Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 18063 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 90(@200wpm)___ 72(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18063 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 90(@200wpm)___ 72(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
Her brows furrowed.
“I’m not saying you did a bad thing, but you didn’t warn me and you didn’t warn him. And me—shit—who cares, but him… he’s a little more delicate, maybe.”
She looked like I hit her.
“Don’t do that,” I warned her as I saw the doctor cutting across the room. “Because we’re both okay, but next time just put yourself in his shoes.”
She nodded quickly, biting her bottom lip. Hannah was a good person, thoughtful and kind. It had never crossed her mind that her therapist wasn’t up for spending time in her world. “You shouldn’t say stupid things like who cares about you, because you know I wouldn’t be trying to find you a soul mate if I didn’t.” She sounded cross, but she always did, a little, with me.
I grunted. “Care a little less, all right?”
“I can’t. And you know I can’t.”
“Try.”
Her smile came back then, big as ever. “We should get hamburgers after this.”
It was possible I whimpered, and she laughed before I stood up and would have returned to my spot, but halfway there a man blocked me.
When I looked up, I noted his eyes, which were a lovely hazel color, and his golden-brown hair, and the carefully manicured stubble that lined his jaw. Handsome in that way where he was certainly aware of the fact, and when I smiled back and moved to step around him, he barred my egress once more. Funny that before I became a soldier, I didn’t even know that word, egress, but now it was what came to mind whenever I was leaving a place or needing to get by.
“Excuse me,” I mumbled, trying to be nice and not simply move him.
“I wanted to see if I could get you a drink,” he asked me.
Meeting his gaze, I gave him a half-assed smile. “I’m working at the moment, but thank you. That’s a lovely offer.”
Slipping around him, I returned to my spot, and when I turned, I was surprised to find the same man there, blocking my sight line of Hannah.
“Give me your number and I’ll––”
“If you have a card,” I said, shifting to the right enough so I could see how she sat up in her chair and crossed her arms as a young man took a seat beside her. The scowl she gave him brought on a wide grin from him, letting me know, even if I didn’t already, that they were frenemies, “you can give it to me, but at the moment—I am working.”
“Listen,” he murmured, leaning in close, “it’s okay with me if you’re working, but I promise, you won’t get a better offer tonight. Do you know who I am?”
Wait. No. I had to have it wrong.
“Excuse me,” Dr. Butler said, stepping in beside the guy who thought I was a gigolo, “may I have a word with you?”
I pointed at the guy who had just propositioned me. “Doc, this guy thinks I’m a prostitute.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“He thinks I’m––” I coughed loudly. “––workin’ this event.”
Dr. Butler looked from me to the guy, and back to me. “Oh, he does not.”
I waggled my eyebrows for him.
“Sir,” Dr. Butler addressed the man, who looked quite confused and a bit horrified, “this man is a bodyguard. He is, in fact, working this event, as he’s keeping a lovely young woman safe from all manner of horrors, but his companionship for the evening is not for sale.”
The man had a zinger for Dr. Butler, you could tell. Probably something unflattering about me, no doubt, but instead of delivering the cutting remark, he beat it out of there.
“Oh, lookit him go,” I jeered, chuckling, watching my admirer almost jog away as Dr. Butler moved in beside me. He didn’t stand in front of me, knowing I was keeping watch over Hannah, and so many people weren’t thoughtful that way. I appreciated it. “Thanks for saving me. That was kinda funny.”
“I’m certain that happens often,” he replied softly, bumping me with his shoulder. “You’re easily the most beautiful man here, so you can’t very well blame him.”
I turned slowly to look at the doctor.
He choked out a laugh. “I’m being serious, you ass.”
“Ass?”
“I’m trying to give you a compliment. I saw many men, and women, eying you when the bachelor auction was going on. If Mr. Sutter were in the habit of putting his own employees up for bid, I’m certain he would have made a small fortune where you’re concerned.”
I studied his profile for a moment before rechecking Hannah, who was rolling her eyes over something that David Chan, a young man the same age as her boyfriend, was saying.
As he came from a wealthy family and Hannah was Aaron Sutter’s niece, their circles always intersected with one another. And while David liked her quite a bit, he could never stop himself from baiting her. For her part, Hannah found him arrogant, annoying, insufferable, but also, unfortunately, he was really smart and interested in all the same things she was, like antiques, business, and saving the planet. They were like two sharks swimming along together, in complete sync and ready to attack one another at the same time.