“I was born ready. Lead the way, Señor Tour Guide.”
“Full disclosure, don’t count on me to be a very good tour guide.” He rubs the back of his neck. “We’ll probably get lost within the first five minutes.”
“It can’t be that bad. You said you’ve been here before.”
“I have, but my friends were in charge of the sightseeing.” He shakes his head. “I’m, uh, terrible with directions and keeping track of time. I set timers for everything. When I moved to Sequoia Valley, the first week was a nightmare.”
“Sure,” I deadpan.
“No, I’m serious.”
“Sequoia Valley is a small town. It’s hard to get that lost. There are only three main roads,” I challenge, placing my hands on my hips.
“You’d think so, but when I tried to get to my cabin from Millie’s Steakhouse my first week in town, I ended up near the Jasper Ridge Canyon.”
I let out a sharp laugh. “That’s about forty-five minutes in the opposite direction.”
“Believe me, I know.” He face-palms. “Gemma and Tim wouldn’t let me forget about it for months. I still have no idea how I managed to end up there.”
“Didn’t you notice you’d been driving for more than ten minutes?”
“No. I got distracted by my music,” he says. “The, um, same thing happened a couple days later.” His cheeks flush. “Instead of going to Lake Wakahanra, I ended up in Fresno.”
I laugh even harder. Fresno’s threehoursout of the way. “I guess that means I’m in charge of the navigation.”
“It would be for the best,” he admits.
“I can relate to getting lost in what you’re doing.” We turn the corner and head past a large open square where vendors are beginning to set up their market stalls. “When I’m in vet mode, I’m fully focused on my patient. Nothing else matters but me being able to give them the best possible care I can.”
“That’s what makes you an excellent doctor.”
I dry cough. “Maybe and maybe not. Working slower means I can’t see as many patients in a day as other clinics. When Dylan was around, it didn’t matter as much since he worked twice as fast. Even though he made a few mistakes, his patient load made up for mine. Going forward, I’ll have to learn to pick up my pace.”
It stings a little knowing I won’t be able to be as thorough as I’d like. I don’t want to miss any important symptoms my patients might have. The littlest thing like losing some hair might make a big difference. Especially since animals can’t speak. Well, not counting parrots and other species of birds that can mimic and repeat human words.
Fernando cocks his head to the side. “Why do you have to work quicker? I would think a lot of people would appreciate you really taking the time to listen to them and understand their concerns.”
“They would, except less people means less revenue. And my bills won’t stop just because there’s one less vet.” We slow our pace as we ascend a hill. My breathing increases. I can’t believe I’m sharing this with him. I haven’t really admitted my problems to anyone, although I’m sure Vicki has an inkling. “I could raise my prices, but vet care is already expensive enough.”
“I see.”
“This stays strictly between us, but when Dylan announced he was leaving, many of our female clientele left too.”
Fernando stops for a moment. “I’m sorry?”
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. We used to have a lot of clients who came only to see Dylan.”
“He wasn’tthatgood-looking,” Fernando mutters under his breath. “Some people are so shallow.”
“I take it you have some personal experience with flirtatious women?”
He grimaces, and a dark look passes over his face. “More than you know.”
I think back to how polite he was with Vicki and remember howhe couldn’t wait to get out of the practice as soon as he was done with the clinic because of her. What happened in his past?
We start walking again. Fernando returns the subject to me. “It sounds like we need to find you some more clients.”
“That’s always the goal.” I rub the back of my neck. “It was a major stressor before the vacation. I’m trying to block it out now, but it’s still in the back of my mind. I’ll have to come up with a really good marketing strategy. I have my sister to help, but compared to the Lake Wakahanra Animal Clinic, my advertising budget is pennies.” And they have a few very handsome male vets I also can’t compete against.
