Page 2 of Home Ice

"Good to know. I'll stay away."

Before I say anything more, she turns and walks inside the house. Latching the deadbolt with a loud and solid clunk to let me know exactly how finished this conversation is.

CHAPTER 2

APOLOGY DONUTS

LILY

"I am not exaggerating," I tell her. "He jumped up, threw himself in front of me, and then stared into the house like some sweaty, shirtless, snarling animal. What if he had just broken out of jail or was having some kind of psychotic episode?"

I put the phone on speaker and set it beside the coffeepot. The flow of coffee is slow at first, as if it's hesitant to leave the machine. Just a few drips patter against the bottom of the carafe. Then more, until it builds into a steady stream. I stare at it. Just like I've stared at it for each of the last four days. It doesn't take longbefore the smell fills the air, and I rememberour mornings together. I would walk down the hallway toward the kitchen. Hardly awake and suffocated by the smell of his coffee. I hated it. Some days I lied and told him it made me feel like I could throw up, hoping he would stop brewing it so often. But hewould just laugh and tell me I'd love it eventually. Another one of his lies.

Em doesn't respond with so much as a grunt, so I continue. "What if he had a knife? I could have been stabbed by some crazy shirtless guy."

"Did he have a knife?" she finally asks.

I picture him for the way-too-many-eth time since yesterday. Seeing those tiny beads of sweat covering his chest. Those shorts he was wearing.He couldn't have hidden a knife in there if he wanted to. His shorts already didn'tdo much to hidethat very impressive… object which I will not think about for another second. "That's not the point, Em. You're supposed to feel sorry for me and gasp and ooh at the appropriate points of this story. I did when you told me about the time you were mugged. I guess I'm just the better best friend."

"I was literally mugged. With a real-life gun. And a scary man who didn't introduce himself afterward and try to shake my hand. Muggers and would-be stabbers don't do that. You already said your guy rushed up because he thought he was saving you. That's way different."

"It's not that different. He's just a shirtless asshole playing the hero instead of the villain."

"Aww, myLily has a hero. Her very own knight in shining armor. So romantic." If it were possible for a person to have sarcastic cartoon hearts twined between their words, Em's words would have them.

Thankfully, she's not here to see me roll her eyes at her. If she were, she would carry on even more just to annoy me. "It was not romantic at all. You don't think that takes some special kind of arrogance to just assume that I needed him? I can handle myself."

"Pfft! I wish I was taking a drink so I could have spit it all over. True spit-takes come about so rarely in life." She sounds sad that she's not able to make a mess at my expense.

"What? I can!"

"Girl, when we were roommates, you made me answer the door every time we had food delivered."

"That's not because I was scared, I just didn't want to?—"

"A couple times you literally ran to the bathroom to hide."

I shake my head. "Again, not scared. I just was not in the mood to deal with humans those days." I take the now full pot of coffee from the machine and hold my face close as I pour it down the drain. Just a slow trickle as I force myself to take deep breaths, holding each one until it feels like my lungs will explode from the pressure. By the time the pot is empty, there are black dots swirling in my vision, and I hope I'll pass out. Just like every day before this one, I don't.

"Anyway, so thisincrediblysweet guy just thought he was protecting you?"Em has never liked to let me win an argument. Even when I am obviously right. "I mean, if someone thought I was being assaulted, I would want them to run to my rescue. Especially if they were hot."

"I never said he was hot."

"You mentioned the fact that he was shirtless about a dozen times. And you threw the word 'sweaty' in there waymore than you needed to. You're obviously obsessedwith what he looked like, and you wouldn't be unless he was hot. Ergo..."

"Remind me again why you're a veterinarian and not a lawyer."

"Because cats are a lot cuter than criminals. Although they are pretty similar in most other ways. Did you know a cat in New York City stole a woman's diamond ring? Apparently he?—"

"As much as I would love to hear all about it, I just remembered I have a really busy day planned."

Em huffs out a breath. "You don't even try to spare my delicate feelings, do you?"

"Being best friends means I don't have to worry about your feelings," I tell her as I dump the wet coffee grounds into the sink. When I hang up, I'll wash them down the disposal so I won't have to smell them all day.

"That's the opposite of what it means, but whatever." Her tone tells me she's the one rolling her eyes now. Emory and I met in college when we were sitting across from each other at a seminar table. We both rolled our eyes at the exact same moment and then burst into laughter. After class, I asked if she wanted to grab lunch, and we've been friends since. "You go do whatever it is you're going to do while I spend my day saving the lives of people's beloved fur babies."

"You already told me that your morning is mostly checkups and trimming nails. Nice try."

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