Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Hang on,” Cassie called to her phone. “I have to move the stepladder.” She dragged it over to the far wall and yanked at the strip of blue painter’s tape.
Taco was lying on a brand-new dog bed in the corner, chomping noisily on a whole carrot.
He had paced a lot of the previous night, but hopefully he would feel at home soon.
The formerly beige walls were now a cheerful teal shade called Gulfstream, and a coat of Sea Salt was drying in the kitchen. There was a can of peach paint and some wild-looking wallpaper waiting to go up in the powder room.
After her disastrous interaction with Noah at the crack of dawn, she’d spent the morning emotional-support shopping and filling her new house with beautiful, feminine things. She would create her colorful oasis and keep all the toxic masculine bullshit out of it.
She had definitely spent too much money, but at least the retail therapy had helped her feel a little bit better. And tonight, she would exact her revenge on shouty GrumpAss Noah.
“How are you settling in?” Sammy asked. “I can’t believe you bought a new house and just casually opened up a whole clinic. And got a dog. Finally.”
Cassie glanced fondly at the Shiba Inu. He was the best decision she’d ever made.
“Things are…moving kind of slowly,” she admitted. “The office is a mess, the landlord is a dick. But there are lots of good aspects too. The town is so cute. I’ll send you pictures next time I’m out walking.”
“And you found them?” Sam’s voice lowered. “Your birth family?”
“What’s left of them, which is just my two half sisters. One of whom refuses to speak to me for some reason.”
“Oh no. That sucks, Alex.”
Cassie hesitated. “Um, another life update: I’m actually going by my middle name now.”
“Cassiopeia?”
“Cassie. Yeah.”
“Since when?” Sammy asked gently.
“Since I left San Diego. I really want to make it as hard as possible for Dave to track me down again. He’s probably too self-centered to remember my middle name, so I’m Cassie now. Well, to everyone except Mom and Dad. I don’t want to be responsible for that level of meltdown.”
“Honestly, it suits you. It’s nice to formally meet you, Cassie. That’s gonna take some getting used to. Um, speaking of Dave.”
“What about him?” Cassie said sharply.
“He DM’d me on Instagram from a new account.”
Cassie’s blood ran cold. “About what?”
“He wanted your new phone number. Said he had to tell you something.”
Her grip tightened on the phone. “What did you say?”
“Nothing. I deleted it and blocked him. I just wanted you to know in case he manages to track you down somehow.”
“Great.” Another thing to worry about. Time to replace the locks.
“I have to go to the store in a minute,” Sammy said, “but can we talk about the rude landlord?”
Cassie frowned and moved the stepladder again. “What about him?”
“Is he hot? He’s single, right?”
“I—I don’t—”
An image of Noah wearing low-hanging gray sweatpants, covered in tattoos and probably dog hair from carrying Taco, sprang into her mind. She scrunched her nose.
“Oh, you’re stalling,” Sam accused. “He’s totally hot, isn’t he? Paint me a word picture. Tall? Beard? Butt?”
Cassie shot a glance in the direction of Noah’s house, as if he could hear their conversation through the wall.
“Honestly, it doesn’t even matter what he looks like because he’s too much of a dick to ever be attractive to me.
He came over here and yelled at me first thing this morning because Taco somehow got through the fence and gnawed on one of his projects.
Why is he leaving the door open to his stupid shed, anyway? Has he never heard of birds?”
“All I’m hearing is a list of thinly veiled reasons why he’s mega hot but you’re not getting involved. Come on. I’m thirty-eight weeks pregnant. My sex life is soon to be nonexistent. Let me live vicariously through you.”
Cassie cleared her throat. “Fine. Tall, muscular, two full sleeves of tattoos. Walks around wearing gray sweatpants and no shirt when he’s not dressed up as a lumberjack…
which I guess he sort of is because he has a chopping block out back and he makes a lot of furniture.
Has a close-cropped beard. Swims a lot.”
“So he is super hot,” Sam said with relish. “You’re going to marry him. Or at the very least let him throw you around a little.”
