Page 8 of Pretend You Love Me

She bites her lower lip and looks down.

“My stitches are beautiful though. Just last week I stitched up Henrietta. Really good work, if I can brag. She looks great.”

“Henrietta is a...”

“Horse,” I smirk.

Ginger’s eyes flash up to mine. There’s just a hint of panic.

“She’s a gorgeous mare,” Melvin says as he starts to disinfect her cut. She’s holding still, but her face flinches a few times. Everything is quiet, and I’m just studying her face. It looks so familiar. There’s no way I know her though. Melvin seems to read my thoughts. He clears his throat and says, “I have a feeling I know you from somewhere. Have we met?”

Her body goes stiff, and she swallows hard before answering. “No, I can’t imagine we have. It’s my first time in town.”

Melvin’s not quite satisfied with this answer, and neither am I.

“I just have one of those faces,” she adds quickly.

She doesn’t. She absolutely doesn’t have one of those faces. She has one of the most perfect faces I’ve ever seen - not the sort of face you run into every day. Huge doe eyes, strong arched brows, heavy lashed eyelids. Her face is heart shaped with high cheekbones and perfect, pouty pink lips.

She catches me staring, and she shifts uncomfortably. Melvin has his back to her, switching around his supplies.

She’s hiding something. She’s hiding something big. It’s written all over her face.

“This is going to hurt a bit,” Melvin says as he gets to work.

To her credit, she did little more than wince as he worked. When he finished, Melvin calls me over, “Take a look. This may be my best work yet. Henrietta’s wasn’t even this good.”

I step closer to examine her head, and I can hear her breathing increase. My leg brushes up against hers as I step closer, and an almost inaudible gasp escapes her lips, just loud enough for me to hear.

Melvin’s tech takes her away for some x-rays. When she returns, Melvin says, “I didn’t even get your name.”

“I go by Ginger.” Our eyes lock for a brief second, and then she looks away.

“Ginger, isn’t that something? Suits you perfectly,” he says, shaking his head.

No shit.I’m scowling at her.

Melvin looks at the x-rays and clucks his tongue.

“What?” she says.

“Well shit, you’ve got a hairline fracture.”

She looks like she might burst into tears. God, no, I don’t do well when women cry around me. She takes a deep breath and blinks them back.

Good girl.

I can put a cast on that for you,” he says.

“Really?”

“Sure, I do it all the time,” he says with a big smile.

“To humans?”

“I think we both know the answer to that.”

She shakes her head in disbelief.