Page 70 of Dreamboat

“Handled.” That one word takes a small slice of stress off my plate tonight.

“You handled it?”

“Finally.” He laughs louder. “I’ll see the old guy and his owner tomorrow morning at nine a.m. sharp. Don’t be surprised if he moves from your roster over to mine.”

“I can only hope.” I laugh, too, but it’s muted. “Did you call to give me that good news?”

“That and more.” The sound of traffic filters through the call.

“You’re on the move,” I note. “Are you on your way to the clinic? What’s happening?”

“I’m on my way to meet my fiancée.” His voice softens. “She’s been studying up a storm so I’m going to surprise her at the library with some flowers.”

Faith Upton is on course to becoming a doctor. I know she’ll succeed. Her commitment to her goal is awe-inspiring. Matt never shuts up about how brilliant she is and how devoted she is to acing every course she takes on her path to earning her degree in medicine.

Before I can say anything, he continues, “I just left Delia’s. I brought her spaghetti from Calvetti’s.”

My interest is immediately piqued at the mention of her name. “It’s the best Italian food in the city.”

“You know it,” he says. “Delia went on a cruise a couple of months ago. I was going to ask about it since I know Faith would love something like that for our honeymoon, but time got away from me.”

I’d give him my opinion of the cruise but he still doesn’t know I was on it with his sister.

“Anyways,” he goes on, “I’ll need a week or a week-and-a-half after the wedding for that getaway. I wanted to give you ample time to work that into the schedule.”

It’s still months away and I appreciate the heads-up, but I’ve already blocked out his schedule for the fourteen days after the wedding because I knew the request was coming.

I can’t help but ask about the woman I’m crazy about. I frame it in a way that I hope won’t raise his suspicions. “What did Delia think of the spaghetti?”

“She barely touched it.” He sighs. “Dammit. I have an incoming call. It’s the service. It looks like my surprise for Faith will have to wait.”

I won’t sleep tonight. I can’t, so I do something I’ve rarely ever done. “I’ll take it, Matt. Go see the woman you love.”

“Are you serious, Hunt?” I can’t see him, but I know he’s smiling. “Tell me you’re serious.”

“I’m dead serious.” I walk across my bedroom to the closest to grab a fresh pair of jeans and a clean shirt. “Go to Faith.”

“If you ever fall in love, I’ll return the favor.” He chuckles. “I know it’s a big if, but miracles happen every day.”

They do indeed.

“Go before I change my mind, Matt.”

“Thanks again,” he says before he ends the call.

My phone starts ringing in the back pocket of my jeans. It’s just past two a.m. and I’m headed home. The emergency that took me to the clinic could have waited until morning, but I needed the distraction and the owner of the cat that was rushed in needed assurance that the newest member of their family would be fine.

A recently adopted six year old handsome gray haired male cat was brought in with a red bump on one of his hind legs. It was an abscess that was likely the result of the cat’s interaction with a stone fireplace grate. He crawled in looking for a place to sleep. The grate nicked his leg and caused the infection.

I took care of it and given that I could have pushed the appointment back to the morning, I charged our regular rate. The emergency fee that is tacked on is standard when the clinic is normally closed, but I needed something to focus on other than Delia.

I stop before I look at my phone’s screen because I may need to turn around and head back to the clinic depending on what the answering service is about to say to me.

I stare at the screen when I see the name of the caller.

“Delia,” I answer while trying to maintain some composure in my voice. “Are you all right?”

“I’m okay,” she says in such a quiet tone that I can barely hear her. “Did I wake you up?”