Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Cassie shifted the ultrasound machine on her hip harness and took a final look at Itchy Pickles in his stall.
“Well, it’s going to take some time, but the tear isn’t as bad as it could have been.
I think Itchy will get back out on that racetrack.
I’ll be back in two weeks to check on his progress.
His trainer has my notes, but let me know if anything else comes up. ”
It was probably the fanciest stable Cassie had ever been in. Two chandeliers, European stall fronts, a fricken skylight. Itchy and the other seven horses were more pampered than the average human.
“Will do,” Melissa said, patting the horse fondly on the nose. “So your practice is officially opening next month?”
“It is. After the Fourth.” Nerves twisted her stomach. Soon her empty clinic would be filled with the sounds of tapping toenails and ringing phones. Ready or not, it was all happening.
“Well, maybe I’ll make an appointment. My baby Charlotte is due for her annual exam, and I’m not overly attached to our current vet.”
“We would love to see Charlotte. If you want to drive that far, anyway.”
“Good help is hard to find, and you showed up for us in a big way. We trust you.”
“Happy to hear it,” Cassie said with a smile. “I better get on the road, but give me a call if anything comes up. I’ll mail the invoice over.”
They said goodbye, and Cassie climbed back into her car and set the GPS. Itchy had been a welcome distraction from the exhausting dumpster fire of the past twenty-four hours, but now she had nothing else to focus on.
Her head was still reeling from the night before as she pulled out onto the highway. A side of herself she had never seen before was slowly unfurling. Capable, brave, confident.
She had stood up to Dave—threatened him, even. And for the first time, she didn’t care what he thought of her. Who cared if he was mad, if he hated her?
Who cared if her emotionally distant parents had forgotten to tell her that they were moving?
It didn’t matter. None of it mattered because that wasn’t her life anymore. Her life was here, in Aster Hollow. And in this town, love wasn’t conditional. It didn’t need to be earned. It was offered freely and fiercely.
Something had taken her over last night. Maybe it was a stress-induced lapse in judgment from seeing Dave. Or maybe she was powerless over the sense of security and care that clung to Noah like an aura.
There was nothing casual about the way he had worshipped every inch of her last night. That kind of connection couldn’t be forged in an entanglement with no strings.
What if it could be real?
But no. Lyra had told her the entire time—he wasn’t the relationship type. Painfully hot, but tremendously troubled.
But he had opened up in new ways over the last few days, and the way he had looked at her last night was far from platonic. Was it really a lost cause?
She would investigate the vibes tonight.
“Relax, Cassie,” she sternly told herself as she navigated the Bay Bridge. She hated the damn thing. “It’s paddleboarding, not a marriage proposal.”
She already knew what her therapist would say. Why not just talk to him? See if something had changed?
But that wasn’t a bridge she needed to cross—or burn—with her practice opening imminently. She would simply enjoy herself for now and see how things unfolded. And keep her heart in check, no matter how much it misfired every time Noah was around.
She cut the engine and couldn’t stop herself from checking Noah’s driveway. It was empty. It was just as well. She needed to let Taco out, and she didn’t need the distraction of a shirtless man sanding something in her peripheral vision.
She scarfed down a granola bar and got ready in a hurry. What exactly did one wear while paddleboarding? A swimming suit? Neoprene? Athleisure?
She had just settled on a T-shirt and shorts over a bikini when there was a knock at her door. She quickly checked her hair in the foyer mirror and pulled the door open.
“Hey,” she said. Her stomach flip-flopped at the sight of Noah.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes. Bye, Taco. Mommy will be home later. Be good, and don’t bark at the squirrels.” She kissed him between the eyebrows, then dragged the paddleboard, oar, and her field bag onto her porch.
“You’re bringing your kit?”
“I bring it everywhere.” She looked at the board and frowned. “Shit, I didn’t think about how to get these blown up.”
“I have a pump. Come on,” he said, picking up her stuff.
“You really did think of everything,” she said as she locked the door. “Where are we headed?”
Noah tossed her stuff into the bed of his truck. “Will’s house. He has a great dock where we can put in.”
“Oh, good. I’ve been wanting to see it,” she said.
“It’s…large,” Noah said noncommittally.
They rode in silence. Cassie snuck glances at Noah out of the corner of her eye. Was it weird that he wasn’t holding her hand? Probably not, since they weren’t dating. But he hadn’t even mentioned last night. Maybe it had all been an elaborate dream.
