Jess dug into a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream and put her feet up on the coffee table. Maya and Rudolph jumped up on the sofa next to her. Maya sniffed the edge of the ice cream container and Jess laughed.
“You’ve never liked ice cream before. Silly cat.” She scratched her behind her ears and Maya curled up next to her while Rudolph settled into his usual spot behind her, looking down. Jess reached for the remote and started clicking until she landed on the Hallmark station. A new movie was about to start, one she’d never heard of, but at least she knew she was guaranteed a happy ending.
She sighed and glanced out the window. Jake’s car still wasn’t there. He must be off doing something fun on a Saturday night. Maybe he had a date? She supposed that she could have, too, if she’d wanted to go out with Ed. She’d had another missed call earlier that afternoon, though the number was blocked so it could have been a telemarketer. Yet, her gut told her it was Ed and that he still hadn’t given up. She took a big bite of ice cream. She would much rather be home alone on a Saturday night than out with Ed.
Truth be told, she really didn’t mind staying in. Especially since she’d gone out the night before, and it had been a late night. She and Dani had stayed until closing and then gone back to Lily’s place where they gabbed for another hour or so. Lily always had a second wind after finishing up a gig and though Jess had been somewhat tired, she’d felt bad about running out right after they stopped playing the week before. She usually liked to stay and hang out with Lily. It was always fun when the three of them got together. Dani wasn’t as serious and quiet when she was around them, and she had a wicked sense of humor so they always laughed a lot.
She had been disappointed, though, that Jake and Ellery hadn’t stopped by after they had dinner. She’d been hoping that they would. But she realized that he and Ellery probably had a lot of catching up to do. She didn’t know Ellery well at all, but she knew from talking to Jake how important she was to him. She put the ice cream down for a minute and picked up her iPad to read the email again. It had come earlier that day. The invitation was short, and to the point.
Dear Ms. Weston,
We have reviewed your application, and would like to invite you in for an interview at your earliest convenience. Please call Ellen in human resources to schedule.
It was from the Smithfield Veterinary Clinic, one of the biggest in Lewiston. Jess had mixed feelings about it. She was flattered, of course, that they wanted to meet with her. She’d applied online at the beginning of the semester to a list of potential employers in the area that were interested in speaking to new graduates. She supposed that it wouldn’t hurt to go and talk to them. She was still hoping that it would work out for her to stay on working for Jake when she graduated. But she didn’t want to put all her eggs in that basket.
“And Ellery just got back from Bora Bora. She was photographing that famous businessman, Jim Thorne, the one that is sailing around the world,” Claire said triumphantly to the elegantly dressed older woman that had stopped by their table to say hello.
“How exciting! Well, I’ll leave you to enjoy your dinner.” She wandered off and Claire turned her attention back to her family.
“Have you been to the club before, Ellery?” Claire asked as the waiter set down the hot tea with lemon that she had ordered.
“No, I haven’t had the pleasure,” Ellery said as she kicked Jake under the table. He knew that she hated this kind of thing. Claire had insisted that they join the Riston Country Club soon after their wedding and she loved the stuffy, exclusive feel of the place. It wasn’t his father’s style, either, but he knew that his wife loved it, so he put up with going there regularly. Both Jake and Ellery had been disappointed to learn they were going to be having their family dinner at the club instead of at their father’s house.
Jake told them about his construction plans and his father was happy for him. Claire wasn’t as impressed.
“Are you sure you want to be living so close to those animals? Wouldn’t it be better for resale value if you build something on the empty lot instead, so it’s not attached?” She said the word ‘attached’ with such disdain, as if it was unseemly to be that close to the animals.
“I’m not worried about resale value.” He reached for a hot roll and ripped it in half and then spread too much butter on it.
“That’s not good for your arteries,” Claire said.
“Leave him alone. He’s too young to worry about that sort of thing,” his father said.
“I know it’s not good for me. It is delicious, though.” Jake finished the roll in two bites and then reached for another. Claire looked away. She wasn’t having any bread and Jake suspected she would love to. He spread even more butter on his second roll. She brought out the worst in him.
“So, how’s that girl doing that’s working for you. Jill?” his father asked.
“Jess. She’s doing great. I’m thinking about making her an offer to stay on.”
“You’re thinking of hiring the waitress?” Claire wrinkled her nose in disapproval.
“I am,” Jake said calmly.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You know who her parents were?”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Jake was starting to steam.
“Well, everyone knows her father was a raging alcoholic. Her mother probably was, too. I was at that party, you know. The night they crashed their car. They were both bombed.”
Jake took a moment before responding. “If you were there and knew they’d had too much to drink, why didn’t you stop them?”
Claire laughed nervously. “Well, people didn’t do that back then. Things are different now. I’m just saying…”
“Maybe you’ve said enough, Claire,” his father warned.
But Claire wasn’t to be deterred. “You need to think about these things. Alcoholism is hereditary. Everyone knows that. She could turn out to be a problem.”
