Juliet sat back, lightly placing a hand on her stomach. “I don’t think that I can dance after all the food that I just ate.”
James offered his hand to her. “Can you at least try?”
She looked away and laughed. He didn’t budge. Finally, she took his hand.
“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got,” she said.
Chapter 21
Walking hand-in-hand with James made Juliet feel tingly all over. What on earth was she doing! Two weeks ago she was living her regular, boring life. The only thing she was worried about was getting funding for the clinic. And now?
Now she was at a black tie event, dressed in an evening gown like she was some sort of debutante. She giggled to herself even thinking of the word.
“What’s so funny?” asked James.
“Nothing,” Juliet responded. And after a moment, she added, “And also everything. Everything about this is just – it’s just too much.”
James led her onto the dance floor. “Try not to worry so much. Let’s try to enjoy the band’s interpretation of The Shirelles.”
“Oh!” exclaimed Juliet. “I love this song!”
James placed his right hand at a respectful height on her waist. She kept her right hand in his left, and placed her left hand on his shoulder.
“I picked up some dancing skills over the last few years,” he said, starting to move to the music.
Juliet laughed. “I still haven’t.”
She tried to relax her muscles and follow his lead. It did seem like he knew what he was doing.
“Did you learn this by going to a bunch of fancy events all the time?” asked Juliet.
James cringed. “Kind of? I mean, I don’t go to fancy events often. But if someone has to go to a fancy event, you know that my dad isn’t going to go.”
“I can see that,” said Juliet just before James delicately extended her arm so she could do a spin.
She spun around and closed her eyes, then promptly crashed into him.
“Sorry!” she said. She opened her eyes to look up at him. He was laughing and clutching her hand close to his chest.
His chest was just like she remembered it, and she felt herself beginning to blush after remembering the last time she ran into him. Juliet pushed herself away.
“It’s no problem,” he said.
The song ended, and Juliet pulled away from him. They didn’t need to be dancing all night – one dance was surely enough.
“Thanks,” she said, clearing her throat. She turned to walk away from the dance floor and almost walked into a man who was standing behind her.
“My apologies,” he said. “Are you Juliet McCarron?”
“Yes, I am.”
The man extended his hand. “It’s so nice to meet you, my name is Frank Schwartz. I have to tell you that I loved your entry into the Delicaid competition.”
A blush fully filled Juliet’s cheeks. “Oh my gosh, thank you so much. It’s so nice to meet you, Frank!”
“It’s very nice to meet you as well. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“Thank you!”
James appeared behind her. “What was that about?”
“I don’t know. He said he liked the video.”
James nodded. “I bet he’s one of the judges. I bet you won.”
Juliet rolled her eyes. “Oh please. Don’t get my hopes up.”
“What?” he said. “I mean it. How did he know who you were?”
“I guess because I’m in part of the video explaining how the drug works.”
“Oh that’s right,” said James. “Well it sounds like they’ve got a little bit of a Black Eyed Peas song going now. And I don’t think I was the worst dance partner that’s ever existed, so I feel like, just maybe, you might want to dance to this as well?”
Juliet looked around. “I don’t know, it seems like it’d be pretty hard to dance to.”
James again extended his hand. “Can I give it a shot?”
She really shouldn’t be dancing with him so much. She should be…talking about medications or something.
He smiled. “Please?”
She sighed and placed her hand in his. “Okay, one more. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
After three more songs, Juliet started to feel nervous that they might miss the award ceremony back in their ballroom, so they left the dance floor and went back to their seats. It seemed that the award ceremony was just about to begin.
First, the president of the company spoke, talking about the direction of the company and his vision for the future.
James leaned in to whisper in Juliet’s ear. “He’s got a much sunnier outlook than we do at Balin Labs.”
“Perhaps you could learn something,” responded Juliet.
The first awards that were given out were to employees of the company – some of them were serious, like “Most Selfless Team Member.” Others were not so serious, like the woman who won an award for “Stinkiest Lunch.”
“I would like to thank my frozen broccoli for winning me this award,” she said through laughter. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
After about 35 minutes of those types of awards and speeches, it was finally time to award the Delicaid winner. The president first talked about how touching all of the entries were and how honored he was to be in charge of the company that was saving so many animals’ lives. Juliet felt herself tearing up.
He introduced the woman who was going to name the contest winner. She approached the microphone with an envelope in hand.
Juliet leaned to whisper in James’ ear. “Isn’t that your friend Kylie?”
“I wouldn’t call her a friend,” he said in a low voice.
Juliet turned to look at him. His skin was unusually pale and he was staring at the podium with wide eyes.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Without looking away, he answered, “Yes. I’m fine. Just – you know, nervous.”
Juliet nodded before turning back to look at the podium.
“We had over 50 entries into our contest this year, and they were all wonderful. I wish that each and every one could win,” said Kylie. The crowd responded with a round of applause.
