One Moment Please (Wait With Me #3) - Amy Daws Page 0,23

up on my clothes, I rush to the walk-in closet and slip on a pair of gray joggers, rolling them eight times at the waist, and throw on a crisp white dress shirt. If this asshole took my clothes, then it’s only fair to steal his. I grab my heels and creep toward the living room.

My phone pings with a notification that the Uber is here just as I reach the front door. I quietly open it, tiptoe out, and glance back at the house. Thank God I’m done with my thesis. The thought of running into that hot asshole at the cafeteria after the night we just shared would be more awkward than him being my actual doctor.

Three Months Later

“So this is where I need to come to get some actual face time with my best friend,” I joke, striding into Tire Depot Customer Comfort Center to find my wild, redheaded friend sprawled at one of the high-top tables, clicking away on her laptop like she does this every day. Because she does.

Kate’s blue eyes widen with recognition as she spreads her arms wide. “Lyns! Welcome to my office!”

I laugh and shake my head, dropping onto the stool next to her. “I hear the coffee here is awesome.”

She twirls off her stool and heads to the fancy automated coffee machine, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll get you the Mercedes Lee Loveletter special…a long espresso.”

“Thanks, I need it,” I say as she returns with the Styrofoam cup.

“Talk to me,” Kate urges, her brows pinched. “I’m sorry I’ve been so MIA. This book is kicking my ass, and I just had to hermit until I finished.”

“How close are you?” I ask, my mood lifting. “You’ve got to hurry up and type ‘The End’ so we can do our tradition of celebrating. I need a big night out.”

“I should finish by next week!” She grabs my arm excitedly.

“Good.” I pin her with a serious stare. “Then you, me, and Dean need to hang out. I miss your face! And I especially miss hearing you taunt Dean for wearing shirts with anchors on them.”

Kate giggles. “Or those capri-length skinny slacks he wears in the summer with boat shoes?”

“Yesss.”

“How does he make metro so hot?”

“I don’t know,” I reply with a shake of the head.

Kate’s face sobers a bit. “Any luck on the job front?”

“Nope.” I groan and cup my face in my hands. “And I’m moving in with Mom and Dad next week so things are about as bleak as they can be.”

Kate chews her lip sympathetically. “You know it’s temporary.”

My lips turn down as the disappointment of my life washes over me. “Temporarily pathetic.”

She knocks my hands off my chin. “You graduated less than two months ago. As soon as you find the right job, you’ll be able to look for the right place to live.”

“I hope you’re right,” I murmur, grabbing my espresso and sipping the hot liquid. “Man, I thought finishing my thesis was hard. Who knew that finding a job as a pediatric counselor would be even harder? I’ve even expanded my options to Denver.”

“You’re not moving.” Kate shoots me a stern face, clearly not even interested in entertaining that notion.

I roll my eyes. “If I become desperate enough, I won’t have a choice. This is so frustrating. Getting my master’s was supposed to be the start of my life as an adult. Instead, I’m stuck in limbo and preparing to move in with my parents. Let me sob all the sobs, okay?”

Kate levels me with an unsympathetic glower. “Fine, but also keep in mind that you are hirable. You were offered a couple of social work positions already, but you said no because you’re holding out for something with more emphasis on children.”

I nod. “I know, but that’s only because I need pediatric experience to make my dream of opening my own specialty clinic even remotely possible.”

“I know,” she says encouragingly. “You’re not pathetic. You’re just being a boss bitch.”

That label makes me smile. “Well, I think this boss bitch needs to cancel her stupid Tinder date tonight.” I prop my chin on my hand. “I’ve been feeling like garbage lately. Tired, irritable, bloated. Who wants to hang out with tired, irritable, and bloated?”

“Don’t cancel,” Kate exclaims, her eyes wide and urgent. “A hot date is just the boost your ego needs. And this guy looked cute!”

I shake my head. “How hot of a prospect am I going to be to him? I may as well hold a