11. EMMA
When I arrive at the clinic, Sterling is already there, standing near the entrance with a wide grin. ”Hey, Dr. Grumpy. What”s got you so happy?”
He chuckles, shaking his head. ”I”m just in a good mood. And you, Ms. Sunshine? You can”t wipe the grin off your face, either.”
I laugh and lean forward to hug him. His strong arms wrap around my body, and for a moment, the world stops. His embrace is warm and comforting, and I”m tempted to linger in it. I could melt into his chest and stay there forever. But we don”t need a replay of what happened last time I was here.
Part of me was proud of myself for being bold, but I saw quickly how it could have gotten out of hand. I”m not sure if I was going to stop him before I accidentally clocked him in the nose. Best to keep everything friendly, real friendly, not friendly like the other day. You know what I mean.
I reluctantly pull back. ”I”m so excited about this. We”re really going to make a difference around here.”
”You bet,” he says, leading the way into the clinic. He”s not being weird, whew.
We stop in front of one of the rooms in the hallway. Sterling points to the door. “There’s someone else in there who wanted to help with our project.”
I open the door to see Buddy standing there, tail wagging like crazy. I sit down to greet him, and he doggy swaggers his way to my lap immediately. “Hey there, cutey! I missed you!”
Buddy does his version of what I believe means “I missed you too” by trying to lick my face nonstop. “Okay, little fella, settle down.” I squeeze him a little tighter and he relaxes a bit.”
I turn to Sterling. “Be honest with me now. You love having him around, don’t you? I mean, how could you not? Look at that face.”
Buddy plays up the moment by cocking his head to the side and looking up at Sterling like he knows we’re talking about him.
Sterling can’t hold his dimples in. “Yes, he’s a fun little guy. We’ve had to have some heart-to-hearts about not chewing on my shoes, but overall, he’s been great.”
“I knew it! You’re quite the softy yourself.”
I scoop Buddy up into my arms and we head out the door and to the back conference room, trailing slowly behind Sterling.
“I don’t mind the view from back here.”
“Did you say something?” Sterling asks.
Oh my gosh, I didn’t say that out loud, did I?
“No, no. Just talking to Buddy.”
We move into the room and close the door so I can put Buddy down. There’s a long table in the center, and six chairs around it. I pull out my notebook and laptop, ready to go over our progress and discuss the next steps. Sterling does the same, his focus and determination evident. It”s clear that he takes this project to heart, just like I do.
”So,” I begin, flipping through my notes, ”let”s catch up on what we”ve accomplished so far. I had a fantastic meeting with Mia and Zoe yesterday. Mia is on board for the raffle, and Zoe is helping us with the venue and the silent auction. They”re both incredibly enthusiastic about the project.”
”Great,” Sterling says, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers. ”I’ve also made some calls to other vets who are part of the VMA around the state.”
”Oh, really?” I lean forward, propping my chin on my hands. ”How did those go?”
Sterling grins, clearly pleased with the outcome. ”Better than I could have imagined. The support from my colleagues is overwhelming. They”ve pledged their time, expertise, and even some fantastic prizes for the silent auction. Dr. Reynolds, in particular, from Charlotte, offered free dog food for life as a raffle prize. It”s incredible how invested they are in making this shelter a reality.”
”That”s amazing, Sterling! We”re really building a community around this project,” I say, feeling a surge of pride for what we”re accomplishing together. We”ve already made such great strides.
Sterling leans back, crossing his arms. ”Now, let”s talk about the big question. Which fundraiser should we launch first?”
”I was thinking the concert,” I tell him. ”It”ll be the easiest to put together, since all we have to do is find the band and sell tickets, so we shouldn”t have an issue scheduling it in the near future.”
I pull out a calendar from my purse and spread it out on the table.
”How about three weeks, maybe two if we can find an act quickly? The weather should be pleasant, and it gives us enough time to get the word out.”
”I actually have some connections from the city. I’ve seen a lot of great bands over the years and some friends of mine know some of the members personally. I can reach out to them right away to see if they’d help us out. What do you think?”
Sterling nods. ”That sounds good. And the venue, we should talk about that. What are you thinking?”
”I was thinking we could do it at the community theater,” I suggest, jotting down some notes. “It’s a large place for such a small town. But you know how much Cedar Creek loves the arts, so we’re lucky to have it. It seats close to a thousand. Plus, there’s already a stage and all the electrical in place, so it would be easy for the band to set up.”
Sterling”s eyes light up with approval. ”Done. Let”s go with that.”
I take a moment to gather my thoughts, running my finger across my notes when I feel a paw on my leg. “Hey there, you feeling left out?” I lift Buddy up, and he snuggles into the crook of my arm, filling me with warmth. I adore him. “You want some love from Sterling?”
I move closer to Sterling and when he reaches out to pet the dog, his hand brushes against mine. His touch feels like it’s connected to a live wire and all the hair on my arms stands at full attention.
Apparently, there’s no hiding my reaction. Sterling looks up at me with a mischievous grin. “Cold, Emma?”
Sure, we’ll go with that.
“Yes, there’s definitely a draft in here. Or maybe the air conditioning just kicked on,” I respond and spin quickly away so he can’t see my grin.
I sit back down holding Buddy on my lap and do my best to move on.
