Page 54 of The Potter

“Technically, you didn’t see me carry this one, so…”

It was the wrong thing to say. I realized it a minute too late.

Vance

Ihauled her out of the chair so quickly she didn’t have time to react, let alone make another snarky fucking comment. “Get your shit. Now.”

Grabbing my keys and phone, I snatch up the box outside my door one-handed. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

She stands next to my chair, frozen, and I think she might actually try mouthing off again. But with one unreturned smile, she quickly realizes I’m in no mood to play her games. This is why I can’t do her surgery. Patients like her won’t listen. She won’t follow my orders, and I refuse to be responsible for her botched recovery.

And so far, I’ve been unable to convince her to leave.

It’s terribly inconvenient.

Rudeness doesn’t faze her, neither does ignoring her. Halle still shows up every day without fault. Astor has the model fucking employee. One who is stubborn and loud with her pastel work attire and paper bag lunch.

She’s a real pain in my ass, which is not news.

I didn’t expect to get to know Halle while she waits on me to pull my head out of my ass. Which is looking like never. Even if Halle found an acceptable caretaker to help her, I’m no closer to stepping back into the operating room than I was a year ago when this all started.

Halle and I are fighting against the current. Eventually, we’ll drown.

After what seems like an hour-long stare down, Halle saunters past me, eyeing the handle of box clutched in my hand. “Seems like you shouldn’t be carrying a box, either. You could hurt your hand.”

And now she’s just getting on my damn nerves. “Walk.”

“Where to, sir?”

She fucking curtseys in the hallway. I can feel the growl rumbling through my chest. This woman was put on the planet to test me. “To the garage.”

With a grin, she turns around and walks. “Sounds kind of dirty when you say it all rough like that. ‘To the garage where I will ravage you for all to see.’” She deepens her voice on the last part, which, I assume, is to imitate me. She sounds ridiculous.

“How professional. I can see why my brother hired you.”

“He hired me because I’m immune to Duke’s charm.” Her brows do this weird jumping thing.

“Is it too late to take the bourbon offer?”

I sigh, and she whips around, a wide smile spread across her face. “Did you just make a joke?”

“No. Can you please hurry? I’d like to leave before dark.”

“Oh, right.” Her face frowns. “Are you sure I need a bag?”

“Are you sure you really have plans?”

She exhales and looks up to the ceiling before facing me. “I don’t have plans, but I also won’t be here to feed Oscar.”

“Who’s Oscar?”

She throws her hands up. “My fish, Vance! I thought you knew everything about me?”

I do. I mean, I did know about the fish, but its name wasn’t in her record, and I don’t recall her ever saying it in my presence.

I give her a little push to get moving and wave away her concern. “Leave me your key, and I’ll have Serena stop by and feed it.”

She pulls to a stop, and I nearly plow her over. “Oh, hell no, that twatinator is not going in my house and rooting through all my belongings.”

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