Page 78 of Just For Her

“No, no, the poor family is right. I don’t have any hard feelings toward them. Way I see it, shit happened, and now I move on. Being a doctor was stressful as fuck anyway.”

“Do you miss it?”

“No way.”

“I bet your family wasn’t happy.”

A sudden laugh cracked their corner of the bar. “Livid! I went from being one of Aunt Kiersten’s golden boys to the second biggest screwup after Thomas. At least I didn’t go to jail.”

Oskar was content to talk about himself, which only confused Kayla more since she wasn’t surewhyTove’s cousin wanted to speak with her in a dive bar. Any inclination that he was here on Tove’s behalf was now out the window. Instead, Oskar spoke with Kayla as if they were good acquaintances who had a reason to hang out after work.Does he even work at all now?Kayla had an earlier shift the following day. Her idea of going home, watching YouTube in the bathtub, and going to bed early faded with each passing second.

“So, tell me,” Oskar said at the end of a long diatribe about an incident in medical school, “Do you really prefer women? Or was that another lie you told my cousin to bag her?”

Kayla tapped her straw against the rim of her glass. “One thing I’ve discovered lately is that everyone knows my dating history. They can’t wait to tell me how many men I’ve dated.”

“To be blunt, you once dated a guy named Rick Coney. He was a doctor where I did my residency. We still keep in touch. I recognized you from some of his pictures… and when I started to suspect that you weren’t who you said you were, I called him up and he confirmed it for me. Now, I didn’t say anything because, ultimately, it wasn’t my business. Except Rick only dates women who want him for his money. Girlswayout of his league.”

Rick…There had been two Ricks in Kayla’s dating history. One of them may have been Dr. Coney. Not the most memorable guy, but he was old enough to have been a doctor while Oskar did his residency twenty or more years ago.

She should have known that some of her exes talked about her.

“Let me tell you,” she said with mild calculation, “it’s a lot easier to find daddies.”

“Ha! I don’t doubt it. Portland was probably a prime market for that. What changed it? The pandemic?”

“Perhaps I exhausted most of my existing prospects, and I desired change.”

Oskar could only handle his own smug reading of the situation for so long. Soon enough, he finished his drink, offered to pay for Kayla’s, and asked if she would walk him to his car parked three blocks away. He assured her that he had not drunk enough to impair his driving, but that wasn’t Kayla’s concern. She kept a decent distance from him down the sidewalk, jacket zipped up and hand buried in her front pockets. It was a bit warm for that look, but she didn’t care. Oskar wanted something besides conversation.

“You ask me…” Oskar leaned against his car, a Lexus that was well-kept but had seen better days.The kind you buy when you’re a practicing doctor but can’t upgrade when you’re stripped of your license.Kayla was familiar with such tricks. Either Oskar was incredible with his Fredriksson money to ensure he no longer had to work a 9-5, or he was the biggest fool in the family. “Tove is an idiot. Imagine being her, giving up a girl like you simply because your initial interest wasmoney.It’s not like she has many prospects, either. I bet you had grown quite fond of her.”

Kayla pursed her lips and said nothing.

“She’s naïve. Bless her heart, she may be book smart, but she has a lot to learn when it comes to girls like you. Nothing wrong with being with someone who mostly wants you for the security, as long as the deal is upheld on both ends.”

Kayla was still silent.

“Why do I have the feeling you’re still interested in my family’s money? I have to tell you, I’m a Gustav. I may not be the richest descendant, but Tove will tell you I still have more money than her. I also own more than one property. I’ve got my house in Redmond, sure, but I also have a studio condo in Lake Oswego, right on the lake. You could have your independence while being close to your family, and out of Tove’s sight. Of course, you wouldn’t be mygirlfriend,but who cares? That’s not what you want right now. Maybe you’ll find someone better later. Maybe I’ll find someone I’d want to marry, though I doubt it. In the meantime, we could help each other out.”

Ah, yes, there it was – making Kayla shudder.

“Are you asking me to move into your Portland condo?” Oskar chuckled. “Not for free, of course.”

“No, of course. Not for free. I’m guessing you expect non-monetary exchange?”

“I think you know what I expect.”

“That’s…”

Oskar pushed himself toward her, cutting Kayla off mid-thought. “We could hash out the finer details at my place. I promise to have you home by midnight if that’s what it takes.”

Kayla held up a hand between them. “I didn’t say I was contemplating anything.”

“Maybe I haven’t been convincing enough. I know I’m not the mostappealingman in my family, but I have my charms.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Are you sure? Because I have something that my cousin doesn’t.”

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