Page 64 of Catnip, Claws, and Chaos

Before I can stop her, Kate swivels toward the waiting room. “Is that him?” She points at an elderly man cradling a bulldog.“No, wait, that can't be right.” She squints dramatically. “Oh! Is that Dr. McHottie over there?”

Her finger aims directly at Logan, who has emerged from an exam room looking like aGQcover in his white coat and perfectly tousled hair. He freezes, confusion etching lines between his brows.

“Kate!” My fingers dig into her arm. “Stop. This. Now.”

She ignores me. “Hi! I'm Kate, Emily's best friend! We've sort of met before, though you might not remember since I was throwing a drink at your friend's crotch at the time. No hard feelings, right?”

The waiting room falls silent. Every pair of eyes locks onto this unfolding disaster. I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I could fake a seizure. Or start a small fire as a distraction.

But Logan, infuriatingly perfect Logan, doesn't even flinch. His mouth curves into something dangerously close to amusement. “Hello, Kate. What brings you to the clinic today?”

Kate thrusts the carrier forward. “My turtle is sick. Very, very sick. Probably terminal.”

Logan peers into the container. “A turtle? Did you provide adequate water?”

“Of course I did!” Kate bristles with indignation. “I put in, like, an inch. They need water, right? But not too much, or they drown. I googled turtle care for exactly forty-five seconds in the Uber on the way over.”

The turtle retreats into its shell, clearly regretting its role in this charade.

Mrs. Anderson, a regular whose cat mysteriously develops infections whenever her husband travels, rises to her feet. “Excuse me! I've been waiting for thirty minutes. Why does she get priority treatment when her pet is obviously fine?”

Logan smooths the situation with practiced ease. “This appears to be a potential emergency situation requiring immediate assessment. Emily, would you join us, please?”

I ignore the outrageous mutters from the waiting room and follow them to his office. My face burns hotter than the surface of the sun. Once the door clicks shut, I round on Kate. “Have you completely lost your mind? What possessed you to pull this stunt?”

Kate collapses into a chair. “Someone had to check whether Dr. Sexy here was treating you right. You've barely answered our texts for weeks.”

Sarah slides into the office, wincing apologetically. “I tried to talk her out of it. But you know Kate when she gets an idea in her head...”

“You could have called me!” I throw my hands up. “Or texted! Or used literally any other method of communication that doesn’t involve embarrassing me at my workplace!”

“You weren't responding. What were we supposed to think? You move in with some guy we barely know, and suddenly you're ghosting your best friends?”

Guilt gnaws at my insides. They're right. I've been absent, wrapped up in the Logan bubble.

“I've been busy,” I offer lamely.

“Yeah, we can see exactly how busy you've been.” Kate's eyes dart between Logan and me, a knowing smirk on her lips.

Logan, who has been watching this exchange with remarkable composure, clears his throat. “I don't believe we've properly met. I'm Logan Price.” He extends his hand to Kate, who eyes it suspiciously before shaking it. “And you must be Sarah,” he adds, turning to my other friend.

“So, what exactly are your intentions with our Emily?”

I make a strangled noise. “Kate!”

“Fair question.” Logan leans against his desk with infuriating casualness. “My intentions include not firing her for smuggling a clearly un-sick turtle into my clinic during business hours.”

Kate narrows her eyes. “So you're saying your relationship is purely professional?”

“Kate,” Sarah hisses, “boundaries!”

Logan slides his gaze to mine, holding it for a beat too long. “Emily and I have a... versatile arrangement.”

“Versatile,” Kate repeats flatly. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

I swear I see the corner of Logan's mouth twitch upward. “I believe the kids call itit's complicated.”

“So you're fuck buddies,” Kate announces, nodding as if she's cracked some elaborate code.

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