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“I hope everyone gets adopted,” Maggie said. “The month after Christmas and people are already surrendering their unwanted puppy and kitten Christmas gifts. I wish it was illegal to give living things as gifts.”
“I agree. Something else to fight for,” Justin replied, threading his arm around her shoulders. “We have our share of causes, don’t we?”
“We do. I think this is what my father used to call getting a life. Ours is pretty well balanced, between our jobs and the animals and the holidays.”
“Is this where you think a barn would go?” he asked.
They’d reached the cottage, and a large, clear space to the east of it, within sight but not obstructing its views. Maggie glanced around the area, noting the back of the cottage with the small terrace of reclaimed bricks from the former, larger terrace that had once covered the backyard.
“This would be a perfect location. Justin, I just had an epiphany.”
“Yep?”
“You could open up a clinic back here.”
“You’d put up with that?”
“It was my idea, now wasn’t it?” she asked, grinning at him. “The people here around the cove are always complaining about having to travel so far to see the vet. But that’s not the only thing. It might push you to hire another doctor.”
“I’m not sure I have enough business to support two docs,” he said. “Now if I could just con Grace into coming out of retirement for a few hours a week…”
Grace was Gus’s retired veterinarian wife.
“That would be perfect. Well, anyway, it’s just a thought. I figure that if you’re building a barn for Spooky, you might as well think ahead and add a space for a small clinic. Just a satellite, not a full one with a surgery and everything like what you have at Chastain Clinic.”
“Okay, well, we’ll think about it for sure. What I’m thinking about right now is how I got so lucky.”
“Why are you lucky?” she asked, pulling him toward the cottage.
“Because of this. You. Everything.”
“I’m the lucky one. If you hadn’t come along on Spooky that first day I was here, I’d be alone, probably still grieving for a marriage that should never have happened. It brings me great joy to think Russ’s money will build my boyfriend’s veterinary clinic.”
“Ha! I’ll pay for the barn, my love,” he said, grabbing her in a bear hug. “Do you know what I’m most excited about?”
“What’s that?”
“Having something to focus on during Lent.”
“Ah! So you give up something?” she asked, skeptical.
“Of course! It’s Lent. This is for real in Cypress Cove,” he said, grinning down at her. “You know how serious we are about all that down here.”
“I’m learning real quick,” she said. “So what do you give up?”
“God, I hate to ever put it into words, it’s so painful and so difficult.”
“Sugar?”
“Yes. But that’s not all.”
Maggie laughed out loud. “No way!”
“Yep. Alcohol. It’s kind of my yearly cleanse.”
“So that’s why you’ve been drinking like it’s the last supper for the past month.”
“Pretty much. My liver is going to rejoice on Ash Wednesday.”
