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Ted chuckled and patted the dog’s head. Nodding toward the bundle in her lap, he asked, “How’s our Coast Guard heroine doing?”
“Good. Wound is stitched, tests are clear, she’s good to go. She’s awfully droopy, though. I’m a little concerned.”
“That was quite an ordeal she went through. Probably still a bit traumatized.”
“Yeah, could be.” She carried the dog back over to the sofa, where she immediately settled in for a nap.
As she crossed the room, Mia noticed the fine lines around Ted’s reddish eyes. He looked tired, she thought, and immediately felt silly for thinking that. Of course he was tired; his daughter was fighting a serious, incurable disease where the only treatment currently available was one to alleviate her symptoms. He and his wife were driving back and forth to Portland for doctor appointments and therapy at regular intervals. They were all handling it better than Mia could ever imagine. Mia knew he and Sara would fight till the end, and Mia had vowed to do everything she could to help, including keeping the clinic running smoothly during his absences.
“Speaking of trauma, how are you doing, Mia? Have you recovered from the accident?”
“Yes, I’m fine, Ted. Thank you. Mom is good. Ready to get back to work.”
“Excellent.” He sighed. “Mia, I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t agreed to join me here. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to keep this clinic open without you.”
Ted had invited Mia to join his practice with the agreement that he’d be gone for long stretches of indeterminate time periods. It was a part of the buy-in agreement, but she’d signed it happily. Ted was more than her mentor and friend; he was also her role model, a father figure. And definitely more like a father than her own had been.
Waving a dismissive hand through the air, she said, “I think it’s working out for both of us.” She made a constant conscious effort not to make him feel like he needed to continually thank her. Staying positive, she believed, was also key.
He nodded, absently massaging George’s neck. George could be shameless in his attempt to get a neck rub, lying his head in the lap of anyone he deemed trustworthy. Mia imagined him reveling in the feeling of being free of a collar so tight he would likely always bear the scars.
“As you know, McKenzie was approved for that experimental round of therapy we were hoping for.”
“Yes, Sara told me. It’s so exciting.” She added a warm smile. “She mentioned she starts next week? That’s sooner than you anticipated, right?”
“It is. We’re really hoping it will buy her time until the new drug is approved by the FDA.”
“That would be beyond amazing.” Mia didn’t voice her concern regarding that particular medication. He was placing so much hope on a drug that, as far as she could discern, was still too far from human clinical trials to be a viable cure. She was fairly sure it hadn’t even been approved for testing on animals yet. But she would never dampen whatever hope he could generate at this point.
“I’ve cut back on my patient load accordingly. I’ll be back and forth, but here at the clinic as much as I can. Any concerns about working on your own? Is there anything you need from me?”
“Thanks, Ted. I think I’ve got this. We’ve had a lot of applicants for the new kennel assistant position and we’ll be doing interviews as soon as Charlotte can sort through them.”
“I trust you ladies to hire whoever you decide on. I don’t need to do an interview or a final approval or anything.”
She appreciated that he had this much faith in her and Charlotte. Ted was a perfectionist and could be a bit of a control freak. She’d worried about his ability to share administrative tasks, but so far that hadn’t been an issue.
“We’ll get on it then. Also, I’m reserving Saturdays for Lucky Cats. Tiffany, Carla and Raeanne have all volunteered to rotate their Saturdays to help with medical procedures.”
Upon relocating to Pacific Cove, Mia had started Lucky Cats, a program to reduce the stray and feral cat problem in the town and surrounding area. Part of the “trap, neuter, return” program included free sterilization. People were encouraged to trap the cats and bring them to the office, where she would spay or neuter and vaccinate them for free. They could then keep the cats or release them back outside along with a promise to feed them. This last gesture was an effort to keep the cats healthy; reduce their predation of native bird populations, a serious and ever-growing problem in this country; as well as to decrease their presence as a nuisance to gardens and garbage cans. Alternatively, they could have Lucky Cats adopt the animals out.
“It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing, Mia. I only wish I could help more.”
“Allowing me use of the clinic is more than enough, Ted. You need to spend your spare time at home. Sara and McKenzie are more important right now, and I’m getting some volunteers lined up.” She didn’t mention that so far said volunteers included her, Charlotte and Minnie Mason. Minnie was a woman from her mom’s pinochle club who was more concerned with the stray cats “wreaking havoc” in her garden than their safety in the community at large. Charlotte was working on community outreach and hopefully, they’d get those numbers up soon. No matter the disappointingly small number of volunteers, Mia was determined to get the operation up and running.
“Speaking of stray cats,” Ted said with a grin.
Ember the office cat strolled into the room, announcing her presence with a loud meow. Leaping gracefully onto Mia’s desk, she then sauntered back and forth along the edge as if to show off her kitty sleekness from every angle. It didn’t seem to faze the cat that she was partially bald, had only one eye and was missing most of her tail.
“She gives new meaning to the term catwalk, doesn’t she?” Mia quipped.
Dr. Anthony chuckled as the cat perched on the corner of the desk closest to him. She let out a soft mewl. He reached out a hand to scratch her cheek. “She’s out of control. She thinks she owns this office.”
George waited patiently, watching Ember with love-struck eyes. Dog and cat were tight. Mia liked to imagine them bonding over their abusive pasts as they napped together on George’s massive therapeutic bed. George lifted his head and Ember stepped onto Ted’s lap. She rubbed her cheek against George’s giant forehead before daintily licking his eyebrow.
