Page 33 of Healing You
“Not that I can tell,” Steve answered gently. “I'm going to take some blood and look under the microscope later to see, but it's still early. It can sometimes take a few weeks. And because we're early in treatments, I'm going to hit him with the largest dose for a dog his size to try to push him into that remission for our next treatment. It's pretty common to see side effects, though, so don't be alarmed.”
Yvonne took a sip of coffee to stop herself from wincing. This was just part of the process. “Okay. I trust you.” The words were out before she had time to really consider what she was saying. But even as she did—she felt the truth behind them. Felt it deep in her soul. She did trust him. Maybe not with her heart yet—but with Gatsby's most definitely. And maybe she was getting there herself, slowly.
He seemed just as taken aback by her comment as she did and it took him a couple of seconds to recover. “I-I, uh, okay. Well, let me get him back there—um... you, you wait here.” He turned, slamming into a tray of medical supplies—clamps, cups, cotton swabs, and a jar of dog treats, sending them flying onto the floor. “Shit.”
As Yvonne bent to help him clean up everything, Gatsby did his part too, rushing to gobble up as many of the treats as he could before Yvonne scooped them away from him. On their hands and knees, her elbow kept brushing Steve’s and she found herself intentionally letting her pinky graze his hand. “Smooth.” She lifted an eyebrow in his direction and set the supplies she’d picked up back on the tray.
He stood too, scratching the back of his neck. “I never claimed to be.”
“Maybe I wasn't being sarcastic.” She searched his gaze, but somewhere in the thirteen years that they had been separated, he got really good at hiding his emotions from her. Maybe she should take a cue from him and learn how to mask her own emotions. People always seemed to know just what she was feeling, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.
His bright eyes were focused unwaveringly on hers, and she refused to be the first to look away for once. A tingle started at the base of her neck and traveled down her spine, splitting off at the shoulder blades and continuing down to her fingertips.
A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth.
“You need to stop looking at me like that,” Yvonne said after another moment's silence.
“Like what?”
“You know like what. You've got it perfected.”
“I'll stop if you stop.”
Another tingle. “There's nothing to stop. This isn't going anywhere.”
His smile widened, and he leaned in, tortuously slow, tugging on her ponytail. “Gatsby thinks differently.”
Thump, thump. Her dog looked up at them, tail rhythmically hitting the floor. Damn. Somewhere deep down, she didn't want to admit he might be right.
The next night after work, Yvonne's cell phone rang as she walked up her driveway. Yvonne sighed, seeing her mom's name light up the screen. Well, she couldn't avoid her own mother forever after that disastrous dinner last month. “Hey, Mom,” she said, digging around for her keys as she walked.
“Hi, sweetie. I feel terrible about how we left things after Greico's.” It took her four weeks to reach out. Then again, Yvonne hadn't called her parents, either.
“Me too, Mom. I'm sorry I reacted so emotionally. But you have to stop blindsiding me with these dinners. I would have been willing to listen to Sophy's investment without you tricking me.”
“Would you have?”
Good question. When it came to her parents, Yvonne resisted even when they were giving great advice. She pushed a breath out, blowing her hair out of her face. “Maybe not.”
“Your father and I just want the best for you. We love you.”
“I know. I love you, too.”
At the bottom of her purse, Yvonne's fingers brushed the set of metal keys. “Jonah mentioned something about a 10K you're doing for your rescue?”
“Um… yeah. In a few weeks, here in Maple Grove.”
“Oh, honey. Don't exert yourself too much. With your back surgery—”
“My surgery was over a decade ago, Mom. I've been cleared for a long time.”
There was a tense silence as Yvonne opened the front door to her apartment. “Just be careful. Don't twist an ankle or fall or anything.”
Yvonne whistled for the dogs, expecting her usual greeting of all three animals charging her. Only instead, she was met with Daisy and Ruckus trotting over, ears back. “Mom, I just got home. I have to go.”
“Is everything oka—”
“Everything's fine. I'll call you later.” But everything in her still house didn't feel fine. She didn't wait for her mom to respond and hit the end call button, tossing the phone aside.
