CHAPTER EIGHT
Cat
“Okay, Crystal. We’re all done.” I took off my latex gloves. “The girls at the front will book your appointment to put your crown on when it comes in.”
“Thank you, Dr. Stone.”
“You’re welcome. See you in a few weeks.” I patted Crystal on the shoulder and made my way to my office.
For the past three years, I’d been working at my father’s practice. At first, I thought I would only become a dental assistant, but I’d changed my mind. I didn’t want to have to depend on a man to survive, so I made sure that I would be financially stable and wouldn’t have to worry about money. Instead of going to school to be a dental assistant, I went to the University of Florida College of Dentistry and graduated when I was twenty-six. What I hadn’t planned on was never finding a man who I could pretend I needed to depend on.
I closed the door to my office and moved to sit behind my desk. I had patient charts to sign off on before I was able to leave for the day. The more time passed, the more my father gave me patients of my own. He was on his way to retiring, and when that happened, he wanted me to take over. I didn’t want to disappoint him, and every day I tried to be the best. I’d been working in his practice doing various jobs almost my entire life and was looking forward to being the boss one day. In fact, I practically was the boss. He spent more days on the golf course than in the office these days.
My phone buzzed in the pocket of my white coat.
Hannah: Are you ready for tonight?
I groaned. I wasn’t ready for tonight. My best friend Hannah was dragging me to speed dating. Apparently, she had two tickets, and the co-worker she was going to go with had bailed as of last night. And since I was her only other single friend, I was up.
Me: Let’s just go out to dinner. My treat.
Hannah: No. We both need to find men. We aren’t getting any younger.
Well, that was the truth. In less than a year I was going to be thirty. How did that happen? The older I got, the faster time flew by. It felt as though it was yesterday I was spending summers with—
My childhood friends.
I’m not sure what happened with Joss and me. After Seth broke my young, naïve heart, it was as though that part of me fizzled out. Joss and I still talked on the phone now and then, or on Facebook, but I hadn’t seen her since I was eighteen. At first, I’d told her I was busy with school—which was true—and then I was busy with my career. She became a cop, and then went into the FBI. We both just drifted apart as most friends do after high school. And Seth—
I could never look at him again.
There were times when I would be drunk off my ass and somehow Facebook would bring up Seth’s profile. Granted, it wasn’t a Seth McKenna profile. Once, my drunk detective work had figured out he had a profile under the name Michael Wade. You see, Mrs. McKenna discovered Farmville a few years back and apparently wanted more friends to play with, so she had requested me as a friend. I accepted, and that night after a half a bottle of wine on an empty stomach, I searched her friend’s list. The moment I saw the name Michael Wade, I knew it was him. Even with a different name and a generic profile picture of the Washington Capitols logo, the name Michael stood out like a sore thumb. Seth Michael McKenna. I’d never forgotten that name. But why Wade? Well, my detective work was in full force that night because I’d figured out that the lead singer of the band Lifehouse had the last name of Wade. Needless to say, after I figured that out, I drank the rest of the bottle and passed out on my couch.
Hannah: I’m picking you up at 8. Be ready!
I sighed staring at myself in the mirror. I was running out of dresses to wear on first dates that weren’t cursed. Tonight I chose to try my luck with a navy, sleeveless, knee-length dress that had a wraparound waist and black belt. Maybe it was the black heels I wore each time that was the actual curse, so I opted for silver strappy heels that paired well with the silver clutch I had to go with them.
Hannah: I’m here.
Time to get this disaster over with.
“So,” Hannah started. “Do you see any hot guys?”
I scanned the crowd as I sipped from the straw of my margarita. “Not a single one.”
Hannah rolled her sky-blue eyes. “Don’t be stupid. This can work.”
“You think I’ll find the love of my life in five minutes?”
“If the key fits.”
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Before I could respond, I looked to see a lady tapping a glass. She was the same person who’d checked us in and handed Hannah and I each a key style lock. “Each guy will have a key. And you never know. He might hold the key to your heart.”
Gag.
“Okay ladies. Go ahead and take a seat at one of the high-top tables. Once everyone is ready, we’ll begin.”
Hannah and I grabbed tables next to each other, and I felt as though there were eyes on me. I looked up to see a man in a black suit with a navy tie staring at me. He grinned, and my eyes moved up to his, taking in more of his face. He wasn’t bad by any means. He had short brown hair, dark eyes, and what I could tell from where I was sitting, nice teeth. I noticed everyone’s teeth since working in the dental field. When the speed dating started, nice teeth dude didn’t make it to my table in time. Instead, he made it to Hannah’s.
There were twenty-five guys and twenty-five girls. We were given five minutes with each partner. Guy after guy I heard the same line over and over. “Does your key fit?” “Wanna stick your key in my lock?” “Is it in?” My key fit in one lock and the guy was a total flop. There was no chemistry whatsoever. Then it was finally good teeth guy’s turn. Also known as the last man standing—or the last hope.
He smiled, I smiled, and after he sat, he said, “I’d stick it in, but it wouldn’t fit.” I choked on the sip of sweet, salty mixture that I had taken to wet my whistle. He laughed. “Sorry, I should have saved the joke for when you weren’t drinking.”
I chuckled. “Already trying to kill me and we aren’t even married yet?”
“How else am I going to get your millions?”
