The Ice Prince’s Healer

TATE

The alarm going off loudly for the third time was what got me jerking up from bed. I rubbed my eyes before it dawned on me. That was my not-so-backup backup alarm.

“Fuck,” I cursed as I jumped out of bed, rushing into the bathroom. I knew what that ring meant. I was late.

“Fuck,” I mumbled again as I washed my face and hurriedly brushed my teeth. I took the quickest shower in the history of showers. Was it even two minutes?

Well, that was something I definitely didn’t have the time to think about right now. I rushed to my wardrobe, tossing clothes away until they formed quite a pile on the floor. I could clean that up when I got back.

That’s if I still had a job.

I grabbed a pair of gray pants and a white T-shirt, pulling them on quickly. Then I grabbed my unpacked bag from yesterday and tossed it over my shoulder. I’d never been more grateful for leaving a bag unpacked than I was now.

Snatching my phone from the bed, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror as I hurried past it and out the door, locking it behind me.

I checked the time on my phone screen and my heart dropped a little lower.

8:25 a.m.

Lucky for me, my apartment was just a one-minute walk to the road. I normally rode my bike to work, but I didn’t have that luxury this morning. I had to take a fucking cab.

Yeah, I’d be three or four dollars short on my savings, but then again, there would be no savings without this job.

Hi, I’m Tatum Calloway. My family isn’t exactly the fanciest in the U.S. Hell, we had nothing fancy about us at all.

I kind of pay the bills, even though I’m a college student—on scholarship to one of the most expensive schools. America’s top five.

And while I didn’t pay tuition, the same couldn’t be said for my everyday life. And yeah, I was going to be homeless if I lost the high-paying job I managed to get downtown. Which was exactly what was going to happen if I didn’t get my ass there in the next five minutes.

I waved down a cab and got in, staring at my phone screen.

8:27 a.m.

“Where am I taking you?” the man behind the wheel asked, and I bit down on my bottom lip.

“Carrington,” I mumbled.

He nodded and started driving. I sank into the seat, twisting and re-twisting my fingers.

I’ve never been much of a prayer person. But I do believe there’s a supreme being somewhere up there in the sky. And yeah, if there was one thing I needed right now, it was not to lose my job.

I should have stood my ground about not being able to attend Taylor’s birthday party last night. But I didn’t. It was fun, I lost track of time, and returned to my apartment in the early hours of the morning. And yeah, I thought I’d still wake up on time and get to work.

How did that turn out?

So fucking bad.

Now I was not only sleep-deprived and running around without caffeine, I was also on the verge of losing my job. Yeah, my boss had very low tolerance for lateness. So low that I’d seen him fire a staff member who was five minutes late.

Probably wondering why I think my case would be different, right?

Well, I’d worked there for a year and a couple of months. I’d never been late before, so I was hoping to cash in on some ‘grace’.

And boy, was I wrong.

“Thirty-two minutes late! Does it look like we joke around here?” Mr. Garry hollered, and I lowered my head slightly.

“I’m sorry, sir. I took medication last night, so the drugs might—” I lied.

“I really don’t care about whatever happened to you,” he interrupted dryly, and I immediately clamped my lips shut. Wow.

“This won’t repeat itself,” I said quietly.

He nodded, tucking his hairy hands into his pockets.

“It definitely won’t,” he said.

Hope lit inside me until the next words came out of his mouth.

“You’re fired.”

My heart dropped to my stomach, and I felt sick in that moment.

“Mr. Garry, you can’t just—” I gestured with my arms, staring past him at the handful of staff at the counter who were looking at me with sympathy. “Please, sir. This is my only hope of survival.”

He gave a sneer that didn’t sit well on his face. It only made him look more monstrous.

“Well, you’ll have to find another means. This one is closed,” he said. Then he turned around and walked into the restaurant, leaving me standing at the entrance.

My eyes stung and I blinked a couple of times. He glanced at me over his shoulder.

“Kate will settle you for the days you’ve worked. Good luck.”

And with that, he was gone.

I just stood there—hurt, disappointed, and… I don’t know. It was a little hard to figure out exactly what I was feeling.

I stared at my co-workers, who gave me pitiful smiles before going back to doing what they were paid to do.

I stood there for a couple of minutes before finally turning around and walking out.

My job wasn’t exactly the rosiest. Not at night. Not with touchy and grumpy customers. Not with a grumpy boss either.

But it paid the bills.

And right now, I had a handful of them piling up. My rent was due next month. I had to pay for books, food… not to mention my family back home. This wasn’t the ideal time to lose a job.

Not when job hunting was as difficult as keeping the job itself—and not with classes I still had to attend.

Then again, I deserved this.

If only I hadn’t attended the party. Taylor would have been pissed, but not for long. All this would have been avoided.

Yeah.

I had really terrible luck.