Defending Hayden (Second Chances #7)(28)

I nodded. “Will do. I’ll see you then.”

I waved at him and watched him drive down the street before going back into the clinic. When I opened the door, Jessica, Amanda, and Charity all pretended to be busy working at the front desk, but I knew they’d been watching.

“Enjoy the show?” I asked them.

Amanda jerked her head up and rushed toward me. “He so wanted to kiss you.”

“Yes, he did,” Charity agreed.

“It’s not like that. We’re seriously just friends.”

Jessica cleared her throat. “Doesn’t look like that to me. He only had eyes for you the entire time he was here.” I knew that had to piss her off. The thought made me smile. I loved having Derek’s attention, but I was afraid it wouldn’t last. Nothing good ever lasted.

“I’m going to call Mrs. Jenkins and tell her what’s going on with Lady,” I told Amanda.

Her smile faded. “Okay. I’m about to check on the puppies and make sure they’re fed. I think Kellie’s ready for them.”

“Good. I’ll take them over this afternoon. I guess this means I need to get to the store and get some things for Patch.”

She laughed. “Yep. And you better get him the top-of-the-line stuff. He’s my baby.”

“I will,” I said, retreating down the hall to my office.

I knew Amanda had grown close to the pups, what with keeping them overnight at her house. If I’d done that, I probably would be keeping them all. Taking a deep breath, I called Mrs. Jenkins and gave her the news. She was happy that I could operate on Lady but not happy about the cancer part. If I could get it fully removed, the dog would have a fighting chance. If not, Lady would have to suffer through chemotherapy. I was going to do everything I could to make sure Lady survived.

“Hayden,” Jeremiah murmured, knocking softly on the door. I looked up at him and waved him in before writing the last of my findings in Lady’s chart.

Jeremiah sat down in the chair across from me, and I smiled. Unfortunately, he didn’t look like he was in a smiling mood. “What’s up?” I asked cautiously.

“How was your lunch?”

“Good. Yours?”

He shrugged. “Can’t complain.”

“What’s on your mind? I can tell something’s wrong.”

Sighing, he moved closer, leaning his arms on my desk. “I want you to be careful, Hayden. I know what kind of guy McLaughlin is, and I don’t want to see you get sucked in.”

My back stiffened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He’s a player, Hayden. There are pictures of him everywhere on the Internet with a different woman in each one. I’d hate to see you become one of them. You’re better than that.”

“We’re just friends,” I said adamantly. “No one is going to get used.”

His gaze narrowed. “Are you sure about that? I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” I assured him, getting to my feet. “Thank you for worrying about me, but I promise I’ll be fine. I know not to get attached.” It was too late; I already was.

He got up and stopped me at the door with a hand on my arm. “Good. He doesn’t deserve you.” He squeezed my arm and then walked down the hall, disappearing behind his office door. Blowing out a heavy sigh, I hurried to the back and into the kennel room. A lot of celebrities apparently did sleep around carelessly. I pulled out my phone and was tempted to look Derek up on the Internet, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was afraid of what I’d see.

Sliding my phone back into my lab coat, I opened the door to the kennel room and headed straight for my puppies. They all perked up, their little tails wagging. “It’s time to find you some good homes, little ones.”





Chapter 12





Derek


Hayden: I’m on my way to the stadium.

Me: Text me when you’re five minutes away. I’ll meet you at the gate.

Hayden: Will do.

“Dude, who the f*ck are you texting? Everyone you know is right here,” Chris exclaimed.

He tried to grab my phone, and I smacked him upside the head. “It’s none of your f*cking business, dickface.”

Chuckling, he rubbed his head and waggled his eyebrows. “Is it a woman?” I dropped my bag on the floor and opened it up. We had about an hour before the game, and everyone was putting on their gear, pumped for the first pre-season game. Chris sat down beside me on the bench, nudging me with his elbow. “You didn’t answer me, cocksucker. Is it a woman?”

“Yes, it’s a woman. Can you shut the f*ck up now?”

He burst out laughing. “Well, I’ll be damned. Are you serious about her?”

Evan walked through the door and joined us. “?’Sup, guys?” he asked.

Chris put his arm around me. “McLaughlin here has himself a new woman. I’m trying to find out the deets.”

“Oh yeah, I met her the other day,” Evan announced. Groaning, I hung my head and ran a hand through my hair. “Uh-oh, was I not supposed to say anything?”

I glared up at Evan. “Too late now.” I turned to Chris. “We’re just friends. She’s on her way here to watch the game.”