Page 2 of Tom's Chance
“First a little background is needed.”
“Okay, I’m listening.” Duane turned his chair, sohe was facing Tom, and held his coffee cup in his hand, waiting for him to talk. He had no clue what the other man was going to say, but Duane liked him, and he thought if he could lend an ear, then maybe they could become friends.
“I don’t know if you did any background checks on us working for Erin after you arrived.” Tom paused to stare at Duane with a quirked brow.
“No, I figured if Erin didn’t have any trouble with any of you before I arrived, then there wasn’t a reason to rock the boat.”
“Okay, and I don’t really work here. I have my own practice in town, and I’m only here as the veterinarian who works with the horses. I have this office because I needed someplace to do the paperwork for when I’m here working for Riceman Stallions. Anyway, I know I don’t look it, but I’m only thirty-four.”
“No way,” Duane said in shock. “I’d put you at least my age, forty-eight.”
“Yeah, no. I think it’s because even though I have other vets that work for me, I’m the guy that goes out to the ranches to take care of the large animals that can’t come into the office.” He sipped his coffee and chuckled. “Not only am I young, but I’m also smart. I’m not tooting my own horn, but this might be important for what I’m going to ask of you.”
“Go on.” Duane encouraged him when he paused.
“On my fifteenth birthday, I entered my junior year of college.”
“Oh, shit, you’rethatsmart.”
“Yes. I became a DVM on my eighteenth birthday.”
“Which is?”
“Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine. When I was younger, like before I started school, I always wanted to join the service. Grandpa started the vet office, and Dad tried to be interested in it, but it didn’t work out.” He laughed and looked at Duane with a gigantic grin. “He fainted at the sight of blood.”
Duane laughed along with him.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to get off topic. I guess what I’m trying to say is that because I started working in Grandpa’s vet business at the age of eighteen, I never really had a life. I’m not crying in my coffee about it, because I was and still am clueless when it comes to women.”
“You didn’t have the junior high and high school experience of dating, getting dumped, and having fun with the opposite sex. Normal teenage anxiety.”
“Correct, and when I was in college, I was way too young to even attempt to ask someone out on a date. Sure, I had female friends, but because of the age difference between us, it wouldn’t have been conductive to pursue anything. They all felt like older sisters to me.”
“I can totally understand that. So, what seems tobe the problem now?” Duane thought Tom had stopped the conversation when he picked up his phone and started pushing buttons and scrolling through it.
“I’m not ignoring you, I’m looking for a conversation.” He went back to his phone, then nodded. “The women in the office over at the vet clinic decided that I needed to look for a partner.”
“What did they do?” Duane didn’t know whether he should laugh or groan.
“They took it upon themselves to sign me up for a dating service.”
“How did that work out for you?” It took everything he had not to burst out laughing.
“So far? Shitty. Here.” Tom stood and took his phone over to Duane and handed it to him. He stood back and watched as Duane read the entire conversation he had with his first date and shook his head when Duane looked at him in shock.
“You’re shitting me.”
“I kid you not.” Tom took his phone back and sat back down. “See, I don’t know whether it’s me because I’m not familiar with the dating scene, or if it’s the times, but I personally don’t believe in spending hundreds of dollars on a date if it’s not going anywhere. Besides, I’m always on call, and I don’t want to drive for over three hours to go to the fanciest restaurant in Denver for a bite or two andwalk away starving.” He laughed at Duane’s confused expression.
“I Googled the restaurant. They are the type that would take a normal steak that you and I would eat in one sitting and serve about thirty people from that one steak. This is just my opinion, but they slap the label of ‘fine dining’ on it, charge hundreds of dollars, and call it a day. Again, this is just me, but I feel as if it’s all a huge rip-off.”
“Ah, one of those restaurants.”
“Yeah, anyway, I’m a country boy that believes in stick to your ribs meals, there are several days that I only get to eat breakfast and dinner. If I want to get to know someone, until it gets serious, or at least for the first couple of dates, I think taking them to Kora’s for a coffee and pastry is perfectly fine.”
“Where is Kora’s?”
“Kora Falco has a bakery on Main Street in Fool’s Gold. She’s married to one of the firemen.”
