Page 74 of Someday You Learn

“That I wouldn’t trust a liar with my animals.”

Mypulse spikes as I internally debate what he knows, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions or rat myself out in the process, so I opt for nonchalance. “And what exactly would I be lying about?”

He shrugs innocently. “Why don’t you tell Dr. O’Neil what his daughter isreallydoing here?”

My stomach drops, but I keep my expression neutral. “You already know the answer to that, Seth. We’re engaged.”

“Yeah, I’m not buying it, Parker.” He steps further into the room and closes the door behind him. “I do have to admit your acting skills aren’t half bad, but something just doesn’t add up. The timing of this was all very convenient, considering youknewDr. O’Neil was going to retire soon. I think you just wanted to give yourself an edge.”

Slowly, I stand from my desk, resting my palms on the surface and leaning forward to look Seth dead in the eye. “I don’t need an edge to beat you, Seth.” His jaw clenches tighter. “Have you forgotten who’s been here longer? Who has a higher success rate with surgeries? Who gets better outcomes for our patients with cancer?”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” he snaps.

“Dr. O’Neil doesn’t see it that way. And here’s the thing—you can have the practice, you can have the title, hell, you can have the damn corner office. But you’ll never be the better doctor. Not because of the reasons I’ve already listed, and not because I’m smarter, which I am. But because I fucking care about people and their pets. All you care about are dollar signs.”

He grinds his teeth together as he steps back. “I’m going to figure out what’s going on, Parker.”

“Have fun. Meanwhile, I’ll be focusing on what truly matters—my patients.”

Without another word, Seth stalks out of my office. As soon as I know he’s out of earshot I let out the breath I was holding.

I haven’t figured out what I want to say to Cashlynn about what I overheard yet, but this is something I absolutely have to talk to her about—because Seth could ruin the chances of either of us getting what we want.

***

When I walk through the front door after a tumultuous shift, I’m disappointed yet again to see that Cashlynn isn’t in the living room or kitchen, so I head to her room, but she’s not there either. Her car is in the driveway, so she has to be here somewhere. My frustration simmers as I look around, trying to figure out where she could be. Then it hits me—the garage.

Sure enough, I find her walking on the treadmill, her earbuds in and her laptop balanced on the small desk attachment.

“Cashlynn?”

She holds up a hand without looking at me and speaks aloud. “Sure, I think that’ll work. I like the blue, but it’s a little one dimensional. It needs more color.”

Since she’s preoccupied with a call, I head back inside to change out of my work clothes. By the time I return in red gym shorts and a plain black T-shirt, my frustration has only deepened.

“Are you done with your call?” I ask as I step back into the garage.

“Yeah, sorry about that. It was the branding manager I’ve been working with.”

“Isn’t it a little late on a Friday for business calls?”

She furrows her brow. “She had a doctor’s appointment earlier today and asked to reschedule. I was being accommodating.”

“Well, I need to talk to you.”

She glances back down at her computer. “I’m almost done with everything I need to do here. Can it wait?”

“No, it can’t.” My patience with this woman and our situation is razor-thin, and if I don’t get the Seth issue off my chest, I’m going to explode.

Cashlynn looks at me again, visibly irritated. “It’ll only take fifteen, twenty minutes tops, Parker. Can’t we—”

“I need to talk to you right now, Cashlynn.” My voice reverberates through the garage, signaling the urgency of the matter. It’s enough to make her pause, studying me for a beat before letting out a sigh.

“Fine,” she mutters, pressing stop on the treadmill. Once it slows down, she hops off and walks over to me wearing another sinful workout outfit. “This better be important.”

“It is,” I say sharply.

Her head rears back and her eyes narrow. “Why are you being an asshole right now?”

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