“How’s the fence?” she asked.
“Hmm?” He looked startled, like he had forgotten she was in the car.
“The fence? At the sanctuary? Did you fix it?”
“Oh, yeah. The hole wasn’t that big. An easy fix. How was the horse? What’s his name again? Scratchy Bastard?”
“Itchy Pickles,” she corrected with a smile. “I think he’ll be okay, but it won’t be the easiest recovery. Do you paddleboard a lot?”
“It’s been awhile,” he muttered. “But the basics don’t change. Don’t fall in. Lotta jellyfish in the bay this time of year.”
“Oh, great,” she said. “A nice low-stakes date—uh, gathering. Friend gathering. Friends with benefits event. Friendly neighbor…” She searched for the right words. “Rendezvous?”
He raised an eyebrow and smiled at her at a stop sign.
A three-story neoclassical mansion stood before them. It looked wildly out of place among the clapboard Cape Cods and squat ranches sprinkled throughout downtown, like the town had scrambled to create a palace for a visiting royal.
“It’s…interesting,” Cassie said. “Doesn’t really fit in though, does it?”
“Mark Drayton has never been concerned with fitting in,” Noah muttered.
They pulled up to the gate, where Noah typed a code into the keypad. The gate rose and allowed them through to park on a circular driveway. A grandiose fountain bubbled in the grassy middle.
“Is Will going to crash our rendezvous?” She ducked to look up at the massive house.
“Nah. He’s ‘working remotely’ from their beach house for the week.”
She nodded. “Of course, as one does. This house is clearly far too small to conduct business here.”
They got out of the truck and went through a gate to the backyard. She wasn’t sure what to take in first—the putting green, pool complete with fountain, or sprawling sandy beach with a dock and loungers.
“Come on,” Noah said. “We’re losing daylight.”
After a few minutes of struggling with the pump, their paddleboards were ready and the bay was calling their names.
“Here, I’ll help you get on.” Noah stripped his shirt off and threw her board down at the edge of the water. “On your knees first.”
Cassie clambered aboard.
“Hold your paddle across the board,” he instructed.
She obliged, and he shoved her out into open water.
“This isn’t so bad,” she said, dipping her paddle into the water.
Suddenly Noah was gliding next to her, already standing. He looked like he should be on the cover of some paddleboard-themed romance novel.
“You can stay on your knees if you want,” he said.
She narrowed her eyes. A competitive spirit had awoken in her. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
He winked.
She planted her hands on the board and lifted up one foot, then the other. She hovered in a squat as the board wobbled. She wasn’t about to fall in and make a fool of herself. Again.
Slowly, she straightened up.
“See? You didn’t even need me to teach you.”
The board wobbled violently, and she planted her feet firmly, clutching her oar for dear life.
“There you go,” he said. “Take a minute to steady yourself. Then dip your oar and switch hands.”
Cassie followed his directions. Her calves were already burning, but she felt a little steadier.
“Good. Now push it the other way in the water so you can practice turning.”
“Oh, shit,” she said as the board pivoted.
“Beautiful,” he said. “Okay, now follow me.”
Cassie followed him shakily, inhaling the salty tang of brackish water.
Together they glided—and struggled—out into the bay.
The water became choppier the farther out they went.
There were boats in the distance and a handful of kayakers barely within eyesight.
They had left behind the world of veterinary clinics and toilet-clogging tenants and emerged into a watery paradise where they were the guests of ospreys and herons.
Clouds streaked with the pastel colors of sunset hung above them. The bay had never looked like this in Baltimore.
Finally, Noah paused and turned his board to face her.
“What do you think?” he asked, opening his arms like the world was his own.
“My calves may never recover, but I love it.”
“I forgot how good it feels to get out on the water,” he said pensively.
“Sounds like you need to make some more time for hobbies,” she said.
“You’re one to talk. Hanging faulty chandeliers doesn’t count as a hobby.”
“Hey.” She scooped up some water with her paddle and splashed him. “I am a strong, independent career woman, and I don’t accept negging commentary about my home-improvement skills.”
“Is it negging if you’re just stating facts?” He splashed her back, and she shrieked.
A sudden gust of wind sent a strong ripple through the water. Cassie shrank down to brace. Noah wobbled.
“Fu—”
Splash.
Noah was gone. Cassie dropped down on her knees. Her heart was in her throat for a moment before she remembered he was a neurotic and excellent swimmer.
