That would give her time to make things ready for her pup. And for Agatha to recover with people who knew how to take care of her. “Okay, sure.”
“Someone on the staff will come in every few hours to check on her. If anything changes with her condition, they’ll contact you.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you still want me to go out to the store to help you pick out things she’ll need?”
“You don’t have to do that. I’m sure I can figure it out.”
“I don’t mind. I’m kind of hungry. Maybe we could grab something to eat first?”
“Only if you let me buy you dinner for taking care of Agatha.”
He laughed. “Taking care of animals is my job, Erin. It’s what I love to do.”
Of course it was. Jason was dedicated. Ever since they were kids he’d loved animals. He always said he’d become a veterinarian one day, and he’d never once wavered from his commitment.
“I’m still buying dinner,” she said.
“Sold. What are you in the mood for?”
She hadn’t even thought about food, in fact wasn’t even hungry. “I . . . don’t know. You choose something.”
“Okay. Tacos. How about that new place everyone’s talking about?”
“The one on Memorial? The Asian/Mexican fusion?”
“Yeah.”
“Sounds good to me,” she said.
“I can meet you there in about forty-five minutes. I have to wrap up a few things here, then dash home and take a quick shower.”
“I’ll see you then.”
She hung up, and walked back to the house. Relieved now that she knew Agatha was going to be all right, she was looking forward to shopping for everything her puppy would need to start her new life.
And she knew Jason would be able to help her with that.
Now that she had relaxed, she could have a glass of wine with dinner and enjoy some great company.
JASON WALKED INTO the restaurant, expecting dark, and was surprised by all the twinkling fairy lights. He’d heard good things about the place, and the smells that hit him made him hopeful.
It had been a long day and he’d barely been able to choke down a turkey sandwich for lunch, which had been hours ago. He was so ready to eat. Fortunately, Erin was punctual, as always, so she was waiting for him inside. She was wearing a brightly colored short-sleeved dress and sandals, her long hair pulled up, giving him a nice view of her neck.
She lifted up to kiss his cheek. “Thanks for saving my puppy’s life, and for taking me shopping tonight.”
He smiled at her. “You’re welcome.” Her lips pressed soft against his skin and she smelled like a vanilla ice cream cone. He wanted to linger near her, kiss her back, let her know he felt something for her. But he was still hesitant about intimacy with Erin, about how that would change the dynamic of their friendship. He wanted to give her what she wanted, but he was afraid the cost would be too high—their friendship.
“I like this place,” she said. “It’s bright and cheery.”
“Yeah, it seems nice. I hope the food is good.”
“Me, too.” She opened up the menu, then wrinkled her nose. “Wine list is super sparse. They only carry a chardonnay and a merlot, and very off brands.”
“Maybe they haven’t hooked up with a liquor distributor yet.”
“Which means they need someone to supply excellent wine to them. Like Red Moss Vineyards wines.”
He nodded. “It would be a great tie-in. New local business, supplying wine from a local vineyard.”
“Right?” She perused the menu. “I’d like a glass of the chardonnay. And if I’m not back shortly, I’ll take the vegan taco, and the pork and crab steamed buns.”
“Got it.”
“Thanks.” She slid off the barstool and grabbed one of her business cards from her purse. “I’m off to talk to the manager.”
He smiled as she walked away. The one thing he’d always admired about Erin was that she wasn’t shy about pushing the winery or the wedding business. Which she shouldn’t be. It was part of her job and he could tell she loved it.
Their server came back so he ordered a beer for himself and Erin’s glass of wine, checked text and e-mail messages that he’d ignored all day and replied to a few. They had a fourth-year veterinary student starting a rotation next week at the clinic, and since Jason was the youngest of the doctors, it was going to be his responsibility to work with her.
It wasn’t all that long ago that he was doing his internships at various clinics. It had been his most stressful and yet exciting year, being so damn close to graduating, but not yet a full-fledged doctor. Still, he’d learned a ton under the vets he’d worked with that year, so he intended to do his best with the students who interned under him.
He flipped through his messages. Still nothing from Owen. Damn. He hoped Owen’s parents were okay. He made a mental note to call them tomorrow to see how they were doing. He knew they’d let him know if they’d heard anything.
Erin surprised him by sliding back into her seat.
“Done already?”
“Yes. I talked to the manager, who’s also the owner of the restaurant. Actually, it’s a husband and wife enterprise and they’re both here. Dinner is busy for them, but they’re very interested in stocking wines from a local vineyard, so I have an appointment with them tomorrow at nine.”
“That’s excellent. I hope it works out for you.”
She took a sip of her wine, then nodded. “Me, too. They’re a small enterprise, but they said they know several of the restaurants in the area who might also be interested in stocking our wines. So if this works out, we might also be able to pick up additional business.”
Their server stopped by, so they ordered their food. He ordered pork buns and some oyster soup, along with fish tacos.
After their server left, he took a long pull of his beer.
“You must be hungry,” Erin said.
“I had a busy day with no damn time to eat. I’m starving.”
“I’m sorry. I probably added to your busy day.”
“All my days are like that, Erin. Emergencies come in and I deal with it. Today was no different from any other day.”
She swirled the wine around in her glass, then took a sip and set the glass on the table. “Do you love it?”
“The job? Hell yeah I love it. It’s everything I always thought it was going to be. Except longer hours on the days I’m on call.”
“Are you on call tonight?”
“No. Which is why I wanted to go into practice with other doctors. While I always wanted to be a veterinarian, I didn’t want to work twenty-four-seven. I also wanted to have a life.”
“I can’t blame you for that. But still, you do work hard.”
“I like to stay busy. So do you.”
“I do. Busy makes me happy. Especially right now.”
He fiddled with the label on his beer. “So you don’t have to think about Owen?”
“Yes.”
“You know eventually he’ll come back.”
“Will he? He might stay in Aruba, set up a brewery there.”
His lips lifted. “You hope. But then you wouldn’t get closure.”