She nodded. “Mind if we say hello?”
“I’m the social butterfly between us, remember?” I said, nudging her forward. “I’d love to meet your friends.”
We crossed the room, and Taylor introduced me to Brendan and Elsie, who seemed thrilled that she’d brought a date to the bar tonight. We dragged over two chairs to join them and spent the next several hours drinking cider and sharing lively conversation. It was one of the best nights I’d had since arriving in Vermont. There were few things I loved more than a night out on the town with friends, and to do it with Taylor made it that much more special.
As we left later that evening, I hooked my arm through Taylor’s. “I had so much fun tonight.”
“Me too,” she said, giving me an easy smile.
“We should do it again.” This was the first time we’d ever hung out together as a couple in a social setting, and I liked it so much.
“Actually,” she said as she clicked the lock on her SUV. Its lights flashed, and we each climbed into our respective seats. “My cousin Steven is getting married in a few weeks, and I still need a date. My whole family will be there, and I know they’d love to see you. Want to come with me?”
“As your date?” My breath caught in my throat.
“Or as my friend,” she said as she started the car. “It’s just a casual wedding at one of the county parks. We’ll have a barbeque and dancing in the picnic shelter.”
“This feels like a big deal.” I pressed a hand against my chest. Sure, Taylor’s family had always liked me, but they knew me as her friend, not her lover. To attend her cousin’s wedding as her date made our relationship feel real in a way it hadn’t before.
“It’s just a casual thing,” she said, lips pinched as if she was already regretting her invitation. “A chance for you to catch up with my family.”
But whether she realized it yet or not, this would be a turning point in our relationship. She could pretend this was just a summer fling, but if I went to the wedding, I would be giving our relationship permanence by letting her family know it existed. I couldn’t go back to Boston this time and pretend it never happened, nor did I want to. Her family would want updates. They’d want to know what happened if I left town.
I took her hand. “I wouldloveto go as your wedding date.”
24
Taylor
Looking back, I should have seen a bump coming, because our first two weeks together had just beentooeasy. When my phone rang in the dark hours of the night, fear gripped my stomach before I’d even opened my eyes. No good news ever came at this hour. I fumbled for my phone, dislodging Minnie from where she lay pressed against me. Phoebe’s name gleamed on my screen.
“Phoebe?” I mumbled as I connected the call, my voice rough and scratchy from sleep. “Everything okay?”
“No,” she said, and her voice sounded too loud in my ear, almost like she was shouting. “Something’s wrong with Cherry. She’s listless and cold. I already called Dr. Thompson and left a message, but I don’t know what to do.”
I blew out a breath. This was bad, but it was nothing I hadn’t dealt with before. Foster pets had medical emergencies all the time, especially since they often came into the shelter from less-than-ideal situations. We did everything we could for every single one of them, and I grieved when one passed away, but I tried to keep an emotional distance, since they weren’t mine. If I got my heart broken every time one died, eventually it would drain my spirit.
“I’ve got Dr. Thompson’s home number,” I told Phoebe. “I’ll give her a call, and she’ll probably be able to meet us at her office, but if not, she’ll give me the number of the local vet who’s covering for her tonight. There are a few. In the meantime, I need you to get dressed and get that portable heating pad I gave you, the one that heats up in the microwave. Warm it up for Cherry, and then you can put her in a box with the heating pad for the ride to the vet. I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay,” she whispered, but I heard her voice tremble. She’d had a soft spot for Cherry ever since her dramatic entrance into the world, and this might be the first time Phoebe had dealt with a pet’s medical emergency. It could be terrifying. I knew that well. “Thanks for coming with me,” she said.
“Of course.” I told her. I could have just given her the vet’s info and asked her to call me with an update. That’s what I would have done for any of my other foster homes, but this was Phoebe, and she was important to me. Not to mention, she was an inexperienced first-time foster parent who I’d pushed into taking on a challenging case. “I’m going to hang up now so I can make those calls. You start getting ready, and I’ll call you right back.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Bye.”
I ended the call and dialed Dr. Thompson at home. It rang long enough that I thought it was going to go to voicemail, and then she picked up, sounding sleepy but alert. “Hello?”
“Hi, Dr. Thompson. It’s Taylor Donovan. Sorry to wake you, but I have an emergency with one of Violet’s puppies.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, now sounding wide awake.
“Phoebe says she’s listless and cold. It’s Cherry, the littlest puppy, the one who wasn’t breathing when she was born.”
“Right.” I could hear her jotting something down. “Her heart and lungs sounded good at her exam, but there may be something going on internally that I wasn’t aware of. Can you have Phoebe meet me at the clinic in thirty minutes?”
“Yes. Thank you so much. I’ll be there too.”
“I’ll see you then.” With a click, she was gone.
