Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 96292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
June’s eyes widen while curling her lips between her teeth.
He puts on a glove and squirts lubricant on the finger. Then he slides the tip of it …
Nooo …
I didn’t need to see the butthole exam.
“No,” I say to his question.
Dr. Schreiber looks up at me. It’s the are-you-fucking-kidding-me look, but he doesn’t say those words. He doesn’t say anything.
Rupert was right. This guy smiles at Loki. Pets him. Scratches behind his ears. But I think he wants to murder June and me. Or at least me.
“What did the blood look like?” he asks.
Don’t say it!
“Blood,” I say, unable to stop myself. Now I’m just fucking with him.
He looks at me with a familiar expression, like I’m the dumbest person in the world.
June hides her snort with a fake cough.
“Was it bright red or dark like coffee grounds?”
“Neither. More like medium to light red,” I say, earning myself a deeper frown.
“When did it start?”
“Dunno. We were at the house for a while before June noticed we hadn’t seen Loki yet.”
“Well, how long had it been since someone saw him?”
“Dunno. I picked up June. We ate pizza in the car. The Rawlings said we could hang out at their house. June plays the cello. She’s pretty fucking amazing.” I add that bit just to mess with him. “I don’t know what time they left, or when they last saw Loki.”
“How often was he vomiting?”
This dude can’t read between the lines. We found the cat. We found vomit. The end. That’s all we know.
“Dunno. Didn’t see it happen.”
“Was there blood in all the vomit or just some of it? Suggesting there was blood at first but then no blood or vice versa.”
I refuse to answer, and he stops short of an actual eye roll.
“Do you know if he might have eaten anything unusual like a foreign object, a toy, plants, human food?”
I bite my tongue and shake my head.
“Did you happen to see any bottles like he got into someone’s medication? Cleaning supplies? Anything like that?”
Again, I shake my head.
Loki lies on his side and starts to purr. Great. He’s probably fine, and this guy thinks we’re wasting his time.
“Did the Rawlings mention if he’s had any recent change in diet?”
“I’ve seen her give him the same food since she adopted him. Some food that says ‘human grade’ on the outside. He seems to enjoy it. So if she changed his food, she did so since his first meal today. I can text her to ask.”
Dr. Schreiber slowly shakes his head, focusing on Loki. “I’ll draw some blood just to rule out anything serious. Then he can have water, but no food for twelve hours. Have Mrs. Rawlings call me with an update or if there are any changes. When she starts him back on food, make sure it’s something bland like small amounts of boiled chicken. If anything changes, he’ll need to come back in for imaging to check for obstructions or tumors. But after examining him, I don’t see any cause for concern. So let’s monitor him.” He continues to pet Loki. “And make sure he doesn’t get into anything. Okay?”
Okay? He’s not my cat. Does this guy really think I’m going to sternly warn Callie about keeping a close eye on him?
“Thank you,” June says while I have a stare-off with the doctor.
He won’t even look at June. If this guy doesn’t give her attention, not so much as a smile or nod of acknowledgment, then he’s whacked. That’s all there is to it.
Thirty minutes later, we leave with a purring cat. Normal blood work. And the look on Dr. Schreiber’s face is less than friendly, like we made everything up.
“Entitled son of a bitch,” I mumble, when we get into the car, and I text Callie.
Flynn: On our way back to the house. Loki is fine
“I’m sure he wasn’t happy about an after-hours call,” June says, fastening her seat belt. “That doesn’t necessarily make him entitled.”
“All rich people feel entitled.”
Callie replies with a thumbs-up before I back out of the parking spot.
“That’s a little harsh. I think Callie and Rupert are very nice people.”
“I’m not saying entitled people can’t be nice. But they hired me as a muse. That’s a big, fucking privilege money buys you.”
As I pull onto the street, I feel June’s gaze on me, so I give her a quick glance. Then I sigh. “Tell me I’m wrong. Name one person you know who has money, but you’d never know they had money? They live like us. Drive an old beater. I mean, I got my first paycheck from the Rawlings, and my head spun with possibilities. It was like a drug. Do you know what I mean?”
She twists her lips and nods several times. “Yeah,” she murmurs. “I do. I just don’t want you to ever feel like Callie and Rupert aren’t good people. We’re all human. We’re all flawed. Everyone deals with temptation at some point. Focusing on the things we have in common more than our differences just feels like a better, more peaceful, way to live.”