Page 60 of Hesi-Dating
"Oh, he’s hot. He’s been voted the sexiest veterinarian alive two or three years running. He’s got his own show on that animal network on TV."
"Tell me it’s not…" Bruno covered his face. "Not that…that Ian something or other. Wasn’t he the one who drove you crazy in school? I’ve never seen anyone make you so angry."
Amber nodded. "We fought a lot. Apparently, that might make for great TV."
I'd taken an instant dislike to Ian way back in school. The guy hurt Amber in a way no one else ever had. She had thick skin and a sassy mouth that hid a tender heart. Ian got through her shell and then hurt her. "Isn’t he the one who made you scared to date?"
"I’m not scared to date. It’s the commitment part I have issues with. That’s not Ian’s fault. He and I never dated. We never did anything. He’s the one who pranked me with the Valentine’s Day video."
"That was mean. Didn’t he try to apologize, though?" I pushed my long, recently dyed auburn hair over a shoulder. I thought a color change might help me get out of my own dating doldrums. "I seem to remember him calling you a lot and then when you wouldn’t talk to him, he sent you a letter."
"He embarrassed the hell out of me in front of my entire vet school class. He traded our friendship for popularity. He doesn’t get a free pass with anoops-I’m-sorryletter after he already posted the video online."
Fear oozed from her, something I wasn't used to seeing. Cautiously, I asked, "You have to be nice to the guy that messed up with you? You’re the world record holder for holding a grudge. How are you going to approach being nice to him for TV? Maybe fighting would be more dramatic for the show?"
"But you don’t have to do this, do you?" Marino asked. "If it sucks that bad, find a new job."
"The pay boost will help us get through this debt. Beyond that, they’re threatening my job, which means my residency. I’ll never find another residency to allow me to do just one year. We’re also not at a point we can survive if I’m out of work for a while."
"We’re almost to that point," Bruno said softly.
"Almost." Amber addressed me. "Will you help me figure out how to charm him or at least pretend to act charming? You’re the goddess of understanding men."
Am I?I didn't feel like it anymore, but if Amber needed me then I'd be there for her. "’Course I will."
Marino said, "If he hurts you, I’ll?—"
"You’ll what?" Amber interrupted. Marino wasn’t a fighter. A substantial gust of wind might knock all one-hundred-fifty pounds of skinny on his ass. He was a gaming super nerd who was good with computers. He’d started doing social media Reels a few months ago. Not that he had many followers, but he had a hilarious take on his gaming adventures.
"I’ll hack his life and make him regret it,” Marino offered.
Marino could do that.
Amber said, "That’s a great idea. Just not yet."
"I’ll date a cop for you and get him arrested if he hurts you," I said. My mind darted to Seth. Softly I added, "Or I could call the sheriff."
"Thanks. I’ll remember that." Amber squinty-eyed me. "Why are you blushing when you mention the sheriff? Have you and he met up since…that day?"
I shook my head. The thought spiraled my mood into the gutter. I wished I could reach out to him, but I didn't dare. It'd been weeks since that awful mess with Nosh. Since that memorable night with Seth.
"We got this." Bruno raised his glass. "I will fuck up Ian What’s-his-name if he hurts you. Because no one messes with our family."
"No one gets arrested. That’s the rule. We’ll get through this." Amber raised my glass. "To family."
ChapterTwenty-Three
JOLEY
The lights from the community college parking lot reflected an eerie glow off my car's hood. A truck pulled out of the spot next to me and lit up the inside of my car before it drove off. I stared at the package of candy corn on the seat next to me, which heralded the approach of Halloween in three weeks. Not even the promise of corn syrup overload could buoy my mood.
"We have to ask you to leave."
The dean's words deflated me. I had nothing to show for twenty months of school. My bank account held barely enough to pay for the gas I needed to get to my nanny job. I'd have to ask for a loan from Amber to make it to payday with my credit card bill looming.
I was no closer to moving out of my sister's house than I'd been when she found me dancing five years ago in that shit club.
"You're not a loser," I said out loud. Yet, my ribs felt so tight I could barely breathe. Beneath that I felt hollowed out.
