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Molly nodded. “I did do that. Clearly, sea turtles make me do things that defy all logic.”
Grant chuckled and held up a third finger. “And you sped up her recovery by doing her initial exam and coming up with a treatment plan instead of us having to wait for an out-of-town expert to come in. Plus, you saved me a lot of paperwork. Because of you, I don’t have to spend as much time in this office, which makes you a pretty big deal in my book.”
That coaxed a grin out of her. “I still have to run the treatment plan by Dr. Lacey. At the moment, it’s only a suggestion based on my limited knowledge.”
“But it has helped us out more than you know. So thank you.”
Molly’s playful grin faded away and she stared at her hands. “About that.” She paused, her teeth snagging her lower lip in that cute way she did when she was unsure about something. Finally, she drew in a deep breath and looked up to meet his gaze. “I’m in.”
“In?” A rush of excitement blew through him. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? “For the sake of being on the same page, what exactly are you in for?” And he really hoped her answer was working with him.
Them. He meant them. He hoped she was saying she’d be the center’s new resident vet. For the sake of the turtles, of course.
“I’ll take over the vet contract while I’m in town. I mean, I can’t do everything an expert could do, but I’m willing to do whatever I can. If that will help you.”
“Absolutely. We’ll take whatever help we can get.”
She held a hand up to stop him. “But it comes with two conditions.”
He leaned back in his chair, intrigued. “Two conditions, huh?”
She gave him the kind of serious look of a teenager with a well-prepared presentation on why she should stay out past curfew. He half expected her to pull out a PowerPoint presentation. “First, don’t expect me to jump in the middle of the ocean for any more rescues. If there’s literally anyone else around, I’m staying on the boat.”
Grant couldn’t help the side of his mouth curling up. “Fair enough. But you have to admit, it’s pretty empowering.”
The serious teenager-look faded a bit as wonder lit her eyes. “Totally empowering. Which brings me to my second thing. I want to make you a deal.”
“What kind of deal?”
“I’ll come in every Tuesday and Thursday evening. And in exchange, instead of financial compensation, I’d like for you to take me on excursions. Ocean-related outings that are similar to going out on your boat today.” She paused, some of her confidence waning. “Unless you’re too busy, which I understand. I know you have family and commitments outside of all the work you do here.” Instead of stopping, she charged ahead like a snowball pointed downhill, her words picking up speed as they went. “Or if you’re not interested, that’s cool too. I know it’s a big ask. I thought I’d, you know, throw it out there to see what you thought. No big deal if it doesn’t work out. You know, it never hurts to ask, right? But if you’d rather—”
“I’d love to,” he interrupted.
She looked up, a little surprised. “You’d love to?”
“You’re asking me to do all the things I love and call it work. Of course I’m going to say yes.”
She let out a relieved sigh, her negotiating face returning. “To be clear, I’m not asking you to be my personal cruise director for the entirety of my time in Emerald Cove. I was thinking maybe once or twice a month.”
“I’m guessing this has something to do with your commitment to try new things?”
She nodded sheepishly. “Yeah. I figure that since you’re from here, you might have a few ideas.”
“A few,” he agreed, his mind racing with possibilities. “In fact, I have an idea already. Do scientific symposiums classify as excursions?”
Molly laughed. “Not exactly what I was thinking, but it’s like you know me.”
Grant held up his hand to stop her. “First of all, it requires a road trip, which I think we can agree is an adventure in itself. And second, it’s a seminar by some of the leading turtle experts in the country on new procedures.”
Molly’s eyes got wide. “That sounds amazing. Are you sure it’s okay if I tag along?”
“I know the presenters, so getting you in won’t be hard. Plus, I’d enjoy the company. It gets awfully lonely in the big ol’ turtle ambo on my own.”
Molly raised an eyebrow. “You’re driving the turtle ambo?”
Grant had always meant to buy a new car when he’d moved back home six years ago. But in a town where a bike was often more convenient than fighting traffic and it never hurt to have the turtle ambo close in case of an emergency, he’d never gotten around to it. “You got a problem with my luxury ride?”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “Nothing says road trip like a giant green ambulance.”
