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She drew in a deep breath, hoping she didn’t regret what she was about to say. “All right. Let’s do this.”
Chapter Two
Grant led the new locumvet to the turtle ambo he’d parked in Gulfview Veterinary Clinic’s tiny parking lot. It was a good thing it was late in the day and there weren’t any other Gulfview clients there, because the large green truck took up almost half the lot.
“Huh. I guess a turtle ambulance is just like a people ambulance.” She paused and propped her hands on her hips, her head tilting to the side as she took it in.
“Except for the turtle painted on the side and a slightly modified cabin, it’s one and the same.”
Dr. Lacey had given him a quick background on the substitute vet who’d be replacing her for the next few months. She’d graduated top of her class, had an impressive, well-versed work history, was very involved in several charities, and had come highly recommended. Grant had imagined such an accomplished vet to be older, serious and, though he was embarrassed to admit it, maybe slightly stuffy.
But Dr. Molly Lawrence was as far from stuffy as she was from old. She had to be close to his age, probably around thirty, and her brightly colored cartoon scrubs and high, swingy, blond ponytail showed a playful side he found intriguing. But what really caught his attention was her eyes. There was a kindness there that resonated with him, and he found himself wanting to know more about Gulfview’s substitute vet.
“You even have lights. Do they really work?” Molly asked.
“Of course. Climb aboard, and I’ll let you turn them on.” He opened the passenger side door for her.
She eyed him skeptically. “On the road? Like this is an emergency?”
“It is an emergency to Chompers. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner he can get back in his tank and relax. Doctor visits make him nervous.”
“I feel his pain. Turtle visits make me nervous.”
Grant chuckled. Impressive resume, playful spirit, and obvious passion for animals. She was by far the most interesting vet he’d met in a long time, even if she did seem a little on the cautious side. So far, he approved of Dr. Lacey’s choice for her replacement. He walked around to the other side and climbed into the driver’s seat, sticking his key in the ignition. “To be clear, that was a no to the lights and siren?”
“Wait a second. You didn’t say anything about a siren.” She paused and pursed her lips together, reconsidering the question. “Nope. Still a pass.”
He shrugged. “Okay, but your loss.” He shifted into drive and slowly pulled the big old ambo out of the parking lot and onto the busy two-lane highway that ran through the middle of town.
Molly settled in her seat, keeping her gaze on the scene in front of them. “Tell me more about our friend Chompers and what we’ll be doing today.”
“It’s a standard comprehensive exam. Think of it like a checkup to make sure everything’s running the way it should before we release him into the wild.”
“We did a couple of those with the turtles when I was at the zoo.” She snagged her bottom lip with her teeth, as if replaying the exams in her mind. “Except for the release part, of course.”
“Well, sure,” Grant agreed. “The zoo must’ve been fascinating. What was your favorite animal to work with?”
Molly lit up, her passion for animals evident. “There were so many amazing animals, it’s hard to narrow it down to a favorite.” She tapped her chin while she thought. “They had a pretty great tower of giraffes. Although the fact that they had three calves while I was there might’ve swayed my opinion a bit.”
“A tower of giraffes? Is that what you call a group?”
She nodded, taking her eyes off her surroundings and focusing her attention on her driver. “We also had an activecrashof rhinos and a livelyflamboyanceof flamingos.”
Grant shook his head in mock disbelief. “And to think, in the marine world we only have boring old schools and pods.”
Molly grinned, and it seemed to brighten the entire ambo. “Yeah, but marine animals are pretty fascinating, which makes up for it.”
Yep, he liked this Dr. Lawrence already.
He pulled into the parking lot of the plain, square cinderblock building, which felt like his second home. “And that brings us to our final destination. Welcome to Emerald Cove Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, or as we like to call it, Turtle Rehab.”
“Already?” Molly sat rigid in her seat, the same look of nervousness she’d had when he’d first proposed the idea of the exam washing over her. “I thought I’d have more time to…mentally prepare.”
“Small-town problems. When there’s only one main road and two stoplights, everything is close.” He opened his driver-side door and waved for her to follow. “Come on. I’ll show you to the veterinarian suite.”
“Oh, okay.” Although it was an affirming response, she didn’t make a move to get out of the ambo.
So, examining a turtle at a rescue and rehab center was a little outside of her comfort zone. He got that. This was a new experience for her. But he’d seen her resume and had read her recommendations. She was more than qualified to be here. Plus, he really needed a vet to sign off on this turtle so Chompers could get back in the ocean, where he belonged.
