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 Ireallyneed 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 likeshit.
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’msosorry. 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 gapin 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?
“Sosorry, 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 littlebitch,” 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 callinganyonea liar is more hypocritical than I think I can stomach.”
“Oh,fuckyou, 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 fuckingfamily, you’ll never?—”
“Whatis 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.
