Page 55 of No Way Home
“Yes, honey.” Mom rubbed his knuckles, which had just turned white from fisting his butter knife like a weapon. “You don’t need to worry. He’s not going to steal me away from you. Ever. I am all yours.”
“I know that,” Dad said possessively. “I just don’t know why that noob thinks he can call you in the first place.”
“Noob,” Sophie snorted. “Because he’s too scared to call you,” she said to Dad.
Mom turned to face Dad, slipping her fingers into his hair. Sophie and I groaned as their lips collided. Like always, they let it go on way too long, not caring one bit that watching your parents make out is the equivalent to drinking curdled milk straight from the carton.
“So, Billy must be really scared of you if he called to apologize,” Sophie said, trying to break up the kiss.
“Oh, he didn’t apologize.” Mom tapped her nose against Dad’s. “Billy doesn’t know how to do that. He just wanted to make sure I wasn’t planning to torch his house while he slept. But I told him I liked Mindy too much for that.” She sighed wistfully, like committing arson in connection to Billy would have to remain on her bucket list. For now. “And he promised not to bill us for the stitches.”
“He can’t anyway,” I muttered. “He made—” I almost slipped up. “His med student do the honors.”
“Is that right?” Mom asked, eyes bright.
“That’s right,’ I said, jaw pulsing.
Mom’s brows bounced. “And what med student might that be?”
“I didn’t askhisname,” I said, low and agitated.
“Hisname?” Mom questioned, her eyes telling me she knew everything.
“That’s right,” I clipped. “Hisname. And why would I? He was boring and not attractive at all.”
Mom snickered. “Not attractive? Then why are the tips of your ears red?”
I covered my ears.
Sophie leaned away, looking at me like I was an alien. “Do you have a crush on a dude at Billy’s office?”
“Not funny,” I boomed.
Sophie snickered. “I mean, it’s kind of funny.”
“I’m not attracted to guys,” I hissed.
“He is most definitely attracted togirls,” Mom said. “One girl in particular.”
“MOM,” I nearly shouted.
“Your ears.” She pointed, her entire body shaking with laughter.
Chapter Nineteen
MAGNOLIA
Maybe the extracoat of mascara I’d put on that morning was for me, maybe it was for Bowen. After all the hurt he’d caused me, I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole. But you better believe I’d make him wish I would. Every. Single. Day. Until my rotation was over.
I swished my hips a little extra as I walked across the parking lot the next morning, in case he was watching. But sadly, the only person who enjoyed my runway model strut was Topher. “Do not give him an opening,” I pep-talked myself. “Do not, do not, do not.” The problem was that Topher could segue almost anything I said into a reason to ask me out.
He stood in the staff entrance doorway, sneakers braced against the frame, arms crossed like he was guarding the gates of heaven instead of a family practice in small-town Virginia. His scrubs were wrinkled, his badge crooked, and he wore that smug grin that said he thought he was God’s gift to women. “Well, if it isn’t the early bird.”
“Mind letting me by?” I asked.
He pretended not to hear. His eyes dropped down to myscrub top and back up. “You look nice. Did you do something different with your hair?”
“Nope. Didn’t even wash it today.” I stepped right, trying to slip past.
