Page 129 of Kiss Marry Kill

Girdy smiled. “It’s no big deal. You’d have told me eventually.”

Todd slapped my back. “Congrats, Dr. Thornton. I hear you’ll be back in business before you know it.”

“One would hope so.” I smiled weakly.

“Mrs. Numi said it was a close call.” Girdy scowled. “Is it true River tried to block your purchase?”

I was surprised Mrs. Numi had shared that detail with Girdy. “Well, yes.”

Anger flashed through Girdy’s eyes. “That snake. What is wrong with that man?”

Todd sighed. “He does seem to be fixated on you, Doc.”

I shrugged. “Now that I have this new location, I won’t have to worry about him anymore. I’m going to buy out my old lease and forget I ever had to have anything to do with River Martin.”

Girdy nodded. “That’s the spirit.”

The next few minutes were spent ordering drinks for Girdy and Todd and another round for Mrs. Numi and me. I probably shouldn’t have had another, but I was in the mood to let loose.

“I’ve been to Dr. Johnson’s place before,” Girdy said.

“Really?” I asked.

Girdy said, “Yep. He was the best dentist in town.”

“The only other dentist in Rainy Dale is Happy Smile,” Mrs. Numi said brightly. “I’ll bet they’ll be thrilled to get more business.”

“Probably.” Girdy laughed and turned to me. “Are you excited about the move, Max?”

“I’m ecstatic,” I admitted. “Did you know the new place has a pool?”

“Mrs. Numi told me.”

I sighed. “I’ve missed my pool so much.”

Todd, Girdy, and Mrs. Numi all laughed.

My cheeks warmed. “I talk about my pool a lot, don’t I?”

Girdy grinned. “Sometimes I wonder which you love more: your pool or Royce.”

Without hesitation, I said, “Royce. Definitely.”

They laughed again.

The little bell on the door jingled once more. I turned my head to see who was coming into the bar, and my stomach plummeted when I recognized River and Lucas. Girdy gave a sharp intake of breath, and Mrs. Numi stiffened. River hadn’t seen me yet, but Lucas had. His face tensed, and he tried to steer River away from our direction. Unfortunately, River glanced over and saw me.

In the past, I might’ve faked a smile and pretended to be cordial. But I was so done with River that I couldn’t even fake it anymore. Despite Lucas trying to steer him away from us, River yanked his arm from Lucas’s grip and made a beeline for me.

“Hello, Maxwell, are you out celebrating?” River’s smile was sickeningly sweet, but there was a spark of resentment in his eyes.

“That’s right,” I said curtly.

He pouted. “I hope there are no hard feelings.”

Gritting my teeth, I said, “I can’t say I’m happy that you tried to steal away a property I was interested in.”

“Steal?” River gave a high-pitched laugh. “That wasn’t my intention at all. Why, I had no idea you were even interested in that location.”