me on a cruise.” She sounded excited even though we both knew that the chances of it actually happening were slim.
“How are you going to do that? You know Dad doesn’t like to leave his patients, especially during the holidays.”
“Well, Miss Smarty-Pants,” she started, “I’ve been talking with the pet hospital so that we can work on recommending our patients to one another. A symbiotic partnership that serves us both. If we go on a vacation, our patients can go to the hospital if they have an emergency. Your father is not supposed to be on call twenty-four hours a day. No other vet clinic does that.”
I knew all of this. It was the one point of contention in my parents’ relationship. The fact that my father worked way too hard and cared way too much. He would forgo anything for himself if it meant that his patients were in good hands—aka his own.
“I think it’s a good idea. If you need any help convincing Dad, I’m in.”
“I knew I could count on you. Your sister agreed too. I’ve already started secretly plotting,” she said, whispering again.
I wondered what she was up to. “What have you been doing?”
“Telling the patients that if it’s after hours, they should call the hospital instead of your father. That they’re already up and running and equipped to handle any emergency. I even had your sister update the website.”
“And Dad has no idea?” I asked because once he found out, he was going to be pissed.
“Not yet, but he is getting suspicious, I think. He keeps complaining about how quiet it’s been at night lately with no phone calls.”
“Hmm,” I said because my dad was smarter than that. “Careful, Mom. You’re gonna get caught.”
“Hush. Don’t put that out in the universe. Think about my Mexico cruise instead.”
Another crash in the background, followed by a howl and incessant barking, let me know what was coming next.
“Sunny, gotta go.”
And just like that, the call ended. I laughed, shaking my head to no one but myself as I thought about how crazy my mom was but how much I loved her. I hoped that when my dad found out what she had been doing, he wouldn’t be too upset with her and would understand that she was only looking out for him and the clinic’s best interests. Eventually, he’d have to stop being on call anyway. It wasn’t realistic, long-term.
Opening the Calendar app in my phone, I set a reminder to myself to call Danika and talk about the possibility of having Thanksgiving together. Obviously, the no boys rule would be thrown out the window, but maybe Mac and I would be in a good enough place that we could go see them together. I felt my cheeks flush at the idea and how badly I wanted it to happen.
*
I wanted to head over to the campus bookstore and look at all of their stuff. I’d never ended up checking it out that one time because I ran into Mac when I was trying to avoid him. After a quick shower, I tossed my silver hair into a messy bun and headed out my front door, slamming it way too hard instead of simply closing it like a normal person.
Rocky instantly appeared in the hallway. “Didn’t your mama ever teach you how to close doors?” she chastised.
“What if I said no?” I questioned, and she smiled. At least, I thought it was a smile.
“Where are you off to? Is that hot baseball player still in there?” She gave a nod toward my now-closed door.
“You think Mac’s hot?” I asked, assuming that someone like Mac wouldn’t even be on someone like Rocky’s hot-boy radar. He didn’t seem like her type.
“For a jock,” she explained, “but I’m not interested, so don’t worry.”
Laughing, I finished locking the dead bolt and met her in the middle between our respective apartments. “I’m going to campus. I want some stuff from the bookstore, and they’re having a sale. They have cute clothes sometimes.”
Her nose crinkled, and I noticed a small stud piercing that I hadn’t seen last night.
“Cute clothes?”
“You know, like Fullton State sweatshirts and hoodies. Pens and pencils with the school name on it. Little notebooks and stickers,” I continued explaining, but her face only grew more confused. “I have school spirit, okay?”
“Uh-huh. Someone has to make sure you don’t buy all the Fullton State Baseball shirts. I’m coming with you,” she informed me, like I didn’t have a choice in the matter,