vibes Journey and I were putting out. I bulged my eyes at her and hoped she understood that to mean, don’t embarrass me. After a little huff, she inclined her head. Luckily, Journey didn’t seem to notice our wordless exchange.
I pointed at his tiny dog, who was wearing a black shirt that read Security. She’d been Pumpkin, Scooter, and Peanut in the past two weeks, and I was almost afraid to ask what name he’d landed on now. “So?”
“Fifi,” he said promptly. “That’s Fifi LaRue to you peasants.”
I chuckled. “For God’s sake, will you settle on a name already?”
His phone rang and he glanced at the screen before letting out a groan. “I gotta go. If His Majesty has to wait over one minute, he has a complete meltdown.” He put his phone on the counter to let Fifi down and then spent a few seconds adjusting her harness. “I’m stopping by Laura’s bakery on the way home. Want me to get you something sweet?”
My ears burned. We both knew what kind of “something sweet” I’d like, and it wasn’t baked goods. “Yeah.”
He grinned cheekily because that’s what you do when you’re a walking temptation. “See ya tonight.”
I knew better than to think Bailey would let any of that go. Sure enough, the door had barely swung shut when she cleared her throat. I pretended to be busy looking at my next patient’s chart. She cleared her throat again.
I was about to offer her some Robitussin when she finally gave up on being subtle. “That was certainly interesting.”
“Was it?”
“Indeed. Of course, I’ve heard talk about your little nightly walks in the park, but I just assumed that was the town rumor mill working overtime. Now that I’ve seen you two together, I guess Gertie from the dry cleaner was right, and Madge owes her ten bucks.”
I sighed. “You people need a hobby.”
“I don’t see you denying it.”
“What would be the point? Clearly, the National Enquirer already has the story and the pictures.”
“So give me the details,” she said eagerly as Kona bumped her head against my leg and tried to jump up on me.
“There are no details,” I said exasperatedly, pushing Kona back down on the floor with a firm reprimand. She gave me the saddest face she could muster, which worked to make me feel monster-like. I reminded myself it was for her own good. “We’re just friends.”
“Just friends,” she repeated.
“That’s right.” A bit of tan caught my eye, and I watched Mr. Pickles pick his way down the counter on quiet paws. I hoped he was in one of his I’m About to Knock All This Shit Off This Desk moods.
“Just friends who walk their dogs together every night.”
“That’s correct.”
“And just friends who bring one another lunch and desserts.”
I eyeballed her smug face. “Is there a point to you reiterating everything we already know?”
“No, I just wanted to talk about your Victorian dates of chaste walks through the park.” She smiled innocently. “Four more years, and you might be ready to hold his hand.”
I gritted my teeth. “Nothing is going to happen with him. That I can promise you.”
Her face fell as she dropped her teasing tone. “Cam, I know there’s a history there that makes things difficult. But pretending something isn’t happening between you isn’t doing you any good.”
“We already tried it once,” I finally said. “It didn’t work out.”
“Yeah, and you were both in your early twenties. I tried a lot of things in my early twenties that didn’t work.”
Yeah, I’d seen the photographic evidence. “Bangs,” I muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly.
She narrowed her eyes. “My point is that you’re not the same person you were back then, and neither is he.” When I didn’t respond, she went on. “You think ignoring how you feel about him is going to make it go away?”
“I’m not pining over Journey, for crying out loud.” I took the intake form of the next patient, a cockatoo named Gary. “But I’m looking for something different this time around, if that’s all right with you. Someone older. Someone more—”
“Boring.”
“Settled,” I continued doggedly. “Someone ready for—”
“Death,” she volunteered cheerily.
“Commitment.” I glared. “Remind me why I don’t fire you again?”
“Because I’m efficient as hell, and I work for peanuts. You’re still in love with him,” she said. “Admit it.”
“I am not. He’s the absolute last thing I need in my life.”
Her eyes widened, presumably from the vehemence of my words. Granted, I was harsher than I should’ve been, maybe because I didn’t want to