Page 4 of Strictly the Worst

But today is Zoe’s orthodontist check up. The office is about a five-minute walk from her school, so she’d agreed with Jared to meet him there.

“Did you call his office?” I ask, trying not to sound annoyed.

“Yeah, they said he’s in surgery.”

“Now?” My voice lifts. Jared is a cosmetic surgeon. He can choose his hours. And he knows about this appointment because I reminded him four times.

“Yeah. So I called Melissa and she spoke to the orthodontist and he did the check up anyway. But she can’t come and get me. She’s at a salon on the other side of town.”

Melissa is Jared’s twenty-four year old girlfriend.

It’s kind of laughable that she’s more responsible than Jared is when it comes to our daughter. And I’m almost certain that the orthodontist has broken some kind of code by seeing Zoe without a parent being present. But I’ll work through that one later.

“Why didn’t you call me earlier?” I ask her. Even though I probably would have been in Roman’s office at the precise moment she called, I still would have answered. And I would have rushed to the orthodontist to be with her.

“Dad told me not to call you every time he’s late,” she says, her voice small, because she thinks it will piss me off.

“You can always call me,” I tell her. “Always. No matter what. Okay?”

“Okay,” she says, still sounding uncertain.

“I’m leaving now,” I tell her. “Hang tight and I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“They’re closing up.”

“Let me talk to them,” I say. “Don’t leave the office without me, okay?” I’m already picking up my jacket and purse, and pulling open my office door.

“Hello?” a voice says down the phone. “This is Doctor Archer’s office.”

“Hello, this is Tessa Carmichael. Zoe’s mom. I’m afraid there’s been a mix up. I’m heading over to pick her up now, but it’s going to take twenty minutes. Can you make sure she’s safe until I’m there to meet her?”

A huff comes down the line. “It’s very inconvenient.”

“Gotta go,” I mouth to Gina. She frowns and I gesture at the phone. “Zoe.”

She nods and I run down the corridor.

“I understand it’s inconvenient,” I say. “But it’s all I’ve got. Please just make sure my daughter isn’t left alone in the middle of the street.”

“Okay then. But you need to organize your children better,” the person says, and I immediately want to scream. But I need their help so I’ll save it for later.

Zoe comes back on the line and I promise her I’ll see her soon, right as I turn around the corner and stop short.

But not short enough. Because I barrel into the one man I’d like to avoid for the rest of my life.

CHAPTER

TWO

LINC

“Can I have a word please, Carmichael?” I ask her. And I’m trying to keep my voice even because I can’t quite believe what I just heard. That her team is planning to sabotage the presentation. I need to nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand.

She looks up at me through those thick eyelashes of hers. If she wasn’t so annoying she’d be deadly attractive, with her soft skin and her pink rosebud lips. My gaze dips to take in the way the top button of her blouse has come undone. I don’t think she knows it has, but my eyes do. I can just about see the top of her cleavage and my body reacts even though I don’t want it to.

“Sorry, I don’t have time,” she says, shrugging as though this isn’t the most important thing right now. “I have to pick up my daughter.”

“Well, can you make time, please?” I say, my voice tight. And yeah, I’m more than a little pissed. I’m doing her a damn favor. I didn’t ask for this project, I didn’t want it. Either I fly to Exuma on her behalf or she loses the whole damn thing.

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