Page 15 of Never Kiss Your Neighbors

“What?”

“I’m her neighbor, too.”

CHAPTER10

STELLA

Cam and Wyatt are both looking at me expectantly when I walk back out into the lobby. When I stop at the front desk, they both jump up to join me.

Wyatt runs a hand through his tousled hair. “What did they say? Is he going to be okay?”

“They can’t say for certain yet, but the expectation is that this is just an upset stomach and he’ll be fine. They’re going to run bloodwork, and they gave me medicine for the vomiting. If he still isn’t eating by tomorrow, or if the blood tests show something bad, I’ll need to bring him back in.”

Cam’s posture softens, his shoulders relaxing. “Okay, we’ll be standing by ready to bring him back if we need to.”

When the bill, which is quite sizable due to the emergency service, is presented, Wyatt grabs it. “I’ve got this.”

“We’ve got this,” Cam says, pulling out his wallet.

There’s something different about the energy between the men. There’s a stiffness that wasn’t there before, and a couple of irritated looks exchanged between them. Maybe they had some sort of argument while Goldfish and I were in the exam room.

After they pay and we head back to the car, Cam rushes ahead to open the door for me. A few minutes into the drive home, he asks, “Do you have dinner plans?” Quickly, he adds, “I mean, what were you going to do for dinner? Did this mess up your evening?”

“I’ll be making something at home.”

Wyatt turns and gives me a grin. “Chicken nuggets?” He’s being a smartass, but there’s something so charming about his grin, that I can’t help but smile.

“Maybe. They’re Jessie’s favorite, and they’re easy. I usually cook while Marissa’s on her way home, but this evening didn’t go as planned.”

“We’ll bring dinner over for the three of you,” Cam says. “It’s our fault your schedule’s thrown off.”

“You don’t have to do that. Taking care of the vet bill was plenty.” More than plenty, really. I wonder if Marissa knew how much vets cost before she decided to adopt a dog.

“I know we don’t have to,” Cam says. “I want to.”

“Let me see if Marissa’s made anything yet.” I text her, first with an update on G, then I ask about food.

“I gave Jessie a snack, but we haven’t had dinner yet,” comes her reply.

When I relay this to Cam, his grin widens. “Great. We’ll bring something over. How about in half an hour? We’ll get carryout, if that’s okay, so dinner isn’t too late for Jessie. Any allergies or dislikes?”

Wyatt names a popular chicken restaurant chain, and I tell him that anything from there would be good.

This evening has been a hassle, but being treated to dinner, and not having to cook, is nice.

When Cam pulls into my driveway, Wyatt jumps out to open my door. I have to admit they have very nice manners, especially for man-children.

“We’ll see you soon,” Cam calls with a wave before pulling away.

Inside, Jessie runs up and wraps Goldfish in a hug. His tail wags like he hasn’t seen her for years.

A few minutes later, when she offers him a treat, he takes it. I hold my breath, worried the treat will come right back up, but he seems to be fine, and he’s still doing fine when the men show up only twenty minutes later with two big bags in hand.

“How’s Goldfish doing?” Wyatt asks, and Jessie tells them about the treat he ate.

“That’s great!” While Jessie’s petting Goldfish, the men kneel down on her level. “Jessie, we’re sorry for making Goldfish sick,” Wyatt says.

“We were being careless, but we’ll be much more careful next time,” Cam adds.

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