Page 44 of Second Act
Chapter 11
Jessica stopped chewing her bite of ham-and-cheese sandwich as she read the e-mail Carla had forwarded to her in the batch of Monday-morning messages. She hadn’t had time to check them until her very late lunch. The e-mail was from a veterinarian who’d heard about the clinic and liked what Jessica was doing for the community. The vet wondered if there might be a part-time opening for her.
Aidan’s comments about the fact that she worked constantly echoed in Jessica’s brain. Even Hugh had warned her that she was going to burn out. And for all Pete’s patience with getting her home early, he would grow tired of that...if she let him stay around long enough.
Jessica scanned the e-mail again. She’d tried hiring another vet a couple of years ago, and it hadn’t worked out, as she’d explained to Hugh. However, that had been a full-time position and she hadn’t been able to offer a competitive salary. She might have adequate funds to keep a part-timer committed. But why would a fully qualified vet want to work part-time? There had to be a catch.
Carla came in with a green zippered pouch tucked under her arm. “I’ve got too much cash in the drawer, so I’m going to the bank now. And don’t worry, Caleb’s coming with me.”
Jessica made sure never to keep much cash in her office. She didn’t want to take the risk of exposing her staff to the dangers of robbery.She nodded and then pointed to her computer screen. “Do you think this e-mail is legit?” She could hear the excitement in her own voice.
“You mean the vet who wants to come work here because we do good things?”
Jessica nodded.
Carla put her free hand on her hip. “Honey, I try not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but you better dig into her references real thoroughly, is all I’m saying.”
“I will.” Her receptionist’s reality check doused some of her enthusiasm. “But I might be able to take an occasional Saturday off.”
Carla’s skeptical expression softened. “You sure deserve it, so let’s hope she’s what she claims to be.”
Jessica’s fingers flew over the keyboard as she asked the vet for her résumé and references, as well as when she could come in for an interview. As she hit send, a text message pinged on her phone. When she saw the sender was Hugh, she eyed her phone like it was a rabid raccoon. Should she touch it or run far away?
She’d spent Sunday trying not to think of Hugh. She’d focused on Pete and how much fun she’d had at the hockey game...and drinks...and dinner. She’d reminded herself that Pete understood where she came from, that they had a whole background in common, that he’d made a success of himself, too.
But when Pete had texted her a couple of times, she’d pleaded a busy day at work and given him short, noncommittal responses. She felt like a low-down, two-timing cheater, even though no promises had been asked for or made. There was just something about how Pete treated her that made her believe he expected more of their relationship than she was prepared to give yet—or maybe ever.
Because Hugh rose up at every unguarded moment, his turquoise eyes blazing with arousal as she remembered him braced over her, moving inside her, touching her in the places that pleased her most. But it wasn’t just the sex. It was the defined muscles of his shoulders ripplingas he smoothed plaster over the crack in her wall with focused care. And the sadness etched in the lines around his mouth when he apologized for hurting her at the end of their doomed engagement.
She squeezed her eyes closed and rubbed them as though that could stop the parade of images.
“You got a headache, Doc?” Diego’s voice held concern.
She pulled her hands away from her face and beckoned him into the office. “No headache. Just thinking about something I shouldn’t be.”
“I hear you.” Diego sat on the ramshackle chair in front of her desk. “I think we got another case of giardiasis at the center.”
“Damn—darn it!” Jessica said, watching Diego politely suppress a smile. She knew he’d heard a lot worse, but she agreed with Emily about providing good role models for the kids, even though she didn’t work at the center. “I’ll stop in on my way home. Which dog is it?”
“It’s Pari, the newest K-9 Angel. Maybe she’s the one who brought it in.”
“That’s a strong possibility,” Jessica said, impressed with Diego’s analysis. “She might have shed the infectious cysts without showing symptoms herself. She’s the small, brown, curly-haired one, right?”
Diego nodded. “Naveen’s dog. I’ll go with you to the center.” He stood up.
“Don’t you have homework to do?”
“One of our teachers was sick, so we had study period. I got a lot done then.”
“I guess Violet will make sure you do the rest.”
Diego grinned. “She sure will.”
Three hours later, Jessica and Diego walked up the front steps of the Carver Center. Jessica was proud of herself for still not having read Hugh’s text message. Fortunately, she’d been crazy busy right up untilthe moment Carla declared the office closed for the day. Now her phone felt like it was scorching through the pocket of her scrubs.
“Evening, Doc, Diego,” Powell said from behind his desk as she and the boy shucked off their coats. “Got another sick dog, I hear.”
“Naveen’s new one,” Diego said, starting down the hallway.
