“Oh, that’s great.” I can’t remember his girlfriend’s name. Muffy? Misty? Missy? Something with an M. “How is she doing?”
“Good!” He ducks his head and runs his hand through his shaggy light brown hair. “We just got engaged, actually.”
“Congratulations.” I smile, genuinely happy that someone’s life is going well.
“So did things not work out at Empire?”
My shoulders twitch. How am I going to answer this question? He won’t be the last person to ask. I got knocked up by one of my patients seems like an answer that would immediately disqualify me.
“Well, if you’re looking for a job, my sister needs to hire some new therapists.”
I blink. “I thought it was a family practice?” Since he grew up in a family full of physical therapists, all of our coursework seemed to come so easy for Theo. While being the first person in my family to even go to college left me struggling to figure things out.
He flashes an easy smile. “Not at all. She’s looking for someone with strong patient communication skills, and you excelled in that area.”
“Oh.” Heat bursts over my face. “Thanks.”
“If you’re interested, give me your number and email. I’ll pass it to her with a strong recommendation.”
The thought of moving back to Union—near the downstate Lost Kings MC chapter—where I had so many bad experiences isn’t appealing. Besides, Grayson’s here and probably not able to move any time soon.
Then again, I’m going to be responsible for another life and my employment options might be limited. Turning down his offer would be stupid. “I’d love that. Thank you.” I give him my info and we say goodbye.
To avoid the awkwardness of running into him again while I’m finishing my shopping, I stay in the coffee aisle for a few more minutes. Decaf. I better go with decaf for now. I toss a bag of Green Mountain in my cart, then move to the sweeteners. Can I even use my precious monkfruit now? Something else to add to the list of things I need to ask my doctor about. I pick up a bag anyway.
What else? I slowly roll my cart toward the meat section and choose a few packages of ground beef, lamb, and pork to make meatloaf. That should last us a few days. I take my time lazily zig-zagging my way through the store to pick up the rest of the items I want. I’m sort of winging it and end up backtracking a few times. But something about the mindless shopping and wandering around the store settles my anxiety.
Finally, I’ve had enough and head toward the checkout counter.
My nerves return as I turn onto Emily’s street. All the vehicles near her house seem familiar. No motorcycles or big black trucks. I can’t hide forever, and I’m not lugging the groceries all the way down the street, so I back into Emily’s driveway. The whir of the garage door opener fills the air as I’m lifting bags out of my trunk. I turn and find Emily standing in the middle of the wide garage entrance with her arms crossed over her chest.
“I was getting worried about you.”
“Sorry, Mom.” I chuckle at the scowl flashing over her face and nod to the bags. “Help me carry these in, please?”
“Serena, you didn’t have to go to this much trouble.” She hefts one of the bags into her arms. “You don’t have to stock the fridge in order to stay with us.”
Sometimes, Emily knows my people-pleasing ways a little too well for my comfort.
“I’m not here to sponge off you.” I grab two other bags. “And I’m making my famous meatloaf tonight.”
Her eyes sparkle with interest. “Oh, realllllly? Okay, I can get on board with that.”
She helps me unpack the bags. A good thing since I’m not exactly sure where everything goes in her kitchen.
“Have you talked to Grayson, yet?” she asks over her shoulder.
I falter mid-step. “No. Why? Did he stop by here?”
“No.”
“I can’t talk to him yet. But I sent him a text so he wouldn’t be worried. He left a bunch of voicemails and texts,” I admit.
She sighs and turns to face me. “I get it, honey. I really do. But he’s not Jimmy.”
Just the mention of Shadow’s real name sends of shiver of revulsion down my spine.
“And you’re not alone this time,” she continues. “I’m here for you no matter what.”
Tears prick my eyes. Why couldn’t Emily and I have met years ago? Her tough love could’ve helped me avoid a lot of bad decisions. Or would I have been too stuck in learning things the hard way and dodged her friendship?
I sniffle and nod. “Thank you.”
“Just think about it.”
“I am. Trust me. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
She huffs a soft laugh. “I bet.”
“I ran into a guy I went to school with.” I desperately want to change the subject. “He offered me a job but it’s down in Union.”