Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Kate
I walk into Premier Pet Care and stare across the reception desk at my best friend, Tilly Wolf.
Her blue eyes skim my face. “What’s going on?”
I bring my hand to my lips and shake my head.
Tilly’s gaze darts to the waiting room. “I have to help Dr. Hunt. He’s going to clip that poodle’s nails. After that, I’m off the clock. Are we talking cheeseburger or martini?”
It’s our sliding scale when something is wrong in my world.
Tilly’s life has settled since she found her prince charming in the form of a black-haired police sergeant named Sebastian Wolf.
If Tilly isn’t with her husband, she’s working here as a vet assistant or hanging out with me.
“Both,” I spit out as I look down at the silver watch on my wrist. “Should I sit in the waiting room until you’re done?”
“No.” A man’s voice from the left startles me. “You should drag Matilda out of here now. I owe her a few minutes since she stayed late last night.”
Dr. Donovan Hunt tosses me a mega-watt smile.
He’s Tilly’s boss and clearly the type of all the women who flock here to have him check out their cats, dogs, and whatever other creatures he can cure with his magic touch.
Tilly wanted to set me up with him once until I pointed out the obvious to her.
I don’t want her working with a potential ex of mine.
I like my friendship with Tilly just as it is and that’s drama free.
“I can leave?” Tilly asks as she rounds the reception desk with her bag slung over her shoulder. “You’ll handle Finn on your own?”
The poodle barks at the mention of his name.
“Kate looks like she needs a friend to lean on.” Donovan nods at me. “I have a sister, so I know how it works.”
I ignore what I think might have been a subtle insult about the way I look.
I glanced in the mirror in my office before I walked the two blocks over here. I know all the color has drained from my face.
That happens when the man you once loved strolls back into your life five years after he trampled all over your heart.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. Hunt.” Tilly tosses him a wave over her shoulder.
“Take good care of Kate,” he offers with a friendly grin.
I manage a small smile back as Tilly grabs my hand and steers me out of the clinic.
An hour later, we’re on the sofa in my apartment. Tilly traded her blue scrubs for a pair of my sweatpants and a red T-shirt. I’m dressed in black yoga shorts and a yellow tank top.
We’re both looking down at our plates on the coffee table and the scraps of what used to be two cheeseburgers and a shared order of fries.
We splurged on delivery because we saved money by not going to a bar to order martinis.
Tilly sips on the glass of water in her hand as she glances at me. “Sebastian is having dinner with his brothers, so I can hang out all night. You don’t have to tell me what’s going on, Kate, but I’m here for you.”
Since Tilly and I met, she’s been one of the most supportive friends I have.
I include my friend, Olivia Donato, in that category too. Her time right now is spent doting on her four-month-old daughter, Arleth.
“Someone came into the boutique today.” I tread lightly to give my heart time to ready for the words I have to say aloud.
“More than one someone I hope.” Tilly smiles, twirling a strand of her long brown hair around her finger. “You can’t keep the doors open with one customer a day.”
I know she’s trying to lighten the mood because my sullen silence through dinner wasn’t normal. Usually, I can’t shut up about what’s going on at work.
“Who was it?” Her hand reaches for mine.
I glance down at the simple silver band on her ring finger. Tilly and Sebastian eloped in Mexico. When they first told me, I had to hide the disappointment on my face. I wanted to help Tilly choose a perfect gown and plan the wedding of her dreams.
Once she described their intimate beach wedding to me, I understood everything.
They followed their hearts and it took them to that spot as the ocean water kissed their bare feet and they exchanged vows.
Maybe if Gage and I hadn’t planned a celebration to please three hundred other people things would have been different. Maybe they would have turned out exactly as they did.
Questioning the past is a fool’s pursuit.
That’s another gem courtesy of my mom.
“Tell me who was at the boutique, Kate.” Tilly leans closer to me, a soft smile on her lips.
I say his name, trying to keep my voice from trembling. “Gage.”
Her brow furrows as she processes what I just said. “Gage? Your Gage?”
He hasn’t been my Gage in forever and after he left, I questioned if he ever was.
My silence spurs Tilly on. “Are you saying you saw Gage Burke today? He was at Katie Rose? He was at your boutique?”
I nod slowly. “He was there. In the flesh.”
“Fuck.” The word leaves her lips slowly. “This is huge. I want every detail.”