by Hilary Dartt
They’d pull into the driveway and look at each other, the unspoken question hanging between them like a bubble. She’d ask, “Would you like to come in?” and he’d say, “Sure, for a minute.”
Jake had proved himself a gentleman, so he’d let her walk in ahead of him. Then, he’d follow her in, shut the door behind them and quickly pull her close for a kiss. First, he’d run his hands down the sides of her body, then slowly circle her breasts with his thumbs before peeling her clothes off her. (Never mind that she was wearing her huge, bulky jacket. She’d do away with that, at some point. Maybe she should take it off now.) Unable to wait, he’d take her right there, standing up, in the entryway.
Forgetting herself, Delaney almost cried out.
A patch of black ice patch caused the Jeep to slide, just a bit, and the movement jerked her out of her daydream. Breathing fast, she put a hand to her chest.
“Sorry, didn’t see that ice there,” Jake said. “Are you okay?”
She nodded but didn’t answer. Jake slowed down. A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of Delaney’s bungalow. Jake left the engine idling and leaned toward her. Although the kiss was lingering and steamy, and left Delaney practically quivering, he didn’t ask if he could come in. And something, probably the imagined looks of disapproval on Summer’s and Josie’s faces, stopped her from inviting him.
Thank you,” she said, instead. “That was really great.”
He gave her one more light kiss and hopped out of the driver’s seat. He helped her down from the Jeep, walked her to the door and kissed her cheek.
And then he was gone.
***
Back on the solid ground of reality inside her house, Delaney made herself a nest on the couch with her favorite down blanket, a cup of hot chocolate and her cat. All she could think about was Jake Rhoades stripping off her clothes. No, ripping them off. When she couldn’t even force herself to concentrate on the latest gossip magazine, she texted the girls: When does the sex come in?
Summer: All good things in life are worth waiting for, Dee. It’s too soon.
Josie: Hold your horses, sister. Have you even had The Talk with him?
Delaney: The exclusivity talk?
Josie: The very same, yes.
Delaney: Kind of.
Summer: Kind of? You need to REALLY have that talk before you have sex. For once.
Delaney: Ouch.
Summer: Just tellin’ it like it is.
Josie: Well, what do you mean, kind of?
Delaney: I told him I wasn’t seeing anyone else.
Summer: And?
Delaney: And he said he’s not looking for anyone else but he’s really busy with his art gallery and he doesn’t have much time to date and stuff. He asked me to be patient.
Josie: Hmmm.
Delaney: I know.
Summer: No sex. Not until you’re officially a couple. Officially.
Josie: She’s right, Dee. Keep us posted. Now stop bugging me. I’m watching my show … er, grading papers.
Since calling Jake and inviting him back for a session of afternoon delight was out of the question, then, Delaney decided to hit the gym and go for a run to work out some of the energy that zinged through her body like a ball in a pinball machine. She tossed the blanket aside, dumped the mug of hot chocolate and put on her gym clothes. If she couldn’t burn calories in the way she really wanted to, at least she’d justify that bagel she’d had this morning.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Monday morning passed in a blur of coffee drinking, resume refining and job applying as Delaney exercised her new sense of purpose. She applied for and inquired about jobs as far away as Phoenix and Flagstaff and in blink-and-you-miss-’em towns like Paulden and Belmont. So what if she had to commute? So what if she ended up spending most of her time in a town the size of her bathtub? She didn’t care, as long as she had a job. She was driven. Very driven.
When her phone rang at five minutes after noon, Delaney’s hopes shot through the roof. Was someone already responding to one of today’s applications? Summer was right. Put it out to the Universe.
She answered the phone.
“Delaney. It’s Doctor Rick. Kathryn Rick.”
Doctor Rick… Newcastle in a cold glass. She had turned Delaney down, hadn’t she? Lack of experience? Before Delaney could think of something halfway intelligent to say, Doctor Rick plowed ahead.
“I’ve reconsidered. I’d like to offer you the position. Can you start Wednesday?”
