I sucked in a breath just as his footsteps faded down the hallway.
I was caught off guard by that small compliment. The only conclusion I could draw was that he must be trying to keep me around because he was desperate for a hygienist.
That had to be the only plausible option. If it weren’t, it would mean he was a dentist who could actually be encouraging and kind… maybe even reasonable.
And that would be blasphemous.
CHAPTER 17
Imindlessly gathered my things at the end of the day. I was lost in thought, still stuck on what Jay had said to me during the day.
Jay had told me I had a good eye. No doctor had ever said something like that to me. So I wasn’t sure how I felt about receiving a compliment like that with no added expectations. The moment replayed in my mind on a loop as I analyzed every part of it, trying to understand why he’d said it. Was there some ulterior motive? Was he just being overly friendly because he really didn’t want to have to find another hygienist? Would this kindness only last the first few days before he flipped on me?
He had to have a default setting. All of them did. It was like Buzz Lightyear—there was a secret button, and if I stayed long enough, he might bump into something and convert back to a real dentist and I’d be screwed.
“You coming, Hope?”
I was abruptly pulled from my thoughts, and the worldsnapped back into focus. I turned to find Macey and Tyler looking at me expectantly.
“Coming where?”
“To the bar down the street. Thursday nights at the Velvet Anchor, appetizers are half off,” Tyler explained.
They both continued to look at me as I scrambled for an excuse to say no. I wasn’t really a social butterfly. I had Emily, and that was enough for me. I would much rather go home and suffer through writing a few hundred words in my manuscript than hang around people I didn’t know while pretending to have fun.
“Oh, thanks, but I don’t drink,” I said, slinging my lunch bag over my shoulder.
“You don’t have to drink. You can get a soda. Also, we mostly go for the food. They have the best mozzarella sticks and fried pickles. You have to come,” Macey insisted, hooking her arm around my shoulder and steering me toward the parking lot.
I opened my mouth to protest, but no words came out—mozzarella sticks. I really liked mozzarella sticks. My mouth watered at the thought of fried food.
“I am sort of hungry,” I admitted.
I could’ve just driven back to my cabin and come up with more excuses the next day at work, but for some reason, I knew I wouldn’t hear the end of it. And now that Macey had mentioned mozzarella sticks, I was officially craving them.
We split off in the parking lot, and I climbed into my car, typingThe Velvet Anchorinto my GPS. Five minutes later, I was turning down the quaint Main Street and searching for a place to park. The sign out front was bright neon in a curly-cue font, and the place looked pretty run-down. But the rundown appearance didn’t seem to deterthe crowd in the slightest. Parking was a nightmare. After fifteen minutes, I finally secured a spot but it was two blocks away.
I considered turning back at least three times during the uphill walk, but somehow convinced myself to keep going by repeating the reward at the end.
Mozzarella sticks.
Fried pickles.
Soda.
It was karaoke night, and the moment I stepped through the front doors, I was hit with the smell of burgers and fries, a hint of beer and sweat, and the voice of a guy attempting Tim McGraw’sLive Like You Were Dying. The bar was lined with red booths and decorated with boating and fishing gear that looked like it had been pulled straight from some bush rat’s garage.
Big Bear locals chatted and laughed all around me, and it took a moment to spot Macey and Tyler, but eventually I found them tucked into a booth in the back corner.
“Hope, you came!”
“I thought you were going to ditch us,” Tyler admitted.
I let out a weak laugh as I slid in beside him. He had no idea how close I’d come to bailing.
“Do you want a drink, Hope? Or something to eat?” Macey asked, waving down a server.
“Uh, yeah. A Coke would be nice—and some mozzarella sticks.”
