Chapter Twelve Jake #3
Maybe I need to address this awkwardness I have around animals. She wants an animal lover, so I’ll do my best. If I need to make peace with that ridiculous goat with the stupid name, then that’s what I’ll do. But I’ll be damned if I let this new guy get the better of me.
My phone is vibrating in my pocket, and I pull it out with a smile, thinking it’s Ashley, but my stomach lurches when I see the name do not answer lighting up on the screen.
It’s the fourth time this week the number has called me, and there have been countless emails that keep flooding into my inbox, even though I thought that I had time to pay down the debt.
By the sound of the last email there is some new person looking after my case and it’s probably just my luck they see it differently than the manager before them.
I just can’t bear explaining it all again.
And although I’m ignoring it, the one thing it does is remind me that there is more that needs to be sorted out before my life can move forward.
I didn’t want my time here to be clouded by this, so once again, I delete the message before I even listen to it and shove my phone back into my pocket, pushing it all out of my head as I stride out to the vines.
Ashley
“Ooohhh, look at the glow on those cheeks this morning. Come, sit down and tell me everything.” Tiff claps her hands with excitement.
“How can I be glowing with only four hours’ sleep?
Are you delusional?” I plonk myself onto the stool in the teahouse.
“None of that fancy tea this morning. Just give it to me straight, black and strong.” I want to keep what happened last night with Jake to myself until I have time to breathe and think it through properly.
But having met Tiff before, I know the chances of that happening are slim to none.
Tiff leans across the counter and whispers to me, “When are you going to get it through your beautiful little head that you can’t fool me? I can read your aura, and that red-colored energy swirling all around you this morning tells me you’ve been getting down and jiggy with Jake.”
Smacking my forehead, I can’t control laughing at her.
“Okay, start at the beginning. What does red aura mean? And what exactly do you see? Red cheeks? That’s just from rushing here this morning so I can make it to the clinic on time.
” I try putting her off the scent, even though I know it’s useless.
“How are we even friends? Your aura is the light around your body. What you are emitting is your energy field. The color red represents passion and vitality, so you either got jiggy with him or your vibrator was working overtime last night,” Tiff whisper-lectures me, staring at me like I should know this shit.
“What makes you think it was Jake?” I whisper-hiss back at her, because there are way too many people in here for us to be having this conversation out loud.
“Oh shit, the Aussie vet. No!” She gasps and looks at me like I’ve done something terribly wrong. “Don’t tell me you cheated on Jake with the new guy before he even worked a day in the clinic. Didn’t you learn your lesson with that ex-dickhead of yours? Don’t fuck where you work.”
“I’m about to lose my mind in this place.
Not you too! Firstly, how can I cheat on Jake when we aren’t together, and secondly, Beau is my employee, so why would I even look at him like that?
Seriously, you’re as bad as Jake, the way he turned up at my house last night demanding to know if I kissed Beau at dinner.
” I realize that I’ve spoken way louder than I should’ve by the way people are now looking our way.
“Oh, thank goodness it was Jake. I knew it. You wouldn’t do that to that sweet, sexy man.
” She leans her elbows on the counter and props her chin in her hands, her face mere inches from me.
“Is he big? I bet he’s big, isn’t he. Oh, and does he know what to do with it?
Of course he does, don’t even bother answering that.
Otherwise, why would you be all aglow this morning? ”
Standing up tall again, she jumps up and down on the spot, clapping her hands. “I’m so happy for you, and maybe a little jealous. It’s been a while since I’ve done the horizontal tango with a man. Now tell me about this new vet.”
She finally makes my tea, and I know it’s not what I asked for by the way she takes tea leaves from several different jars before tipping them all into my cup. Who knows what potion she’s mixing up for me today.
“No, no, no, no, no! You stay away from Beau. It took me long enough to find another vet. Don’t you scare him off with your woo-woo and crazy ways. Nope, off-limits. Promise me.” I point at her with conviction.
“Who said anything about using my spiritual greatness? I just want a good fuck, and he’s a fresh target.
” Tiff looks at me like I took away her lollipop by banning her from checking out Beau.
Placing my tea on the counter and taking a brown paper bag, she then puts three cookies inside it.
“One for you, one for Adi, and one for the hot man from Down Under. Because if Jake is worried about him touching what’s his, then he sees him as a threat, so he must be hot.
Sister, life around here just got so much more fun.
Now drink up so I can read your tea leaves.
” Tiff is talking fast and bursting with excitement.
“What the hell did you put in your own tea this morning, Tiff, because you are off this planet,” I tease her as I take a sip.
The combination of flavors is new and tastes nothing like she has made me before.
But I decide that I’m probably better off not knowing.
I’ve asked questions this morning and look where it’s gotten me.
My mind is more jumbled than when I walked in here.
Thankfully more customers pour into the teahouse, and while Tiff is tied up serving them, I finish my cup and deliberately walk behind the counter, tipping the soggy tea leaves down the drain.
“I hate you,” she mouths at me as I pick up the bag of cookies and head to work.
“Love you too,” I call out, blowing her a kiss and leaving with a smile on my face, happy that I’ve managed to get out of there without giving away too much.