Delaney could barely contain her excitement and managed to hold it together until they hung up.
When they finally did, Delaney burst into tears, a multitude of emotions—relief, happiness, fear—causing her to heave out long sobs. She flung herself onto the couch and Pixie jumped up next to her, curious.
“Finally,” she said.
Pixie sniffed her face and Delaney managed to take a few breaths to calm herself. “I didn’t realize until now how scared I was, Pix,” she said, petting the cat. “I thought I was going to end up a cat lady living off bartending tips at age eighty. No offense.”
She burst into tears again, allowing herself a few moments to absorb the news. Once she cried herself dry, Delaney went into the kitchen and used a wet dishtowel to clean her face.
“It’s a new beginning, Pixie. Now let’s just hope I don’t mess it up.”
***
Carpool Tuesday had turned into a weekly interrogation.
“You guys are destined for the CIA or something,” Delaney told Summer’s kids, glaring at them in the rearview mirror.
“Aunt Dee, I heard my mom talking to Auntie Josie last night. They were talking about you.”
Nate had chosen the pop station today and the music pumped, vibrating the entire car. Delaney had to turn it down so she could hear Sarah, who held a book on her lap but whose gaze pierced Delaney’s in the mirror.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” Sarah said. “They were saying you’re in love.”
The traffic signal at Hidden Knoll turned red, giving Delaney a chance to turn around and return Sarah’s look, face to face. She closed her book. Uh oh.
“They were, were they?” Delaney said.
“Yes. So. Are you?”
“Sarah, I don’t know if you’re old enough to talk about this.”
“Light’s green,” Nate said. “She is, because she heard Mom on the phone, and Mom didn’t tell her to go away. But don’t change the subject, Aunt Dee. Are you in love, or not?”
“Nathan.” Delaney turned around and pressed the accelerator. “You are definitely too young to discuss this with.”
“Ooh, she called you Nathan,” Luke said. “She’s serious. Look, Aunt Dee, we’re passing the scene of the first meeting. This is a magical spot for you. So are you? In love?”
Unfortunately, the traffic signal at Pinecone also turned red and Delaney was forced to stop at the magical spot.
“You know, I still haven’t tried that Porky’s place,” she said. “Have you guys ever been there?”
They all shook their heads and Luke rolled his eyes. “You know Mom won’t take us to a place like that. They don’t have whole wheat buns. Stop changing the subject.”
“Since when have you guys taken such an interest in my love life?” Delaney said.
“Since The Dating Intervention began,” Sarah said.
The boys giggled.
“Green light,” Nate said again. “We’ve never seen Mom so mad at you, for one thing. And also, she’s been spending a lot of time with you guys. Don’t you think we deserve to know why?”
“You should be an attorney, Nate.”
“Hear it all the time,” he said.
When Delaney didn’t respond to Nate’s line of questioning, Luke and Sarah pressed on: “So?” they said at the same time.
“Guys, it’s not that simple,” Delaney told them. “When you’re my age, it’s not like you’re just all of a sudden in love, like you read about in
Sleeping Beauty or whatever. It’s complicated.”
“What’s so complicated?” Sarah said. “I think you’re just making it complicated. I mean, you’re both adults. You both have jobs. You glow when you’re together—”
“Who said that?”
“Auntie Josie.”
Delaney opened her mouth.
“Well, do you?” Luke asked before Delaney could respond.
“Maybe.”
“Then you’re in love,” Sarah said knowingly. “Or, at least, in very deep like.”
“So is he … your boyfriend?” Nate asked, making the word “boyfriend” sing-songy.
“Fortunately for all of us, we’re almost home,” Delaney said. “Which means the inquisition is nearly over. I’ll be dumping the lot of you on the doorstep and leaving immediately. Thank you for this lovely experience.”
She turned the music back up, Sarah went back to reading her book and the boys started punching each other.
The questioning was over. For now.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“So this is your desk. Computer, file cabinet, office supplies,” Doctor Rick said.