“I am not getting involved, especially not with another asshole, and definitely not with an asshole who lives next door to me. In fact, I may never date again.”
She looked around the colorful room. “I’m embracing the spinster life.
Sure, it’s lonely sometimes, but I can’t believe how much more peaceful my life is now that Dave’s gone.
No one’s weighing my salmon to the gram or calling me an idiot for leaving a mug in the sink or whatever.
It’s just me and Taco, eating chips on the couch and reading romance novels. Bliss.”
“I love that for you.”
“Thanks, Sammy. I better go. Love you, kid.”
“Love you. Bye.”
Cassie climbed down the stepladder and surveyed her handiwork.
Apparently unsatisfied with the amount of stress that was currently wedged between her shoulder blades, she’d been working on a plan all morning.
If everything went well, she could perform a huge service to the sanctuary and the future of veterinary medicine, all with the added bonus of pissing off Noah.
She pulled up her alma mater’s website and clicked through the staff directory until she found her old adviser.
It rang twice before he picked up. “Hello?”
“Dr. Taggart? Hi, it’s Alexandra Thompson. You probably don’t remember me.”
“Of course I do. How’s the San Diego Zoo treating you?”
“Unfortunately, I had to move back to the East Coast, so I’m no longer working there. But I wanted to reach out and see if you’re still in charge of the internship and externship program.”
“I am.”
“Are you looking for a unique internship opportunity? Because I think I can help.”
Two hours later, Cassie rolled up to Willow Bend with a happy heart. As long as she got the okay from Gloria, she was about to help them take a huge step in the right direction.
She turned off her car and ducked her head into the gift shop. “Hey, Kurt. Is Gloria around?”
A middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap and reading a newspaper lifted his head. “She’s up at the house.” He pointed his chin in the direction, then turned back to his newspaper.
“Thanks.” Cassie waved at the animals as she passed them. Since she was staying and officially donating her services, she had a free lifetime membership to Willow Bend. Now she just needed to make sure they stayed open.
She trudged up the porch steps and knocked on the door. It opened a few seconds later.
“Well, good morning, Doctor.”
“Just Cassie,” she said with a smile. “Do you have a minute? I wanted to talk about some fundraising plans.”
“Of course. Come on in.” She stepped back to allow Cassie to enter. “Do you want some lunch? I’m working on tuna melts.”
“That’s so kind of you. Thanks.” Cassie followed her down a hallway to the kitchen.
“Sit, sit.”
Cassie took a spot at the large—and beautifully crafted—oak table and pulled out a notebook.
“So, what do you have for me?” Gloria said as she spooned out a large volume of mayonnaise.
“I spoke to my alma mater about starting an internship program here. Getting experience with exotic animals is really difficult and selective in vet school. If you’re open to it, it would mean having permanent access to a rotating roster of volunteers.
They’d be here for probably a month at a time to help out with all aspects of the sanctuary—animal care, nutrition, education, conservation, even cleanup.
It won’t cost you anything—except maybe your sanity.
Sometimes extra pairs of hands come with drama. ”
Gloria leaned forward. “I love the idea of drama. It could be like Grey’s Anatomy with all the vet students sleeping with each other. I wonder if I have time to install an elevator…” She trailed off. “But won’t the students need a supervisor of some sort? I doubt I’m qualified.”
Cassie nodded. “That would be me. I would oversee their work while they’re here.”
Gloria slid the melts under the broiler. “How are you going to have time to do that and run a whole veterinary practice?”
“They’ll join me at both. We’d probably split time between general practice and exotics.”
“Cassie, this is very generous. But I don’t want to add another thing to your plate.”
Cassie shrugged. “It’ll be good for me too. I can have them do all the anal gland expressions and nail trims,” she said with a smile.
“Well, that’s hard to argue with. Are you sure?”
“So sure. Should I give him the go-ahead?”
“Let’s do it.”
“Great. I’ll email him tonight, but we probably won’t see any students until the fall.” Cassie pulled a large planner out of her bag. “Now let’s talk about fundraising opportunities.”