Everyone knew the story of how the cat had changed Dr. Anthony’s life. He’d only been in town a few weeks when the severely burned kitten had been dropped off on the newly opened clinic’s doorstep. She’d been “nothing but a charred little ember,” Ted had later been quoted in the newspaper as saying. He and his staff had done everything they could. Dr. Anthony had stayed with her for four days and nights until she was out of the woods. Word had raced through tiny Pacific Cove about what the new vet in town would do for animals. That had been nearly two years ago. Needless to say, his practice had been flourishing ever since. People brought their pets to Dr. Anthony from miles around.
“She’s earned it. Cats are such wonderful, giving, useful creatures.”
Ember concurred with a loud purr.
Mia smiled. “Yes, they sure are.” Ted had an interesting way of looking at life. She’d learned more from him about life than she ever had from her father. She’d certainly learned more about love and how to treat people as well as animals.
Keeping the cat nestled in his arms, he stood and said, “I’m going to go finish up some paperwork, then I’m heading home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
As he departed, a buzzing sound from her phone alerted her that she’d received a text from her mom:
Our new Coast Guard friend has arrived. I’ll keep him entertained until you get here.
Mia checked the time. How had it gotten to be six thirty already? She sent back a text: Sounds good. Thanks, Mom.
Because her Coast Guard charge was unfamiliar with the office, Mia clipped a leash to her new hot-pink collar and led both dogs out into the hall. Charlotte, their office manager and the best friend Mia had ever had, was busy closing things up for the night.
“Thank you again for getting this girl all set up.” Charlotte had walked down to Sandy Paws Pet Shop on her lunch break and picked up some supplies for the dog.
“You are very welcome,” Charlotte answered with a grin. “Did you look at her tag?”
Mia hadn’t noticed the tag attached to the collar, twisted as it was into the fluffy fur of the dog’s neck. She crouched to examine it and read the name aloud. “Coastie?”
The dog let out a little bark and Charlotte added a surprised chuckle. “See? She likes it. In honor of the Coast Guard hottie who saved her. What do you think?” Charlotte had something of an obsession with the military, especially the men who served.
“How do you even know he’s hot?”
“Isn’t he?”
“Well, there’s a lot more to a person than how they look and—”
“Come on, Mia,” she interrupted. “He saved you, he saved the dog, he’s in the Coast Guard.”
Mia shook her head. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“I’m right, though, aren’t I?”
“I don’t...” Mia tilted her head, trying to decide how to answer without answering.
“I knew it!” Charlotte gave George a quick neck rub and then moved on to Coastie. “Good night, Coastie. Be sure and cuddle all up next to your Coast Guard hottie, okay?” Catching Mia’s gaze, she gave her a wink. “That last bit of advice goes for you, too.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not on the table. Unlike you, I am not enamored with all things Coast Guard.” Just the opposite, in fact, she added silently.
“And one of these days you’re going to tell me why that is. Let me take this stuff out to the car for you.”
Mia couldn’t help but laugh as they headed for the door, dogs and all. If she were being completely honest, the cuddling part sounded nice. Too bad he was the wrong cuddle partner. In spite of Petty Officer Jay Johnston’s hotness and other attractive attributes, he was military. And that simple yet extraordinarily complicated fact made cuddling with him, or anything else for that matter, off-limits for her.
* * *
ROUGHLY FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, Mia and her canine companions headed up the steps leading to the beachfront home she’d recently purchased and shared with her mom. The house was way too large for her, but since she knew she was in Pacific Cove to stay, she’d gone ahead and opted for her dream home. Ever since she was young, she’d fantasized about living in a house where she’d never have to move again—a home she could fill with special moments and memories, a place to grow old in. As soon as she’d seen the three-thousand-square-foot beachfront bungalow she knew she’d found that place.
Gambling on her future income from the vet practice, she’d only been able to purchase it by borrowing a portion of the down payment from her mom. In exchange, her mom lived with her rent-free. For now, she planned to fill the space with pets, a cat and a dog so far, but it would be the perfect place to raise a family someday.
As she opened the back door and entered the kitchen, she could hear her mom and Jay chatting in the adjoining living room. It was her favorite room in the house. Looking out the windows all you could see was sand and ocean. To Mia, it almost felt like the house was floating. She headed toward the sound with the dogs close behind. Suddenly, Coastie let out a bark and darted around her in a full-on sprint toward the sofa. The dog launched herself into Jay’s arms in a pile of joyous whines and tail-wagging. George followed at a trot, looking around as if trying to identify the source of the all-you-can-eat bacon bar, because nothing short of that would incite such a level of excitement in him.
“Wow,” Mia said, gaping at scene. “That’s unbelievable. This dog has been downright depressed since I took her with me this morning. I thought she might be suffering from PTSD. I’m not exaggerating when I say that she’s barely lifted her head off the sofa in my office all day. She wouldn’t even eat a cookie.”
At the word cookie George sniffed the air, looking for a treat.
Nora beamed at Jay. “I know how she feels. She knows you rescued her and she’s not going to forget it.” She added a wink while Ruby the cat let out a meow from where she was watching the silly dog display from her perch on Nora’s lap. Giving her paw a lick of disgust, she then tucked it beneath her.
“I don’t know about that.” Jay chuckled while Coastie nibbled enthusiastically on his head. “I think she might be smelling the cheeseburger I had on the way here.”
Fine. Charlotte was right; the guy was hot. Not that she’d done much to dispute that point when Charlotte had mentioned it.
Coastie continued her frenzied welcome while he bargained with her. “If you settle down a little bit I will rub your beautiful soft cheeks. Look at your fancy new collar,” he gushed. “Pink is your color, sweetheart.” