“I...didn’t get her number? Anyway,” I waved a hand, “She made it pretty clear that it was just...you know.” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word. A hookup.

“Nevermind,” Claire said. “I take it back. She is a gigantic asshole.”

“No,” I said immediately. “No. She’s not. She’s...blergh.” I blew out a breath.

“Oh, Sam,” Claire said softly. “You really like her.”

“Of course I do,” I said. And horrifyingly, even though I knew it would happen, I blinked back tears. I felt an awful urge to lean into the pouting teenager bit, explain to these two people who were so wonderfully in love and had their lives together that it didn’t surprise me, that Lily left. That she didn’t want me enough for more than a hookup. No one ever did.

Well. I think you’re gorgeous, Sam Bell.

I closed my eyes to block out the memory. Block out my friends’ worried faces. They made the steel spine I had been trying to build feel more like a paper house. I wanted a greasy breakfast sandwich and hot chocolate and to maybe go back to bed for the rest of the day.

“You need to find her somehow,” Claire said after a long moment, her voice determined. “There’s no way you can sleep with Sam Bell and not be a little in love with them.”

I managed a weak laugh.

“You don’t have to pump me up, Claire. I’ll be okay. I’m sorry I worried you.”

“No, I’m serious!” she said. “I know you, Sam. You don’t take relationships lightly. You should at least try to contact her, if you really like her, and see what she’s thinking, too. Did she say anything to you before she left?”

“No. I just woke up and she was gone.”

Kort sucked in a breath. “Ouch.”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

Claire frowned. “Do you know where she works or anything?”

“A vet clinic. Of which there are only, you know...a million, approximately, in this city.”

Claire rolled her eyes. “There are not a million. And vet clinics have websites! That probably have employee pictures on them!”

“She’s a receptionist,” I said. “They probably don’t have pictures of them.” A pause. “Even though their jobs are really hard,” I added.

Although, they had said Bri was one of the vets, right? They probably had pictures of the doctors.

The only thing I knew was that it couldn’t be Simon and Garfunkel’s vet, because I definitely would have remembered seeing Lily there.

I didn’t say anything else. But mentally, I knew I was probably going to stalk every vet clinic within a thirty mile radius later tonight on my phone. Possibly over a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.