Chapter 1 #2
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Lucy’s widening eyes, and the subtle shake of Kayla’s head.
Oh my God. Did I just tell this man I wanted to check him for ticks?
Oliver grins. “Well, that’s a bit unconventional, but if you insist.”
I clear my throat. “I mean, we’ll, uh, just be looking at Ace. Definitely not you.”
Oliver’s laugh comes easily. “He’s a lot cuter than me, anyhow.”
That’s debatable.
“Come on back,” I say, motioning for him to follow me. Ace might be the one I’m examining, but it couldn’t hurt to steal a couple of glances at his dad.
“You’re a healthy boy, Ace,” I say, cupping the pooch’s snout in my hands after wrapping up his exam.
He gives me a happy lick, and I pull a treat from the pocket of my lab coat for him.
I catch Oliver’s eye across the exam table, and my chest fizzes as though I swallowed a mouthful of Pop Rocks.
“I’ll get your prescriptions, and we’ll be all set. Any other questions for me?”
“So, how long have you lived in Loving?” Oliver asks casually, giving Ace a scratch on the head.
“I actually grew up here,” I answer. “I’ve been a vet at the clinic for seven years.”
“Did you buy out the place? I couldn’t help but notice your last name happens to be on the sign out front.”
I give him a wistful smile. “No, I didn’t. My father was the original Dr. Haggerty. He passed five years ago, and I took over after that.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry,” he replies, his deep chestnut eyes softening.
“It’s okay.”
It’s what I always say when a new patient brings up this topic, because what else can I say? How unfair it is that a man who was the picture of health died in his sleep of a widow-maker heart attack? Or how much I still need my father, even as an adult? Nothing about it feels okay, yet it just is.
My chest tightens. “He truly was the best.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, it looks like you’ve filled his shoes quite nicely,” he says. “And since you’re a born and raised Loving, Tennessee girl, maybe you can tell me what people do for fun here.”
“Fun? What’s this fun you speak of?” I joke. Though, to be fair, it isn’t much of a joke. Fun isn’t something I have a lot of these days.
He chuckles. “Come on. What do you do on the weekends?”
I shrug and tuck my hands into the pockets of my lab coat. “I think they host karaoke at Dos Margaritas on Saturday nights. My sister and her fiancée like to go sometimes.”
“What about you?” he asks with a playful glint in his eyes. “Don’t you ever like to just go and unleash your inner pop star?”
“Karaoke is usually more of a spectator sport for me,” I answer with a laugh.
“Same. Except for that time I had a little too much rum a few years ago at my old chief’s retirement party. I serenaded him with ‘It’s Raining Men.’”
I choke on a laugh. “Oh my.”
“Funny, that’s what his ninety-seven-year-old mother said when I tripped over my own shoelace midspin and fell face-first into her lap.”
My hands fly up to cover my mouth, but that does nothing to stifle the witch cackle/snort combo that rips through me. “I thought you said you were usually coordinated?”
“All bets are off when rum’s involved.”
“Sounds like it was a once-in-a-lifetime performance.”
“Lucky for everyone, it was.” There’s a lightness in his eyes despite their dark color that puts me at ease and makes my heart race all at once.
“All right, Magic Mike,” I say with a sly smile as I begin to step toward the door. “Let me go check on those meds for you.”
“Do you have any pets?” he asks before I can leave. “Maybe a dog Ace could run around the dog park with? He could really use a buddy.”
Ace sighs and sinks to the floor, no longer interested in our conversation.
“No dog,” I say. “It’s just me and Catrick Swayze.”
“Ah, so you’re the infamous ‘Baby’?” he asks, not missing a beat. “I promise not to put you in any corners.”
“He wouldn’t care if you did so long as his food bowl was kept full.”
“Do you guys ever practice that dance? You know the one.” He mimes lifting someone over his head.
“Yeah, but even after all these years, he still can’t catch me,” I deadpan, delighting in the way his eyes widen for a split second before realizing I’m messing with him. His smile stretches to his ears, and we explode into a fit of giggles.
Our laughter finally slows, but my heartbeat doesn’t.
“Well, I hope you’re able to do something fun over the holiday,” he says. “Sounds like you deserve it.”
My chest aches when I think about how brutally un-fun the next few weeks will be. I used to look forward to the holidays, but that was before my dad died. Before everything changed.
That thought is enough to send my heart and this conversation to a screeching halt.
I don’t care how cute or funny or ridiculously charming this guy is.
Even if I were interested, his job is dangerous.
I know all too well the kinds of things that can happen even when your job doesn’t require you to risk your life.
Sometimes the bad things find you even when you’re sitting at home in your favorite chair.
“Okay, I’m going to get Ace’s meds,” I say, keeping my tone friendly but professional.
“One of the techs will bring them in and take you up front to get y’all checked out.
” I ruffle the fur on top of Ace’s head.
“It was nice meeting you both. And hey, welcome to Loving. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime. ”
“I hope you do,” he says. “I mean, I hope to see you around. And that you see me too. You know, at the same time.”
He waves as I step out of the room and head back to the lab, the remnants of a smile lingering on my lips. Despite knowing this was nothing more than a minor flirtation, I find myself hoping ‘sometime’ comes sooner than later.