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“Can you take Nigel?” she asked Annie.
“Sure.” Annie cradled the cat in her arms.
“This way,” Dusty said, and led Annie up the narrow sidewalk and into the house.
Straight out of House Beautiful. Annie widened her eyes as she took in the elegant surroundings. Jade marble tile graced the entryway. Off to the right was a large living room with maple hardwood floors and a deep red plush oriental rug. A black lacquer grand piano stood in the corner, flanked by a black-and-crimson satin sofa and two wingback chairs. Mahogany coffee and end tables completed the picture.
Annie hoped they wouldn’t sit in there. She was afraid she’d tarnish the perfection of the room.
Dusty led her to a different room. A rustic, cozy family area in the back of the house. Hardwood floors again, but this time with brown leather furniture and a bear skin rug next to a cozy hearth. Annie winced a little at the bear skin. She didn’t like animal trophies.
“It’s fake,” Dusty said.
“Oh, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay. You’re a vet. You wouldn’t be a vet if you didn’t love animals. I’m the same way.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I always want
ed to be a vet, but I wasn’t able to finish college due to…circumstances.”
“Have you considered going back and finishing now?” Annie asked. “You seem to know a lot about animals. Most people wouldn’t have suspected a bowel obstruction with Nigel today.”
“I was never able to swing it,” Dusty said. “Then I met Zach and had Sean, and I don’t really have any desire to go back to school now.”
“I understand,” Annie said, and she did. A child and husband to love meant everything.
“I wanted to get rid of the rug,” Dusty continued, pointing to the bearskin. “Even a fake one bothers me a bit. But Zach wouldn’t hear of it. It was his father’s.”
“I see.”
“You get used to it after a while. Seanie loves to sit on it. It’s really soft. Here, feel.”
Annie smiled. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“I understand.” Dusty smiled, her brown eyes crinkling. “Would you like something to drink? We’re having spaghetti, so red wine would be nice.”
Annie inhaled deeply. “I smelled the sauce when we walked in. I love Italian. I am Italian, actually.”
“I thought so, from your last name.” Dusty smiled. “Maybe you can give Seraphina some pointers.”
“Seraphina is…”
“Our housekeeper,” Dusty said. “But she loves to cook so she does a lot of that as well. Zach wanted to hire a full-time cook but I said no. I love Seraphina’s cooking, and when she doesn’t cook, I do.”
“That’s nice,” Annie said. What else could she say? Having the kind of money to hire not only a housekeeper but also a full-time cook was a completely foreign concept to her. “But I don’t think she needs any pointers. It smells wonderful.”
“You’ll love it. So what do you want to drink?”
Before Annie could answer, two men walked in the back door, rustling their jackets and stomping on the mat.
“Where are you, darlin’?” one of them called.
“We’re in here, Zach,” Dusty said. “I brought company for dinner.”
“So did I,” the man said.
