Page 28 of Wrench
¡°Oh, thank God it¡¯s just you guys,¡± I said and walked to my computer chair, slumped
into it, and grabbed my latte. ¡°I¡¯m not ready to deal with anyone yet.¡±
¡°Kelly told us what happened!¡± Ellen cried. ¡°We are so sorry. He¡¯s such a jerk.¡±
¡°Seriously, like, oh my god!¡± Lizzie followed, vibrating in her spot, making me narrow
my eyes at her. ¡°But we have good news!¡±
¡°Uhh¡ what¡¯s going on?¡±
¡°There is like, oh my god, the hottest man in all of Mascid. Standing outside of our
clinic. Right. Now!¡± Lizzie said, verging on having a conniption fit.
¡°And he happens to be your nine o¡¯clock appointment.¡±
I held the coffee cup with both of my hands and pulled it an inch away from my lips,
blowing the steam away from me before I said a quick, ¡°So?¡± and took a sip.
¡°So?¡± Ellen asked. ¡°Just get ready!¡±
¡°Ready for what?¡± I stood up from my chair and grabbed the roll of parchment paper
off the counter, unrolling a layer onto the examination table. ¡°He¡¯s coming in because his
dog is barfing. Not for a date. Would you like me to put on a dress?¡±
¡°We don¡¯t mean get ready, as in, dress up¡¡± Lizzie began, trailing off in an
uncomfortable silence before Ellen picked up where she left off.
¡°We mean get ready as in¡ get¡ happy.¡±
I frowned at Ellen. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed in you, Ellen. I thought us women were
supposed to stand against people telling us to smile when we don¡¯t want to?¡±
¡°Of course, sweetie, do whatever you want. It¡¯s just¡¡± Ellen bit her lip, ¡°You¡¯re such a
lovely woman and we all knew you were too good for Travis. Look at you, you¡¯re stunning.
Then you look at him and¡ well¡ don¡¯t let this fight with Travis ruin all your fun. Enjoy
being around another man again. It¡¯ll feel good.¡±
I lowered my head, knowing they were just trying to help. ¡°Thanks, guys, honestly. I¡¯m
just¡ I¡¯m not ready yet. God, the thought of having sex with another man makes my skin
crawl.¡±
¡°You just need one really fun night of mind-blowing, no-strings-attached, sex,¡± Lizzie
said.
Ellen sighed. ¡°I hate to say it, but I think she¡¯s right. You need someone new to forget
