Page 9 of Fire

“I just thought it would be more interesting, you know?”

It?“You thought what would be more interesting?”

“The clinic.” He waves his hand in a sweeping gesture. “Life. But it’s just the same thing day after day. Running noses and sprained ankles.” He lets out a heavy sigh. “I just keep thinking to myself, ‘Is this really it? Is this how boring life is for regular people?’”

“Regular people?”I stare at him, stunned.

“You know what I mean,” he snaps before his face goes slack again. “I don’t know. Maybe I just need a vacation or something. Perhaps a week in St. Barts will help. I haven’t visited the family house there in years.”

I don’t miss how he seems to be planning a spontaneous tropical vacation for one.

“Next week?” I gape at him. “What about the practice, Tanner? You have patients. You can’t just cancel a week’s worth of appointments to fly off to St. Barts.”

A flash of annoyance crosses his face. “Right. You’re right.”

And then he rises from the stool and stalks off, muttering under his breath about balls and chains and how he’s never going to break free.

The next week, he flies to St. Barts and leaves me to run the clinic by myself.

I take another glance at myself in the mirror. “Do I look okay? It’s not too…revealing?”

My sister gets up off the bed and snorts. “You look hot, sis. And if you’re worried he’s gonna think it’s too revealing, then it’s perfect. Goes great with your nails too.” My eyes instantly go to the French manicure I meticulously gave myself the night before. “Plus, I have a perfect pair of sky-high heels that’ll really piss him off.”

I turn to the side, and damn, my ass looks amazing. “Great. Can I borrow some earrings too?”

“Now you’re talking!”

Chapter Four

ZARA

It takes me all of ten minutes after arriving at the engagement party to remember why Tanner and I never hung out in college, not that he even knew I existed.

Back then, he was—and still is—the son of a state senator who only ever hooked up with rich sorority girls and lived in a swanky house paid for by his parents with a few friends. There, they lived like royalty, like some real-life version ofAnimal House.

I, on the other hand, was the quintessential nerd who spent most of my four years at Stanford trying to maintain the grades necessary for my full-ride scholarship. Even though my family is considered middle-class, I knew my parents would never be able to take on four years of student loans on their modest teacher salaries.

Plus, I had the expense of med school to look forward to.

It wasn’t until then that I met my future ex-husband.

“I love your dress,” Edwin’s fiancée—Lani? Lanor?—says, pulling me out of the mind fog I’ve fallen into thanks to Tanner and his boring ass friends.Seriously, who cares about stockportfolios this much? And custom-made cufflinks? Who even are these people?

“Oh, um…thank you,” I reply, managing a polite smile as Tanner maintains his tight one. Definitely not a fan of the dress. When we were married, his mom always had to approve my wardrobe selection before a function.We have an image to maintain, Zara.“It’s my sister’s. She got it at a runway show or something.”

“Oh?” Her eyes light up with genuine interest. “Is she a makeup artist or a stylist? I might have worked with her.” With her slim figure, shampoo commercial-perfect hair, and boobs that seem to defy gravity, she definitely looks like she belongs on a runway.

“Leann is a model,” Edwin gushes.Leann! That’s her name. So close.I try not to roll my eyes at how blatant he is in his bragging about his fiancée. It would be one thing if it were just genuine pride, but this feels more like a kid showing off a new toy.Hey guys, look what I scored!Violet would never put up with that kind of shit.

“Zara’s sister is a model, and she’s fairly successful too. Violet Valentine,” Tanner answers for me. It’s a habit I used to overlook, but now? Well, now it kind of pisses me off. Also, my sister isverysuccessful, and Tanner knows it. He just doesn’t like admitting it.

Leann’s eyes widen. “Vi Valentine is your sister?”

I nod, giving Tanner a sideways glance.See?“One and only.”

“She’s amazing. I’ve always wanted to?—”

“Lee-lee, let’s go refill our drinks and mingle a bit, okay?” Edwin says, interrupting her mid-sentence. Rude. She seems less offended than she should be, and it hits rather close to home.