Gypsy rolled her eyes. “Match made in heaven.”
Wyatt set the second full glass on the bar, turned, and took Gypsy’s hand, leading her around the front. She, of course, fought like an angry cat, trying to jerk out of his grasp, but Wyatt didn’t have any trouble holding on to her.
“What the hell are you doing?” she wanted to know.
“You said you weren’t going to serve me.” He nudged her onto the stool beside Dylan. “So, I’m serving you for a change.”
He made his way back behind the bar, and when Gypsy stood up to follow, Dylan hooked a finger through a beltloop on her jeans and dragged her ass back to the stool. “They have it covered. Sit your ass down.”
With Cooper in one arm, Wyatt was grinning as he pulled a third beer for himself. “We’re all going to get along just fine.”
11
Emma should go home and fall face-first into her pillow. It might only be seven p.m., but she’d had a long day and a shitty shift. And if she tried to sleep right now, her mind would only spin out of control.
She started toward the cafeteria for a bottle of water and her favorite seat by the window that faced the foothills, hoping to decompress and decide how she wanted to spend her evening.
“Where are you headed?”
Maizey’s voice turned Emma on her heel. “Cafeteria. I’m in desperate need of hydration and puppy and kitten videos. Lots of puppies. Lots of kittens.”
“Rough shift?”
“Extremely.”
“I’ll walk with you. I need some caffeine before I head into the Batcave.”
“You’re on call tonight?” Emma asked.
“Yep. So, what’s the latest?”
Her mind veered toward Dylan and the house. She hadn’t spoken to him since she’d refused his help almost a week ago. “I decided not to renovate. I’m going back to my original plan to clean it up and sell it for whatever I can get. I’ll probably head over to work on it tonight before I go home.”
“Oh my God, no.” She looked at Emma with wide eyes. “What happened with Dylan?”
“It’s just…” She glanced behind them to make sure there was no one within earshot. “It’s too hard to be around him. He’s got this crazy idea that we’re going to get back together.”
“Why is that so crazy? You two have been in love since you were kids, and don’t even try to tell me you ever stopped loving him, because I know that’s bullshit.”
“I’ve also learned—the very hard way—that love alone doesn’t hold a relationship together.” She blew out a breath. “But we’re like magnets. As soon as he touches me, I can’t pull away. I don’t even know how it happens, and it just brings up all the old memories. I can’t help but think about all I missed and how much he hurt me. It’s a downward spiral.”
&n
bsp; They turned a corner, and the cafeteria doors lay a hundred yards away. Traffic in the hall picked up, and Maizey tugged on Emma’s sleeve until they were standing off to the side.
“Just have sex with him and get it over with.” She lowered her voice. “It will defuse the tension, and you can get back to work. Might even end all your problems. They’re never as good as you remember, trust me. Don’t you dare throw away the chance at getting your school loans paid off because of something that happened eight years ago. You’re stronger than that. Think about your future.”
Maizey hugged Emma, then grabbed her coffee and returned to the radiologist’s darkened reading room.
Emma was too distracted by Maizey’s suggestion for puppies and kittens now, but still far too wound up to consider sleeping. If she based Dylan’s sexual abilities off of the few interludes they’d already had, she doubted he’d disappoint her. But Maizey was right about the tension between them. It needed defusing. Maybe her mom had been right too. Emma could admit to hiding her feelings beneath the chaos of school and residency. Maybe she just had to suck it up and get the grieving over with.
One thing was for sure, purging the house would be both cathartic and productive.
When she pulled into the drive, the first thing she noticed was that the dumpster was gone. “Noooo!” She slammed her palm against the steering wheel. “Shit.”
She’d forgotten that the dumpster company was going to come pick it up this week. She’d just have to fill garbage bags and leave them in the yard until she could get another dumpster.
Emma looked at the detached garage, realizing, not for the first time, that it looked way too much like a skewed house of cards. “Sorry I won’t be able to renovate you, buddy.”