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“Monday and Thursday sound like they could fit into my schedule if you want.”
She squeezed his fingers. “I do want it very much,” she said. She was being bolder than she had before, but damn it all. There were so many things going through her mind and one of them was that she did have to be happy so that Josie could see that too.
Josie needed to see what a nice normal relationship could be and maybe they both needed to have a man in their life.
15
Career Choices
“Very cute,” Carter said almost two weeks later. He was looking at Avery in her black “overalls”. More a jumpsuit in his eyes. Or whatever they were called.
It was soft cotton, short sleeve with a deep V neck, tied at the waist showing how tiny she was as the bottom flowed straight to the ground with wide legs. Other than the waist part it wasn’t showing much of her body.
But it was giving him a glimpse of some cleavage he hadn’t realized she’d had either and he was hoping it was on purpose. Guess her scrubs and other shirts hid that most times.
“I had to show you that it was okay to wear a one-piece outfit. Come in,” she said opening the door wider.
It’d taken almost two weeks for this date to happen. School started last week and Avery had been busy, and though he reached out on Wednesday, he didn’t want her to feel any pressure knowing life was starting to get crazier than normal for her.
He’d felt a little bad waiting the five days to text her, but she had his number too and hadn’t made the move.
Of course that had him thinking she wasn’t interested but had to remind himself she’d said she was. Maybe she moved as slowly as he did.
“How has your week been?” he asked. Betty was walking around the house and noticed him and came charging. He bent to pet the little fur ball that was smaller than one of his dog’s chew toys.
He’d been thrilled Doc was so gentle with the little dog and knew Dopey would be.
“Busy. Which is a good thing,” she said. “I’ve lost track of the number of people who have said they are thrilled to not take their pet on the ferry. Many brought your name up too.”
“Me?” he asked. “Why?”
“That you are the one who mentioned this at the town meeting and then came up with all the ideas for tax breaks and work on the building. Free rent. All sorts of things. Not sure. Laine didn’t go into details. I’m happy to be rent free for two years and have a great building that I don’t have to worry about. When Kendall talks about it being a dream come true, she has no idea what that is like.”
“No,” he said. “As a business owner, it’s huge. More so on this island.”
He knew the clinic was on the small side, but the land was big and there was another building in the back. There was always the hope that whoever came to the island would love it enough to buy the property or they’d pay rent to the town. Not his problem. He was thrilled it worked out the way it had.
“You’re lucky your business has been in the family for years. I’ve been told more than once how hard it is to find a property.”
“I had to buy the business off my father,” he said. “That’s how he could retire. I’ve got two siblings so it’s not like it could be given to me and I wouldn’t expect that.”
They all worked for what they had in their life. He had a business loan like anyone else would and then he added to that loan when he built the body shop next door.
His father worked hard his whole life and deserved to get the money for his business to retire. He’d never take that away and was thrilled that his mother stayed on to work. She wasn’t full time, but everything she did for him was worth her weight in gold and saved him from finding and training some staff.
“I didn’t mean that anything was given to you,” she said.
“I know. Just saying. Some people might think that. I’m doing well though it’s not the career some people would want.”
“You say that a lot, don’t you?” she said, picking up Betty. “You don’t need to justify your career choices to me.”
He frowned. “I didn’t know I was doing that. Just more like stating a fact.”
“I like you, Carter. My life is kind of messy right now.”
“I’m good in messes,” he said.
She laughed and looked at him, her eyes roaming over his whole body to his hands and his face. “You clean up well though.”
