“I’m glad. But if you have any questions, you can always just ask. I’m an open book.”
The blush on his cheeks ran down his neck. “I like books.”
Oh, damn.
“Me too.” Wanting to leave on a good note, I picked up the basket. “I better get going. I’m having a chill evening with Ro before the big opening day tomorrow. It’ll be an early start.”
He held the exam room door for me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Oh, yes,” I said, stopping at the reception desk. “The book you wanted.Never Let Me Goby Kazuo Ishiguro?—”
“Sir. Sir Kazuo Ishiguro.”
“Sorry, yes. Sir.” I didn’t even mind that he corrected me. “I’ll be sure not to sell both copies. It’s a great book, by the way.”
He gave a nod. “It is. Perhaps you could order in a copy ofHowl’s Moving Castle. That way I won’t need to borrow yours.”
I grinned at him. “Perfect.”
He gave a nod and stood there while I paid for my appointment and the stack of new kitten food I’d just bought. While I had my phone out, I found his text messages and thumbed out a quick reply.
Thank you for seeing me today
His phone beeped behind me, and when I got to the door, I turned to see him reading it, grinning at his screen.
It made my heart squeeze and thrum in the very best of ways. I was still grinning like a loon when I got home.
“Oh, someone looks very happy,” Ro said as she took the basket from me.
I sighed dreamily. “I am.”
“Things went well, I take it?”
“Yep. And you know what?” I put the pile of kitten food cans on the kitchen counter. “I think I’ve cracked the code.”
“What code?”
“The Deacon Clark code.”
She snorted. “I didn’t realize he was some code that needed cracking but do go on.”
“Not him,” I amended. “He’s not the code, but the code to maybe dating him.”
She gasped. “Dating? Uh, hold up. Stop the phone and hold the press.”
“Pretty sure that’s not how that goes.”
“What do you mean dating? You want todatehim now? What happened to ‘I’m not looking’ and ‘I’m not interested’ and ‘I don’t have time’ and ‘I’ve sworn off men for all eternity’?”
I sighed. “Well, those things still apply. Kind of. And I did say ‘maybe dating him,’ notactuallydating him.”
“But you are,” she said. “Considering dating him because you said you cracked the code.”
“Well, maybe. I don’t know.” I turned and looked at her. “I like him. I do. He’s cute as hell, and you should have seen him in his cute little vet uniform, and he blushed so hard. It was the most adorable thing ever. And the way he is with the boys. Oh my god.”
“Okay, so I think we can safely assume we’re well past the maybe-wanting-to-date-him stage, because Win, my dear, you are down bad already.”
I chuckled. “And yet, less than twenty-four hours ago, I was sure there was no way.”