The thing was gargantuan – a huge corner desk with a hutch on one side that nearly reached the ceiling. It was completely empty except for a computer. Delaney wondered what she was going to put on all those shelves. Doctor Rick’s identical desk stood in the opposite corner, and Delaney saw her shelves were stuffed with books like Veterinary Anatomy, Veterinary Dentistry, Dog Psychology. All of Delaney’s veterinary school textbooks were in storage, but she could probably dig them out. She may need them for reference.
“I know, it’s like a library, right?” Dr. Rick said. “Don’t worry. Honestly, I rarely look at those books. You can find just about anything on the Internet these days. Anyway, you saw the break room, right? You can eat in there. I usually don’t eat in the office because the bugs are hell during the summer. I try to keep crumbs confined, you know? Anyway, I think that’s it. Your first appointment’s at nine. Janie will work with you until then, getting you up to speed with how the office runs.”
“Okay,” Delaney said. “Uh, Doctor Rick?”
“Call me Kat.”
“Okay, Doctor Kat?”
The vet laughed. “Yes?”
“Thanks for hiring me. Really. Thanks.”
“Thank me this afternoon.” She winked, took a drink of something green in a clear travel cup and walked off.
Janie, a young, perky brunette with bright orange fingernails, tiny freckles across the bridge of her nose, and huge brown eyes, was the most organized person Delaney had ever met. Ruthless. She showed Delaney how to use the digital charts and where to file everything. Then she gave her a quick tour of the building.
“The last person Kathryn hired didn’t work out,” Janie loud-whispered as they walked through the surgery suite. “She’s a sink-or-swim boss, and your predecessor barely knew the doggie paddle.”
“She knows I don’t have any experience other than what I went through during vet school, right?”
“Right.” Janie touched Delaney’s arm in what Delaney figured was supposed to be a reassuring gesture. “But she has a good feeling about you.”
“Is that good?”
“You tell me.”
“Yes!” Delaney said. Then, when she realized how eager she’d sounded, she added, “Of course it is.”
Janie winked and handed her the file for her first patient.
The first three appointments were easy. A Persian cat with a bad case of hairballs, a Rottweiler with an ear fungus and a rat with cancer.
But when she walked into the exam room for her fourth, she stopped just inside the swinging door, her mouth hanging open in surprise. She looked from the patient, a fluffy, white cat, back to its humans and snapped her mouth shut.
“Zachary,” Delaney said. “I thought you were allergic to cats.”
He ducked his head and his face flushed crimson, the color splotching on his pale cheeks like it did when he got impassioned during a debate.
“Turns out I’m not.” He shrugged. “Delaney, this is Opal. Opal, Delaney.”
Zachary had always refused to spend the night at Delaney’s house, citing his cat allergy. He’d never mentioned that allergy was fabricated.
Opal had everything Delaney didn’t: huge boobs, long straight black hair and toned arms and legs. Delaney nodded at her and hoped the movement came across as curt. The cat, Theodore, perched on Zachary’s knee. It was ugly and flat-faced, and glared up at her with angry-looking green eyes.
“Opal? Is that your porn name?” Delaney blurted out.
Opal’s pretty face transformed. She sneered at Delaney.
“I’ve heard so much about you,” she said, then as an aside, she said to Zachary, “She’s the one who’s worked at Rowdy’s, for, like, ever, right?”
“When Janie told us we’d be seeing Doctor Collins, the new vet, I had no idea it was you,” Zachary said. She cringed at the implication. Although his words hurt, Delaney was somewhat pleased to see a sheen of sweat on his upper lip. Nerves. Serves him right.
“Yeah. First day,” she said. “Anyway. What’s wrong with Theodore?”
“Nothing’s wrong with him, Delaney,” Zachary said.
Of course he’d be the one to mince words. Obviously something’s wrong with the damned cat or you wouldn’t have brought him in.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Delaney said. “I didn’t know I had to use my politically correct vet language with you regarding the cat you’re apparently not allergic to.”
Lame, Delaney. Lame.
