Page 26 of Hesi-Dating
My shoulders lifted and dropped. "Never?"
"Exactly. This is a zillion times more dangerous. You'll get to know him and probably start liking him more. Maybe even fall for him big time. He seems like a decent guy with the whole sheriff do-gooder, in-charge vibe. He also loves his dog a lot, which earns him points."
"Please don't tell Marino or Bruno about this. Please, please, pretty please. Bruno will lose his mind."
"It's because he worries about you. He's also scared shitless of Nosh. We all are. That guy's a psychopath."
"I know."
"Nosh killed both of them that day when your foster father attacked you, didn't he?"
I bit my lip and wouldn't look at her.
Amber sucked in long inhale that got my attention. "I can't imagine the girl you were back then picking up a gun and shooting someone. You were beat down and insecure. I doubt you even knew how to load a gun."
I whispered, "I don't remember what happened. There's a giant black hole in my memory about it."
"I bet Nosh did it. He probably didn't even blink. Is that why he thinks he owns you?"
"You can't say anything. He made me swear. He threatens me about it all the time."
"Your secret is safe with me, but I wonder why he's paranoid about no one finding out. He kills people all the time without remorse. You must stay away from the sheriff, okay? There are so many guys out there. Why him?"
"He needs me."
"So does your dog."
"I won't be an idiot about this. I promise." I massaged my forehead. "Can I at least go say goodbye to Seth?"
"I'm not your mother. You're a big girl. Go do some adulting. If you keep flitting in and out of his life, don't forget it will put him in danger. And you. The only way you can even consider being friends or more with someone like him is if you can figure out how to sever your link to Nosh without one of us dying."
By the time I got back to the exam room, the weight of Amber's words had sent me spiraling into depression.
Seth was gone. He'd already checked out? Heart pounding, I rushed to the lobby.
He waved at me from the front door. I jogged to catch up as he and Henry walked outside. Henry led us back to his truck. The dog's limp seemed more pronounced with the bandage on than with a piece of plastic stuck on his paw. I also noticed Seth's slight limp seemed more noticeable today.
I wanted to ask him about it but didn't feel like now was the right moment.
"Your sister is pretty good at what she does. Tell her thank you for me, will you? I'm going to follow up if his foot licking comes back." He opened the back seat of the double cab and lifted Henry up.
"She's even better at her job when a dog or cat needs surgery."
I watched him hook the dog into a seatbelt and whisper something to him. I should've left while he put the dog in the truck. Now things would get awkward.
We both started speaking at once.
"You go first," I said.
"The thing is…" He pushed back his hat. "I can't stop thinking about you and worrying about you. I want to know who hurt you so I can help you forget it and kill the motherfucker."
I didn't need another overprotective man in my life. I had two brothers who already filled that role. Yet, when Seth said it, my gut clenched and knees melted to the point I had to lean against the truck. What was wrong with me?
I wanted to tell him I couldn't stop thinking about him either. That was a bad idea. He needed to get away from me. Because of Nosh. Out loud I said, "We all have baggage we wish would disappear, but we're stuck dragging it around. So we sort through it for the rest of our life. It's my issue, not yours."
"You helped me with my divorce and getting beyond it. I want to help you."
"All I did was push you to let go of the house."
