Page 38 of Spindrift

Morganclamped her mind shut against Lillian’s suggestion. “She will.”

“Secretconference in here?” Stevie asked.

“No,”said Morgan and Lillian together.

“Okay. . . but we want to know what to do about the steaks you abandoned.”

“I’llbe right out.”

“Yourhand okay?”

“It’sfine.”

“Speakingof fine . . .”

“No,”Lillian said firmly.

Stevielooked back and forth between Lillian and Morgan. “Are we not rooting for thisanymore? Because she’s real hot.”

“I’mgoing back to the grill.” She pushed past Stevie and left Lillian to explain howevershe saw fit.

“Areyou broken?” Stormy asked from her seat by the fire when Morgan returned to thesite of her injury.

“Nope.”She held out her wounded hand as proof, not looking up. If she looked up, she’dsee Emilia, and she needed another minute after her chat with Lillian beforeshe was ready for that. Instead, she listened to the conversation.

“So,”said Danielle. “What do you do, Emilia?”

Morgantensed. This was the moment she’d been dreading.

“Rightnow, I’m taking some time to focus on my dad’s estate.”

“I’msorry to hear that he passed. I lost my parents a few years ago. It’s nevereasy, and I can only imagine it is harder when it’s unexpected.”

“Thankyou.”

“Whatdo you do professionally?”

DamnDanielle and her need for facts.

“Actually,”Emilia said with a laugh that Morgan could tell was forced, “I’m a vet.”

Morganwasn’t the only one who’d heard. Lillian, who had returned with a tube ofsomething Morgan suspected was burn cream, exchanged glances with their otherfriends. Stormy looked straight at Morgan with her eyebrows raised.

“Really?”Danielle leaned forward, and Morgan silently begged her not to offer Emilia ajob on the spot.

“Iwas in shelter medicine.”

Nowit was Lillian’s eyes that bored into Morgan’s. She ignored them. Emilia hadmanaged to keep a smile on her lips, but Morgan noted how white her knuckleswere around her drink.

“Ah,”said Danielle, her voice softening. “That’s hard work.”

Emilianodded but did not say anything else.

“Well,try to enjoy Maine while you’re here, if you can. Did I hear you saying yousail?”

“Badly,but yes.” Morgan saw some of the tension leak out of Emilia’s shoulders asDanielle steered the conversation elsewhere.

Sheltermedicine. Morgan plunged a meat thermometer into a steak as the piecesassembled. Shelter medicine was like one of the carnivorous plants Lillian keptin the greenhouse. It tended to attract the sort of people who didn’t survivelong, some quite literally. The suicide rate in veterinary medicine was higherthan almost any other profession. Shelter medicine was even worse. Underfundedgovernment clinics and struggling private rescues did their best to accommodatethousands of unwanted animals, which meant problems like severe skin allergiesor even an ear infection could end in euthanasia. Shelter medicine requiredmore than professional detachment. It required incredible mental discipline,and few people could euthanize healthy animals day after day without breaking.No wonder Emilia didn’t want to talk about it.

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