The table grew silent. Jake was furious. He met Claire’s gaze head on. “Jess doesn’t drink. By choice, and for that very reason. Just in case. I don’t think you need to be concerned that it will be an issue.”
He was tempted to add that it was something they had in common, but he didn’t want to embarrass his father in any way. He was relieved to see the waiter with their dinners. He couldn’t wait until they were done eating so he could get away from her and go home.
“Well, that’s something, then,” Claire said. “Oh, look, our dinners are here.”
Chapter 18
The following Friday afternoon, Jess put on her best—and only—interview suit, printed a few extra copies of her resume and drove to Lewiston for an interview. She’d called Ellen in HR on Monday and was scheduled to meet with a few different people.
It had been a long week. Jess hadn’t seen Jake much at all, except for the night before when a few of them had gone to play trivia and eat pizza. Dani, Wade and Wyatt had joined them and they’d come in second place. Jake had been quieter than usual, though, and only shared that his dinner with the family had been stressful. He’d also worked late almost every night and had been preoccupied with the construction, which was getting underway soon. So she knew that he had a lot on his mind. She knew it was ridiculous, but she couldn’t help but feel a little bit guilty about doing the interview, almost as if she was being disloyal. The only person she had mentioned it to was Lily, who confirmed that she was indeed ridiculous to be having any second thoughts.
“You don’t have an actual offer from Jake yet. You’re smart to keep all your options open. Who knows, maybe you’ll want to work at the clinic in Lewiston. It sounds like a great opportunity.”
Jess knew that it was an excellent opportunity. The clinic was well regarded and one of the biggest around. They had a small, large and an exotic animal practice. If she were to work there, she would be exposed to all of it and that experience would be invaluable.
When she arrived at the clinic, she was impressed by the physical size of it. It was huge.
And in the parking lot were more luxury cars than she was used to seeing in one place. Either their clientele was well off, or the veterinarians were. Or maybe both. Jess parked her Honda next to a sleek, fire-engine red Mercedes convertible and turned her engine off. She checked the time. She was about ten minutes early, which was perfect. She took a deep breath, popped a breath mint in her mouth, grabbed her folder with the extra resumes and her purse, and went inside.
The reception area was more luxurious than she had ever seen for a veterinary office. Several clients sat in the waiting room with their pets in their carriers while soft jazz music played in the background. The receptionist smiled when she saw her.
“Good afternoon. Do you have an appointment?” she asked.
“Yes, I was told to ask for Ellen.”
“Oh, all right. If you could have a seat, I’ll let her know. I’m sure she will be right with you.”
Jess went and sat on a soft, black sofa and tried to calm her nerves. She wasn’t used to interviewing.
After a few minutes, a stylish woman in a navy suit came out to greet her.
“Hello, I’m Ellen.” She led Jess into her office and explained that she handled human resources as well as all regular office management duties. She did what Kathy did, but on a much larger scale. She gave Jess a tour of the office and told her proudly that they were largest and most successful practice in Lewiston.
“Every year, we hire one graduate. It’s an incredible opportunity and an honor to be chosen to work here.” Jess was fascinated and a little intimidated as she led her around and told her how successful some of their former hires had been.
“Some have stayed with us for their entire careers. It can be quite lucrative to do so, as I’m sure you can imagine.” Jess nodded. Truth be told, though, she’d never thought much about the money side of things. She knew that she’d make enough to be comfortable and pay her bills and that she’d be doing the work that she loved. That was what mattered most to her.
“And some of our former hires have moved on and opened their own thriving practices.” Ellen brought Jess through the entire facility, pointing out that their equipment was all state of the art and the newest cutting edge technology. That did impress Jess. Although Jake’s office was fairly modern too and he’d mentioned something about going to a trade show in the coming months and investigating some new equipment for their operating room.
She finished the tour by bringing Jess into a conference room where two men were waiting for her. They stood and introduced themselves. One was the head of the small animal practice and the other was the founder of the company. They invited her to sit and once she did, the interview began.
It lasted about forty-five minutes. The men were pleasant enough. Both had families and spoke warmly about their children and of course both were passionate about animals. They asked her lots of questions about her experience at the clinic and her long-term career goals, which were simple. She wanted to be a good vet, to help as many animals as she could and to keep learning and improving her skills.
“Why are you possibly interested in working here, with us?” the company founder asked.
That was an easy question, too. “What interests me about working with you is the opportunity to learn from the best in the field and to use the best technology available.” They didn’t need to know that it wasn’t her first choice. They probably couldn’t wrap their heads around that anyway, that someone would prefer to work in a small town with limited resources than for the biggest and best option available. They seemed to like her answer, though, and told her with much enthusiasm that they would be in touch soon.
Jess drove out of the parking lot and into rush hour traffic. It took her twice as long to get home but it was early enough that Jake was still at work. That was a relief. It would have been awkward to explain why she was dressed in a suit. One that she couldn’t wait to get out of. She had just enough time to make herself a quick sandwich for dinner and then head over to meet Lily at the resort’s banquet room. They were going to decorate it for the fundraiser the following night.
