Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTY
Noah approached Huck’s enclosure with a bucket full of meat mush.
Paw strikes thundered in the meadow enclosure, and suddenly Huck appeared at the fence.
He rubbed against it like an overgrown house cat and chuffed a greeting.
Noah deposited his meal in the feeding lockout and lifted the gate.
Huck ambled in and attacked with enthusiasm.
He was almost unrecognizable from the scared, scrawny tiger who had escaped into downtown Aster Hollow two months ago. He had put on weight, he was playing—he had absolutely decimated a cardboard unicorn some volunteers had made for him over the weekend.
This was exactly what the sanctuary was here for. And with Cassie around, Willow Bend was a better final home for these animals than ever before. There was more money coming in, and the animals were receiving better care—for free—than they could have asked for.
For all his bitching and moaning when she first arrived, Cassie had turned everything in his life upside down for the better.
Noah glanced at his watch for the fiftieth time that day. She was supposed to come home tomorrow. It felt like a lifetime had passed since she’d left.
They’d spoken a few times, and she’d sent a picture of the baby. He was having a hard time getting a pulse on the situation. Was she stressed? Sad? Happy? It was impossible to tell.
Just as he was heading back to the food prep area to clean everything up, a group of people strode down the gravel path. What the hell? They weren’t open yet.
His mother was leading the pack.
“Hi, Noah,” she called out cheerfully. “Folks from the state are here for a surprise inspection.”
“Great,” he grumbled. God forbid they come in during the slow season. Historically, they had only ever had one or two minor issues. There was no reason why today shouldn’t be the same.
“Breakfasts are done. I’ve got a lock replacement. I’ll see you later.” He kissed his mother on the cheek, then moved on with the rest of his to-do list.
He left the sanctuary and headed for the apartments.
For once, the lock replacement went off without a hitch.
He swapped out some HVAC filters, spent a few hours working on another project, then moved on to the exam cabinets for the vet office.
It was going to take multiple trips, but it would be worth it to see Cassie’s face when they were finally installed.
Just in the nick of time for the clinic’s opening next week too.
By the time he had—slightly more haphazardly than he would have liked—loaded all the pieces of the cabinets in his truck, it was getting late.
He rolled up to the office, and a light was on inside. Didn’t these techs care about Cassie’s electric bills?
Noah propped the front door open and went back to his truck. He loaded up the first cabinet on a dolly and was just rounding the corner when a voice brought him to a halt.
“Stay where you are.”
He looked for the source of the noise. A small woman in scrubs was peering around the corner of the waiting room. She was holding something in her hand.
“You don’t need to whack me with the fire extinguisher. I’m the landlord,” he grumbled.
“Oh.”
The woman stepped out with a sheepish look on her face and put the fire extinguisher down on the bench. “Nice to meet you. I’m Akshara.”
They shook hands, and Noah scanned the clinic.
“What are you doing here all by yourself?” he asked. “Where are the others?”
“They went home. There were just a couple things I wanted to do to make sure everything is set before Dr. Thompson comes in tomorrow. Organizing the pamphlets, autoclaving the dental equipment, double-checking the register. That kind of thing. I wanted it to be perfect.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You sure you’re not creating busywork so Cassie has to pay you for it?”
She shrank back like he had shouted. “I—I would never take advantage of Dr. Thompson. I need this job. I just wanted to make a good impression. I promise I called her to ask permission.”
Don’t be a dick, dumbass. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you. I’m just a little…protective of Cassie. She’s my neighbor,” he explained.
And the woman he had somehow fallen in love with. But she didn’t need to know that.
“I understand.” She looked down at the dolly. “Do you need some help? I’m just about finished.”
He debated. A second set of hands would be better than his telescoping support arms for the upper cabinets. And then he could get a feel for what kind of person Cassie had hired.
“I’d appreciate that. I’m Noah, by the way.”
She nodded and seemed unsurprised. Had Cassie already told her about him? They hadn’t crossed paths when Dr. Volchansky owned the clinic.
“Are these for the exam rooms?” she asked.
He nodded. “Cassie didn’t like the existing ones.”
“Good. I don’t blame her. They sucked back when Dr. Volchansky was here, so I’m sure they didn’t get any better. The cabinet doors slammed so loud, they literally scared the piss out of like five different chihuahuas.”
Noah concealed a smile. “Well, they’ll be soft-close now.”
With Akshara’s help, they had the cabinets up in less than two hours. She hadn’t talked much and had followed his instructions to the letter. He had a good feeling about this one.
He waved goodbye and lingered until she locked up and got safely to her car. It wasn’t like Aster Hollow was some hotbed of crime, but since Cassie’s ex had shown up, he wasn’t about to take chances on anyone’s safety.
He pulled out his phone and fired off a text to Cassie.
Noah: Ran into your new tech. Seems nice. Left you a little gift in the clinic too.
Cassie: You didn’t scare her, did you?
Noah: Maybe a smidge. See you tomorrow, Doc.
He glanced at his watch. Too many hours separated him from Cassie’s return. There were a million things he could do—check the sanctuary financials, start his next commission, mow the grass. But something stopped him.
It was Bobby’s favorite kind of day—blisteringly hot and oppressively sunny. It had been a couple weeks since he had weeded his gravesite, and it really should be pristine in case Izzy came for a visit.
