Page 13 of Operation Annulment
He wears custom suits every day of the week, regardless of whether he’s working.
He volunteers at the hospital in his free time.
Minus his beard and the tattoos he keeps hidden beneath those custom suits, he’s perfect. But with his shaggy red hair and bright blue eyes, I imagine he’d have her eating out of the palm of his hand within minutes.
Jeremy is the whole package, yet no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to conjure up any feelings beyond friendship.
Zip. Zilch. Nada.
“Drop it, Dakota,” I grumble as my phone vibrates. “Hang on, my office is calling. Hello?”
“Hey, Kate. It’s Nicole. Listen, I’ve got an emergency session in a couple of hours, and I was wondering if you still have information on that new treatment facility up in Amarillo.”
Nicole is more than just a co-worker. She’s my best friend. We met during grad school when she was my instructor and have remained close ever since. Other than Dakota, she’s the only friend I have.
“Hey, if it’s an emergency and you can’t do it, I understand. I’ll need to run by my apartment and change, but I can be up there within forty-fiveminutes.”
She laughs. “Ah, I see you’re not alone. Let me guess… I know it’s not Nan since you’re not speaking to her right now. Dakota?”
I smile. “You got it. Let the patient know I’ll be up there as soon as possible.”
“Uh-huh,” she says with another chuckle. “Call me back when you can.”
I end the call before turning back to Dakota. “I’ve got to head into the office?—”
“You’re leaving?” she splutters before pointing to the stacks of boxes surrounding us. “But what about all this?”
“Sorry. Work emergency,” I lie, lifting my shoulder in a half-shrug. “But I bet Jeremy could get these unpacked in no time, what with him being perfect and all.”
“Biscuits and gravy, Kate!” she exclaims, throwing up her hands. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just want to see you happy. You deserve it after everything you’ve been through. Just don’t leave upset, please. I’m sorry.”
I sigh and pull her into a hug. I couldn’t stay mad at her even if I tried. No matter how much we bicker, she’s always the first to apologize, and it’s like she’s eleven years old again, running after our mother’s car, screaming,“I’m sorry! I’ll be better!”as she drove away.
I’ll never understand why my mother ran from her responsibilities and abandoned us, nor would I ever tell Dakota that she still calls to check in on us from time to time.
As far as my sister knows, it’s us against the world, which is probably for the best.
“There’s no need to apologize. It’s been a long day, and we’re all a little cranky. How about this? I’ve got some free time tomorrow afternoon. I can help you finish unpacking whatever’s left, okay?”
“Okay,” she mumbles into my hair, squeezing me tighter. “I’m really sorry I hurt you.”
“We’re good, kid,” I assure her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Zane stops me on my way out. “Watch this,” he mutters before waving to someone across the street. “Hey, neighbor!”
Instead of returning the greeting, the man makes a jacking-off motion with his hand and goes inside.
“Wow, he seems… nice,” I say, biting the inside of my cheek.
He raises an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah. I bet he’s baking a batch of cookies to welcome your sister to the neighborhood as we speak.”