When I get my life straight in my head, then Tiff will be the first to know. But for the moment, this is just between Jake and me, and that’s where I want it to stay. Not in another tea leaf reading.
“Well, you managed to survive your first day in the clinic, but be forewarned that the moment you step out the front door tonight, the eyes of the town will be on you,” Adi jokes with Beau as we clean up the exam rooms at the end of the day.
“It’s okay. I’ve lived in a few small towns in my time. I like to give them something to gossip about.” Beau chuckles as he restocks the disposable gloves.
Luckily, I had a box of the larger-sized gloves for him, because my medium gloves were never going to do the job.
As thoughts of his hands run through my head, Tiff’s stupid tea leaf reading starts swirling to the front of my mind.
Good with his large hands, and dimples—or did she say a single dimple? I can’t remember. Staring at Beau, I can see he has dimples just like Jake does. Both men have large hands, which I definitely know that Jake can use to perfection. Oh my God, why am I even entertaining her stupidity?
Beau’s words shake me back from my crazy thoughts.
“Wait, what do you mean that you like to give them something to gossip about? Please tell me that I’m not about to be in the middle of some town craziness over you.” The last thing I want is a practical joker whipping the town up into a frenzy.
“Don’t panic. It’s all good fun. Like, I may have checked myself into the bed-and-breakfast last night as Lord John Moreton, the Australian cousin to the King of England.”
Adi and I both stop what we’re doing and look at him in disbelief.
“You didn’t,” I gasp. “Lorna-Jean will have sent that gossip through the grapevine within minutes of showing you to your room. And then every person who came through the front door today will be out there telling people about the new Australian vet that we have in town, named Beau Robinson—that is your name, right, that wasn’t another one of your jokes?
” I ask, feeling a little nervous that I’ve hired a scam artist but within seconds I know I’m panicking over nothing.
“Wait a minute.” I put my finger on my chin. “Tiff didn’t say one word about this earlier today, so I’m calling bullshit on your story.” There is no way Tiff wouldn’t have heard about some lord that had checked into town.
“Oh, you’re quick. I’ve got to give you that. We’re going to have so much fun working together.” Beau winks at me, and I can’t help but burst out laughing, before he and Adi join in.
“It’s going to be interesting, that’s for sure.” Adi starts mopping and ushers us out of the room and into the reception area so the floor can dry.
Beau and I then start wiping over the waiting room chairs with antiseptic, and even though the closed sign is in the window, the front door swings open anyway. People know that the sign means nothing if they need help with a critically sick animal.
“It’s only me, Adi,” Jake announces as he walks through the door, and I watch as his whole demeanor changes at the sight of Beau standing next to me.
“Ash.” Jake looks at me before continuing, “And you must be Beau, the new employee.” His shoulders are pulled back as he walks directly to Beau with his hand outstretched. “I’m Jake, Ash’s boyfriend.” He stares him down, making sure Beau understands.
“Jake,” I groan, but before I can say another word, he steps sideways so he’s now in front of me and puts his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me into one hell of a kiss. It takes the air from my lungs, leaving me speechless and completely stunned.
“Hi, beautiful, how was your day?” Now standing to the other side of me, he links his arm around my waist.
Smacking him on the chest with frustration, I demand, “What the hell was that?”
Jake just looks back at me with a very satisfied grin.
“That was him coming in and cocking his leg to piss on a tree the way a dog does to claim his territory.” Beau answers my question.
“Hey, Jake, I get it, buddy. The storming out of the restaurant last night sort of gave it away. Ash is off-limits.” Beau takes the packet of wipes from my hand and heads to the door leading to the back of the clinic.
“I’ll leave you two to sort this out. Nice to meet you, Jake,” he calls over his shoulder as he goes.
I turn to Jake and throw my hands in the air. “What happened to us talking about this? I’m not your girlfriend, Jake.” And as much as I want to be, I just don’t know if it’s going to work between us if he keeps getting jealous like that.
He steps in front of me so we’re looking at each other face-to-face. He slips his hand around my waist, pulling me toward him so our bodies are touching.
“Well, you tell me who you are, because, Ash, you sure as hell aren’t my fuck buddy.
We are more than that—and you know it. So, call us whatever the hell you like, just as long as he knows you’re mine.
And if that means I need to go piss on his leg or a tree or whatever so he understands it in doggy language, then I’m happy to oblige. ”
“Why are men such boys?” I mutter as I drop my forehead onto his chest.
“Better than being assholes.”
His reply has my head whipping back up and looking him dead in the eyes.
“You’re that too!” I try to push away from him, but his arms are locked tight around me.
“Only for you, beautiful. You bring out the best in me.”
And as aggravating as this situation is, he’s right. The spark inside him is so damn sexy that I know I’m in real trouble here.
I’m deep in heartbreak territory, and it’s already too late to back out.
“We need to have that talk. Time to go home.” This time he lets me go, but I take his hand and drag him out the back so we can swear Beau and Adi into complete secrecy. They didn’t see or hear a thing.
Yeah right, I give it an hour before it’s hot gossip around town.