Page 56 of Her Christmas Wish
He left her porch with his stomach full of tea, a smile on his face and only a little bit turned on.
Chapter Seventeen
The meeting with veterinarians interested in contracting with Buzzing Bee Clinics turned into a lovely lunch, Friday afternoon of the next week, hosted by a local country club. Tables were set in a private room in front of a glass wall overlooking the golf course, and beyond that, over a cliff, the ocean.
Fixtures were gold, silver felt real and napkins were linen.
Sage arrived just after everyone had finished eating, for the business portion of the gathering. She spent a couple of minutes with Gray, to go over their program details, and then stepped back as the man—looking way too gorgeous in his dress pants and lab coat, with his longish dark hair framing his face—was called over to a table by a woman Sage recognized as one of his former veterinarians.
She didn’t watch their exchange. Didn’t want to know how he interacted with beautiful professionals in his field. Straightening the short jacket over her slim-fitting navy pants, she helped herself to a glass of water instead.
Gray spoke first to the sixty-two veterinarians who’d attended. Marissa had put word out beyond the local area, and outside Rockcliff and San Diego, people didn’t care as much about the local scandal. They did seem to care about affordable pet health care for middle-class families.
Sage knew that Gray could sell his concept. And as he spread his passion around the room, she couldn’t help but gravitate to him. Unfortunately for her, it wasn’t the veterinary aspect of him that she absorbed. The man had always been able to touch parts of her no one else ever had. Even in the decade they’d been apart. She’d dated plenty. Most particularly before she’d decided to go the adoption route. On the lookout for a father for her family, she’d tried again and again to find a man who raised even half the ardor in her that Gray had. Or a hint of the physical ecstasy he’d brought her.
Just listening to him talk—even about science and medical practices—instilled a warmth in her that she couldn’t ignore.
But she could focus on other things.
And she did, following him up with the less passionate part of the meeting—the contractual legalities involved in being a part of Buzzing Bee Clinics. The practical aspects that would be required for next steps. Finishing with a potential income report recommending that each applicant have it vetted by individual financial advisers.
She gave all attendees her contact information, not Gray’s.
Then she left to go back to work, hearing later that they’d garnered forty-five applications for the eighteen positions Gray was currently offering. Three veterinarians a piece at a total of six clinics. He’d be a floater. Choosing to work at all six locations. He’d said he wanted to be inside, part of the workings of each one. At least to start.
While Friday afternoon’s event was a win, Gray needed the black-tie fundraising event scheduled to take place the following night to be an equal success if he was going to get six clinics up and running at the same time. He’d found potential sites to rent in four strip malls, and two other free-standing buildings.
But with investors, the brunt of the sell landed on Sage. With the day’s win, she was experiencing a decidedly uncomfortable bit of tension as she considered the following evening.
She’d already been a bit jittery at the thought of attending the dinner/entertainment event with Gray. The two of them, decked out. Maybe having a cocktail. At a venue they’d been to multiple times as guests of her father back in the day.
Adding in the new pressure of Gray’s leap into his new life resting completely on the money they might raise, and she wanted to grab up Leigh and run to Disneyland for the weekend.
Sort of. As wonderful as fantasy time with her little girl sounded, most particularly considering how much Leigh loved the resort, a part of Sage needed to be right where she was. Helping Gray.
Logically, she couldn’t explain the internal pressure to herself. She owed Grayson Bartholomew nothing. But logic and heart didn’t always coexist in complete harmony. Sometimes one had to rule the other long enough for the lagging member to catch up.
Trouble was, she didn’t know which part of her was behind. Her heart or her head. And couldn’t seem to get either to pony up.
Sitting on her porch Friday afternoon, she had a legal pad on her lap, a glass of tea on the little table beside her and a bit of a headache.
An impromptu volleyball game was taking place on the beach, with the four players in sweatpants and T-shirts in the cooling late October air. Neither Scott nor Iris were there, but Harper was. And Morgan—the only dog—with Gray. Leigh was the runner after the ball when anyone missed.
Which was why she’d been watching the game, paying no attention whatsoever to the work she’d brought home to do. Harper had called Leigh over tohelpwith the game. But Gray had been the one to look toward Sage’s porch for a nod of permission. And then he met the little girl in the sand and walked her down to the game.
Such a small thing.
No different than taking a young patient to a room to greet a pet that had had its teeth cleaned. She couldn’t let the sight of Gray with her daughter touch her heart.
“Hey!”
Sage jumped, turned her head as the sound reached her from the beach to the left of her. “Iris!” And Angel. As soon as Morgan or Leigh saw the visitor who’d just arrived, they’d both be barreling their way over.
It was a testament to Sage’s upset state of mind that she hadn’t even been aware of the photographer’s approach. Something that Sage noted with serious exclamation points. She had a child to consider.
Could not sink into an emotional quagmire.
Mostly, she was glad to know that Leigh would be heading back her way momentarily.
