cheeks. “That’s sweet of you to say.”
Even though he looked slightly embarrassed, he said, “I mean it.”
“No, there’s not been a boyfriend for a while actually.” As I thought about the Old Annabel’s life, I found myself almost smiling. “There was a guy I liked back in College Station.”
“A guy you went to school with?” Rev asked.
“Actually, he was a vet at the animal hospital I worked at.”
“Is that what you were in school for? To be a vet?”
I nodded. “I can’t imagine doing anything else. I’ve loved animals practically since I was born.” With a sly smile, I added, “I guess I found them to be much nicer than my family.”
Rev laughed. “I can see how you might believe that.”
I absently flicked away a piece of fuzz on my blanket. “I was in my first semester of veterinarian school. I’ve missed so much that I guess I’ll just start over in the fall.”
“I think you’ll be an amazing veterinarian,” Rev said encouragingly.
“And how can you tell?”
Cocking his head, he stared at me for a moment. “There’s something about you that says you have a caring nature.”
“Except when it comes to my parents.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself about them. Lots of people have complicated relationships with their families.”
“Do you?”
Rev smiled. “How quickly you forget my father killed my rapist, gave up his church, and divorced my mother. I would say that makes for complications, doesn’t it?”
I shook my head. “But you still got along with your father, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I did. He was a good man despite his faults.”
“You seem to get along well with Bishop.”
Rev grinned. “Ah, yes, my dear, sweet baby brother who should have been here half an hour ago with dinner.” After he laughed, he added, “Yeah, he’s my best friend. Along with our older brother.”
“What about your mother?”