”Okay, so, the venue is settled. Next, we”ll have to figure out how we want to handle selling tickets once we have a band in place. We should see if some of local businesses will consider helping.”
Sterling nods. ”Yeah, we want to maximize community involvement. We could also talk to them about donating to the raffle or silent auction while we’re there. We don”t want to have a ton of stuff, you know? So we don”t overwhelm people. Maybe just a few, high-value items that are really desirable.”
”Agreed,” I say, my mind racing with possibilities. ”Let”s start with the basic necessities—vet services, grooming, house cleaning. Then we can include some luxury items, like a day at a spa or a massage. I”m sure we can canvas the town and get some great prizes.”
”Perfect, so that leaves us with the raffle. I”ll put together a list of possibilities, and we can talk about that later. How does that sound?”
”Sounds good,” I say, making a note. ”Holy crap, Sterling. We”re actually doing this.”
”It”s a bit surreal, isn”t it?” he says with a chuckle. ”But I”m excited about this, Emma. We always worked well together. Remember back in high school when we had that big biology project? The one that involved building an ecosystem. We were a dynamic duo then, weren”t we?”
I let out a small laugh. ”I remember. You didn”t want to be my partner at first because I was a grade lower than you, so you thought I”d screw it up. But once we got started, we were unstoppable. We made a perfect team.”
”Yeah, well, I was an idiot,” he says, and I laugh, shaking my head.
”No, you weren”t. You were just a bit competitive. It”s not a crime to be smart and ambitious, Sterling. That”s what makes you who you are. And that”s a good thing.”
”You”re even more incredible now than you were back then, you know that?”
His compliment warms my heart, and I feel myself blushing. ”Well, I”ve always loved coming up with creative concepts. It”s part of the job, I guess.”
”No, seriously,” he insists, ”I”m not just saying this. You have a unique perspective, and it”s exactly what we need for this fundraiser. I”m lucky to have you as a partner in this.”
The sincerity in his words sends a pleasant shiver down my spine. It”s more than just a professional acknowledgment; it feels personal, intimate even. I meet his gaze, and we just hang in the moment, neither of us feeling the need to move on too quicky.
I feel a connection with him that I have never felt with anyone else, and I think he feels it too.
Sterling reaches out, covering my hand with his. I stare at our intertwined fingers, my heart pounding in my chest. I feel a surge of anticipation, but I know how dangerous it would be to cross the invisible friend zone line we tiptoed over the other day.
I look up at him, and he smiles, squeezing my hand. Time has done nothing to diminish this guy”s boyish charm. His eyes are a deep shade of brown, and his gaze is so intense. I feel it pulling me in like an invisible tether. I’m losing control little by little.
He opens his mouth, and I swear his voice is the sweetest sound in the world. ”Emma, I─”
Just then, the phone rings, and the moment is lost. It”s an old-fashioned landline, and it”s strange to hear the shrill ring echoing throughout the office. Reluctantly, I pull my hand back and Sterling picks up the receiver.
”Dr. Cole,” he says.
He listens for a moment, his forehead creasing. ”That”s no problem at all. I”ll be right there.”
”Is everything okay?” I ask, setting my notebook aside.
”That was my tech, Sarah. She just got a call from her neighbor about a cat that”s been struck by a car. It’s alive but in a pretty bad state. I”ve got to go check it out.”
There isn”t an ounce of resentment in his tone at having to work at such an odd hour, and it makes me admire him even more. Sterling loves his job, and he takes it very seriously. He”s the best vet around, and I”m not just saying that because he”s my friend. He has a passion for helping animals, and he truly cares about his patients.
”Of course, you should go. We”ll pick this up later.”
There’s a twinkle in his eye, “Yes, we will. Thanks for understanding.”
I follow him out and wave good-bye as he gets into his truck and drives off. Once he”s gone, I shove my hands in my pockets and sigh, picturing the way his whole body came alive when I told him my ideas.
Sterling is one of those people who is so focused and driven, and when he gets inspired, it”s contagious. He”s always been like that.
He never gives up, and he has the sort of confidence that”s magnetic. And he listens. Truly listens. No matter what the topic. If you”re speaking, his full attention is on you. At least it’s always felt that way with me.
I know he can seem prickly at times to other people, but they don’t know him like I do. I’ve wondered many times if there was something more there between us. But he’s never taken any initiative, so I could never be sure.
And I assumed my childhood crush on him was just that, a childhood crush. I used to imagine what it would be like to kiss him. Now that I got a small taste of it, I can”t pretend I wouldn”t like it to happen again.
I thought he was so cute back then, and I”d daydream about him sweeping me off my feet and whisking me away to some magical place. He”d be all romantic and passionate, and he”d hold me close.
It was a silly little crush, and I”m not even sure when it started. But ever since we became friends, really good friends, there has always been something about him that captured my attention. It’s like he reserves the very best part of himself just for me.
I assumed I would feel nothing when I saw him again. That my crush dissipated years ago. But even the slightest touch from him sets my skin on fire. I can say for certain that never happened with Dean or anyone for that matter.
I can”t deny that I have feelings for him. But what do I do with them? Plus, even if Zoe and Mia are right and Sterling does have a thing for me too, I”m not sure I”m ready to face my brother”s wrath just yet.
So here I am, lost in the limbo of Sterling Cole.