“It was a difficult decision, but the winner of the Delicaid competition and funding is…”
Juliet felt like there was a frantic toad in her chest. She couldn’t look away.
“Gracie Williams from Long Island! The funding will go to the South Rock Memorial Veterinary Oncology Institute.”
Gracie stood up from the table with a squeal and made her way to the front. Juliet could feel James’ hand on her shoulder, but she couldn’t look at him. She stared forward, clapping fiercely.
She didn’t want to look like she was unhappy for Gracie. Of course she was happy for her – the program that she was running was amazing. And her video was good too. In fact, it must’ve been the best. Juliet kept clapping until Gracie reached the podium to give a brief speech.
Juliet sat with a smile plastered on her face. She didn’t want to look like a sore loser, and it was nothing personal. She felt nauseous, though, because she knew what this meant. There was no chance that the clinic would be able to keep its doors open into the new year.
Over the next coming weeks, they would have to inform all of their clients of their soon-to-be closure. Juliet felt empty – she always knew it was a long shot, but she was still hopeful. She thought that if she gave it her all that she could actually do something good.
Unfortunately, life didn’t agree with her plans.
Gracie finished her speech and tried to make her way back to their table, but she was swarmed with people who wanted to congratulate her.
Juliet stood up, ready to leave the party. James followed her lead.
“Juliet – I’m so, so sorry,” he said.
She offered a weak shrug. “It’s okay. I knew it was unlikely that we’d win, I just thought…”
She didn’t know what she thought. She was embarr
assed to admit that she thought she was going to win. It seemed so arrogant now.
Kylie appeared next to them. “Hello James.”
He startled. “Oh, hey Kylie. Great work up there.”
She smiled but in an instant, the smile was gone. “Thank you. And Juliet?”
“Yes?”
“You really were one of the strongest videos that we saw.”
Juliet smiled. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
She continued. “It’s just too bad that you didn’t list your association with Balin Labs in your disclosure. We had to disqualify you, of course.”
Juliet’s eyes darted between Kylie and James. “What?”
“She’s not associated with Balin Labs,” said James. “I told you, she’s just a friend.”
Kylie smiled longer this time. “Sorry, rules are rules. Enjoy your evening!”
Juliet stared at the table, trying to process what she just heard.
“I don’t know where she got that idea,” said James.
She looked up at him. “When did you tell her that I was your friend?”
“Oh, you know how these things are, sometimes when you run into people…” He stammered through his words.
“James. When could you possibly have run into her? Have you been in Chicago in the last week?”
“Well, yes – but that was only because I was trying to find out more about what the judges wanted.”
She stared at him. Find out what the judges wanted? And he thought he could just casually get that information? From some woman who clearly disliked him?
What an idiot. She didn’t know what to say; she could feel herself getting angry and she wanted to be away from the stupid ballroom.
Juliet walked as quickly as she could to the exit. James came after her, catching her on the now empty red carpet.
“Please, wait!” said James. “I can explain.”
Juliet spun around. “You can explain? Tell me what you’re going to explain James. Because from what I can tell, you completely ruined my chance of winning this competition. You doomed my clinic to be closed, all because you were trying to cheat.”
“I wasn’t trying to cheat, I was – ”
“It doesn’t matter!” she yelled. “This is so you. I don’t know what I was expecting, I don’t even know why I’m surprised anymore!”
“I didn’t know that Kylie was going to do that.”
“Of course. Let me guess, it’s not your fault?”
He frowned. “That’s not really fair.”
“You know what’s not fair? It’s not fair that my clinic is the only place my clients can afford to take their pets, and it’ll be closed forever in a few weeks.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry – ”
She knew that she should walk away. But she couldn’t stop herself. “This is what I deserve for giving you another chance. Have you ever wondered why we broke up? Did it ever cross your mind to ask why I wouldn’t marry you?”
“Of course I know why. And that’s why I came back, because – ”
“Because everything is always about you, James. Even when you proposed to me, you did it in a way that you wanted. You thought you could throw an expensive ring at me and I wouldn’t ask questions about your broken promises.”
He gaped at her. She couldn’t stop. She didn’t care if she was yelling.
“I knew it then and I know it now – I could never marry a man that only cares about himself. You never think about how your actions affect anyone else, and you never will. Excuse me, I’m going home.”
Juliet stormed out of the building, leaving her coat behind. She didn’t care. She just wanted to get out of there and never see his face again.
Chapter 22
As much as he wanted to follow her, James knew better. Instead, he stood on that stupid red carpet and watched her leave.
He’d finally done it. He drove the last nail into their relationship’s coffin, ensuring that Juliet could never forgive him.
He had the urge to find Kylie so he could get back at her. He wanted to say something hurtful, like telling her that the reason he never wanted to eat danishes with her was because she had no class and she was petty and small-minded.