I laughed again. Not once did I laugh this hard the entire speed dating and it had taken an hour and thirty-five minutes to happen. “I’ll need to know your name so I can put it in my will.”
He smiled again, and this time I got a clear view, no drink in the way. He definitely had nice teeth. “Dan.” He pointed to his name tag. Right. Totally wasn’t looking at anything except his smile. “And you’re Cat.”
“That I am.” I grinned.
“So, Cat, what’s your story?” He took a sip of something clear. Vodka tonic maybe?
I shrugged. “Dentist. Single. Never been married and no kids.” It was the same story I’d been telling the last twenty-four men. “And you?”
“Dentist. Single. Never been married and no kids.”
I cocked my head to the side and nodded slowly. “So we have some things in common.”
“We do.”
And since we had only five minutes, I asked the big question. “Why are you single?”
Dan shrugged. “You know, the usual. Been engaged, didn’t work out.”
“That’s not the usual I know.”
“What do you know then?”
I sighed. “Boy broke my heart, and I don’t trust men now.”
“It’s because you’re young.”
I snorted. “And how young do you think I am?”
His brown eyes twinkled in the low light. “Twenty-one.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you only saying that since I’m drinking?”
Dan smiled. “Grew up with two older sisters. I know never to ask a woman her age, and if I get a question like the one you just asked, I know it’s a trick question. Therefore, I say the youngest possible.”
“Well, you have to know I’m at least twenty-five since that’s the youngest I can be a dentist.”
He smiled and pointed his finger at me. “I knew you were smart.”
“Smarter than you,” I pointed out.
“No. If I had said twenty-five, you would have thought I was a jerk. Some women think that twenty-five is almost fifty.”
“Okay, you got me. I would have totally thought you were being a jerk.”
“All right, ladies and gentleman. This is your final minute warning. If it’s a match, exchange those numbers.”
“Is it a match?” Dan asked.
I furrowed my brow. “I don’t know. Promise not to kill me?”
“No.”
I smiled and bit my lip. “Well, in that case, give me your phone.” He did, and I dialed my number from his. “There. I have yours too.”
“Perfect. Put my name as Murderer, and I’ll put yours as Woman I Need to Murder.”
“It’s totally a match made in heaven.”
“Maybe,” Dan agreed.
“I knew you two would hit it off,” Hannah stated as she slid from her seat.
“Because we’re dentists?” I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah.” She shrugged.
“Did you know dentists have the highest suicide rate?” I asked, trying to point out that two dentists were probably not the perfect match.
“Really?” she asked.
“They did at one point. I don’t know if it’s still true these days.”
“Wait,” Dan said and placed his hand on my arm. “You’re not planning on killing yourself, are you?”
I looked back at him. “Why would I do that when I have you to kill me?” I asked, and showed him that I had, in fact, put him down as Dan the Murderer.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Hannah looking from Dan to me and back.
“This is true.”
“Okay, you two are officially perfect for each other.”
“I know,” Dan stated. “We have plans.”
I laughed. “Yeah. He’s going to kill me when we’re married so he can take my millions.”
“Oh—kay.” Hannah bobbed her blonde head slowly as though she was confused. “I don’t want to get murdered, so I think it’s best we go.”
I slid off my stool. “Apparently, she struck out tonight, so we have to go. She’s my ride.”
Dan smiled again, and I knew I’d be thinking about it for many days to come. “That’s fine. My calendar is booked with multiple root canals tomorrow. I should head home.”
“Great. Now I’m going to have to hear you two talk dental when we all hang out.”
“Seems like we all like to jump the gun.” I shook my head with a smile.
“I’ll call you.” Dan leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“Okay.”
And then he was gone.
“So?” Hannah prompted as we walked out the front doors a few minutes later, giving Dan enough time to get to his car so it wasn’t awkward. Though the whole exchange was on the verge of awkward, but on the good side of things.
“So. I think this just became my lucky dress.”
The moment I made it into the office the next morning, my cell rang. A part of me thought it would be Dan, but the number said it was coming from Las Vegas. I didn’t answer. It was probably a sales call or something. I booted up my computer to bring up my schedule for the day and then my phone dinged with a voicemail message. I pushed the button and listened.
“Hey, Cat, it’s Joss. I know you haven’t heard from me in a few months. I’ve actually been in Vegas working on an undercover case. Anyway, I was calling because I have some news.” She paused. “I’m getting married!” Another pause, and I realized my mouth was hanging open. “I want you here, Cat. I know it’s Thursday morning, and I wish I had given you more notice, but I’m getting married on Saturday. I’ll pay for your ticket or whatever it takes to get you here. Please come. Call me, text me, whatever. I miss you.”
The message stopped, but I couldn’t move a muscle. Joss was getting married, and she wanted me there. Hell, she was getting married in less than three days. I thought about it for what felt like hours until my assistant, Kelly, knocked on my door to let me know my first patient was there. Even though I hadn’t seen Joss in forever, for her to reach out to me was huge.
“Hey, Kel,” I called before she could walk away.
“Yeah?”
“I need you to cancel all my appointments tomorrow and Monday.”
“Sure. Everything okay?”
I stood and reached for my white coat. “Yeah. Something’s come up.”
“Okay. Sure. I’ll let the girls know up at the front to reschedule everything.”
“Thanks.”
As I made my way to start my day, a thought occurred to me …
Was Seth going to be there too?