CHAPTER 1
“Iquit.”
I stood in the center of the world’s most dysfunctional circus, otherwise known as Sunshine Dentistry, and declared my resignation like I was on a dramatic reality show. And if I were being completely honest, it felt like I was starring in one.
The crying child in Exam Room Four? Supporting cast. The guy with a freshly extracted molar and blood dripping down his chin? Background extra. Vicky, in her neck brace, swiveling like a robot? Absolute scene-stealer.
“Hope, sweetie, you’re not quitting.”
Vicky didn’t even make eye contact as she spun in her wheeled throne toward the printer. The neck brace rendered her completely immobile from the shoulders up, so every movement required a full-body rotation.
Swivel.
Swivel.
To my left, someone high on nitrous oxide accidentally knocked over a dental assistant, and to my right, a womanshrieked at her child, “Let the doctor fix your tooth, or I’ll yank it out myself!”
“This place is cursed,” I muttered.
“You’re being dramatic, Hope,” Vicky deadpanned.
“No, I’m being sane, which is more than I can say for anyone else here.” I yanked at the Velcro collar of my lab coat, desperate to free myself of the itchy material and also my current situation. “Please tell my father I won’t be back.”
Vicky let out a long, exaggerated sigh and swiveled toward Amber, the other front desk manager, and her second cousin. Their family grimace had to be genetic because Amber hadn’t smiled the whole time I’d worked here. Vicky only did it once, and it was when Amber accidentally slipped on a plastic patient bib that had fallen onto the floor.
I was still 80% sure Vicky faked the whole “snowmobiling accident,” because someone so miserable couldn’t possibly enjoy outdoor recreation, right? The mental image of Vicky smiling on a snowmobile was almost too much for my brain to compute.
“Amber, call Dr. Elmswood,” Vicky said, obviously not listening to a single thing I had just uttered.
Amber reached for the phone.
Of course, they were tattling. Of course. Nobody ever took me seriously. Not when I’d grown up running through these same halls with pigtails and braces.
I glanced at the time: 2:28 p.m.
Emily would be in the parking lot in two minutes.
“Tell him I said goodbye. For good,” I said, shoving my phone back into my scrub pocket.
Vicky blinked, and Amber beside her appeared stunned. They seemed to realize I wasn’t kidding in theslightest. And boy, did it feel good to stand up for myself after all this time. So much so I didn’t know why I’d taken so long to do it.
I spun on my heel, heart hammering as I pushed through the glass doors and stepped into the blinding California sun.
Goodbye, antiseptic and eugenol.Goodbye, cheesy wall prints of random people smiling.
Then came the screech of tires against the pavement.
A sleek blue van swung dramatically into the lot, taking the corner a little too fast, and skidded to a stop a few inches from the curb.
The driver’s side window rolled down, revealing a mess of wild red curls and bright green eyes.
“I’ve made worse decisions,” Emily said with a devilish grin. “Now get in.”
I let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob and reached for the door when I heard my father’s voice echo across the parking lot.
“Hope!”
No, no, no, no.
