“Stop your spiral, woman,” she says. “Maple Ridge just started a vet program this year. It’s in the early stages, and you would have to commute to Tech to take some of your classes, but you’d be able to do a lot right here.”
I must still be asleep. This is all too good to be true. “I heard Maple Ridge was expanding their course offerings, but I had no idea…” I stare down my boss. “Are you pranking me right now?”
She shakes her head, mirth sparkling in her eyes. “The town council’s exhausted every resource they have trying to get someone to move here and work as a small animal vet, and they’ve had no luck finding anyone who’s willing to commit to living here long term. If you win the scholarship, they’ll pay your living expenses as well as tuition. You won’t have to work while you’re in school.”
I stare at her. “This can’t be real. The town really wants a vet that bad?”
She nods. “The town council and local businesses see the lack of a vet as a real deterrent to people wanting to move here. What pet lover wants to live in a town with no easily accessible vet?”
“You’ll need more than one vet,” I say. “And vet techs.”
Shaleigh nods. “There’s money for vet tech school as well. That would be an easier track if you want it.” She shakes her head and chuckles. “You’re still staring at me like this is a dream, but it’s real, Amelia. You already know about the USDA grant program for veterinarians in small rural towns.”
“They only pay part of the tuition.”
She nods. “And the town will pay the rest. There are very wealthy individuals and businesses that want to see Catalpa Creek grow, who want to raise families here. Trust me when I say the scholarship is real.” She pauses, thinking. “And I’m goingto recommend you, Amelia, but only if you can demonstrate a willingness to learn how to be polite and friendly to the human animals you encounter. The town has no interest in investing in a veterinarian who’s rude to her patients.”
“My patients would be the animals.”
She says nothing, clearly waiting for me to figure it out for myself.
“Fine,” I say, my excitement rising. “I can learn to be kind to humans.” I’m going to have to.
“I hope so,” she says. “Because in four years my chihuahua is going to be elderly, and I want to have a vet right here in town for all the appointments she’s going to need.”
“Thank you. This is an amazing opportunity, but I need to think about it.”
“What is there to think about?”
I swallow hard, my brain already whirring through all the impediments to this dream. “I barely have enough time to see Harper as it is, and I’m only taking one class right now. I—”
“You won’t have to have a full-time job,” Shaleigh says, staring at me like I’m an alien invading her office. “I thought this would be a no-brainer for you.”
Says the happily single woman with no kids. “I’m assuming the council won’t want me to spend nine years getting my degree and my license to practice. College is more than a full-time job, especially college to become a veterinarian. It’s harder than doctor school.”
“You mean med school?” she says with a smirk.
I wave a hand at her. “Harper’s only going to be little once. I don’t want to miss too much time with her.”
“I get that,” she says sympathetically.
Glancing at my watch, I realize how late it is. “Darn it. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. I’m going to be late picking up Harper.”
“Go,” she says. “Think over what we’ve talked about.”
I race out of the building and leap into my little four-door sedan. It has a dent on the passenger door from a supermarket parking lot incident that involved a shopping cart no one bothered to put away properly, and rust on the trunk, but it gets me where I need to be as I hurry the four blocks to Harper’s daycare. I make it there at three minutes past six.
“I’m so sorry,” I say to Winslow, one of the daycare workers. “I’ll be early tomorrow.”
“No big deal,” Winslow says with his usual equanimity.
“Momma,” Harper shouts as she races toward me from where she’d been playing with three other kids whose parents must also be running late. It’s Halloween, so she’s wearing her pirate costume, but no makeup yet. I’ll put that on her before we head out to knock on doors and collect candy.
I scoop her up in my arms, hating that she’s getting heavy enough that my back cries out in complaint. She is growing up way too fast.
“How was your day, baby?” I ask.
“I’m hungry,” she says. “Can we have pizza for dinner?”
