Vet? That word sends a pulse of anxiety through my chest. I guide her away from the bustling hallway, leading her into a quieter corner.
“What happened, Millie?”
“Well…” She’s wringing her hands so tightly now, her knuckles are turning white. “Fergie kind of has… a crush on me.”
I blink. “We knew that already.”
“No, Callum.” Her hand finds my forearm, and her eyes stretch wide with urgency. “He regurgitated for me. You know what that means, right?”
“Och. I completely forgot about that. Hasn’t tried that in ages with me.” I suppress my grin. “Sorry about that. I guess a half-digested wad of broccoli isn’t your idea of a romantic gift, huh?”
She laughs, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. “I’m more of a carrot girl.”
“Noted.” A chuckle escapes me. “Don’t worry. It’s normal. Gross, but normal. Just ignore him or distract him with a toy next time. He’ll get the message.”
“That’s what the vet said too,” she sighs, glancing toward the window.
“So, you called the vet for this, eh? At least now I know you take this pet-sitting gig seriously.”
“I panicked, okay?” She groans, though a half-laugh breaks out. “I thought maybe he’d eaten something he shouldn’t. I tried the vet you listed, but it was after hours, and they only take emergencies. He looked fine, so I tried not to overreact.But I found the forum from the shelter in Fergie’s folder and joined the chat. A vet named Evan explained the whole, um… courtship thing.”
I stare back at her, my brow furrowed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’m glad you got some help. You know, you could have just called me.”
“I didn’t want to bother you. It was late already, way after the game.”
“I was probably awake. After running like a maniac for an hour and a half, it’s hard to go straight to bed.”
She grimaces. “Makes sense. Anyway, I made sure it really was courtship behaviour and not anything more serious. I checked on him a few times throughout the night and this morning, and he’s fine.”
My heart clenches. “Did you sleep at all?”
“Not really. I wanted to make sure he was okay, and then I ended up going down a rabbit hole of parrot videos. Fascinating creatures, and extremely entertaining. I stumbled on this adorable quaker parrot. Her name is Auggie, and she dances while singing a song called ‘Bacon Pancakes.’ I was hooked and watched every single video,” she says with a little laugh.
“Oh, careful. Fergie will be jealous,” I tease.
“What can I say? I needed to relax after that stressful incident.”
“I thought you were going to take a bath,” I say, heat creeping up my neck.
Her cheeks flush. “I did. Well, Iwastaking a bath in your giant tub when Fergie started screaming for me. And then, well, romantic broccoli.”
I swallow hard at the thought of Millie taking a bath in my room and do everything I can to chase it away, replacing it with an image of Fergie regurgitating. “Sorry he ruined it for you. Unfortunately, that’s one of his signature moves.”
“It’s okay. I’ll take a rain check.” She smiles, and something warm flickers in my chest.
Fergie regurgitating. Fergie regurgitating.
“Anyway, all is fine, but I wanted you to know.”
“Thanks for watching him. He’s a handful.” I raise my eyebrows. “Case in point.”
“My pleasure.” She beams. “Oh, I almost forgot. Let me show you the video I took of him yesterday during the game. I think it might be fun to show your followers how invested in football Fergie is.”
“You want me to post a video of him heckling, eh?”
She laughs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “It wasn’t that bad, but yeah, it is kind of fun.”
“Sure, why not?”
