Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
DANI
Four Years Later
Not a day goes by that I don’t regret my decisions.
I brought this on myself. I could have told Vic from the very beginning how much I needed him, and maybe we could have made it work.
Now, after all this time, how do I call?
What do I even say? It’s with these conflicting emotions gnawing at me that I step through the ambulance bay doors and into the chaos waiting inside.
The chaos that mimics my internal struggles for a man I no longer call my own, but maybe I will again one day.
Eyes cast downward just as Emma taught me to, I don’t look up until I reach the employee entrance of one of Houston’s busiest emergency rooms. I place my badge up against the keypad.
The light turns from red to green, followed by the sharp click of the lock.
The doors swing open, granting me entry into my personal hell for the next twelve hours.
I stash my things in the cramped locker and leave the staff lounge, making my way to the main desk for my assignment.
Emma, the charge nurse tonight and my fast-coming friend, takes one look at me and worry etches her face.
Her bright green eyes scrutinize me, searching for something I refuse to let her find.
There’s something about Emma that calls to me.
I’ve found a friend in her, but never let her in. She has her secrets, and I have mine.
I meet her stare, unblinking, until she finally sighs in defeat, directing her attention to the stack of charts in front of her.
“Here,” she says kindly, picking them up and handing them over.
“I’m putting you with Liv in urgent care today.
Give these to her, and tell her I said you needed a better day.
” Her words leave little room for protest. I take the charts from her, momentarily blinded by the flash of her diamond ring.
The lightsaber, as I call it. She notices me staring and flicks her fingers flauntingly in a run-along motion.
Before I can muster a response, she turns away, her long, blonde ponytail swaying as she walks off.
I find Liv in the urgent care area. She drops into a chair, watching me as I approach with the charts Emma gave me in hand.
With a slight nod, she gestures for me to set them on the desk.
Placing them down, I repeat Emma’s words.
“Emma is putting me here with you today. Said I needed a better day.” Liv eyes me suspiciously.
“Hm.” The sound is low as she slips off her clog with a heavy thump as it hits the floor. Rubbing her foot, she never looks away. I stand there in silence, offering her nothing. Her gaze sharpens. “And do you, Dani?”
I shrug. “Who doesn’t need a better day?” I retort noncommittally.
Liv’s eyes narrow. “Cut the crap.” She slips her shoe back on and rises to her full height, towering several inches above me. Next to Emma and me, she looks like a goddess—all tall, regal, and effortlessly elegant.
“I could say the same about you, Liv. You feeling okay?” I ask, genuinely concerned.
“That’s what having an active toddler does to you,” she says with a smile. She’s also happily married, like Emma, whose recent wedding was absolutely gorgeous. Her husband, unlike Liv’s, is a bit intimidating, as is Emma’s whole family. But hey, who am I to judge?
“Anyway,” Liv snaps me out of my thoughts. “Some of us are going to meet out at the sports bar we always hang out at after work today. Wanna come?”
She notices the hesitation on my face, so she goes in for the kill. “Come on, you never hang out with us. I can’t get out all the time, but Dax is off today and watching Kaden tonight.” She almost pouts, and it makes me laugh.
“Fine,” I wave my hand dismissively. “But I don’t get out of here until seven, maybe.”
She laughs. “Lucky for you, Emma and I are in charge of this hell pit tonight. Trust. You’ll be out in time.”
The day passes in a blur of patients and discharges, and before I know it, Emma comes over to let me know she is leaving. I check in with Liv’s replacement to let him know I’m going as well. He’s a kind physician assistant who’s taken a liking to me, but he doesn’t hold a candle to Vic.
Once I finish giving my report to the next shift, we make our way to the locker room, excitedly making plans for tonight.
As we exit the building, a black SUV waits out front, its engine humming.
A burly man holds the door open for her.
She winks. “See you there, Dani,” she says, sliding into the back passenger seat.
I nod and wave. But my thoughts are no longer on fun.
The night air stirs with memories, and for an instant, I almost see him.
Vic, waiting in the dark shadows that linger outside the building.
The ghost of his gaze follows me. I know it’s only my imagination, yet the ache of his absence coils around me, tight and suffocating.
I have to break free of it, because the weight of missing him presses down on me so fiercely that it causes my steps to quicken and drives me toward the car.
As I reach it, Emma, who was waiting for me to get there, rolls down her window, and I catch sight of her husband, Eduardo, next to her.
His gaze is cold, unyielding, and he’s staring straight at me from across the seat.
“Don’t make me come get you, girl,” she warns.
Her tone is playful, but the edge to it makes me hesitate before she winks, then rolls up the window and disappears down the street.
