Even the nicest of guys can decide to cut loose at some point, especially if he's at college and a frat brother invites him to a party. Unfortunately, that can end quite badly. Luckily for Dante ap Owen, it doesn't -- until he keeps needing to piss every few minutes and he sees blood in his urine. Another stroke of luck for him is the substitute professor, also a medical doctor he’s been crushing on, who happens to be there when he passes out in class and pushes him to come to his clinic.<br><br>But Dante and his beloved, critically ill mother are under the control of his bitter uncle, who also provides health insurance. If his uncle finds out Dante is being treated for anything, let alone what Dante fears is an STD, he's ... Dante doesn't want to think about that. So he flees the clinic before he has to make a follow-up appointment.<br><br>The good doctor shows up at his uncle's farm when phone calls do nothing. And when Dante's uncle invites the doctor to dinner and serves a meal worthy of Medea, the doctor urges Dante and his mother to leave. But will they? And will Dante realize the doctor wants him as much as he wants the doctor?

So Let Us Rejoice

Elvira appeared at my shoulder, scaring the spit out of me. “You got a phone call,” she said in her harsh nasal voice. She narrowed her black, beady eyes at me, making them even beadier, and while I knew she was only a year or so older than Mum, the gray streaks in her wiry hair made her appear closer to Uncle John’s age.


“You know Mr. John don’t like you getting phone calls.”


Which was why I didn’t have many friends. “Who called, Elvira?”


“Some smart aleck who tried to convince me he was a doctor. Doctor’s don’t call on the phone, just like they don’t make house calls no more. Must’ve thought I was born yesterday.”


“One of your useless boyfriends most likely.”


“I don’t have a boyfriend, useless or otherwise.”


“Well, he’s already called a few times.” She sneered at me.


My stomach lurched. “Did he give a name?”


She shrugged. “I put a bug in his ear and told him not to call here again before he could.”


Chapter 20