Chapter 21
21
SUMMER
I finished drawing blood from Cookie, discarded the used syringe, and sealed the labeled sample tube. I hoped we could get the answers we needed from them quickly.
“Here.” I passed the three small tubes to Sarah. “These need to be couriered to the lab as soon as possible. Can you make sure they get there?”
“I’ll do that right now.” She took the samples and left the room.
I petted Cookie, ruffling the fur on top of her head. She was beginning to come around but wasn’t fully conscious yet. Fortunately, she was a placid cat, or else I might have had to sedate her for longer to make sure she wouldn’t tear out the IV.
“You’re going to be fine,” I told her, although I couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling I’d had since Asher woke me up this morning. Something was off here, but considering how easily Asher had dismissed my concerns last night, I was reluctant to raise them again.
I left Cookie, stripped off my gloves, cleaned my hands, and returned to the examination room to check who my first patient was. Sarah had already sterilized the examination table, and the scent of antibacterial spray was even more pungent than usual.
I opened a tab on my computer and laughed. Mrs. Hawkins and Dolores. According to the notes Beverley had taken, Dolores was off her food, which probably just meant that she hadn’t eaten one of the dozens of treats Mrs. Hawkins plied her with.
I rolled up my sleeves and opened the door. “Mrs. Hawkins, I’m ready to see Dolores now.”
Two hours later, I managed to take a quick break before my scheduled appointment with Duke for his annual vaccination booster.
Grace arrived right on time, as always, and greeted me with a smile. “Good morning, Summer. We’re here for our jab.”
I crouched in front of Duke, who nuzzled my hand, searching for a treat. I slipped one out of my pocket and offered it to him.
“Half now, and half after.”
He snuffled it up, and I straightened.
“Come on through.”
In the examination room, I checked Duke’s weight, his heart rate, his temperature, and performed a physical checkup.
“Everything seems to be in good working order,” I told Grace.
“Good.” She sounded relieved. Probably because Duke had gotten caught up in a dangerous situation last year and been injured as a result. No matter how often we assured her that he’d recovered completely, she always worried about him. I’d be glad for any way I could ease her mind considering she was only a little more than a week away from giving birth.
“I’ll just prepare the vaccination,” I said.
I left the room and took the vaccination from the fridge, then opened a fresh syringe and drew the liquid into it. I carried the syringe back to the examination room, where Grace was now awkwardly bending over to pet Duke, one hand on the small of her back as she stroked the dog with the other.
“Hold still,” I said as I pinched some of the loose skin at the back of Duke’s neck between my thumb and forefinger. “What a good boy.”
The needle pricked his skin, and I pushed the plunger down and withdrew the whole thing before he had time to flinch, then I offered him the second half of his treat. He wolfed it down, his tail wagging.
Grace ruffled his fur and told him how well behaved he was. The professional part of our visit was complete, but I didn’t want her to go yet. She had first-hand experience that could be useful to me.
“Asher brought Cookie in this morning. She’d been exposed to some kind of poison.”
Her forehead creased. “Is she okay?”
I nodded. “Thankfully.”
“Good.” She hesitated, then asked, “How did it happen?”
“He doesn’t know, and until I know what the toxin was, I can’t really guess either.” The uncertainty bothered me more than it should.
Grace cocked her head. “You don’t think someone did it on purpose, do you?”
I pursed my lips. “I don’t know what to think. Surely not. Who would hurt a cat?”
Grace continued to stroke Duke’s back. “It might be nothing, but if your instincts tell you there’s something up, then you should trust them.” She gave me a sad smile. “I didn’t, and it got me into trouble.”
I let out a ragged breath. Until now, I hadn’t realized how badly I needed someone to tell me that my gut might not be completely wrong. “Thanks, Grace.”
She straightened and Duke slumped against her long legs. “I can quietly ask Nate to keep an eye on Asher and Cookie if you like.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Can he do that without making it obvious?”
Nate didn’t exactly do “subtle.”
She just smiles a little too smugly. “If I ask, he will.”
“Thanks.” A shard of envy lodged in my chest. I longed to have a relationship like the one she shared with my brother, but I couldn’t begrudge her for it when she’d had to wait so long for him to get his head out of his ass and realize what was right in front of him.
She’d wanted him for even longer than I’d craved Asher, and if anyone deserved happiness, it was Grace. She was the kindest, gentlest soul I’d ever met.
Grace swept her hair over her shoulder. “Speaking of Asher, I saw you two dancing. It seems like things might be changing between you.”
She didn’t say it in a prying way, but my cheeks heated nonetheless. I liked to think that not too many people were aware of my hopelessly unrequited love, but at least five were in the know: Bailey, Beverley, Cal, Blair, and now Grace. I just had to thank my lucky stars that none of them were likely to spread rumors.
“It could be,” I said slowly. “I really don’t know. After this long with nothing happening, I doubt it.”
Grace dropped her hand to scratch the top of Duke’s head. “If things can change for Nate and me after fifteen years, they can change for you too.”
