Sue me. There’s a lot riding on this.
Dr. Ezzie pushes her glasses up her nose. She sighs and takes a sip of her coffee. Lately, I notice she’s running on extra caffeine and fumes of kindness.
Not healthy. Especially for a lady who used to skip out on her midday lunch breaks to jog two miles.
When she said she needed to take a break and focus on other priorities, she wasn’t kidding.
Which is exactly why I need to convince her I’m the miracle she’s been waiting for.
“I hate to ask, but you’re being absolutely serious, Lena?” She fixes me with a stare so intense it worries me.
“Serious as the grave, Doc.”
“You have the money? In your bank account? Or is this contingent on selling something else—”
“I do. All liquid cash.” I smile. “I had a bit of a windfall recently. It’s a long story, but the point is, I’m loaded.”
That gets me a tired laugh as she sits back and clasps her hands. I can’t blame her for being skeptical.
I’m the girl who had to ask her two or three times over the years to advance my pay early just to make rent when I had a nasty, unexpected car repair or major plumbing work.
“And you’re prepared to take on Pawsome Hearts as is? With all its known issues? With its debts and liabilities?” Her large brown eyes seem duller and bleaker than ever, like she’s begging me to walk away while I can. “Tell me you have a cash cushion beyond the asking price. This place will eat you up fast if you don’t, and I’d never forgive myself if I let you get in over your head.”
Yes, I planned for that.
“Doc, relax. How many times have you told me I’m a stubborn badass? You know I’m prepared to dig in my heels and fight like hell for this clinic.” I lean forward, resting my elbows on the desk—for once, there’s a patch of bare wood for me to lean on. “I mean it. Everything Ihave is going into the Pawsome engine. I even brought along a written proposal.”
I reach into my tote bag and dig around for an embarrassing minute before I free the folder with the pages I printed off this morning.
I thunk it down on her desk with a grin. “It’s all there. You can comb through my financials with a grooming brush.”
“My, you are prepared,” she murmurs cheerfully as she flicks it open.
“I want this. Badly. I won’t let our clients down, or you, Doc.”
Her eyes swell with empathy. “You certainly have the gumption, and I believe you have the money. Of course, you know you’ll need another vet to—”
“Already on it. I’ve started looking, and I have a couple prospects for a partner. We’re meeting later this week.” I’m practically fizzing in my seat.
Is it bad that I’m obsessed with my work when ninety percent of my social life consists of a fake relationship?
Even if I didn’t love animals more than my next breath, I’d need a distraction from those kisses that shouldn’t keep happening.
Brady won’t leave my brain. Not even when I’m here, negotiating the biggest win of my life.
“Give me some time,” Dr. Ezzie says gently. “Frankly, I didn’t expect to have competing offers. Yours is a nice surprise, to put it mildly.”
“No rush. I’m just glad to have a chance. I’m going to make this work, Dr. Ezzie,” I assure her.
Her smile looks worn but genuine. “If the financials didn’t matter, Lena, I’d hand you the keys tomorrow.”
It’s pretty late by the time I get home.
My feet ache like usual, and I smell like wet dog meets fishy canned cat food. It’s been one of those days where the long shower will be mandatory.
But first, hot drink or microwave dinner?
No one ever said I’m a good cook.
