Page 35 of Midnight Mate

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He’d hugged me as he said it. But that didn’t make the words any less true.

I’d spent Sunday eating my feelings.

Ice cream. Wine. Greasy pizza.

Rudy had threatened to unplug the fridge if I didn’t stop.

Today, I was paying for my choices.

Snapping back at the jerkwad wanting a walk-in on our busiest day made me feel marginally better.

By lunch, I was stewing. Angry with myself, I realized.

Why couldn’t I be one of those girls who could have no-strings sex?

God, I needed to get laid.

And hadn’t I always wondered what East was like in bed?

At one, I walked a patient back to the lobby in time to see a delivery man leave a long, narrow box with Leslie at reception.

Any other day, I might have ventured out to see what sort of presents she’d gotten from her disgustingly devoted husband. Today, I couldn’t bear it.

I attempted to retreat to my office, but Leslie called out, stopping me.

“Cat? Something came for you.”

“Me?” I frowned and slipped around the corner and into her space. “What is it?”

She shrugged. “The shape of the box suggests flowers.” She turned in her chair and handed me the white box. “Open it.”

I ripped through the seal and flipped the lid open. My eyes widened. Blood-red roses lay against white tissue paper. They were beautiful.

“Oh, those are gorgeous,” Leslie gushed. She pointed to a small card nestled among the thorny stems. “An admirer?”

I took the card, careful to avoid the thorns, and set the box aside.

Roses are red. Violets are blue. No one gets in the way of me and you.

-T

My chest tightened.

Well, if that wasn’t creepy as hell.

I dropped the card into the garbage and then did the same with the box of roses.

“What are you doing?” Leslie asked.

“Get rid of these.”

“Seriously? If you don’t want them, I can display them up front.”

“I don’t want them in the office,” I snapped, my breaths coming in shallow gasps.

Leslie nodded, eyes wide.

I spun on my heel and escaped back to my office before she could press for more.

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