Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
“I’m so happy to see him settling in so well,” Cassie said to Gloria.
Huckleberry was still skin and bones, but he had taken to the new diet with ferocity and already seemed to be cautiously comfortable in his new surroundings. It warmed her heart to see his personality slowly emerging.
They stood together outside the isolation enclosure, watching as he rolled on his back in the grass. He reached one paw out to lazily swat at a large red ball.
“I’m so grateful you were on your way through town when you were,” Gloria said. She reached over and squeezed Cassie’s hand. “You were Huck’s guardian angel. Millie’s too, from what I hear.”
How had she heard about that? It hadn’t even been twelve hours since the difficult birth.
“You must’ve spoken to Tina.”
Gloria nodded. “She was in a tizzy this morning at Lyra’s café, showing off the new foal. You know they named her Cassie?”
Cassie turned to her. “They what?”
“After you, of course.”
She turned back to Huckleberry. “No one’s ever named an animal after me.”
“Tina has a real gift for guilting people into doing what she wants. So I assume she wants something from you.”
“Yes. She’d like me to move here, buy her house, and take her on as a client.”
“Oh, is that all?”
They exchanged a smile.
“I meant to tell you,” Cassie said, “there are a ton of really simple and low-cost things you can do for enrichment for the big cats. Chuck a cardboard box in there. Have some volunteers make papier-maché animals. Even fill a sack or pillowcase with snacks and hang it from a tree. Oh, and in the winter, have your friends lug their Christmas trees over after the holiday. They’ll love them. The primates will too.”
“We’ll do that. Thank you again, Dr. Thompson. I’m sorry to see you go. We’ll follow up with our other veterinarians with your notes.”
“It was really nice to meet you. And Huckleberry.”
Not so much Noah, who was thankfully absent. Gloria had apologized for him after their last encounter—he couldn’t even do it himself.
“Send me an email and let me know how he’s doing, if you think of it.”
“Absolutely. Are you leaving from here?”
Cassie nodded. She had already enjoyed one last breakfast at the Inn and stopped in at the café to say goodbye to Lyra. She’d handed over the photo album, but not before taking pictures of every single page.
“Drive safely. Come back any time.”
“Maybe I’ll come down for one of the events you’re working on.”
“We’d like that very much.”
She must have meant her and the tigers because there was no way she meant Noah.
Cassie waved goodbye and got back in her U-Haul. She took a deep breath and pulled her hair from its ponytail. Her mother hated to see her wear it up.
She picked up her phone and dialed, peering in the rearview mirror as it rang. Meredith always found some flaw with her appearance. Would it be the bags under her eyes or the five pounds she’d gained since the divorce?
“Hello, Alexandra.”
Ah, right. She hadn’t exactly shared the news that she was going by her middle name now. It was best not to rock the boat. Her mom already sounded annoyed, as if she was expecting a call from the president and Cassie was tying up the line.
“Hi, Mom. I’m about to leave, so I should be there in an hour or so.”
She hesitated. She hadn’t shared the news about her trip with anyone in her family. She couldn’t be sure how her mother would react. For now, it was probably best to keep it to herself.
“Did you want me to pick up some Miss Shirley’s on my way? I saw their blackened salmon Benedict is back. Isn’t that your favorite?”
“Oh, we forgot to tell you. We’re actually not home.”
“Oh.” Cassie deflated. The last thing she needed was to be alone right now. “Where are you?”
“We’re in Arizona.”
Her stomach hardened. “Are you helping Sammy with the nursery?”
“Yes. Everything’s all ready for the baby’s arrival. I’ll have her send you some pictures. It’s darling.”
“That’s great. Give her a hug for me. Well, I’ll make sure the plants are watered when I arrive.”
Her mother hesitated on the other end. “I wouldn’t worry too much, dear. I’ve been meaning to tell you. We’re selling the house.”
Cassie gasped. This was her home, where she took her first steps, had her first heartbreak. It was supposed to be her safe place to land.
“Where are you moving?”
“Well, your father and I talked. He’s retiring in two months anyway. We’re going to blow through his PTO and move to Scottsdale to help with the baby.”
Arizona. They were moving to Arizona. It fucking figured.
She bit her lip. She was being unfair. Baby Phillip would be the first grandchild, and having a support system would be invaluable for Sammy and Ethan…even if their mother had all the parenting instincts of a cuckoo laying her eggs in another nest.
“That’s great news,” Cassie said flatly. “I’m sure Sammy will really appreciate the help.”
“You’re welcome to stay in the house until it sells, of course.
As long as you stay in the guest room in the basement.
