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“Fuck Ty.” I tossed my empty container onto the coffee table, then kicked my feet up next to it.
Sabrina pumped her fist in the air. “Right on, sister. Fuck him to the depths of hell. You don’t need his shit.”
Right on cue, my phone rang. I stared at Ty’s name flashing across the screen. So now he wanted to call, hours after our planned date. Part of me wanted to answer, but the other, angrier part of me turned my phone off and tossed it onto the couch. I still had a few self-preservation instincts left.
* * *
Sabrina, being too drunk to drive, spent the night on my couch. I’d slept well enough considering my heart had been torn out of my chest the night before. I must’ve drunk just enough champagne to make me drowsy.
I took a quick shower and got ready for work. I would’ve much rather spent the day in bed, wallowing in my misery, but I had work to do.If I wanted to keep my company in the black, I couldn’t take a personal day because some asshole stood me up on our first date.
My first client of the day was Dr. Cunningham, and elderly man for whom I prepped meals on a weekly basis. As soon as I knocked on his door, his cane tapped against the hardwood, moving toward the door.
“Hey there, Liza.” He smiled warmly and stepped aside so I could carry the box of meals through to his kitchen. “How are you today?”
“I’m doing just dandy, Doc,” I lied. “How are you?”
He followed me to the kitchen where I began unloading the meals into his fridge. He still had one from last week, so I put it on top. “You didn’t eat all your food last week, Doc.”
“I suppose I wasn’t so hungry.” He patted his stomach. “But don’t worry about me. I’m ready for this week. Got my appetite raring to go.”
I smiled as I closed the fridge and turned to him. “So, you didn’t tell me what’s new with you.”
“Nothing new to report.” He sank down onto one of the chairs around the kitchen table. “Do you have a little time for our weekly chat this morning?”
Dr. Cunningham always expected me to sit and talk with him for a few minutes. He was lonely. His wife had died a few years ago and his children were grown with families of their own. Honestly, I enjoyed his stories. His chatter, as he called it.
I pulled out the chair across from his and took a seat. “I always have time for my favorite client.”
He grinned and reached across the table to pat my hand. “I hear congratulations are in order.” He winked, which was kind of nice because he was absolutely sincere. Although it was also kind of bittersweet.
I didn’t want his words to affect me, but they did and that wasn’t his fault. He had no way of knowing how things had turned out between Ty and me, so I appreciated the thought behind his congratulations.
He continued. “Word on the street is that you and the future alpha are fated mates.” I wondered how many streets said word had gone down, and how many people were chatting about it over their morning coffees and croissants.
For me, the sting of being stood up was still fresh, and I struggled to hide my disappointment. I lowered my eyes to stare at a nick in the wood. I traced it with my finger and shrugged the opposite shoulder. “I’m not really in the mood to discuss it.”
Dr. Cunningham patted my hand again. “Can I give you a little bit of advice, dear?”
I nodded. His advice couldn’t be worse than anything I’d come up with it.
“I was mated for sixty years. Sixty of the best years of my life.” His voice trembled, and a tear rolled down his cheek. He swiped it away. “Relationships are never easy. They aren’t perfect, either. But if two people care enough about each other, they’ll always find a way to make it work. Not that you asked, but in my opinion, that’s the recipe for a happy and healthy marriage.”
I forced a smile. I didn’t see a marriage in my future. I didn’t even see a second date—or a first date that actually happened. “Thank you for the advice, but I guess I’ll need to actually start a relationship before I’ll have the chance to put your recipe to use. I’ll keep your words of wisdom in mind, though.”
Dr. Cunningham rose. “I don’t want to keep you from your other clients. Just know that if you ever need a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen to you, I’m here.”
I nodded. “Thank you. Have a good day.”
He waited for me to grab my box and headed for the living room before he followed me to the door. “I’ll see you next week, Doc.”
I felt a little bit better than when I’d arrived. Even though things between Ty and me had not turned out how I’d hoped, Dr. Cunningham had made me hopeful that I’d someday have the type of love he’d experienced with his mate. The love he talked about with such reverence.
The rest of my day passed in a blur of activity, but at the damnedest time, no matter how hard I tried to focus on what I was doing, Ty’s face popped into my mind. I didn’t know him that well, had never kissed him or touched him for more than a second, and not in a way that was remotely sexual, but there was no denying the energy I’d experienced when I stood next to him. I truly thought we were fated mates. He obviously didn’t agree. He’d given up on me.
When I pulled into my driveway later that evening, Sabrina’s car was gone, and Ty Keller was sitting on my front porch step as disheveled as a man so beautiful could look.
Chapter 10
