Page 12 of Heart Strain

“Got it.”

“Did you eat dinner yet?”

He blinks at my sudden topic change. “Uh, no.”

“Do you want to go get something? The Savory Lounge is close by. I’m kind of starving.”

He searches my face for several long seconds, then nods. “I could eat.”

I smile. “Awesome. You want to go now or wait a bit?”

“We can go now if you want.”

Nodding, I stand up and walk to Drix’s bedside. “You know, slacker, if you got better right now, I could bring you back some of your favorite tacos.” With a heavy sigh, I lean down and whisper in his ear, “I love you. Please get better soon. I miss you so much.” My eyes prickle, so I kiss his cheek and stand, turning away so Jameson can’t see how emotional I am.

It’s another minute before Jameson meets me at the door. I don’t watch him, but I’m sure he whispered to Hendrix before joining me. Once we make it to the parking garage, I ask, “Want me to drive?”

“Sure.”

After five minutes of the silent treatment in the car, I ask, “Is there something going on?”

I see him gaze at me out of the corner of my eye. “What do you mean?”

“You’re just really quiet tonight.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I have a lot on my mind, I guess.”

I nod. “Want to talk about it?”

He snorts out a humorless laugh. “Not really. So… I feel kind of dumb asking this, but what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a veterinarian.”

“Okay, I remember that now. I think Drix talked about it before. Do you work with dogs and cats?”

“Yeah, and birds and some small animals like rabbits and chinchillas and stuff, but it’s mostly dogs and cats.”

“Do you work with other doctors?”

“Yep. Two only work with dogs and cats, but there’s one other girl that works with birds and small animals, too, so at least all the animals are covered while I’m here.” I shrug, then blow out a breath as some of my tension leaves me. Him not talking was stressing me out, and even if we’re just covering basic shit now, it’s better than nothing.

“That’s good. I don’t have any pets, but I’ve been thinking about getting a cat. I’ve always wanted a dog, but I’m afraid of leaving him home alone too long when I have a long shift.”

“Cats are assholes.”

He laughs, and the sound warms my heart a little. “Guess you’re a dog person, then.”

“One hundred percent—but don’t let any of my cat clients hear that, or their humans, for that matter.”

He chuckles and I suddenly want to make him keep laughing because the sound is so bright. He’s smiling wide as he speaks, and it enhances his handsome features—not that I’m looking. “I love dogs, too, but I figure cats are easier.”

Nodding, I agree, “They are as long as you don’t piss them off. They can be vindictive.”

“It sounds like you have personal experience.”

I shoot him a smile at a red light. “Drix and I had a cat when we were little, and I accidentally stepped on her tail once—okay maybe it was more like three times, or you know, like ten, but it was always an accident! It’s not my fault she’d run in front of me. Anyway, she peed on my pillow a couple times because of it, and she would use my bedpost as a scratching post. And she never did anything like that to Drix or our parents, even like five years after the last time I stepped on her.”

He chuckles, and it’s an even warmer sound than before. “Maybe she just liked your bedpost better?”

---