He almost walked back to the ballroom to find her, but then he stopped himself. Juliet was right – he was only thinking of himself. He was only thinking of how good it would feel for him to say something mean. It wasn’t going to help Juliet and it wasn’t going to help her clinic. And it wasn’t Kylie’s fault that Juliet was disqualified – no, that rested on James’ shoulders.
He wandered back towards their table, hoping that maybe Juliet forgot something and he could return it to her as an excuse to talk. He went back to look at their spots – nothing was there.
“Is everything okay?” asked a voice behind him.
He turned around to see Gracie standing there, looking nervous.
“Oh yes,” he said. “Everything’s fine. Congratulations on the win, you did a great job.”
“Is Juliet upset?” asked Gracie, pressing her hands together. “That she didn’t win?”
“Oh my goodness, no!” said James. “Our little – uh, argument wasn’t about that. Unfortunately we have what you might call…a tumultuous history.”
Gracie smiled, relief evident on her face. “Oh! Okay.”
James rubbed his forehead. “I’ve messed up with her a lot of times. But I think this might’ve been my final chance.”
“Aw,” Gracie patted him on the shoulder, “I’m sure it can’t be that bad.”
“Yeah, I don’t know,” said James with a laugh. How could he have been so stupid? This was literally the third time he sabotaged Juliet’s project.
First he almost killed the bird. Then he almost killed her. And now, he killed her chances of winning.
“Well,” continued Gracie, “if she was upset about not winning this competition, I know of at least two other competitions that she might be able to enter.”
James turned to her, his back straightening. “Really? Do you know what the deadlines are?”
She nodded. “One is in March, and the other one is in June.”
“Oh.” His voice fell. “I don’t think that’ll work. I mean – I’m sure she’d be interested in entering. I just know that her clinic will run out of funding in a few weeks.”
Gracie frowned. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Are they all for cancer drugs?”
She shook her head. “One is for a cancer drug. The other one is for diabetes.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
She nodded. “Yeah. We don’t have a ton of approved treatments for animals with diabetes. What’s great – and terrifying – about being a veterinarian is that we can use a lot of medications that are approved for humans.”
“Yeah, ones that were approved for animals too, right?”
Gracie shook her head. “No. If a drug is approved in humans, we can use it in an animal, even if there’s no approved treatment in animals. It’s considered an extra-label use.”
“So if I had a cancer drug that was approved in humans, then Juliet could use it in her patients?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I mean, there’s no guarantee that it would work in animals. Every species is different and they might have different targets for the disease, or they might metabolize the drug differently.”
“Delicaid worked for basically every species you could think of.”
Gracie nodded. “That’s because Delicaid’s target is expressed in cancer regardless of species. Well, that’s what we’ve seen so far at least.”
“Right, right,” said James. “But it’s not approved in humans.”
“Not yet. They’re working on that. And it has a conditional license in animals.”
James didn’t know what that meant, but he sort of didn’t care. He felt an idea coming to him.
“So my company has a similar medication to Delicaid. It’s almost approved for the treatm
ent of lymphoma – for people, that is.”
“Is it chemotherapy?” asked Gracie.
James shook his head. “No. It’s like Delicaid – a, uh, mono-nuclear body?”
“Hm,” said Gracie. “A monoclonal antibody?”
James pointed to her. “That’s it! Sorry, I’m a salesman, not a scientist. And I don’t sell that drug.”
“That sounds interesting, though.”
“Maybe we could develop a program to use this medication in animals. That could be huge, right?”
Gracie put her hands up. “I mean, I feel like you’re getting a bit ahead of yourself – I can’t really speak to if it would even work or – ”
James grabbed one of her hands to shake it. “You’ve been a huge help. Thanks Gracie.”
“You’re welcome?” she replied.
James walked away, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. It was Saturday, so he didn’t want to bother Logan or anyone that he knew wasn’t already working. He took a chance and dialed the work phone of one of his friends who was a scientist at Balin.
“Hello, Brad speaking.”
Bingo. “Hey Brad, I had a feeling you’d be working.”
He laughed. “You know me too well.”
“I’ve got a kind of crazy idea, if you have a second?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Do you think you could help me understand more about how Tremibade works?”
“Uh, sure. Why?”
“I think we should make it available to use in animals.”
“Ah,” said Brad. “Well, it was tested in dogs and rabbits initially before it went on to human trials.”
James cringed. He still didn’t like to imagine drug testing on anyone – human or animal. “And it worked?”
“Yeah, that’s how we got it approved to test in humans.”
“Perfect. I’m going to fly into town tomorrow. Want to do lunch?”
Chapter 23
When Juliet stormed outside, she didn’t expect their driver Reggie to spot her and pull around so quickly.
“Are you ready to go miss?” he asked through an open window.
Veterinarian's Date with a Billionaire Page 14
