Where We Belong (A Touch of Fate #1)(46)

My eyes widen in horror when I notice Quinn, Adonis, and Mr. Three O'clock making their way over to our table. Adonis glances at Quinn's ass as she walks, and based on the smirk on her face, she knows exactly what kind of effect she’s having on him. I take notice that Three O'clock isn't watching Quinn's ass. No, he's watching me. I grab my drink, using it as a distraction. What the hell is she doing?



SOME TIME LATER, I find myself immersed in testosterone and loving every freaking minute. It turns out that Mr. Three O'clock, who actually was a linebacker in college, has a name, Brady, and Adonis is really Ben. Shortly after they joined the table, Levi and his brother, Mason, showed up. Turns out that it wasn't a coincidence Brady and Ben were here tonight. Apparently, Levi and Mason are thinking about expanding their business and Brady and Ben are here to discuss the possibility of opening up a restaurant\bar in both Chicago and Nashville.

Of course, Levi gave Brady a hard time, threatening to break both of his hands if he so much as looked at me the wrong way, and Brady answered by throwing his head back and laughing. At some point, Cooper and one of his co-workers showed up and joined the group—looks like Quinn and I hit the hot-guy jackpot tonight!

I now find myself squished between Brady and Levi, listening as all the men share stories of their craziest one-night stands. I’m wiping the tears of laughter from my eyes at Cooper's most recent experience when Quinn stands, excusing herself to go to the bathroom.

Brady cocks his head and leans in to me. "Aren't you going to go with her?"

I can't help the easy smile that slides across my face. He looks genuinely concerned that I'm not going with her. "No, believe it or not, there’s no rule that says girls have to go to the bathroom in pairs," I say with a laugh.

He smiles at me, relaxing back in his chair. Conversation dies down and a comfortable silence descends on the table when Cooper leaves to get another round of drinks. I really should stop, but the drinks are going down really smooth...and well, I don't want to stop. The shrill sound of a phone interrupts the light conversation and we all look around to see who the important person is. Levi smiles and digs his phone out of his pocket.

"Hey! What's up?" he answers, taking a drink of his beer. I don't mean to eavesdrop on his conversation, but I have nothing better to do.

"I'm actually here now, you should come on up." He looks at me and smiles, draping an arm over the back of my seat. He laughs, nodding his head a few times, and then he sits up and twists away from me, the unexpected movement catching me off-guard.

I can't hear what’s being said so I lean a little closer to Levi. "Ummm...are you sure that's a good idea?" He notices that I’m listening in and gives me the stink eye, which of course I return. "Yeah, you're right. It’s fine. Alright man, see you soon." Levi ends the call and shoves his phone in his pocket. He looks everywhere but at me as he raises his hand, motioning for Ryan to bring a round of shots to the table.

I slap his arm playfully to get his attention, even though I'm feeling anything but playful. "Who was that?"

"No one." His smile is too bright and his answer is too quick. "How drunk are you?" he asks.

I narrow my gaze at him. "What's your deal? What are you up to?"

"Nothing. How drunk are you?" he asks again.

"Eh..." I shrug my shoulders, "...maybe halfway there."

"Good," he says, sliding a shot in front of me. "I'm in the mood to dance.





I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS is happening. Of course I get called in to work on the one f*cking night that I need to be off. After the way things ended last night, I fully expected Harley to try and pull some bullshit and cancel on me. I was determined that I was going to fight her on it, until I was the one who had to cancel.

Her short replies and lack of attention to my request for a rain check bothered me. But when I told her I was sorry and she replied 'me too,' I had a horrible feeling she wasn't referring to me canceling on her and that gutted me. I'm still mad at myself for doing whatever I did to put that wounded look on her face last night.

So, needless to say, here I am in the ER and we're f*cking slammed. I typically don't mind being busy because it makes the time go by faster, but today has been disastrous. At least Avery is here today; she always makes things a little more fun.

As soon as my shift started, we had a motor vehicle accident roll in. It was a husband and wife, and the husband coded on me twice before they were both rushed into surgery. My next patient had a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The kid was only twenty years old and he was shot in the f*cking abdomen for a drug deal that went horribly wrong. What the hell is wrong with the world today? And to top my morning off, I just finished taking care of a woman who tried to overdose. Apparently, she thought swallowing a bunch of her psychiatric medicine and chasing it with a bottle of Jack was the best way to convince her son that he wasn't, in fact, attracted to men.

I rip off my gloves, wash my hands, and push my way out the door. Avery is standing at the end of the hall, staring at the ceiling with her hands on her hips. I haven't had much time to talk to her today because we've been so busy, but I heard that she was working on a tough case.

"Avery?" I grip her shoulder gently and her head drops as a small sob rips from her throat. Her shoulders begin to shake and I step up behind her so she knows I'm here, but I don't say anything else. It's obvious to me that she doesn't need to talk right now...she needs to grieve. I've been in her shoes. I know what it's like to become emotionally attached to something or someone, and it doesn't turn out the way you wanted. It’s devastating and often leaves you feeling like you've failed.