died when she was 79 in her sleep and my dad is in a home that cares for the elderly with Alzheimer’s. I work four, twelve-hour shifts a week and I own a German shepherd named Nikon. I also have two goldfish on rotation.”
“Rotating goldfish?”
“Yes. Every week after my Wednesday shift I stop by the pet store to pick up another goldfish, because sure enough, one is always dead when I come home. I just keep rotating them out.” Ran’s phone buzzes across the table and he gives it a cursory glance, punches the ‘decline’ button, and returns his attention to me.
“So why do you keep buying new ones? Why don’t you just have one instead?”
“Because that would be sad, Maggie.”
“You’re telling me you can spend twelve hours at a time dealing with horrifically gruesome situations, yet the thought of a lonely goldfish makes you sad?”
“Have you seen them when they’re lonely? They just swim in circles all day. It’s heartbreaking.”
I sigh and my hair lifts off my forehead. “You are the strangest person I have ever met.”
“Maybe you haven’t met enough people.”
“Maybe not.” I shrug.
Ran edges closer, hovering his shoulders over the table. Two more precisely drawn tattoos peek out from under his shirtsleeve as it pulls up slightly. “Well then,” he smirks, his lips curving upward. “I’m glad to be one of the few you’ve had the honor of meeting.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Did you see that bike, Mags?”
I shake my head and settle into the leather couch cushions as I slip off my shoes. Mikey’s back from the pool hall, yet his clothes still hold the lingering stench of cigarettes and stale pizza. Too bad I just finished his last load of laundry.
“Not really.”
“Ran must really like you if he was willing to swap with me this afternoon. That bike is top of the line, Mags.” Mikey shakes his head, still not believing the less-than-even vehicle exchange that took place. “Like worth at least five times more than that junker of a jeep of mine.”
I quirk my lips indifferently and give him a shrug. “I don’t know.”
“He’s got a crazy expensive bike and he’s off the charts hot? Not fair, Maggie, not fair.” Cora slinks down next to me, propping her arm up on the back of the couch as she twirls her blonde hair around a slender finger. “Who is this guy and why are you keeping him to yourself?” She snaps a piece of bright pink gum in her mouth, chomping it loudly between her teeth. “Sounds like perfect jealously bait for Brian.”
“I’m not interested in making Brian jealous,” I say, pulling on the string of my hoodie. “And I’m not interested in Ran.”
“Well, you must be both blind and stupid,” Cora asserts. “Because Ran is gorgeous, and Brian is an ass that deserves to made a little jealous if you ask me.”
“I don’t remember asking you, Cora.”
She tucks her head onto my shoulder and wraps her hand around mine. “That’s never stopped me from giving my opinion before.”
For only knowing Cora since our first week of college, I’m amazed at what a fast and rock-solid friendship we’ve forged in such a short amount of time. She’s the sister I’ve never had, and never really knew I wanted. Cora’s the opposite of me in so many ways: overly affectionate—to the point of making things uncomfortable—steadfastly loyal, and she’s got a crazy good sense of style that everyone seems to appreciate. Cora is all of the things I’m not. Including easily infatuated.
“Ran is a hot piece of meat. What’s his story?”
“I don’t know,” I say, but it’s a complete lie. I do know his story. He’d given me a very precise, one paragraph summary of it over our awkward lunch date. I’m just not quite sure how his story fits into mine. “He’s the paramedic that took me to the hospital the night of the accident.”
Cora’s green eyes pull open. “That was two months ago, Mags. And he’s still smitten with you?”
“First of all, the 1950’s called and they want their word back,” I tease, pulling my hand from hers so I can resume my nervous hoodie-drawstring-tugging. “Second, I saw him again two weeks ago when Mikey went to the ER.”
“How many times has this hottie come to your rescue?” she asks, twirling her gum around her finger this time rather than her hair.
“Two times too many.”
Cora turns to face me, her eyes surveying me head to toe. “I think the fact that he came to your house and