Fragile Hearts (Poplar Falls #4) - Amber Kelly Page 0,28
is red, and she has tears streaming down her cheeks.
She turns to the bottom set of cabinets, and before she can swing, I grab the crowbar from her and she looks up at me in surprise.
“Want to talk about it?” I ask.
She slides her eyes to the side. “Not really,” she whispers.
“I’m a good listener,” I prompt.
“I hate him. He really cranks my tractor,” she says as she swipes under her eyes.
“He?” I ask.
“Derrick. My ‘boyfriend.’ ” She throws her hands up and uses air quotes on the word boyfriend and continues without taking a breath, “It will be great for our future. I’m laying the groundwork, building a foundation here for you and me. Who the hell does he think he is?”
“The one who cranks your tractor?” I ask.
“Yes, he cranks my tractor!” she screams.
I put my hands up and watch as she kicks the busted doors into a pile.
“I worked my ass off, preparing for that position. I interned for the department head the summer before last, and he said I did an excellent job. I pledged his prissy little granddaughter’s sorority. I even changed my minor at his suggestion. I graduated with honors, for goodness’ sake. And Dr. Singh goes and gives the job to Derrick?”
“Derrick, your boyfriend,” I state, trying to keep up.
“Ex-boyfriend—sort of. He was someone I was seeing back in Chicago. It wasn’t super serious or anything, not yet. Anyway, he was an assistant to my biochem professor. I used him as a reference on my résumé and asked him to give a recommendation for me. And the rat bastard snaked the job right out from under me. Can you believe that?”
“Did he know it was so important to you?”
“Of course he knew! He already had a job waiting for him in Ohio, and he begged me to come with him and take an assistant job. But I didn’t want that. I wanted to work in Denver, and I wanted that animal nutritionist job. He knew that. I love working with animals. He had no interest in it. He had a guaranteed job, and he took mine. And he has the nerve to say he did it for me.”
She stops her tirade to look at me.
“Why do men do that? Do you think we’re stupid?” she asks me.
“Um …” I start.
“Like, do you really think that making decisions for us is going to make us happy?”
“I don’t think—”
“He even said he was apartment-hunting for us. Us. As if I would come running straight to him when I found out the good news.”
I carefully approach her and whisper, “I’m sorry, Bellamy.”
“He ruined everything.” She sniffles.
“I know. I know you’re disappointed, but you are smart and talented, and you are going to have your pick of jobs,” I tell her.
“I wanted that one,” she grumbles.
“Maybe it just wasn’t the one for you. The job or the guy,” I console.
She laughs. “You think?”
“Probably not,” I say, and she finally grants me a grin.
She sighs.
“At least Beau is going to be thrilled now that I’ll be in Poplar Falls a little longer.”
“I think you’ll find a lot of people will be happy now that you’ll be around a bit longer.”
She blinks up at me. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
She laughs. “Jeez, I’m a mess. I’m sorry about the mini breakdown. We barely know each other, and I’m laying all my shit on you. How embarrassing.” She looks me in the eye. “I guess we’re friends now, Doc. No going back now.”
“Lucky me,” I say as I wrap my arm around her neck and lead her away from the kitchen. “Come on. We’re running out of light, and I still need to feed you.”
I start my vehicle and turn the headlights on. Bellamy is sitting on the stoop with our supper spread out in front of her. The light catches her profile, and she turns toward it. When it illuminates her face, I’m taken aback by how beautiful she truly is.
She’s the exact opposite of Annie in every way. Annie had straight, shoulder-length, dark hair and big brown eyes. She was petite and had an olive complexion. Bellamy is tall and lean with milky skin and long blonde hair, which has a natural wave, and gorgeous deep blue eyes. Different but both beautiful.
Why am I comparing her to Annie?
I sit there, trying to sort my head when I hear my name.
“Brandt? Are you joining me or what?” Bellamy asks as she shields her eyes from the light.