Page 13 of Healing of the Heart

“Says you,” Blake says. “You’re making so much noise I’m sure the clinic can hear you from here.”

“Well excuse me, but I’m uncomfortable.”

“And who’s fault is that, darling?” Blake asks. “Huh?”

“Yours,” Amory says.

“Mine?” Blake asks. “How is it my fault?”

“Why don’t you ask my ex-girlfriend?” Amory says.

“I didn’t know she was your girlfriend at the time.”

“That’s bullshit,” Amory states. “How could you possibly not know?”

“Well, it’s not like I’m some crazy stalker who knows every detail of your life,” Blake says, “and she never mentioned you.”

“Seriously?” Amory asks.

“Yes, seriously,” Blake says. “She said she had a girlfriend, but she never said who or gave me a name.”

“Wait,” Amory responds, “you knew she had a girlfriend and you still slept with her? Even if you didn’t know she was my girlfriend, that’s still so fucked up.”

Blake frowns, but Amory is right. What she did all those years ago is fucked up, but still, it was years ago. She was a different person back then.

“I was an idiot,” Blake says.

“You got that right,” Amory agrees.

“But for what it’s worth,” Blake continues, “I wouldn’t do that now. I’ve learned from my mistakes.”

“Is that supposed to make it better?” Amory asks.

“What do you want from me?” Blake asks. “An apology? Because I am sorry. What I did was fucked up. Even if we never liked each other, what I did was messed up and I never should have slept with Natalie.”

“I don’t care if you’re sorry,” Amory replies, venom in her words. “What I want is for you to drop dead.”

“What is your problem?” Blake asks.

“You slept with my girlfriend!” Amory exclaims.

“Years ago,” Blake says. “And I’ve changed since then. People are allowed to change. Just like I know you’ve changed over the years, or do you want to tell me that you’re the same girl who sabotaged my biology notes in med school?”

Amory frowns but she doesn’t know what to say to Blake. She can’t disagree with her, because she’s right, but she doesn’t want to agree with her either.

“Whatever,” Amory says, turning over on her pillow, but she stops tossing around as much and Blake is able to relax some.

It takes Blake a while, however, after what she said. She wonders if her words got to Amory or if the other woman is just content to hate her for the rest of her life. If so, this is going to be the longest and most painful trip ever.

And why can’t I stop wondering what she looks like naked?

5

AMORY

Amory is in pain as she works. Her back aches and her neck has a crick in it, probably from sleeping on the floor all night. She is also exhausted. She was hardly able to sleep last night in the same cabin as Blake Gold and the floor was not comfortable at all.

She is faced with another cholera patient in the small clinic where they’re working. She can hear Blake’s gravelly sexy voice from behind the curtain and rolls her eyes as she tries desperately to tune it out and focus on her patient.

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