Page 103 of Doc Showmance
A cameraman filmed me as I walked toward the veterinary building. Odd. They normally waited until we set up the scene.
From around the corner stepped a woman with pink-tipped hair. I stopped cold.
Amber?
She looked beautiful in jeans and a white button-down field shirt, one of those with pockets on the sleeves. She’d rolled up the cuffs.
What was she doing here?
“Hi.” The tone of her voice rolled over me.
“Hey.” Breath froze in my lungs. My heart beat so fast that my ribs hurt. How was it possible I’d forgotten how stunning she was? How commanding a presence she carried no matter where she was? “Why are you here?”
“I heard this American vet was doing a show here. It seems being a TV celebrity with an agent has perks like being able to get on set.” She closed the space between us. Hands in her pockets she looked around and whispered, “I saw a lion on the way here.A lion. It just sat there in the tree. The driver told me all the animals are accustomed to the cars to the point they don’t move. But we couldn’t get out of the car.”
A zip of longing powered through me. I took her palm in my hand and brought it to my mouth, pressing a kiss into it. My body hummed being this close to her. Not for sex. Just to be understood and seen. My arms surrounded her. “I’m glad you’re here. I don’t even care if this is for the show.”
She dropped her head into my chest. “Oh, God, Ian.” Her voice sounded choked up. “I missed you.”
“You don’t even want to know how much I missed you.”
“I’m not even sure why I’m here.”
“Yes, you do. To see lions and zebra and…” I wiped a tear off her cheek with my thumb. “Me.”
“The ego on you, Dillweed.” Her smile was brave but fragile.
I cupped her cheek. “You’re here to tell me you love me.”
“I love you,” she said. “I think I have for a long time.”
“Me too,” I said, sober and honest. “Since our first year in vet school, to be exact.”
“I’ve decided that we’re happening.”
“Oh, you did, huh?” I could hardly believe this beautiful, unattainable girl loved me. Jostling nearby alerted me someone was filming this. Damn it, this was my private life, and for once I wanted it to be mine and mine alone.
I whispered, “We’re on camera. We’re not done with this, but…” Louder, I said, “I want to show you something.”
I took her hand and led her into the building. We wove through the different containments set up for different animals. I brought her to a stall at the back.
She put a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God. It’s so beautiful. A baby giraffe? Where’s its mom?”
“She got killed. They pulled this little one in last week. We’re guessing she’s maybe a few weeks old.”
Amber swiped at tears. “An orphan. Is it…is it going to make it?”
“She’s doing great. She’ll get transferred to the giraffe sanctuary in a few days where she can be with others of her kind.” I waved at the caretaker, who was holding a gigantic bottle. “Would you like to feed her?”
“Oh, yes.” She gripped my sleeve. Enthusiasm rippled from her. “Please.”
The caretaker helped us steady the baby. Amber held the bottle as the little one drank. Once done, she smoothed a hand down its neck.
Now was my time to turn on for the show. “Giraffe calves don’t survive long in the wild, unfortunately. They’re usually taken down by predators. The team was lucky to find her in time last week. What’s even more tricky is there are only a few rescue centers for them.”
Amber thanked the caretaker as we left the orphan. Outside the pen, she hugged me. “That was one of the greatest things I’ve ever done in my life. Thank you.”
“There’s more. So much more. Promise you’ll come with me on more trips around the world.”
