Page 45 of Girl Going Nowhere

Clicking her tongue, Blake sets down the paper and steps back. “You’ve been a real ass lately, you know that? You woke Maia up the other night with your temper tantrum, you’ve given me the cold shoulder in the mornings, and now this. What did I do to you? Is this because I won’t date you? Because I thought we were past that.”

Is that what it all boils down to? I wish it were as simple as my ego being bruised. Then I could brush it off and find somebody willing to give me a real chance—something Blake isn’t able to. “Maybe I’ve got a lot going on at work. Did you ever think of that? I come home to relax and have to watch Brodie drool all over you and Dante stare like he can get in on whatever action is left, all while you soak up the attention. This is supposed to be the one place I can come and decompress, and everybody is pushing me past my limits.”

She blinks, surprised by my cool answer. It’s all true, but she didn’t need to know it. My issues aren’t hers.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. “I’m sorry for waking up Maia.” That wasn’t cool of me, and Brodie chewed me out for it the next morning. “I have been stressed because of a lot of shit going on at work, and I just need…”

What? Space? Time?

I don’t even know the answer anymore.

Blake, apparently, does. “Fine. I’ll leave you alone so you can get back to it. I’m not trying to make your life miserable. I want to be your friend and help you however I can. But I can only do so much when you shut me out.”

Fuck.I’m doing exactly what Dante is.

“You’re not making me miserable.”

“Just annoyed,” she counters dryly.

I look away. “I’m sorry.”

There’s a pause between us.

She walks to the door and says, “I really don’t believe you.” Before she leaves, she adds, “I ordered Chinese. I got your favorite. I’ll leave it in the fridge for whenever you want it.”

Closing my eyes as she disappears, I pinch the bridge of my nose and murmur, “You’re an asshole, Wilder.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Blake

My phone lightsup with another unknown number flashing on the screen. It’s the third one today, but nobody leaves a message. Frowning, I click the button on the side to silence the ringer and turn back to the doctor leaning against the counter.

“There’s already a waiting list for new patients,” I tell Dr. Emerson, popping another carrot into my mouth.

The woman I’ve worked for the past two years gives me a deadpanned look. “You’re an employee, Blake. And your daughter is overdue for a checkup. Next time, come straight to me.”

I’ve never liked special treatment. “She’s up to date on all her shots. I figured I’d wait my turn because there have been people waiting to get in.”

Emerson steals one of the carrots I’m nibbling on and points it at me. “Most of those people have found doctors elsewhere and never removed themselves from the list. We have openings. Bring her in next week when you can.”

I smile at her. “Okay.”

She gestures toward the basket of lollipops we keep for the kids that come in. “And let her have some of the candy we keep for the kids before you eat all of it.”

My cheeks heat guiltily. I take some suckers when things are slow. “I restock them,” I defend.

Maia gets her sweet tooth from me, which my mother berates me for all the time. That’s why I tell my little sunshine to keep it between us whenever I sneak her candy.“It’s our secret,” I tell her. To which she always replies, “Secret! Shh.”

Dr. Emerson grins. “Put her into my schedule on Tuesday. I’ll even stay later if it’s easier for you. I know finding childcare can be difficult.”

She knows my parents tend to watch her on days she isn’t in preschool and that my relationship with them is strained at best. My mother has a reputation for being stubborn, and thankfully, Dr. Emerson has seen it firsthand. It makes me feel validated after years of being called melodramatic by the very woman who I get my looks from.

“Thank you,” I tell her. “I appreciate it.”

My boss waves me off. “Maia is precious. It’s always a pleasure to see her. We even got new unicorn stickers we’ll give her first dibs on.”

I groan. “The last time you gave her stickers she stuck them on everything, and I couldn’t get them off. Go easy on me before my roommates kick me out for her beautifying their things again.”

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