A shiver runs through me. The rush of danger prickles under my skin. It’s sharp, intoxicating, and makes me feel fucking alive. I realize this is what I’ve missed. I jump into the car, deciding it’s time I had some fun. I’m overdue for my dose of chaos.
I rush out the door in a flurry of excitement.
For some reason, I am actually looking forward to tonight.
I haven’t felt this happy or looked forward to something in a long time.
Emma and Liv have been there for me since I started working as a tech in the emergency room while I was in school.
They were there for me after my mom died.
They didn’t know what was going on. No one did.
However, when I failed to show up for work and risked getting fired, they discovered my address and showed up at my door.
They had also endured their own family tragedies.
I found out that Liv’s best friend died, and Emma’s parents both died in a terrible house fire.
Our shared grief bonded us, and in the midst of all that pain, we forged a fast and unbreakable friendship.
Since I plan on consuming more than a few beverages tonight, I decide to take an Uber to the sports bar.
Dressed in my favorite skinny black jeans, Doc Martens, and a cropped tee, I sling my crossbody bag over my shoulder and step out.
The ride is mercifully short, mainly because the garlicky, tangy smell radiating from the driver’s pores in the front seat makes the air feel suffocating.
I pull out my favorite travel-sized tube of Black Opium perfume and spritz myself lightly.
The familiar scent grounds me, a small ritual I perform before stepping into the night.
The tinted windows don’t reveal much as I approach the front doors, but the moment I step inside, a roar erupts from several tables, where people are glued to the action on a football game.
The place smells of beer, sweat, and fried food, and I almost consider leaving while I can.
But as I scan the large area for my friends, I spot Emma standing on her stool, waving me over, as Liv holds her steady.
“What the…” I trail off as a grin forms across my face at her wild antics.
I definitely don’t need her husband here.
Overprotective doesn’t even begin to describe his behavior when it comes to his wife.
And isn’t that her same driver sitting at the bar, shaking his head?
He’s on his phone, and I strong suspicion about who he’s calling.
I hurry over as Emma swings her legs off the stool, one arm still draped over it in balance as Liv holds onto her other.
I push my way through the crowd to meet them, and Emma wraps an arm around me. “I love that you’re my height.”
Liv comes over to embrace me. “Glad you made it, Dani.”
A cough comes from across the table. “Oh, yeah. This is my sister, Evie, and her better half, Jameson. Her eyes narrow at Emma as they both wave. Evie is clearly Emma’s twin with the same bright green eyes.
But her red lipstick screams danger. And when she smiles, it's my favorite part.
I grin back, showing off my own red lips and black nails that mirror hers.
She smirks, then pivots her attention to her so-called “soulmate,” as Emma once dubbed him.
I suspect she stalked him, too, as Emma insinuated.
Hm. Another thought to tuck away for later.
A flicker of movement in my peripheral vision draws my gaze downward.
“Here,” Emma says, sliding a dirty martini my way.
The stemmed glass is frosted cold, beads of condensation sliding down its side.
I take a slow sip, savoring the taste as it rolls off my tongue and slides down my throat.
A soft, involuntary moan slips past my lips.
Emma nearly chokes on her own drink. “Well,” she snorts, “that wasn’t pornographic at all.
” Her grin is wicked, and her laugh is infectious.
And for the first time in what feels like forever, I feel myself smiling, too.
“Great timing,” I say, taking another quick sip, careful not to drain the glass too quickly.
Emma arches a single brow. It’s low-key freaky, but I let it slide because it probably looks like mine.
My fingers trace slow circles along the rim of the martini glass.
“You nailed it with this drink!” I tease, letting a smile tug at my lips.
“Almost like you knew when I would get here and need it then. Perfect timing.”
“Oh, that.” She takes a sip of her drink—an appletini, its neon green liquid glows in the dim lighting.
“I just tracked you getting into the Uber and had Gus order it at the bar.” She nods at the burly man still sitting at the bar, watching us with curiosity.
That’s definitely her driver. For some reason, her comment doesn’t faze me as much as it should.
I don’t press for details, and I don't think she’s joking either.
Liv notices my hesitation because her eyes widen and a sharp laugh escapes her, cutting through the noise and drawing Emma’s attention to me once again. Her emerald gaze studies me, alight with mischief and humor.
Shrugging, Emma casually says, “Nothing says ‘I care,’ like stalking your besties.” Her eyes narrow in challenge.
But before I can process it, Evie pulls her into the conversation.
It’s there in that statement that I realize, I’ve found my people, my own besties.
Fierce, unapologetic, with just a dash of danger, this recipe contains the makings of a beautiful friendship.