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I looked up from my phone, but I couldn’t see anything. Not really. Like my glasses had been wrenched from my nose and the world had been left reeling and blurry, I stared forward in shock. I’d just been talking about Vaughn three days ago, and ithad been for the first time in a long time, honestly. It was like speaking his name out loud had brought him back to life. No, worse than that.

I’d summoned my personal demon to return and torment me.

Chapter nine

Cal

Cal

It was hard to put my finger on it, but something about Ruth seemed off. She looked normal enough when I came by to pick her up. She had on an adorable, short jumper that ended mid-thigh and had straps that tied into bows at the top of her shoulders. The whole thing was black and ruffly, with off-the-shoulder sleeves that caressed her upper arms and fluttered as she walked my way in a pair of wedge sandals. She was also wearing a mini leather backpack, but her hair was the same, bouncy soft bob as she always seemed to wear.

But as I opened the passenger-side door for her, she thanked me with a vacant look in her eyes and barely looked at me as she got in. Maybe it was because she wasn’t wearing glasses. That definitely threw me for a loop. She looked beautiful either way, but it had been startling all the same. I wentaround to my side, and as I got in, I asked, “Everything okay?”

She blinked fast, like she’d forgotten where she was. Her gray-blue eyes met mine, and the bright afternoon sunlight brought out the bright yellow around her pupils. “Oh, yeah. I’m good.”

“You sure?” I shifted the car into drive. “You look a little spacey.”

A rueful smile tugged at her lips, and she looked forward again. “I’m always a little spacey.”

“Okay. Well, I mean, I know I’m a little pushy—”

She snorted. “A lot pushy.”

I sent her a reluctant look of agreement. “A lot pushy. But you don’t have to go if you’re not feeling well.”

“Trust me,” she said, letting out a soft breath. “I’d rather be distracted.”

“Okay.” With one last, concerned glance her way, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the interstate. “Road trip it is, then.” I reached behind me and brought a cloth grocery bag to her lap. “First, snacks. Like… real snacks. Not cheese sticks. You fucking weirdo.”

Ruth rifled through the bag, holding up the brand of diet cola I’d seen her drinking on her desk, a few protein packs with meat, cheese, and nuts, and containers with cut fruit in separated wedges. “It’s like a car picnic.”

“It is a date,” I reminded her.

“Not a real one, though,” she shot back with raised brows.

I had the insane urge to pull over and kiss her if only to proveto her that shewasactually desirable. Sure, we’d agreed to fake date, but… well, hell. I liked her. How fake was it, really? I slid another tentative look toward Ruth. Maybe a lot fake for her. If what she’d said about her PI using her and then ditching her was true, then I couldn’t blame her for being wary. Relenting, I said, “Even fake dates deserve food. Plus, you ate empty calories for lunch, and as a doctor, you know I can’t let that pass.”

With my eyes on the road, I still managed to glimpse her lofty chin tilt. “I don’t need a doctor, thanks.”

“Everyone needs doctors,” I argued.

Ruth squirmed. “I mean, yeah, obviously I have like… a PCP and all that.”

“Who?” I challenged.

“Doctor… Rook,” she replied, pulling out a tray of fruit and picking at the seal.

“Dr.Rook?” I repeated incredulously.

“You know him?” she struggled with the plastic band around the outside of the package.

“Oh, I know him,” I muttered, scrunching my mouth to one side. Fucking Rook. He had the bedside manners of a hangry mammoth. “We did our residency together. But he’s not a PCP, he’s a GYN. How is he your PCP?”

“I just kill two birds with one stone and get my checkups done at the same time,” she said, her voice growing strained as she pulled at the seal. “And I never get sick. How do you get this—it’s stuck.”

“You should change to our practice,” I said, my brow falling. “Rook is an asshole.”

“Sure he is,” she said, her voice taking on an impatient tint as she tugged at the lid. “That’s why I chose him. I hate doctors and hospitals, so I picked one who wouldn’t give a fuck about me past what the paperwork says.”