Page 6 of Claiming Bennett (Montgomery Dreams #3)

MAGGIE

Staying up with Penny the night before my first day of work may not have been my best idea. She lives almost an hour from the clinic, so I had to be up way too early for having gone to bed at two.

The stupid button up uniform shirt sucks, but no one has yelled at me to actually close it, so I’m treating it more like a jacket than anything. Maybe I can get away with saying I forgot it a few days a week. I’m not going to roll over and behave just because Dad pulled some strings.

Still, it’s not like this is hard work or anything.

The manager is a stout middle aged woman with short black hair cut into a bob who introduces herself as Brooke.

I vaguely remember seeing her around when I came here as a kid for my vaccines, but she doesn’t make any mention of remembering me.

It’s better that way, makes me feel less like David Montgomery’s daughter and more like my own person.

I have no doubt everyone knows that my dad got me this job, but I’m more willing to go along with this if they don’t treat me like some crybaby kid.

Brooke shows me the ropes before the doors open, walking me through the computer system and printing out a script for me to follow when the phone rings.

“So all you have to do is click on their name,” Brooke says, pointing to one of the scheduled appointments on the screen, “and then click the dropdown and change the status to arrived. The computer will automatically print the chart in the back, and I’ll put the charges in.”

“Yeah, cool.” I don’t hide the boredom in my voice. “So how long do I get for lunch? Is it at, like, a set time, or can I just go whenever I want?”

I won’t pretend that I want to be here any more than they want me as a replacement for their secretary.

We’re all counting the days until I can get out of here, and there is no point pretending otherwise.

I’ve always been upfront and honest, even to my detriment, and I see no reason to change that now.

“Brooke, sorry to interrupt,” Dr. Mulaney says, leaning out from the doorway with an apologetic smile on her face. “Can I borrow you for a moment? I need you to look over some of this paperwork for that insurance claim.”

Brooke pushes back from the desk with a nod.

“I’ll be right there. Maggie, if someone calls and you don’t know the answer to something, just write down their number and we’ll call them back when I’m done here.

I’ll be back to walk you through the rest of check in.

You get thirty minutes for lunch and two fifteen minute breaks throughout the day.

You can’t combine them or leave without telling anyone. ”

“Cool,” I drawl carelessly.

I wait until she and Dr. Mulaney round the corner to pull my phone out of my pocket.

Thank fuck for that interruption. I’m going to go insane if Brooke hovers over my shoulder all day.

I need a break from all the expectations and how serious everyone is.

The phone has only rung twice since we opened, and I doubt anything important is going to happen while Brooke is gone.

It’s as good a time as any to answer texts and scroll through memes my friends sent me.

I stumble across a post from a page suggested for me, almost scrolling past until the edge of a tattoo catches my eye.

It looks oddly familiar, and I click on the page. It’s nothing special, pictures of sunrises and rolling pastures. I finally find the photo that was suggested to me, and my eyes damn near bug out of my head.

That’s the new guy, in all his shirtless glory.

His head is dipped down, face covered by a cowboy hat, and his muscles gleam with sweat in the low light of the sunset.

The tattoos on his arms are sparser than I remember seeing, but the date shows it was posted almost two years ago , he looks good.

He’s absolutely stacked with thick, corded muscle, his hips narrowing down only for my view to be cut off by the hem of his jeans.

I want to fucking bite him.

The bell over the door dings, but I continue ogling the picture hungrily. There’s a sign in sheet on the counter, and it’s not like I really need to talk to anyone. If some old fuck has questions, I’ll go grab my manager.

It’s not until my newest visitor makes it to the desk that I catch a glimpse of curly blonde hair and the unmistakable scent of the cheap vanilla perfume that always makes my nose wrinkle.

What the hell is Savannah Ward doing here?

I thought she and her little pack of rats that she calls a family basically went underground after everything came to light with Bo. She’s the last person I want to deal with, especially on my first day.

I keep my eyes firmly on my phone as she fidgets awkwardly in front of the counter, shifting her weight back and forth.

It’s not hard to steal glances from under my lashes, though.

She looks like shit .

Her nose is bright red and raw, actively dripping snot—which, ew —and she has a blanket draped over her shivering shoulders even though her cheeks are as red as a fire hydrant and it’s at least eighty degrees outside.

The eyes that I’m so used to seeing full of malice and razor sharp wit are dull and have massive, drooping bags beneath them.

I let her stand there for several long minutes, carelessly scrolling through my phone and pretending to text. Really, I’m just soaking in the fact that the tables have finally turned. This time, it’s Savannah sniveling—literally—in front of me instead of the other way around.

Her patience finally snaps and she rings the little bell on the counter, slamming her palm down over it harder than necessary.

Before I even bother looking at her, I reach under the desk to grab a can of Lysol. If her hand is still on the bell when I spray it, that’s her own fault. I don’t bother hiding my grin when she squawks in anger.

