My face eases into a grin. “It never crossed my mind that a vet would actually own a dog.”
Abby laughs. “Yeah, and he is everything to me. Needs a walk before he passes out in my bed for the night. And it’s okay, I didn’t drink too much so I can drive.”
I make a mental note that this dog may be a potential cockblocker if I ever go down this road with Abby. Because right now, I’m not disappointed that she doesn’t stay. Which makes me almost certifiably insane. I’m at a place in my life where I should only want a quick hook-up, a little rebound fun to welcome me back into singlehood. She seems up for that, and maybe we’re meant to be each other’s rebound fun to bounce into post-divorced life.
Yet here I am happy that we didn’t get to that tonight. Maybe it’s because there’s good conversation to be had, understanding, history. She makes me smile. I recall how we said once maybe another time and place, a silly statement made by two young kids.
It dawns on me that maybe that time and place is the present. Not tonight, but the foreseeable future. That does something to me. It could entail lots of talking, dinners, and yes, hopefully lots of sex too—an abnormal amount of sex. It’s not like I’m about to head out and look for a new wedding ring, but I am just not convinced she’s the one to have a copious amounts of rebound sex with. She is more than that. A friend first, if anything.
My head has questions and thoughts shooting around my brain because I don’t know the protocol. Not as a soon-to-be divorcé. What is the next step? I don’t want to be alone forever, and while I wasn’t expecting to make any big changes now, something in me wants to move a step or two forward. I’m allowed to enjoy time with a woman, right?
6
ABBY
“He didn’t kiss me or ask me out. I know, crazy, right? He walked me to my car and gave me an innocent kiss on the cheek. But to be honest, I wouldn’t have known what to do anyhow. It’s been awhile…” I speak to my unconscious listener as I finish sewing the cat—who just had his sexual appetite destroyed—back up.
It’s been a few days since the hot tub night. It was good to talk to someone who understands the disintegration of a marriage, but I can’t help feeling that it was more than that.
Definitely curious. Over the years, I have followed Lucas on social media and heard updates from my folks. I was always… curious. In a “jump when you hear his name” kind of way.
This is insane. Am I still harboring a teenage crush as a thirty-something-year-old?
I need to get a grip.
Walking down the hall and looking over the chart, I sign off and give it to reception to put in the system. Grabbing my coat off the coat rack, I inform Penny, the receptionist, that I will be back in a bit. Need to get a strong coffee and not the weak stuff from our little break room.
A short walk later, I find myself at Smokey Java’s to grab a coffee. The barista in the quaint bakery and coffee shop fills my recyclable to-go cup, and I find a table to enjoy my coffee without the sound of animal noises in the background. Sitting, I debate if I should indulge in a brownie or red velvet cupcake.
The clearing of a throat brings me back to my surroundings.
“Tough day at the clinic, Dr. Call?”
My face forms a smile as Lucas slides into the chair across from me. “Can’t complain. And you, Dr. Kade?”
He drinks from his to-go cup. “It’s okay. The usual aches and pains. We really keep running into each other.” The corners of his mouth quirk.
“So it seems.” A thought comes to me. “As a family doctor, you basically see all ages, right?”
He nods as he grabs a packet of sugar. “Yeah. A general doctor, some people call it. I thought about specializing in pediatrics, but I like having the variety. Being an ER doc on call all the time wasn’t my idea of fun either. And you? All animals?”
“Just family pets, I guess. The occasional farm animal too. Actually, I delivered a calf the other week which was cool and messy as hell.”
“We might need to start comparing stories of who’s had a more gruesome day at the office.”
I can’t help but smile as I’m enjoying this flow of conversation. “You keep planning on stalking me then?”
His dimple appears, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he pierces me with his gaze, eyes smoldering.
After a few moments, I’m nervous where this conversation can go or maybe that it will end all together.
Fleeing seems like the best option, so I stand. “Well, I should go. Have a parrot to see. I guess see you–”
He grabs my arm to stop me from walking away and there is a fluttering sensation across my chest.
“Wait. I’m happy that I ran into youagain. Can you sit down for a sec?”
I sit down again without hesitation.
