Page 18 of Someday You Learn

So now it looks like I’m buying a ring, something I swore I’d never do again, for a woman I barely know. Yeah, this just got worse.

“So you’re moving home?” Robert asks, looking down at his daughter. “But what about your job?”

“Uh…”

Allcylinders finally fire in my brain, catching me up to speed, so I say, “You’re going to be working remotely for a while, right, babe?”

Cashlynn looks up at me as a sigh of relief leaves her lips. “Yes, until I can figure out my next move.”

Yeah, you might be relieved right this second, woman, but I have a fuck ton of questions and we are definitely having a conversation later.

“Convenient,” Seth mumbles so low that I’m pretty sure no one but me hears it. I glare in his direction, but as all of this slams into me, panic rises in my chest.

Needing some fresh air and a moment to freak out, I release my hold on Cashlynn and then glance at the clock. “Well, I think I’m going to take an early lunch. I didn’t eat breakfast this morning and now I’m starving.” Patting my stomach, I turn to Dr. O’Neil. “Glad to see you’re feeling better, sir. When I return, I can catch you up to speed on a few things…”

“Like how you ended up engaged to my daughter without telling me?” The pinch in his brow tells me he’s not happy, and honestly, I get it—because I’m fucking irritated in this moment as well.

“Not today, Dad. You’re going home,” Cashlynn says to her father.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Robert slams his cane on the ground. “This is my practice and I have a right to be here!”

“Okay, why don’t you at least go sit down in your office if you’re so hell-bent on staying” Beth says, trying to diffuse the situation. She and Cashlynn move toward Robert, so I take that as my chance to get away.

I stop by my office, grab my wallet and keys, and speed out of the parking lot toward Catch & Release, needing that long lunch break now more than ever.

The boys aren’t going to believe this.

Chapter three

Parker

“What the fuck just happened?” I mutter, dropping my forehead to the steering wheel. I take a second to catch my breath before heading into my brother’s restaurant.

Dallas bought this place from the owner when he returned home for good after serving twelve years in the Marines, and he’s created a booming business that is a staple tourist spot in Carrington Cove. Every Thursday, I meet Penn, Grady, and him here for lunch before he opens to the public. Normally, I just enjoy my time away from the animal hospital and listen to them drone on about their love lives, but today, I’m pretty damn sure the spotlight’s going to be on me.

I storm through the front door and spot Penn at the bar with Dallas and Grady. Grady’s daughter, Callie, is strapped to his chest, sleeping peacefully.

“Uh, you okay?” Grady asks as I approach the bar, tossing my glasses down and blowing out a breath.

“I don’t even fucking know,” I mutter, rubbing my temples as I look up at Dallas. “Can I get a beer, please?”

He furrows his brow. “A beer? It’s noon on a Thursday…”

“Just pour me a fucking beer, Dallas!” I snap, squeezing my eyes shut and pinching the bridge of my nose as the full weight of the past hour crashes down on me. Dallas slides a beer in my direction, and as soon as it’s within reach, I grab the glass and drain half of it before saying, “Fuck. My. Life.”

Dallas moves from behind the bar to stand by Penn and Grady, all three of them eyeing me with varying shades of confusion and amusement, clearly wondering what the hell is going on.

I wish I knew.Me?Engaged? I mean, I’ve made it crystal clear to everyone since Sasha left that I’m not going through that shit again. Not opening myself up to trust someone just to be let down. I don’t need the risk, and I don’t want the distraction. So how the hell am I suddenly “engaged” to a woman I barely know? Worse—a woman who happens to be my boss’s daughter.

But before I can say a word, the front door bursts open, and I half-expect to see Dr. O’Neil hobbling in to beat the hell out of me with his cane. Instead, Cashlynn comes barreling in—her hair wild, her eyes scouring the room before they land on me.

“Oh my God, Parker! There you are.”

“Who the hell is this?” Dallas mumbles to Grady out of the corner of his mouth.

“No idea,” Grady mutters in return.

I spin around and meet the eyes of the woman who just inserted herself into yet another part of my day.

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