Chapter 10 #3
When he heard the doctor’s casual tone, Joe released the breath he’d been holding, waiting to hear something was wrong with Janey. “Not at all. What’s up?” He stepped outside, heading in the direction of the clinic.
“It’s about Janey.”
Joe stopped walking. “What about her?”
“Has she seemed a tad bit…down…lately?” When Joe didn’t immediately answer, Doc Potter continued.
“She doesn’t seem herself, and I thought perhaps the job might be too much for her, and she doesn’t want to hurt my feelings, so she hasn’t said so.
I didn’t want to upset her by asking, so I figured I’d call you. ”
“She hasn’t said anything to me about not feeling up to working. In fact, she was excited to get back to work at the clinic, even though I suggested she might want to take it easy this summer.”
“Huh,” Doc said thoughtfully. “She’s definitely not got her usual sparkle.”
Joe felt like a jerk for having to be told that by her boss. “I’ll come by and see if she’s up for a lunch break with her husband.”
“I’m sure she’d enjoy that. I hope I haven’t overstepped by calling you. It’s just that I care for her very much.”
“I know that, Doc, and so does she. I appreciate the call.”
“Take her to lunch, and tell her I gave her the afternoon off. She works too hard.”
“Thanks. I’m on my way.” He moved a little quicker now, passing the Sand & Surf on his way to the clinic on the outskirts of town.
“Hey, Joe,” the receptionist, Lisa, said when he arrived. “Janey’s in the back doing inventory. Want me to tell her you’re here?”
“If it’s okay, I’d rather surprise her.”
Lisa smiled. “Of course. Go on back.”
With a wave for Doc as he passed his office, Joe found his wife in the supply closet, clipboard in hand, glasses perched on her nose, her hair in a messy bun with a second pen pushed through it.
The big baby belly protruded from a white lab coat, making him smile at how she managed to look studious and serious and sexy as hell all at the same time.
Sometimes Joe still couldn’t believe that he’d finally gotten the girl he’d always wanted but never thought he’d have.
“Hey, baby,” he said.
Her eyes lit up with delight at the sight of him. “Where’d you come from?”
“The usual places—the ferry landing and the diner with your brother.”
“Which one?”
“The bossy pain-in-the-ass one.”
“What’s my darling Mac up to?”
“Working at the Surf today, finishing up the gift shop for Laura.”
“He and Luke and Shane did such a great job there. It looks so good.”
As she spoke, Joe studied her, looking for signs of the funk that Doc had mentioned but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Was she keeping something from him? That wouldn’t be like her—
“Joe? Are you all right?”
“Oh, sorry. What did you say?”
“I was blathering about the hotel. Nothing important. What were you thinking about?”
He stepped into the small storage room, closing the door behind him. “You.” With his hands on her face, he leaned in for a kiss. “That and this, too.” He stole a second kiss.
She smiled mischievously. “I’m at work, Joseph.”
“I hear you’re going to own the place someday. They probably won’t mind.”
At that, her smile faded a bit. “Probably not.”
Determined to get to the bottom of whatever was troubling her, he said, “How about some lunch?”
“It’s only eleven.”
“And you’re probably already starving.”
“I could eat,” she conceded. “But that’s hardly news. I’m a bottomless pit lately. Let me check with Doc to see if he can spare me.”
“I already talked to him, and he said it’s fine.”
“Are you guys talking about me behind my back?”
Joe led her from the storage room. “Of course we are.”
Janey laughed, which he’d hoped she would.
Come to think of it, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d heard her laugh.
It pained him to realize she’d been troubled about something and he hadn’t noticed.
“I probably shouldn’t be surprised.” She ducked her head into Doc’s office.
“Thanks for giving Joe permission to take me for an early lunch. I’ll be back in an hour. ”
“Have a nice time,” Doc said with a wink for Joe.
Holding hands, they left the clinic.
“Where to?” Janey asked.
“Let’s go home and make some sandwiches. You can put your feet up and relax while I wait on you.”
“Ohhh, I like the sound of that.”
Because he couldn’t resist, Joe dropped her hand and put his arm around her, drawing her in close to him as they walked the short distance to the little house she’d bought when she was still single.
They were going to need a bigger place on the island after the baby arrived, but for now they were enjoying their final months in the cozy cottage.
At home, they spent a good ten minutes greeting her menagerie of pets, who swarmed them with enthusiastic kisses. Janey laughed at the way Pixie tried to leap into her arms, wanting Janey’s full attention as always.
After she took them outside and brought them back in again, Janey said, “Let me sit down, guys. I’ll scratch every one of your ears while Joe finishes making lunch.”
She snuggled into the sofa with the dogs while Joe prepared grilled cheese sandwiches in the kitchen.
He cracked open a cola for himself, poured a tall glass of milk for Janey and carried everything into the living room.
The dogs knew their rules and scattered from the sofa to allow them to eat in peace.
When they were first together, Joe had been blown away by how well behaved her pets were, but now he was used to them and expected nothing less. All of them had been abused or neglected before Janey came into their lives and showed them true love and devotion.
They did whatever she told them to do when she told them to do it. Joe called her his little dog whisperer. There was no question she had a special touch with animals, which was why he was thrilled to see her finally pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian.
“This is so good,” she said between bites. “Thanks for pampering me.”
“Any time, baby.”
“I’ll probably need a second lunch around two.”
“I’ll get it for you.”
“You’ve got better things to do than bring me food at work.”
“I’ll get it for you right here. Doc gave you the afternoon off.”
Her eyes widened with surprise. “He did? Why?”
Joe finished the soda and put the can on the coffee table before he reached for her hand and linked their fingers. “Because he’s worried about you. He says you seem down about something.”
Frowning, she looked away from him, gazing at her German shepherd, Riley, who stood watch over her, as always. “So you guys really were talking about me.”
“Not in a bad way. He called me because he was worried, and he didn’t want to upset you by bringing it up.
You know he loves you as much as anyone, except for me, of course.
I love you best of all, which is why I’m hoping you’d tell me if something was worrying you or upsetting you or causing you to lose your sparkle. ”
“Is that what he said?”
Joe brought her hand to his lips, kissing her softly. “Uh-huh, which led me to wonder why I haven’t noticed your missing sparkle. Are you keeping something from me, hon?”
“No! I don’t do that. You know I don’t.”
“I know you don’t usually, but since he’s seeing something I’m not, I can’t help but wonder. That’s all.”
“We’ve had a lot going on. With the pregnancy and the accident and my brothers and your mom and Seamus… It’s been…a lot.” Her chin quivered ever so slightly, but he saw it.
“What is it, honey? Talk to me. The accident was so upsetting, but the boys are fine—or they will be. In time. You know that, right?”
She nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears that broke his heart.
“Come here.” He released her hand, raised his arm and waited for her to get comfortable against him before he put his arm around her and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “What’s wrong?”
“You won’t want to hear it.”
“What does that mean? Of course I want to hear it.”
“I tried to tell you once before. I tried to tell Adam, too, but he said the same thing you did—”
“About what, Janey?” Joe asked, becoming more alarmed by the second.
“About the baby and school and how I might’ve changed my mind about some things.”
“We talked about this—”
“You talked about it. You told me I’d be making a big mistake to give up on vet school when I’m so close to being done.”
“I still think that’s true.”
“But what about what I want? Does that matter at all?”