“Well, I’m sure things will figure themselves out, and tonight will be great.” He gave me a lingering kiss on the cheek as he squeezed my waist. Then, he turned to Joe and Will, the other two groomsmen.
“Gentlemen,” he said in a cheerful voice, “looks like we need to go find our groom.”
Will’s face was drawn and stubble dotted his jaw, as if he hadn’t slept in some time, but Joe was freshly shaven and smiling. Joe put down his champagne glass while Will refilled his to the brim, and then the three of them started toward the door, Charlie giving me one last longing look before he trailed behind them.
With a sigh, I made my way back to Lacy.
EIGHT
“I’m on duty this weekend, so don’t worry about a thing,” I heard Savilla say to Lacy as I approached. She’d brought the two of us piping-hot hot toddies. The cups had Anton’s and Lacy’s names and their wedding date scrawled in a cursive font across the front. “I had these made for this weekend, and when I realized how hard it is to heat the Carriage House, I decided to offer hot drinks too.”
I set aside our champagne in favor of the warm mug and gave Savilla a grateful nod, pleased that our combined efforts were keeping Lacy’s face from showing signs of her earlier distress.
“This place is transformed.” I smiled, turning to Savilla. “I’m really impressed with what you’ve done with it.”
“Who knew that a dusty old garage had so much potential?” Savilla surveyed her handiwork proudly and then she pointed above us. “I’m thinking about turning the storage space up there into a loft apartment. And it would be the perfect size for a gal who wants her space but also wants to live near her sister.”
She gave me a fixed smile, and I laughed. Savilla’s hints about me moving “back home” were no longer subtle. Every other day she texted me an article about thriving businesses in small towns, about the need for veterinarians in rural areas, and the best parts of country living. Though at first I’d struggled with the idea thatSavilla and I could possibly be related, my sister had definitely become a part of my daily life with her random texts about updates at The Rose and her FaceTimes, which kept me up-to-date on town gossip.
“I haven’t decided yet,” I said, hoping to keep this conversation from becoming about me. “But I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Can’t you see turning this into the cutest little veterinarian office ever?” Savilla asked Lacy, looking around. “This could be the lobby where owners drink coffee and chat with other animal lovers while their pets have their”—Savilla struggled to find the word and waved her fingers vaguely toward the wall—“their surgimacal things Dakota does to make their furry little lives better.”
Lacy glanced at me with a half-smile. She’d come to appreciate Savilla’s unique phrasing as much as I had.
“Didn’t you just have this space upgraded for parties?” I asked, as I took in the plush seats gathered into little clusters.
“No, silly. I had it upgraded for you,” Savilla said, staring at me as if this should be obvious. “For your thriving practice.”
“You think horses and puppies need room for coffee and conversation?”
“No, but their owners do.” Savilla chuckled. “I took an unofficial poll of at least a hundred residents. They would love a practice here. Imagine: they relax and catch up while they wait for Rover and Spot to get their shots. Or they read a book while their horse gets their annual check-up. People would pay a premium for that kind of service from one of their very own.”
I laughed, marveling at how Savilla could conjure realities out of thin air. She was the perfect person to run the Rose Palace.
“We could build three enclosed exam rooms along that far wall, and over there we could put a small surgical space,” Savilla continued, her eyes glistening in the light as she visualized the possibilities. “And now you have plenty of resources to hire techs and assistants—ooooh, and in a year or two you could bring on another doctor.”
I tried to see what Savilla had described. I’d always planned tobe a small-town vet, but that was when I hadn’t known there could be more, that I could work with some of the finest animal doctors in the nation, learning specialized procedures on creatures of every size. The only problem was that this opportunity was far from Aunt DeeDee, Lacy, Charlie, and Savilla. Was I willing to sacrifice home-cooked meals, coffee runs, late-night movies, and dinners out with them for a chance at a bigger life? The question made my heart beat faster, and I noticed I was gripping my mug tightly.
My sister, misreading my angst, made a pouty face. “Or you could move across the country and sell out to… I don’t know… to the big vet.”
I raised my eyebrows at my sister’s abrupt change in tone as well as her use of “big vet.” I was about to tell her all the ways she was misrepresenting the San Diego fellowship when Lacy caught our eyes and lifted her chin to silence us.
“Or,” Lacy interjected, trying to mediate, “we could let Dakota make her own decisions.”
It was generous of Lacy to take this approach since I knew that she too wanted me back here in Aubergine with her.
Savilla stepped closer and threw an arm around my shoulder, squeezing me tight. I could hear the hint of tears in her voice as she said, “I know, I know. It’s just… I only found out about you. I don’t want to lose you so soon.”
“Whatever happens, you won’t lose me,” I reassured her. “We’re blood.”
At that moment Jemma joined us, swigging back a glass of champagne. “Hey, bitches, what naughtiness are we getting into tonight?” She was already tipsy, and though it was definitely amusing, we had a whole night ahead. She needed to slow down.
“Have you had anything to eat? Or water?”
Jemma narrowed her eyes at me. “I thought this was a party, Mommy dearest.”
I shook my head as I laughed lightly. Jemma would be a good distraction from all the family nonsense if nothingelse.
