4. STERLING
The annual summer festival is in full swing. I”m manning a booth for the local animal shelter because their volunteer is running late. They asked me to fill in last minute, and I agreed, anything for the animals. It”s a hot day, and the air is thick with the scent of fried foods. People are milling about, checking out the various stalls, games, and food trucks. Kids are running around with cotton candy-stained faces, and the whole town seems to have turned out for the event.
Cedar Creek looks for any excuse to throw a celebration. There’s at least one festival for every season, if for no other reason than to celebrate the beginning of a new part of the year. Personally, I think the committees just want festival food. And who can blame them?
Every though I didn”t plan on being here, if I had to choose a favorite, it would be the summer festival. Yes, we’re close to the south here in North Carolina, but winter festivals can still get a big frigid. I’d rather sweat than shiver.
There”s a band on stage, and people are dancing, singing, and laughing in the open-air venue. Booths are set up and decorated with signs advertising local businesses. An animal rescue tent has been erected, and that’s where I”m spending the day, handing out information about the shelter”s needs and answering questions.
As I mentioned, I”m not big into large crowds, but the animal shelter was desperate, and since I”m the only veterinarian in town, it was only natural to ask me. So here I am, surrounded by pamphlets, donation jars, and a few dogs that are up for adoption. The banner above the booth reads, ”Help a Furry Friend Find a Forever Home.”
”Excuse me, sir?” A middle-aged woman holding a little girl by the hand approaches the booth. The child with her, who is maybe eight, is wearing a pink T-shirt that reads, ”Summer is My Favorite Season.” She”s staring at the puppies with wide eyes and clutching a stuffed animal.
”Hello,” I say with a smile, greeting the lady. ”How can I help you?”
”My husband and I have been talking about getting a pet, and my daughter really likes this puppy. What do I need to do to bring this little guy home?”
”Well, um, if you”re interested in adopting, you can apply online. We”ll get in touch with you and set up a home visit. There are fees, but I spay and neuter all the animals who come into the shelter and get them up to date with their vaccines.”
”Oh, that”s right. You”re Dr. Cole. You own the clinic in town. I remember seeing your ad on the community board when I was there a couple of weeks ago.”
”Yeah, that”s me.”
She stands there looking at me as if she expects me to say something else, but that’s about all the chit chat I have in me. Instead, I take the leash and hook it to the puppy”s collar. The dog is a terrier mix and is friendly and eager. He”s small, maybe eight pounds, with brown hair and floppy ears. He”s been well-trained, and his tail is wagging, thumping against the side of the booth.
The little girl steps forward and crouches down. She pets the puppy, and her eyes light up. ”Oh, he”s so cute. Can we get him?”
”Once the proper steps have been taken,” I reply. ”It”s a process, but it”s necessary to make sure this little guy won”t find his way back in the shelter someday.”
”But I want to bring him home now,” she whines, her lower lip trembling.
”I”m sorry, but it”s not possible quite yet. I don”t actually work for the shelter. Someone should be here soon though, so you can start the process,” I tell her.
The woman seems to sense her daughter”s desperation. She steps forward. ”We just have to be patient, sweetheart and wait until they get here.”
Her daughter heaves a sigh but seems to understand.
”Can I just hold him for a little bit, please?” the little girl begs.
”If it”s okay with your mom.”
She looks to her mom, and the woman nods. ”Sure, sweetie.”
The little girl grins and takes the puppy from me, wrapping him up in her arms and burying her face in his fur. He licks her face and wiggles around in her embrace. As I watch the two of them, my eyes catch a familiar figure in the distance.
Emma and her friends Mia and Zoe are strolling through the festival. Even from here, I can hear Emma”s laughter cutting through the crowd. She seems to be in high spirits. I haven”t seen her since the wedding debacle, and a pang of guilt tugs at me. I should have checked on her sooner.
”Hey, Tom,” I call to the volunteer who finally shows up. I point to the mom and daughter, “They are checking out a puppy, but I gotta go.” I do my best not to shove anyone out of the way in my attempt to quickly catch up with Emma.
He turns around and grins when he sees where my attention has gone. ”Sure thing, Doc.”
I smile my thanks and head off in the direction of Emma”s voice, hoping to catch her before she disappears in the sea of people. I spot her before long, and as soon as I do, a warm rush of affection fills my chest.
”Hey there, trouble,” I greet her, smirking as I catch up with the trio.
Emma”s face lights up when she sees me. ”Sterling! What brings you to the festival?”
”I was helping out in a booth for the animal shelter. We”ve got some new puppies up for adoption and need to spread the word,” I reply, nodding toward the booth I just abandoned. ”What about you? More girl time?”
”You got it,” she says with a grin. ”We were just about to conquer the Tilt-A-Whirl. Wanna join?”
”I”ll pass, thanks,” I say, smiling at her enthusiasm. ”Still not a big fan of heights.”
”It”s okay. You”re be safe with me,” she teases, nudging my shoulder. ”It”s only a fifty-foot drop. I promise. Come on, live a little, Sterling!”
I scoff, making a face. ”No, thanks. You three have fun, though.”