“God, I hope so.” But I was afraid to believe it. “Anyway, it was good to see you. I’d better check whether the next patient is ready.”
I guided Grace out and, sure enough, another patient was waiting to take Duke’s place.
My feet ached by the time evening rolled around. I’d been seeing clients all day, but at least tomorrow would be spent in the operating theater so I wouldn’t have to interact with so many people. I loved catching up with everyone, but it could be exhausting.
I’d cleaned up and was waving Beverley off when Asher drove into the parking lot and parked near the main entrance. I met him at the doors.
“Cookie is doing well,” I said as he approached. “She’s looking forward to going home.”
He smiled, but his lips wobbled. “She’s really okay?”
“Yes.” I wished I could hug him. He looked like he needed it.
I led him through a door labeled Staff Only to the rear room where we kept inpatients who were ready to be discharged. Cookie was curled in the cubicle nearest the door, and she stretched and butted her head against the bars when she saw Asher. He reached in and rubbed the underside of her chin.
My insides melted into a puddle of goo. They were so adorable together. I opened the cubicle, and he scooped her out and cradled her against his chest. My ovaries broke into song. Somehow, I knew he’d look just as sweet cuddling a baby.
Ugh, I had it so bad.
But for once, my hopeless crush didn’t feel quite so hopeless. Whether or not he remembered it, he had almost kissed me the other night. If it had happened once, it could happen again, and I was an expert at exercising patience.
Asher shifted Cookie into her pet carrier, which I’d stored against the wall, and followed me out.
“What do I owe you?” he asked once we reached the reception area.
I waved my hand dismissively. “We can sort it out later. I’m not as good with the billing software as Beverley is.”
“Summer.” His tone was stern. “I am paying.”
“I know.” I grabbed my bag from where I’d left it behind the counter and slung it over my shoulder. I withdrew my keycard and headed for the exit.
“I’m serious,” Asher said.
“I know,” I repeated, turning to face him. “I said we’ll sort it out, and I meant it.”
But I also knew that he wouldn’t get paid until next week—he was on the same pay schedule as Liam—and that paramedics weren’t necessarily paid what they deserved. I could afford to wait and give him a grace period.
He nodded, and the tightness eased from his jaw. Good. We wouldn’t have to fight about this. He carried Cookie across to the door. It slid open and I entered the code to set the alarm while he left the building, then I hurried out and waited until the door automatically closed.
I checked to make sure it was locked and glanced over at my Ute. “Blair!”
Kennedy’s brother was leaning against the passenger door, holding a takeout cup and a brown paper bag from Taste of Destiny.
“What’s he doing here?” Asher grumbled.
“No idea.” I smiled at Blair and waved. “But I’m going to find out. Let me know if you run into any trouble with Cookie.”
“I will.” He narrowed his eyes at Blair, huffed, and then marched to his car.
I frowned, wondering what his mood was about, but I shook it off. He was probably still upset about Cookie.
As I closed the distance between me and Blair, he called, “I heard you can sing.”
I cocked my head, curious where this was going. “I’m no Taylor Swift but I can hold my own.”
He extended the takeout cup toward me. “That’s a chai latte, which I have on good authority is your favorite.”
I wrapped my hand around the cup. Heat radiated through the cardboard. Still hot. Excellent. “Why does this feel like a bribe?”
He smirked. “It’s not a bribe. I’m just making sure you’re in a good frame of mind before I ask for a favor.” He offered me the paper bag. “Cinnamon roll.”
I opened the bag, balancing the coffee as I reached in and pulled out the cinnamon roll, inhaling its mouthwateringly sweet scent. I bit into it and closed my eyes, savoring the deliciousness, then I sipped the coffee.
“Okay, hit me with it.”
He studied my face, any trace of humor gone from his expression. “I promised Eugene that I’d play a set on guitar at Drunken Destiny this Saturday. I don’t have my band or backing vocalists obviously, so I’d really love it if you’d join me. We could do a duet.”
I hesitated. “It’s a big risk on your part to ask without listening to me sing. How do you know I’m actually any good?”
His smirk returned. “Heather showed me a video of you performing in one of your school’s musicals.”
I grimaced. “She would do that, wouldn’t she?”
I’d gone through a period when I’d thought that theater might be my calling, but it turned out that I both hated acting and was terrible at it.
“I’m out of practice,” I warned him.
He shrugged. “So, we’ll get together sometime this week and clear the rust off your vocal cords.” He held out his hand. “Let me see your calendar and I’ll find a time that suits.”
I passed my phone over. “What makes you think I use a calendar app?”
“You seem like the type.” He scrolled through my phone and tapped on something. “Uh-huh. I thought so. How about after work on Wednesday?”
Asher’s car crawled past us. I glanced through the window and blinked in surprise. He was glaring a hole through Blair.
“Um, sure,” I said distractedly. “That should be fine.”
He entered the time into my calendar, and I watched Asher pull out onto the road. What the hell was up with him?