Page 34 of Fake It Till You Make It

“Thank you, boy. Least you’re concerned for my health.”

“Amarie.” Eli sighed. “You’re not hyperventilating. You’re talking. You’re in shock. Scared about the future.” He placed his large hands on her shoulders. Amarie jerked in response. “Relax.”

“Are you sure?” she panted.

“I’m a doctor.”

Inside, she cringed at the use of his title. “Ew.” She shrugged his hands off, slamming her eyes shut.

The doctor she’d worked for had berated her for needing tutors when he excelled academically without assistance. Or for spending extra hours in the library rewriting her class notes. Connections between textbook and her clinical practice improved when she wrote by hand. It was the reason she loved her lists so much. She waited for the soul-crushing stones to hit their target, the invisible bruises to form. But… nothing happened. She ventured a peek, one lid open, the other bracing for impact.

“That’s it?” No name-calling. No disappointed side-eye. She recalled the tension in her muscles, releasing a shaky sigh.

Eli shrugged. “I got nothing. Can we go now?”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” And off they went, through the breezeway that Amarie knew connected the house and clinic, except then they exited through a small door leading to the backyard. “This house is a labyrinth.”

“My dad built it. Added on as the family grew. I can’t lose…” He trailed off.

“Eli,” Amarie said, her tone more curious than accusational, “why didn’t you tell me the clinic was in trouble?”

“Can you say you wanted to know I’m this close,” he formed a tiny gap between his thumb and forefinger, raising it for her to see, “to losing the life my father left for me to safeguard?”

Amarie couldn’t imagine her father entrusting her with his pulmonary practice. Her mother had been a patient instructor, teaching Amarie how to best augment her father’s staff by nurturing her love of information technology. In the end, both of them had been ignored as a daily habit. After he’d hired a young brunette with tight abs and loose bra straps, both she and her mother were promptly dismissed.

“Since we’re confessing, you going to explain why you didn’t take care of the business with your vehicle?”

“You first. I’m still recovering from my meltdown. Self-care is an important part of the healing process.”

“Fine, I’ll tell all… unless you’re quitting on me?”

Rather than answer, she stated the obvious. “I’m here.”

Eli scoffed. “You don’t have a car, Amarie.”

“Wrong, my car is indisposed for the moment. Now are you going to tell me why you would tell anyone we’re partners, especially a woman like Lourdes? People like her, blue-eyed with five-hundred-dollar platinum dye jobs, mean-girl women like me. Why antagonize her?” When power players noticed her, she sucked down her plate of appetizers and vacated the room.

“She’s a Pendleton.”

“Means nothing to me.”

“They’re the country Kennedys. Her father owns the bank, literally. There’s history between my father and old man Pendleton.”

“Lourdes doesn’t seem to care about that. Maybe you candust off your charm. She wants you to wiggle your patootie. Might get you a big payout.”

“This is me being charming,” he rasped. “Besides… I meant every word of not being for sale. This notice doesn’t change my stance. She’s offering a meal ticket when all I need is the means to earn my way. If I wanted to be rode like a rented mule, I’d hire on with the circus.”

“Call me a capitalist, but I need money just about any way I can get it. I was serious about my closing fees.” She had dropped enough hints for him to know her cooperation came with dollars and cents, so she didn’t consider her directness crass. Because, unlike his high moral standards, she could be bought, rather, purchased, for a contractually limited amount of time. “I understand why you spun a preposterous story. Why did Lourdes believe you?”

“Now, wait a minute. Is it unbelievable that you and I could be partners?”

“That’s unlikely because—”

“So, you’re saying a decent, hardworking vet committed to taking care of his mother isn’t worth the investment. Too risky for you?” Eli muttered under his breath, holding the door open for her.

“I would never say that about anyone, certainly not my boss. Really, you jump to the oddest conclusions. You did the same thing the morning when I arrived. Do you do that with everyone or just me?”

“Everyone. Now come on, business partner.”