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“It would bring a few jobs to the island too,” he said. “They’d need staff.”
“Staff that is hard to find,” someone else on the board said. He didn’t know their name either and knew he should as he’d worked on the guy’s car not that long ago.
The names of auto parts stuck in his brain more than names with faces.
“It is,” Carter said. “But we won’t know until we try. Maybe there are some businesses on the island that can offer services free or at a discount. Even residents to help get things cleaned up or fixed at the clinic. I’ll offer my time. I’m sure I can talk some of my family members into it.”
“With the last name of Bond they should be throwing money at it at the very least,” someone in the room said. He didn’t bother to look around. There were always going to be people who thought the Bonds should pay for everything.
He wasn’t one of those people and it could be because he didn’t have that kind of money to his name, but he wasn’t doing badly either.
“We’ll put it on the list,” Mason said. “And we’ll see what we can do. Who is up next?”
Carter left after that. No reason to stick around any longer. He said what he needed to say, and if nothing got done, he’d try another approach.
The small clinic wasn’t that far from a home that Bond Realty owned. Maybe he’d see if Drew or Bode would consider helping if the place would be available. Which would be the bigger long shot.
When he got home, Dopey was waiting for him, his big body moving slowly from room to room. Dopey was only four. Not really old. Just lazy.
Carter sat on the couch, Dopey moving over and sitting on the floor so that his big furry head was resting under Carter’s hand for his nightly pet.
“I tried, Dopey,” he said. “We’ll see if it gets us anywhere.”
Dopey barked once. His dog hated the ferry almost as much as Carter hated to get him on it.
He picked up the remote to find the baseball game and kill some time before he went to bed. His phone rang five minutes later and he saw it was his father.
“How did it go?” Joe Bond asked.
“About how I expected. They are going to look into it. I thought maybe I’d see if Drew or Bode would be willing to rent a place they’ve got close by if it’s available. We need to get a vet here full time.”
“We do,” his father said. “I’ve said it for years, but it’s hard to find the right person.”
“The clinic could be cleaned up nice. I’ll put some sweat labor into it. I know I can get a few others to do it.”
“I’ll help out,” his father said. “Your mother is talking about wanting another cat. But going back and forth to the mainland for appointments isn’t easy. You know that. I’m sure that is what pushed this with your new pup coming.”
“It was,” he said. “Or is. But it’s a great need on the island and you know it.”
“I’ve known it for years. Your mother is proud of you for speaking up. She knows how hard that is for you.”
Carter was the quiet one of his siblings. Grayson was only a year younger than him and much more vocal. Their baby sister, Natalie, worked for The Retreat and he’d consider her average as being sociable went. Not quiet but not loud either.
“Someone had to do it and it might as well be me,” he said. “Everyone knows about Dopey.”
“It’s hard not to know about your dog. What do you think Dopey is going to do when the new puppy gets there soon?”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. I got a girl, as I read it’s better to do opposite sexes.”
“Do you have a name picked out yet?”
“I’ll know when I pick her up,” he said.
“I’ll let you go watch the Sox beat the Yankees.”
“Sounds like the best part of my night,” he said and hung up. He’d call his cousins another night. No reason to bother if he couldn’t get the town board to even listen to his suggestions.
If that didn’t work, he’d have to figure out another plan.