”Hang on a minute.” Emma turns back to her friends. ”Girls, I”ll find you later, okay? I haven”t had a chance to catch up with Sterling since the ‘I was dumped at the wedding but we don’t talk about it out loud’ thing.” She puts a finger to her lips.
Geez, she’s adorable.
Zoe waggles her eyebrows and blows Emma a kiss, and Mia gives her a knowing nod.
”Yeah, okay,” Mia says with a smirk. ”You go have fun. We”ll meet up later.”
”Thanks,” Emma says, rolling her eyes at her friends before she loops her arm around mine. ”Can I at least talk you into some fried food and carnival games? I haven”t had a chance to check out the food trucks.”
”Sounds good to me.”
After I check in with Tom, who assures me he can handle the traffic alone, we wander the festival, taking our time, stopping at the different tents and eating the weird food. I swear they’ll fry anything here. I think they went too far with the deep-fried butter.
Emma tries her hand at the ring toss, but her aim is off and she can”t get the rings anywhere close to the glass bottles.
”Hey, Sterling, you try,” she says. ”Win me a prize like you did in high school. Unless, of course, you”ve lost your touch.”
”As if,” I retort, grinning.
She takes a step back, and I grab the first ring, holding it up in front of the bottles.
”You remember the first time we played this game?” she asks.
I chuckle. ”Of course.”
”It was the last day of summer before your freshman year. Remember?”
I nod, my grin broadening. ”How could I forget? I was determined to win you a stuffed animal, but the thing was rigged. It took me thirty dollars to get a five dollar prize.”
She snickers. ”It wasn”t rigged. You just weren”t any good at it.”
”Maybe. But you still can”t master it, either. Your aim is all over the place,” I tease.
She makes a face at me. ”Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
I grin, enjoying the sound of her laugh. After the way she left the wedding, it”s good to see her looking so cheerful. She”s wearing a bright blue sundress and strappy sandals. Her blonde hair is pulled up into a messy bun, and she has a cute little flower tucked behind her ear. She”s glowing in the late afternoon sunlight, and my pulse is suddenly racing.
”Sterling, you”re zoning out,” she says, giving me a curious look.
”I”m sorry,” I say, shaking my head. ”What did you say?”
”I said throw it already!” She laughs, gesturing to the ring toss game.
I shrug and toss the ring. It falls just short of the bottles. Emma groans and puts her hands over her eyes.
”It”s a lost cause, Sterling,” she says. ”I think you”re right. The game is rigged.”
She skips along to the next booth, where they”re selling carved wooden statues. Her skirt flutters in the wind, and her soft curls bounce behind her. She”s always had the most incredible hair, long and light and thick, and now, the way it frames her face... She”s stunning.
”How”ve you been, Emma? Since the wedding, I mean.”
Her smile falters, and for a moment, the carefree facade drops. But then she perks right back up and leans in close. “We don’t mention that thing, remember?” She puts her finger to my lips, and I’m suddenly tongue-tied at her touch. Thankfully, she doesn’t seem to notice and bounds away with a smile.
“I’m surviving,” she says.
When I regain my senses I say, ”Sorry, I don”t mean to bring up a sore subject. I just haven”t seen you since then, and I was worried about you.”
”Aw, thanks Sterling. You’re the best.” Her eyes stay fixed on a wooden sculpture of a dolphin as she speaks.
”The wedding went on, Dean is gone, and that”s all that matters. I”ve got my friends and family, and they”ve all got my back. I’ll be just fine.”
I nod, studying her for a moment. ”Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I”m always around.” Her gaze meets mine and, in that moment, I notice a small smudge of chocolate nestled on the corner of her mouth, leftover from her fried Oreo. Without a second thought, I find myself leaning in slowly, instinctively drawn to the temptation before me, intent on kissing it away.
Just then, a small, scruffy dog comes barreling into us, taking us both down. We collapse in a heap on the ground. Emma lands on top of me… again. I’m breathless from her nearness but manage to play it off with a chuckle. “We have got to stop meeting like this,” I say.
As we disentangle ourselves from the pup’s enthusiastic greeting, I notice a mixture of amusement and embarrassment flickering across her face. “Tell me about it.” She lets out a laugh. Her cheeks flush slightly as she adjusts her position and moves off of me.
We both stand up and call the puppy, whose tail is wagging furiously, closer.
Emma squeals in delight as the dog trots over to her, but when she realizes the poor thing is limping, she gasps. ”Oh my gosh, look at this little guy! Where did you come from?” she coos, crouching down to scratch the dog behind the ears.
”He”s not one we brought with us from the shelter. He kind of looks like a stray, but maybe he got separated from his owner in this chaos.”
Emma pouts. ”Poor thing. We can”t just leave him here, Sterling.”
”I guess not. We can look around a bit, see if we can find who he belongs to. If we don”t find anybody, I can take him back to the clinic and see if he”s chipped. See if he has an owner.”
Her eyes light up. ”That”s a great idea! I”ll come with you.”
We spend a half an hour wandering the festival, but nobody comes looking for the dog. He seems nice, definitely a mix of some sort. He”s cute and friendly, and Emma is obviously charmed by him. Finally, we decide to head back to the clinic, where we can scan him. Emma holds the little dog on her lap as I drive, smooching his little head the whole way.
Why am I suddenly jealous of our new furry friend?