Page 31 of Love Medley (Med Wreck Romance #1)

Chapter twenty-three

Lucy

T here must have been a full moon or something because the ER is insanely packed for a Monday morning.

As soon as my shift starts, a bunch of drunken frat boys that set off leftover fireworks from the fourth of July come in with a slew of burn injuries.

A few hours later, there’s a multiple car pileup, where a bunch of us are shunted to different trauma rooms. Running from corridor to corridor, I barely have time to wave at Jake before I’m off to see the next patient.

I’ve been on pins and needles about our upcoming date, and I want more face time with him before then, but the powers that be apparently want to keep us apart until Tuesday.

The one saving grace is that we’ve been texting non-stop, the teasing messages becoming progressively more flirty. It’s like that kiss at TNT and the phone call yesterday just broke open the last remaining barrier between us, and we’re making up for lost time.

Jake: Did you grow up with a cotton ball dog?

Me: You mean a bichon. Alternatively, the cutest breed on the planet.

Jake: A fluffy white dog with a French frou frou name is just asking to be bullied by the other dogs.

Me: Ugh. You are awful. I don’t know why I even talk to you. *sticks out tongue* Yes, I grew up with a “cotton ball dog.” Her name is Mocha, and she’s 12. I miss her every day.

Jake: I knew you’d come around to my way of thinking. What kind of flowers do you like?

Me: Daisies, because they make me smile.

Jake: I like when you smile .

The message sends butterflies whirling inside of me, the corners of my lips tipping upwards involuntarily.

Can our date come any sooner?

After my shift ends, I head over to the Blackwell shopping mall to meet up with Zoe.

I’m more than a little nervous to be alone with her, because while I love her intensity and fierceness most days, right now it’s intimidating.

I know I need to talk to her about how my long absence affected our friendship, and I’m dreading it.

Confrontation of any kind is not my strong suit.

We’re convening at Eternally 22, one of our favorite stores. When I reach the entrance, I see her off to the side, scrolling on her phone.

“Hey Zoe, sorry I’m late,” I say as I give her a brief squeeze. “The ER was a madhouse today.”

Zoe shrugs. “No big. I just got here myself. I know how it is.”

We head together into the store.

Zoe immediately beelines towards some sunglasses and tries one on. “So how’s Mr. Hottie Piano Man?”

I take a deep breath because I don’t know how she’ll respond. She won’t like the idea of me possibly falling for someone. “I…asked him out on a date.”

Zoe quirks an eyebrow, her eyes hidden behind her dark shades. “Really? When? ”

“He called me yesterday morning to tell me that he wasn’t into Sam after all. And then I asked him out.” I flip through some shirts on a round rack avoiding her eyes.

“You aren’t doing something silly like falling in love with him, are you? Weren’t you the one that suggested we all swear off love this year?”

I can’t read Zoe’s tone. Is she upset?

“I know,” I say, apprehension tightening my insides. “But who knows where this is going? It’s only a first date.”

Zoe shoots me a dubious look. “I’m pretty sure one date is not going to be enough for him. I’ve never seen a guy look at someone that way—like you were the only one in the room.”

The idea that Jake could be that into me is so enticing, I’m scared by how much I want it to be true.

I continue to sift through clothes. “I…guess if I’m being honest, I think I might actually like him, Zo.

” I’m terrified to admit this to Zoe of all people, but the insight is too overwhelming to keep to myself.

Zoe places a hand on her hip and fixes me with a disgruntled look. “How do you know this isn't going to end up like last time?”

I narrow my eyes, suddenly feeling very defensive of Jake. “Jake’s nothing like Weston.”

She throws her hands up in the air. “Whatever. It’s not like anything I say matters. You’re not going to listen to me anyway.”

And suddenly, it occurs to me she might not be talking about Weston or Jake at all. Maybe this has to do with us and our friendship. I meet her eyes. “Zoe…of course you ma tter.”

Sure enough, Zoe’s eyes reflect hurt, and it takes everything in me to hold her gaze.

“That’s not what it felt like for the past year, Lucy. You vanished. It was like we were never friends.”

I grab both of her hands in mine. “I’m so sorry, Zoe. I can’t apologize enough for disappearing on you.”

Zoe stares down at our connected hands and then she looks back up at me, her eyes troubled. “I know you were in a really bad situation,” she says. “But I reached out so many times, and it’s hard being rejected over and over again.”

Tears prick my eyes as I finally see her point of view. Zoe, my powerhouse friend who guards her heart fiercely and doesn’t give her loyalty easily to anyone, would take my abandonment of her as the worst kind of betrayal.

“Oh, Zoe.” I squeeze her hands. “I desperately wish I could just rewind and redo the past two years, but I can’t. All I can do is move forward and hope you’ll stick around long enough for me to prove to you I won’t do it again. But I will completely understand if you can’t trust me anymore.”

“Okay, you don’t have to go overboard,” Zoe’s voice is gruff. “But I’ll kick your ass if you do it again.”

My eyes watery, I grin. “You can even use your four-inch heels.”