“Um, well, he seems to have gained weight,” Opal said. “And he’s peeing all the time.”
As Opal of the Goddess Body went on to describe Theo’s symptoms, Delaney realized it was a textbook case of diabetes. Open and shut. Unfortunately, none of her classes during vet school had prepared her for a surprise visit from her ex-boyfriend and his new porn star girlfriend – and their cat. She thought she’d handled it fairly well, considering. So what if she’d thrust their prescription bag at Zachary with more force than necessary? So what if she’d glared at him, emphasizing the word urine? She’d given Opal the instructions, hadn’t she?
By the time Zachary and the goddess Opal walked out of the exam room with fat Theodore on his stupid sparkly leash, Delaney was exhausted. She had forgotten to pack a lunch, but headed to the break room, anyway. Doctor Kat sat at the table, wolfing down a chorizo burrito.
“I heard you had an encounter,” she said, still chewing.
“Word travels fast,” Delaney replied, slumping into the chair across from her new boss.
“Janie heard everything. This place has ears, Doc Collins.” She shrugged. “Said you handled it well.”
“For what it was.” Delaney shrugged. “You know, it wasn’t even serious with him, but it still burned to see him with that woman and the damned cat. Theodore.”
“Cat allergy sufferer, huh?”
Apparently, privacy didn’t exist here. Kind of awkward, she thought, but amused, she answered anyway. “Yep. Real bad, too.”
“So what’s your story, Doc Collins?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why aren’t you married with five kids under five by now, like all the other women your age in Juniper?”
“Are you?”
“No,” Doctor Kat drawled. “But I’m not from around these parts.” Caught off guard, Delaney wasn’t sure how to answer. Doctor Kat switched gears. “Did you bring lunch?”
“I forgot.”
Doctor Kat stood up, and Delaney noticed again how tall she was. Tall, broad-shouldered, cowboy-booted. The tip of her long braid just touched the waistband of her Wranglers. She took a knife out of a drawer, set her burrito on a paper towel on the counter and cut it in half.
“I need your help in surgery after this,” she said, handing the burrito to Delaney. “Can’t have you passing out from hunger. Or the sight of blood.”
/> “Thanks.”
“No problem. I’ll take it out of your pay.” She winked.
“So what’s your story, Doctor Kat?”
“Mine? It’s pretty simple. My husband’s a professional team roper. We have acreage just outside of town, real pretty, with a house and a barn and a corral and all that. It was a whirlwind romance.” She looked happy, reminiscent. “I run a thriving veterinary practice, which I can now expand, thanks to Doc Collins, here. So that’s my story.”
She crumpled up the foil she’d used as a plate and stood up again.
“Now, I could use your help. Ready to scrub in?”
***
It should have been a routine tooth extraction. The patient, a fifteen-year-old Lab mix with a gray muzzle and silky black fur, had stopped eating. When Doctor Kat examined him, she’d found that one of his molars was terribly rotten.
Turbo was calm and obedient as they prepped him for surgery. They got him sedated and onto the surgery table without incident and Doctor Kat started drilling into his tooth. Suddenly, the abscess exploded, splattering blood and pus all over Doctor Kat, her goggles, her jacket and every section of exposed skin. Delaney had been suctioning as Doctor Kat drilled, and felt the warm spatters of blood on her face. Her hands and feet began to tingle, her vision went blurry around the edges and her stomach threatened to return the half-burrito she’d eaten only minutes before.
Everything went eerily quiet, then Doctor Kat yelled, “Fuck!”
Delaney continued to suction near the tooth, but had an absurd vision of suctioning off Doctor Kat’s goggles so she could see. The room became even blurrier.
“I might need to sit down,” she said, even as the blood continued to pulse out of Turbo’s mouth.
“Doc Collins, I need you to snap out of it. You’re not sitting down. I didn’t hire a woman with a weak constitution, did I?”
Now she spoke harshly, giving rapid-fire instructions: “Get the bleeding stopped, make sure this dog is stable and get ready to pack the hole I’m about to blow.”