I expect there will be a lot of showings while we’re gone, so we were hoping to keep everything upstairs pristine.
You can get rid of the U-Haul in a day or so, right?
We don’t want any eyesores out front. It’s already a buyer’s market. ”
Confined to the basement in her own house while her entire family vacated to another state. How cozy.
“I’ll see what I can do. Have a good trip.”
She hung up the phone and buried her head in her hands. A guttural scream escaped her lips, probably startling the animals nearby.
What the hell was she supposed to do now? There was about to be no home for her to escape to, no one to shoulder some of the burden while she tried to pick up the pieces of her life. What was the point of moving all her stuff to Baltimore just to have to uproot again when the house sold in a month?
She had no job. No home. And no husband.
All she wanted was a place to call her own. A safe, cozy, peaceful home that no one could take from her. Where she could pick the paint colors and—
Her phone rang again, and she jumped. It was Sammy.
“Hi—”
“Mom and Dad are fricken moving here,” Sam interrupted. “What am I going to do?”
Ah, so she was less than pleased about their arrangement.
“Why are you whisper-shouting?”
“I’m hiding in the closet while they argue over real estate agents.”
Cassie blew out a long breath. “What if you buy their house in Baltimore and don’t tell them until it’s too late?”
“Sure, and I’ll just cross my legs and hope this baby doesn’t decide to arrive partway through packing up our entire house and moving two thousand miles away.”
Probably not the best idea when Sammy was thirty-six weeks pregnant.
“Maybe it’ll be nice to have help around when he comes?” Cassie said delicately.
“Are you kidding me? She’s going to be bringing over designer onesies with a thousand snaps and signing him up for dressage classes before he can even roll over. I bet his name’s already on the wait list for Princeton. And wait, what are you going to do? Aren’t you moving back in?”
A humorless laugh escaped Cassie’s lips. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
It was true. Where could she go from here?
“You want to move here?” Sam asked enthusiastically. “Ethan and I really loved having you stay those couple days. I’d love for Pip to grow up with an auntie nearby. And maybe together, we could scare Mom and Dad into staying in Baltimore.”
“I’m not licensed in Arizona. And you know how I feel about scorpions. And being that close to Dave.”
“I know.” Sam sighed wistfully. “It was worth a shot. Have you heard from douchefuck?”
“You mean since he ruined my life? Again? No.”
“Good. He better never set foot in this state,” Sam muttered.
“How are you feeling?” Cassie asked.
“Gigantic. My ankles alone could probably be declared sovereign nations. Sorry,” she said hurriedly. “I don’t mean to complain.”
“You don’t need to apologize. You’re allowed to complain.”
“I know. I just don’t want to seem…ungrateful.”
Cassie’s insides twisted. “It’s fine. I promise.”
There was a beat of awkward silence. Cassie searched for a new topic of conversation.
“So what are you going to do?” Sammy asked. “Did you hear back from any of the zoos?”
Cassie hesitated. She had applications out to a dozen zoos up and down the East Coast.
“No. None of them had any open positions. But one of the vets at the Maryland Zoo just turned sixty. Maybe I can sign him up for brochures from retirement communities. Can you ask Ethan if that’s illegal?”
“Wow,” Sammy said. “You’ve really done your research.”
“It’s ridiculously competitive out there,” Cassie muttered.
The odds that she would find another zoo job were exceedingly slim. None of this would’ve happened if Dave hadn’t ruined everything.
“Ugh, Mom’s looking for me. Please keep me updated. I worry about you.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll figure something out. I always do.”
“I know. You’re a strong and resilient goddess, but the offer still stands to build you a tiny house in our backyard if the East Coast falls through. Love you. Bye.”
Cassie let her phone slip into her lap, and she froze with her hands on the steering wheel.
What was she going to do? She was only licensed to practice in California and Maryland, and she couldn’t go back to the West Coast. But now, there was nothing for her in Baltimore.
Every time she thought things couldn’t get worse, another rip cord was yanked.
In the distance, one of the lions roared. She lifted her head.
What if she could still have a piece of her former life?
What if she started fresh here, in the town where her mother grew up?
Opening a general practice wouldn’t be so bad.
She’d really started to enjoy companion animal care and equines before everything had imploded.
It would probably be more money, better hours, actual clinical work, more surgery… and no one could take it from her.
Maybe Aster Hollow was waiting for her all this time.
Or maybe she was being absolutely irrational and searching for meaning in a random set of circumstances. Either way, her decision was made.
She reached into her wallet and pulled out a card.
“Hi, Tina. I was wondering if you had time to show me the house you have for sale.”