“It’s hard to see how he can care for that Lab properly.” I took my drink and lifted it in thanks. “I need to make sure she’s okay.”
“You’re such a softie.” Cooper nudged me. “She looked healthy, didn’t she?”
“The dog looked fine, but who drags an animal around without thinking about food or predatory insects or the fact that in the summer, the heat from the asphalt will blister her paws? People are free to put themselves through whatever adventure they want, but as far as I’m concerned, pets deserve better.”
Cooper patted my arm. “C’mon, Lindy. Beck didn’t look stupid. He’ll probably come to the clinic, then you can make sure the dog’s okay.”
“I hope so.” I wanted to help both of them and not just because I was a vet. There was something about Beck. It was that slow blink—that trust—as if he’d placed himself into my hands because he needed me. I couldn’t get the image of him out of my mind.
Later, I saw Beck’s friend carry his bottle and bag of food back to the boardwalk.
If I could have confined my compassion to the dog, I might have slept better that first night.
It was my heart that kept dragging me back from sleep, though. Emotions I’d never experienced before gave me dreams I didn’t want.
I fell in love on Taco Tuesday in St. Nacho’s.
Because it was St. Nacho’s, the only person surprised by that fact was me.
Chapter Two
I normally did surgeries between seven and nine in the morning. That Friday, I had my hands full. When I finally stepped out of the surgical suite at ten, my receptionist, Lena, flagged me down. I motioned her toward the recovery room where I discarded my soiled protective gear and stepped behind the curtain to change my scrubs.
“How’s Maisy?” She peered into the cage of the dog whose malignancy I’d just removed.
“The surgery was a success. She’ll be accessorizing with an e-collar for a few days.” It was her second tumor removal, though, and sooner or later Maisy’s owners would have a difficult decision to make. “What’s next?”
“You were already booked through lunch, and Mylo swallowed a sock again. April’s got him. She induced vomiting.”
“Mylo, Mylo, Mylo. Goddamn, that dog is persistent. You could open a store with all the socks he swallows.”
“The poor kids are crying, and Jill’s a nervous wreck. They’re in the waiting room.”
“I’ll talk to them. So far, he spits them back up like a champ.” I stepped out feeling fresher and went to the sink to wash up.
“Anything else?” I rinsed off and dried my hands.
“I finished the summer newsletter for you to look over.”
“Okay.”
“Also, there’s someone here who says you told him to come in so you could look at his dog for free.”
My pulse rate kicked up. “Chocolate Lab named Calliope?”
“So you did tell him to come? He showed me her records. She’s up to date on vaccines. I don’t see why—”
“I want to make sure she’s parasite free.”
“Must you really tell total strangers you’ll examine their dogs at no cost? Some of them could be looking for easy access to drugs, or—”
“Let me worry about that, Lena. It doesn’t hurt to help people.”
She hmph’d at me, muttering about how easy it was to take advantage of soft touches and fools.
“I’m both. I freely admit it.”
She pushed her heavy glasses up the bridge of her nose. “You need an actual business manager, Lindy. You’d give the place away if I let you.”
“It’s my place. And I only give away my time.” Which wasn’t exactly true, but she understood.
“There’s a finite amount of that commodity, you know.” She handed me a stack of files. “And you volunteer enough of it without inviting people to come here for free examinations.”
“I examine the pets, not the people.” She flipped me off behind her back as she walked away. I stretched my stiff neck and raised my arms over my head. My vertebrae popped all the way down like corn. Hmm. It felt like a Queen day. I hummed a few notes of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
“We got it, but yuck.” Vet tech April came into the room holding an emesis tray with a rancid sock in it. She slipped it into a zippered plastic bag, then removed her gloves and washed her hands.
“Mylo’s a champ.”
“He is. He’s fine.”
“That was quick. I was going to go out and talk to Jill.”
“You have time.” She wrinkled her nose. “He’s spacey, and I need to get him cleaned up before I can take him out there.”
“Thanks.” I went to the human fridge and pulled out a bottled water. “Want one?”
“God yes.” She took it from me. “Thank you.”
“What’s next?”
“Senior feline in exam one is listless. Owner says she won’t eat or drink. Pebbles the pittie’s in room two for her rabies vaccine. Oh my God, wait until you see the adorable schnauzer puppy in three. New client. He’s so cute!”
“The client?”
“The puppy.” She rolled her eyes.
“Can’t wait. Listen, can you tell Travis to put the young man with the Lab in exam room four and make him comfortable? Tell him it might be some time before I can get in there.” I took out my wallet and handed her a ten. “Have Travis get him a sandwich from next door and see that he has pop or something. Oh, and ask if the dog has eaten today. If not, get something from the back.”
“You’re feeding dogs and their humans now?” She studied me. “Something going on there?”
“No.” I probably protested too fast, because she gave me the side-eye.
“It’s one of your projects, isn’t it?”
“No.” I couldn’t meet her knowing gaze. “Okay. Maybe. His name is Beck. The dog is Callie. They might be living rough, so they could use some help.”
“Ah, gotcha. I’ll tell Travis and then finish up with Mylo.” She carried the baggie as if it was an animal carcass.
I left the safety of the back rooms to talk to Jill and her kids. They stopped crying as soon as they knew Mylo was okay. That dog was a lucky critter, considering every sock removal cost the family around two hundred bucks. It was hard on the dog too. I’d have reminded them not to leave socks where Mylo could get them, but Mylo was a wily creature. He’d been known to steal socks off a sleeping child’s foot.
Outside exam room one, I pasted a smile on my face. “Hello, Mrs. Grimes. What’s Misty got for us today?”
Dutifully, I finished with the three patients who’d booked their appointments ahead before I approached exam room four. From outside the door, I could hear a distinct drumming rhythm. Fingers, probably, on the wall or the exam table. Like Cooper, Beck obviously made music wherever he could. The idea made me smile.
I opened the door. “Sorry to keep you waiting so long, Beck. Today just blew up out of nowhere.”
He stopped his hands. “Beggars can’t be choosers.”