He thrashed to the surface, sputtering and swearing.
“Lost your balance, huh?” she teased.
He hefted himself onto his board and clawed at his chest.
She paddled toward him for a closer look. “Oh, shit. Are you okay?”
Long, thin pink welts had sprouted on his chest.
“Goddamn sea nettles,” he said, pointing at the water.
Wait, what? She had been so busy looking at the sky that she hadn’t noticed the undulating jellyfish below them.
Oh my god. The stakes were so much higher now. She was not going to fall into jellyfish-infested waters.
“Let’s go back. I can help,” she said.
He didn’t say anything, but grimaced and paddled back in the direction of Will’s house.
She stayed on her knees and paddled as fast as she could. In minutes, they had arrived at the sandy beach.
“I’m going to get my bag.” She scrambled onto the sand and ran through the backyard to the truck.
When she returned a moment later, Noah was his usual stoic self, sitting on the sand at the edge of the bay.
Cassie dumped her water bottle out and filled it with bay water. She dropped to her knees next to him and poured it over his chest.
It was getting too dark to see. She reached into her field bag and clamped on her headlight.
“There’s probably some vinegar in the kitchen,” Noah said through a grimace.
“No,” she said sharply. “These are Chesapeake jellyfish. Vinegar could trigger whatever stingers are left. Sit still.”
She pulled out her tweezers and crouched next to him. She couldn’t get a good angle without craning her neck, so she straddled his thighs as he leaned back.
“How do you know so much about jellyfish stings?” he asked. “Is that standard training for vets?”
She plucked the remaining tentacles out of his skin with the tweezers.
“No. I volunteered at the National Aquarium—and the Maryland Zoo—all through high school and undergrad. I was in the jellyfish room a lot, so I had to listen to a staff member give the jellyfish first aid lecture like a thousand times.”
“Lucky me. Is that why you decided to become a veterinarian?”
“It was a factor,” she said, inspecting the area again for any missed spots.
“I’ve loved animals my whole life. I was never allowed to have one, but I aspired to one day.
And I’ve always felt a calling, I guess, to advocate for them.
We’re all they have. It’s why I’m so bossy about enrichment activities and nutrition for captive animals. ”
Noah smirked. “Your parents didn’t like pets either?”
She shook her head.
“You don’t talk about them much.”
“Who? My parents?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re right. I don’t.” She pulled a heat pack from her bag. She crunched it up, then applied it to Noah’s chest.
“Here, this should help.”
“Thanks, Doc.” He reached up and pressed his hand over hers.
She suddenly became aware of how intimate the moment was—the fading rays of the sunset behind them, the warmth of the heat pack pressed into his skin…her perch on his muscular thighs.
He must have been thinking the same because he sat up and dragged her to him.
She kissed him with one hand on the heat pack and the other looped around his back.
Why did kissing him feel so right? They were still getting to know each other—as much as anyone could get to know the mysterious Noah—and she already felt closer to him than she had with her husband of many years.
Her watch vibrated incessantly, signaling an incoming call. She sighed and pulled back. Every freakin’ time.
“Oh, shit. It’s my brother-in-law.” Her heart flew into her throat. He was more of a texter than a caller, so there could only be one reason for this call.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Hello?”
“It’s baby time,” he said by way of greeting. There was a lot of moaning in the background.
“Cassie, can you come?” Sammy called. She sounded scared.
Cassie sat back on her heels and did a quick mental calculation. The techs didn’t need her to be on-site for setting up the schedule. The clinic would soon be too busy to take time off except on weekends. It was now or never.
“Yes. Of course I’ll come. I probably won’t be able to get a flight until tomorrow, but I’ll be there.”
“Thank you,” she said, then groaned through a probable contraction.
“I love you. You can do this. Call me if you need to scream at someone besides Ethan.”
She hung up and took a deep breath. “I need to go pack. My sister’s in labor, and she wants me there. Wait, shit. Taco.”
“He can stay with me,” Noah offered immediately.
“Thank you,” she said. One less thing to worry about.
Despite the urgency of the situation, she didn’t move.
His eyebrows contracted, and he brushed a hand over her arm. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m honestly really happy for her. They’re good people, and they’re going to be great parents.”
Seeing her own parents, on the other hand, was going to be far less joyous.
“Okay,” Noah said. “Let’s get you to Arizona.”