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His mouth twisted into an exaggerated scowl as he shifted his eyes in my direction.
“Yeah, for what?”
I have no idea where this is coming from, but the ticking muscle in his jaw is a clear indication that he’s not just being grumpy. He’s really upset.
“I was at the start of a big opportunity.” I ignored his answering snort. “And sticking with it has really paid off.”
“It’s paid off, huh?”
“Yeah, it has,” I said.
“How do you figure that?”
I stared at him for several heartbeats, eyes wide.
“I’m a high-level executive at a major corporation,” I finally said, in a surprisingly calm tone. “I’ve lived in places I never thought I’d visit, travelled all over the world, and made more money than I’ve ever dreamed.”
My monthly salary is probably close to what he makes in a year, but I didn’t say that. And he didn’t say anything for the rest of the drive. I figured the conversation was over, but after we pulled into the driveway, he shifted the truck into park, turned off the ignition, and turned to face me.
“So you make the big bucks, but from what I can see, money is all you have.” He rested his elbow on the steering wheel and punctuated each sentence with the keys dangling from his index finger. “You haven’t set down roots anywhere. You have a lot of co-workers, but no real friends. And you think that a phone call once a week is how family stays connected.”
In the last few years, it’s been a video call, but that probably doesn’t make much of a difference to him.
“You’re just going to leave again, so don’t start anything you don’t plan on finishing. It’s not fair and she doesn’t deserve to be treated like that. None of us do.”
That said, he opened his door and got out of the truck. I watched him walk onto the porch and disappear inside the house.
When he started the conversation, there was a lot I wanted to say, but none of it matters now. That thought just left my head when I heard Summer’s car pull in her driveway. I watched as she let Thea out of the back seat, opened the gate, and walked into the yard. She sat on the porch steps while Thea sniffed around the yard and finally went to the bathroom.
I’ve been basically stalking her for days, but now that she’s in front of me, I stayed in the truck until they went inside the house. Because my father is right. As much as I’d like to explore things with Summer, the fact is, I’m leaving once Andrew’s shoulder is healed. And even if I came back to visit this time, it’s not fair to her.
CHAPTER6
Summer
I clickeda red bowtie into place and stood back to admire my handiwork.
“You look so handsome”
Oreo wagged his tail and rubbed his head against my hand. He’s a sweet a black and white Jack Russell Terrier mix who always looks like he’s having a bad hair day. Stella Harper, groomer extraordinaire, trimmed his hair short so he looks a little more polished.
I’m spending my Friday night at the Seaside Animal Rescue, getting ready for the festival tomorrow. There’s a crew in the kitchen making dog treats to sell and I’ve been helping Stella get the animals we’ll be bringing gussied up in the makeshift grooming area in the basement.
“If I didn’t already have two dogs and three cats, I’d adopt him,” Stella said as she pet Oreo’s head. “But Billy would probably divorce me if I brought another animal home.”
“I’m sure we’ll find him a good home. He’s a good boy.” Oreo wagged his tail as I uttered that last sentence. “You know you’re a good boy, don’t you?”
I scooped him off the table and kissed his head before setting him down on the floor. Being groomed isn’t his favorite thing, so once I set him loose, he ran to the other side of the room to escape us.
“Who’s next?” I asked Stella.
“Oreo was the last,” she said.
“That wasn’t too bad.” I chuckled. “Although you did all the work. I just stood there.”
“As a vet, you know how much of a help having someonejust standing thereis. You kept them calm and happy.”
Once we cleaned up, we headed upstairs to help bag dog treats. Nora is an amazing director and over the years has come up with unique ideas for raising money for the rescue. One of the most popular is the dog treats. She sells them twice a year…just before Christmas and at the Seaside Festival.