He pulled out onto Tidewater Drive and headed for the cemetery. His mood darkened the closer he got to the gates.
Having Cassie around had somehow fundamentally adjusted his perspective.
He was noticing things he hadn’t bothered to pay attention to in years—the saltmarsh sparrows in the trees, baskets of flowers in every shade of purple hanging from the lampposts.
The beauty of his hometown hit him a little harder today.
He wanted to show Cassie every bit of it.
She’d been here for half the summer, but she’d been so busy that she had barely dipped her toe in what the town had to offer.
He was halfway through mentally planning another date when his truck passed through the gates surrounding the cemetery. The mood shifted instantly, like the shady maples guarding the drive had blocked out the sun.
He parked the truck and took a deep breath. All at once, the air in the truck felt stifling. The door creaked as he stepped outside into the blistering heat. He could breathe better out here, but not by much. Gardening kit in hand, he followed the familiar path to Bobby’s grave.
Twenty yards from the headstone, Noah pulled to a stop. Someone else was there, crouching next to the stone with what looked like an open package of Berger cookies on the grass next to them.
Bobby’s favorite.
A flame of anxiety stirred in him. He should go back to the truck and wait, give the person a minute. He took a step backward.
Crack.
Shit. A stick crunched underfoot.
The visitor whirled around, and his heart dropped.
“Norma,” he said.
Her face split into a smile. She maybe had a few more wrinkles than the last time he’d seen her, but she was as youthful as ever.
“Hi, Noah. What are you doing here?”
Noah brandished his gardening kit. “I was just coming to clear some weeds.”
“That’s mighty sweet of you,” she said. “Come on, give me a hug.”
She held her arms out, and he closed the distance between them. It was harder here, up close. Bobby had taken after her—eyes, nose, slightly crooked smile. They were the same.
And yet, they weren’t. Bobby’s eyes had always been clear and wide, like he was determined to take in as much of the world as possible during awake hours. But Norma’s eyes were tired, and her shoulders slumped. Three years hadn’t erased the pain in those eyes.
He tightened his grip on the bag. “I don’t want to disturb you while you’re spending time with him. I’ll come back later,” he said.
“Oh, you don’t have to—” she began, but Noah had already turned around.
His hands were shaking by the time he got back to his truck. He caught sight of her again, turned back to her son’s gravestone. The heat in the truck was unbearable, but he didn’t turn the AC on.
He deserved the discomfort.
Because of his shortcomings, a mother had outlived her only son.
Norma would never have another moment with Bobby.
There would never be another Christmas, another birthday, another chance to hear his too-loud laugh.
She would never see him find love again.
Her life was devoid of him now, her legacy erased.
And it was all his fucking fault. He had failed Bobby, and he had failed everyone who loved him.
His phone beeped, and he checked a message from his mother.
Mama: Fences failed inspection Have to replace them all
Noah blinked. Was he seeing this correctly? They need to replace all the fences? How much would that cost? Five figures at least. Just when they were starting to make some headway, here was the death knell.
He threw his truck in reverse and drove to the sanctuary, faster and more recklessly than normal. He needed more information. Sweat stung his eyes as he hopped out of the truck. He started to climb the porch steps but stopped when he heard a voice drifting out of the open kitchen window.
“But I thought you wanted them together?” That was Fran, the owner of the Bay Breeze.
“I did. Cassie’s so wonderful. She’s done so much for us. I couldn’t dream of a better daughter-in-law. She challenges him, wants what’s best for him—and for all of us.”
“Not to mention she can tranquilize a rogue tiger,” Fran said thoughtfully.
Noah gripped the weatherworn wooden railing.
“Mm-hmm,” his mother said. “And I’ve seen such a change in Noah since she’s come around. I heard him whistling the other day while he was mucking.”
“Whistling?” Fran sounded scandalized. “You’re sure it wasn’t a bird? Or a stray firework?”
He didn’t hear a response from his mother, but she continued a moment later.
“I don’t think Noah’s ever going to have the capacity to be a good partner again if he doesn’t get some help.
And when he breaks Cassie’s heart, she’ll pick up and leave.
Our animals will suffer for it. All the help and all the ideas she brought to us will go with her. ”
An anvil dropped into his stomach.
Gloria let out a long sigh. “But truly, it doesn’t even matter. Now that we have to replace all the fences, I don’t see how we’re going to make it. I’ve tried to get a loan from the bank before and never had much luck. Patrick would be heartbroken.”
Emotion caught her voice, and he could picture her rubbing a thumb over the gold pendant she always wore. His dad had given it to her on their first anniversary.
He couldn’t keep ignoring the truth.
His mom was right—he was broken. Being with Cassie meant certain doom for the sanctuary. He wasn’t capable of being the man that she deserved, and his deathbed promise to his dad and the welfare of two hundred animals needed to be more important than his own selfish desires.
It wasn’t fucking fair. He was going to spend the rest of his life living next door to the woman he loved yet couldn’t have. But his mom was right. He had already failed Bobby and his entire family. He needed to protect Cassie, and he needed to protect the sanctuary.
He needed to draw a line in the sand, and it was going to hurt like hell. But finding a way to save the sanctuary was the only path forward.