“Hi there,” I drawl. “Didn’t see you, I’m so sorry. We’re fresh out of paternity tests, unfortunately. Is there something else I can help you with?”

Indignation flashes bright in her blue eyes, and my stomach tightens in anticipation of a fight.

I’m not the little girl that her and her friends used to bully in high school, and she has no idea how much she doesn’t want to fuck with me nowadays.

I won’t let her walk all over me, just like I refused to let her walk all over my siblings.

She bares her teeth at me in what might pass for a smile from anyone else. “I have a cold,” she spits out. “I need to see a doctor.”

I hum in pseudo-thoughtfulness and make a show of turning my attention to the computer.

There are a handful of empty walk-in slots off to the side of the normally scheduled appointments.

As a matter of fact, there’s almost an hour gap in the schedule currently.

I could put her in for a normal appointment and not cause anyone trouble.

But, well, where’s the fun in that?

“ So sorry, honey,” I say, my voice dripping with sugar and venom, “but it looks like we’re all booked up for the entire month.”

Savannah tries to scoff, but the noise turns into a hacking cough that she muffles into the fabric of her stupid blanket. She looks around the waiting room disbelievingly when she regains her composure.

“You could always try urgent care,” I say, utterly unhelpful as I lean back into my chair and turn my attention back to my phone.

She stews silently in front of me, her brows raising incrementally with each passing moment of silence.

“Are you seriously going to deny me medical care over some stupid fucking grudge?” she asks witheringly.

I snort, not taking my eyes off my phone. “I’m not a doctor, I can’t provide or deny medical care. All I’m doing is telling you that our schedule is full. Awful sorry about it.”

“Oh, you lying little bitch ,” she says, her voice thickening with rage and coming out choked and scratchy. “There’s no one out here, don’t even fucking try.”

I calmly place my phone down on the desk, finally giving her my full attention. I drag my eyes over her, not hiding the disgust on my features.

“We’re on lunch.” It’s barely ten. “Dr. Mulaney isn’t even in right now.” She’s doing paperwork in her office. “And you calling anyone a liar is more hypocritical than I think I can stomach.”

“Oh, fuck you, you spoiled little brat!” Savannah shouts, clutching her blanket in one hand so she can use the other to point an accusatory finger at me. “I’ll sue your whole fucking family , you’ll never?—”

“ What is going on up here?” Brooke says, cutting Savannah’s tirade short.

I immediately paint a wide-eyed look of fear on my face and stumble back a step.

“Sorry,” I say, forcing a wobble into my voice and locking eyes with Brooke.

“I was just trying to talk to her about scheduling and she started threatening me and saying she’d beat me up if she didn’t get to see Dr. Mulaney right away. ”

Savannah gapes at me, an incredulous laugh tearing out of her sore throat and making her start coughing before she can argue. I resist the urge to stick my tongue out at her.

“I’m afraid you’ll need to go elsewhere, ma’am,” Brooke tells Savannah, her thin brows furrowed in disapproval. “I won’t stand for my employees being threatened. If I need to get the police involved, I will.”

Her voice is steely, sure of herself and frigid, and she keeps her gaze unwavering on Savannah.

“She’s lying!” Savannah chokes out around a series of coughs. “I was just trying to see a doctor and she?—”

“Ms. Ward!” Brooke cuts her off again. “You need to leave. I’ll not say it again.”

A thread of smugness wraps around my elation at seeing Savannah get cut down so thoroughly.

I’m not surprised that Brooke is familiar with her—in a town this small, everyone knows everyone’s business, and Dad wasn’t exactly quiet about anything she or her family has gotten up to in their attempts to fuck with us.

“Fuck you both,” Savannah spits viciously. “You’ll regret this. My aunt’s a lawyer. She’ll ruin this whole stupid clinic.”

She turns without another word and stomps out of the clinic, her stupid blanket trailing behind her like the world’s most pathetic cape. I suppress the laugh tickling at the back of my throat. Brooke probably wouldn’t be too thrilled with that, even if she did take my side on this one.

She sighs after the door slams closed behind Savannah and slants her gaze over to me. “We’re lucky you’re only temporary,” she says teasingly. “If she tries to make good on that lawsuit, we’ll just say you were already let go.”

I snort, letting the backhanded compliment roll off my shoulders. “I’ll be just as ready to leave as y’all are to get rid of me,” I promise. “Can I take my first break?”

Brooke said I could take a break in the morning and the afternoon, plus my lunch break, I just can’t combine them to get a full hour for lunch.

It’s not like anything is going on, anyway.

“Go ahead,” Brooke says with a sigh and a roll of her eyes. “I’ll watch the front. Remember to clock out and don’t take more than fifteen minutes.”

I shoot her a playful salute and bounce my way back toward the staff room after grabbing my phone. I’ve got a pep in my step that even the concept of having to work can’t dampen, and I need to tell Penny everything .

I didn’t expect my first day to be so exciting, but I might be able to get behind this whole ‘working for a living’ thing if I can fuck with people like this.