After she changed, fed the cats and ate a turkey sandwich, Jess left to meet Lily. Jake was taking a bag of groceries out of his car as she walked outside. She said hello and told him that she was off to decorate with Lily.
“Have fun! I’m in for the night. Stop by on your way back if you feel like it. We can watch a movie.”
“I will, if we finish up early enough.”
Lily had already started decorating when Jess reached the banquet room. She’d brought the bags of decorations that Wade had found in the storage room and it took them just over an hour to transform the room into a wintery, festive Wonderland. They placed the mini-trees with their twinkling lights all over the room and draped the red velvet garlands as high up on the walls as they could manage, using a few chairs to give them a boost. Lily also had brought red and white candles and clear glass vases full of very real-looking artificial poinsettias to use as centerpieces on the tables.
They chatted as they worked and Jess told her all about the interview.
“When do you think you’ll know?” Lily asked as she placed the last ornament on the big tree that sat in the corner.
“I’m not sure. They said they’d be in touch soon.”
“And Jake hasn’t made you an offer yet?”
“Not yet.”
“What will you do if you hear from the Lewiston place first?” Lily asked.
The thought had crossed Jess’s mind, too. “I’m not sure. I’ll cross that bridge if and when it happens. I think they’re talking to a lot of people. It’s probably a long shot.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself,” Lily said quietly. She turned and appraised the room. “I think our work here is done.”
They walked out together and Lily left to head home. Jess did the same and checked the time. It was a few minutes past eight. Still early, and Jake’s light was on. She might as well stop by for a little while. Her mind was still spinning from the interview earlier and she knew she was too keyed up to go to bed just yet.
She knocked on the door when she reached Jake’s cottage and he hollered for her to come in. He and Oliver were comfortably sprawled out on the sofa. The little cat looked as though he really was watching the television. It was cute to see. Jake sat up to make room for her and she sat down on the opposite end.
“Mission accomplished?” he asked.
“Yes, we’re all set for tomorrow. You’re going to come by, right?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it. We could go over together, unless you have to be there early?”
“No, I don’t. Everything is done now. We can head over around six. There is a cocktail hour until about seven and a silent auction and then the band will play after that. It should be fun.”
“It sounds it.” Jake reached over to pet Oliver and was quiet for a moment. “It looks as though my time here is coming to an end. Wade stopped by a little while ago, and the person who booked this cottage wants to come a week earlier. I told him I can be out this Sunday.”
“Two days from now? Where will you go?” Jess hated the thought of him leaving. She’d grown used to having him close by.
“I’m going camping.”
“What?”
Jake laughed. “I talked to my dad and he checked with his best friend Fred and I’m going to borrow his camper for a while. I can put it right on the empty lot next door and stay there until the house is ready to move in.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?” It sounded horrible to Jess. She’d never enjoyed camping.
“It’s not my first choice, but it will be fine. I will miss living here, though. The cottage is great, and the neighbors are awesome.” He grinned at that and Jess managed a smile in return. Things were changing too quickly for her. First the interview and possibility of leaving Riston, and now Jake was moving, too.
“So, what do you say, are you up for a movie?” He sounded so cheerful and sudde
nly Jess knew she wasn’t going to be very good company. She felt drained and just wanted to crawl into bed.
She stood up. “I think I’m actually going to head home. It’s been a long week for me too and I’m ready to crash. I just wanted to say hello before going in for the night.”
Jake looked confused and disappointed, which mirrored her feelings. “Okay, are you sure? It’s still early.”
“I’m sure. Good night, Jake. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sweet dreams, Jess.”
Chapter 19
Jess twirled in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom and admired the way the red halter-style dress both slimmed and flattered her figure. The bodice of the dress was fitted to her waist and flowed down into a long, full skirt that fell just below her knees. She added a simple, pretty pearl necklace that had been her mother’s, along with matching earrings. She was just putting on her favorite strappy, black patent leather heels when there was a knock at the door. It was a few minutes before six, so it had to be Jake.
It was. He stood on her steps looking gorgeous in a black suit, white shirt and cherry red tie with embroidered green Christmas trees all over it.
“You look beautiful.” He looked as though he really meant it, and the admiration in his eyes made her blush.
“You look very nice, too.” She turned to get her black sweater wrap and evening bag and then they headed out. Lily was there when they arrived, looking beautiful in a shimmery blue dress. She rushed over when she saw them and looked worried. She pulled Jess aside and at first Jess thought that she was whispering when she said, “I need to talk to you for a minute.” But she quickly realized that Lily had actually lost her voice almost entirely.
“Can you believe it? I woke up like this. I feel fine but my voice is gone. I need your help.”
“Anything. What can I do?”
“I need you to sing with the band tonight.” Anything but that. Lily had tried to get her to come on stage with them many times before, but Jess had always declined. It wasn’t possible. She was far too nervous. She reminded Lily about that.
Veterinarian's Vacation (River's End Ranch Book 2) Page 9
