"I'm going to kill him," I muttered.
"Him?" Lila's eyebrows rose. "So there is a him. Anyone I know?"
I hesitated, but Lila was already becoming a friend, and I needed someone to talk to who wasn't Mae, whose gossip network could spread news faster than wildfire.
"Knox Parker," I said quietly.
Lila’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline.
"Knox," she whisper shouted so the waiting room wouldn’t hear. "The Knox who used to be in trouble every other week until a few years ago. That Knox."
"We have history."
"Clearly." Lila leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "I've been here five years, and I've never seen Knox with anyone. Not seriously. There have been rumors, but he's always kept to himself. People thought he was still hung up on someone from his past." She paused. "I'm guessing that someone was you."
My chest tightened. "It's complicated."
"Love usually is." Lila's voice softened. "Just be careful, okay? Not because of Knox. But because small towns talk, and Cal Taylor is a complicated man with a lot of opinions about who's good enough for his niece."
"I know." I thought about the conversation waiting for me tonight. "Trust me, I know."
The rest of the morning passed in a blur of patients and paperwork. I was counting down the hours until I could go home and face Cal when the front desk buzzed.
"Daisy? There's someone here to see you. Says he's your fiancé?"
My blood turned to ice.
No. No, no, no.
I walked to the waiting room on legs that felt like they belonged to someone else. And there he was.
Garrett Collins.
He stood near the window in a perfectly pressed suit, looking as out of place in Hollow Peak as one could get. His hair was styled, his shoes were polished, and he was holding a bouquet of red roses in front of him.
I hated roses. He never remembered that.
"Daisy." He smiled, that charming smile that used to make me feel special and now made my skin crawl. "Surprise."
I was acutely aware of everyone watching. The receptionist. The two patients in the waiting room. Lila, who had followed me out and was standing in the hallway with an assessing look.
"What are you doing here?" My voice came out flat.
"I came to see you." He stepped closer, and I stepped back. His smile flickered. "I made a mistake, Daisy. A huge mistake. I've been doing a lot of thinking since you left, and I realized I can't live without you."
"You seemed to be living fine when you were sleeping with your business partner's wife."
The receptionist gasped. One of the patients suddenly became very interested in a magazine.
Garrett's smile went tight. "Can we talk about this somewhere private?"
"No." I crossed my arms. "We can't. Because there's nothing to talk about. We're done, Garrett. We've been done for months. You need to leave."
"Daisy, please." He reached for my hand, and I jerked away. His eyes hardened, just for a second, before the charming mask slid back into place. "You're upset. I understand. But if you'd give me a chance to explain..."
"I don't need an explanation. I need you to leave."
"Five minutes." He held up the roses like a peace offering. "That's all I'm asking. Five minutes over dinner tonight."