Cam, who felt a little shaky himself, asked, “You’re going to give it a bath?”
Hadley used the washcloth to gently massage the puppy’s crotch. “Nope. I have to get it to pee and also maybe poop.”
Maddy added, “It’s the mother dog’s job to lick each puppy to get it to go to the bathroom.”
“You’re kidding,” Cam said, incredulous.
Fuller shot him a look that Cam read as stupid football player. “We’ll have to do it every two hours.”
Cam raked a hand through his hair. “Every two hours?”
“Mmm-hmm,” Maddy said, eyeing the puppy. “Every time she eats.”
He caught Hadley’s eye, and she gave him a little smile. Despite being worried, she seemed to take this all in stride. “We’ll do everything we can to save her,” she said.
Fuller, who’d gone into the pen, stepped out and pulled his stethoscope from his ears. Cam couldn’t help noticing the way he looked at Hadley. Like he was just as infatuated with her as Cam was.
Infatuated. No, Cam suddenly realized as he fought a sudden pressure in his chest, that wasn’t it at all. Even he couldn’t deny that his feelings for her had grown roots and spread deep and wide, through every part of him.
“Everybody looks good,” Fuller said, “mama dog too. Now we just have to wait and see.”
“It was kind of you to come,” Hadley said. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“My pleasure.” Fuller wound his stethoscope around his neck and leaned against the countertop. He was a tall, confident, good-looking guy, Cam thought. And the way he was looking at Hadley was making his stomach twist.
“I’ve got more milk replacer in my trunk,” Fuller said. “And do you need a pet heating pad?”
“No, thank you, Fuller,” Maddy said. “I have two of them.”
“We can take it from here,” Cam said, anxious for him to leave.
Fuller didn’t pay Cam much heed. He glanced at his watch and said to Hadley, “It’s almost six a.m. I’d like to stop by again before I go home tonight, if that’s okay?”
“Of course,” Hadley said. “Let us see you out.”
“I can take a shift for you so you don’t get exhausted,” Fuller offered.
That left Cam clenching his fists. “She’ll have plenty of help, Fuller.” Cam set the record straight once and for all. “Thanks anyway.” He scrambled to his feet and made sure he got to the door first.
As he saw the vet to the door, took the extra puppy formula, and sent him on his way, Cam couldn’t shake a sense of worry that had begun to seep in. It was watching Hadley with these dogs, finding her way, finding herself. It was crystal clear to him that she was in her element, loving every minute. Making a difference, just as she’d wanted to do.
His phone pinged off with an email, unusual for this time of day. It was from Dolittle, saying that they wanted him to announce their partnership during his upcoming interview, which was scheduled for two days from now.
A sick feeling turned his stomach. He’d been dragging his feet for as long as possible, but there was no avoiding it. He would have to talk about his restaurant plans in some concrete way. But how?
One thing was clear: Hadley belonged here. But he was bound to Dudley and Dolittle.
Chapter 26
Thanks for coming to play with Bernie until my sitter shows,” Lucy said on Monday, at around 6:30 in the morning.
“No problem,” Cam said, feeding his sweet niece a bottle while sitting in Nick’s souped-up desk chair. Bernie had put her tiny hand over his and was staring lovingly up at him while she finished her breakfast. A great opportunity for him to make faces. “You’re with Uncle Tony now,” he said. “It’s party time, even at this ungodly hour.”
He was up early because today was the day of his interview. And he still had to figure out exactly what he was going to say. How do you feel about never playing football again? What are your plans for the future? He had no answers. At least, not the kinds of answers that people would want to hear from him eight months after his injury. All he knew was that last night had demonstrated something: Hadley had found her joy. He’d seen it from afar this past month but last night he’d seen it up close. And it had really thrown him.
He wasn’t a jealous man. He was happy for her. Make that thrilled. But on some complicated level, it made him feel more bereft and out of sorts than ever.
“Okay, Uncle Tony,” Lucy said as she settled in at her desk. “Bernadette would love to sit on her quilt in the back room and play. There’s a basket of toys next to the diaper bag. And just to warn you, she usually poops right after she eats.” She glanced nervously at her watch. “I have an hour and a half before Dad gets here and I’ve still got to run all these numbers to see where I messed up. And did I say thank you?” She rolled her chair over and kissed him on the cheek. “My sitter usually shows up at eight.”
“We’ll be fine.” He got up to leave his sister to her work. “C’mon, Bernie, let’s go play.” He stood by the window and scrolled through his phone while Bernie finished up her bottle.
His sister was stressed because of some inventory spreadsheet problem he didn’t completely understand, only that it had caused a misordering of some construction supplies. And Lucy had gotten up early to sort it all out.
After a few minutes, it was clear she was very frustrated. She got up and went for the coffeepot. “Want a cup?” she called over to Cam. “My eyes are crossing.”
“You did an awesome job at the gala,” Cam said as she handed him a coffee that, thanks to her, was a gourmet blend. His dad preferred a generic bulk brand that tasted like castor oil. “Everyone’s still talking about how great the food was.”
Lucy shot him a look of death. “I had a lot of fun doing it. But my job is here.”
“Dad and Nick would get over it if you quit,” Cam said, unable to stop pressing her. “I know you feel loyal to the family business but—”
“Cam.” She stopped him in his tracks. “I can’t talk about this now, okay?”
“It’s just that it seems like an opportunity to get you doing something you really enjoy.” Dudley and Dolittle’s restaurant ideas struck him as a lot of compromise, but at least it would be worth it if Lucy could get something out of it. If she’d only see the light.
“I’m just having a bad morning, okay?” she said. “Just because you’re not afraid to plunge in with both feet and go off on crazy business ventures doesn’t mean everyone else is made that way. I need to think things through. Plan. Decide what’s best for Bernie.”
“Well, don’t wait too long,” he said, despite knowing he should shut up. “Because one day you’ll wake up and it might be too late.”
Her face paled. “Cam, you aren’t listening to me. You keep trying to get me to do something that you think is right for me, but you’re not me. You need to go now, okay?” She walked back to her desk and put her mug down so forcefully the coffee sloshed over the edge.
He’d done it now. Upset her when she was already stressed. He was an idiot.