“Do I have any other kind?” Clearing her throat, Zoe releases my hands and takes a step back. After quickly swiping at her eyes, she holds a slinky black dress against herself, modeling for the mirror. “Well. It’s pretty badass you asked him out. Is this new outfit for Jake? ”

“For me,” I blurt without thinking, then realize it’s true. While I still hear Weston’s voice in the back of my mind, I’m finding it progressively easier to choose my own clothes merely because I want to wear them. Of course I want Jake to think I’m hot, but I also want to like what I see too.

And maybe some of that courage has come about because Jake’s made me feel like I can be myself, that I don’t need to change to fit into a mold.

Because he already sees me as I am—and likes her.

And if Zoe, the most self-assured person I know, called my actions badass—that definitely helps.

She peers at me. “You know, I actually believe you. Where did you put Lucy? I like this new confident you.”

“I’m getting there. Baby steps,” I say, feeling lighter than I have in a long time. Things are looking up: I’m rebuilding my friendship with Zoe, I have a date set up with the cutest guy, and I’m slowly finding myself again.

Changing the subject, I add, “Say, aren’t you going to a convention soon?”

Zoe loves cosplay and goes to as many events as her schedule will allow.

She keeps threatening all of us that she's going to force us to attend the local Hydra Con one day. I have no interest, but I majorly owe her at this point so I’ll definitely be going, not that I’m necessarily going to tell her that yet.

“Not until next year,” Zoe says now. “I’m thinking about going as Poison Ivy… you know, lean into the redhead trope. But Halloween’s coming up next. We should do a group costume! ”

I groan. “Seriously? That sounds like an absolutely terrible idea. Next you’re gonna say we should go as the Spice Girls.”

“Well, I’m a dead ringer for Ginger Spice,” Zoe laughs.

“More like Scary Spice,” I mutter.

“Hey, I heard that!”

As we move to a different part of the store, Zoe throws a comment over her shoulder, “So… what do you think of Luke?”

“Who’s Luke?” I ask. Ooooh, I love this silky dress, the pastel pinks and blues swirl in a beautiful pattern with a bubble hem. I’ll have to try this one on.

Zoe stares at me. “You know, that bartender at TNT? The asshole that made me carry four drinks to our table? You really don’t know who I’m talking about?”

I finally lift my eyes to her, out of my outfit/Jake haze. “Oh, him? What about him?”

“You really are totally laser-focused on Jake, aren’t you?” Zoe laughs. “I’m just wondering if Luke has a girlfriend.”

“If he’s a jerk, why do you care?” I ask. Zoe’s brain works differently than mine; at this point, if there was a single red flag, I’d stay far, far away.

“Just curious, that’s all,” she says flippantly, but I’m not fooled. She’s intrigued, and when Zoe’s curiosity is piqued, she’s like a dog with a bone.

“Any new hits on Connections?” I say, hoping to deter her from this line of thinking.

Zoe brightens. “Yes, plenty. I have a couple of dates lined up this week. ”

I shake my head. “I seriously don’t know how you do it. I feel exhausted just hearing about your dating schedule. How do you do all of that and school?”

“You only live once,” Zoe says airily, waving her hand in the air. “Go big or go home, I say.”

“That’s true,” I murmur. That’s honestly how I feel right now about Jake.

As if he can read my thoughts, my cell phone pings.

Jake: Where would you go on vacation if you could? Beach or mountains?

Me: Did you look up a getting-to-know-you questionnaire or something?

Jake: …busted.

Me: This cracks me up! LOLOLOL

Jake: Put me out of my misery, woman, and just answer the damned question. *melting face emoji*

Me: Fine, fine. But if you make fun of me for my choice of dog, I get to give you a hard time about this. I like the ocean, so for me, the beach. You?

Jake: Definitely beach. The sun, a drink in my hand, sound of waves in the distance? What’s not to like? But no cotton ball dogs are allowed at my resort.

I grin at the phone.

Me: You know, for someone who has to Google a questionnaire for a text conversation, you protest a lot about the cutest fluffy dog on the planet.

Jake: I beg to differ, but maybe you can try to convince me on Tuesday night.

The reminder of our date Tuesday combined with our flirty banter makes me flush.

It still amazes me how easily our text thread is flowing.

There’s a part of me that doubts this connection—that questions if this is real—but his words keep drawing me in.

I’m thrilled by the black-and-white reminder that this is actually happening.

Me: Challenge accepted.

“Luce, you’re blushing,” Zoe giggles. “Is that Jaaaaake?”

“Yes,” I say, wishing my cheeks wouldn’t betray me like this.

“Ask him about Luke!”

“Fine, fine.”

Me: Zoe is asking about Luke, a bartender at TNT. He’s your friend, right?

Jake: Yeah, he’s the one I told you about, but Luke doesn’t do relationships. If she’s looking for one, she should search elsewhere.

Me: I’ll tell her, but with a warning label attached.

“Sounds like he’s a player,” I say.

Zoe’s eyes glint with a fierce gleam that I know well. “Really,” she says. “That’s very interesting.”

“Don’t get any ideas,” I warn her, but she won’t listen to me.

“Sure,” she says, not at all believably.

Zoe is competitive in everything she does.

She was on her college tennis team and took no prisoners when she played.

She was top of her pre-med classes, crushed the MCATs, and continues to rake in high scores on our medical school tests.

So to her, this is probably just one more test she wants to ace.

Knowing her, she probably will. Luke better watch out.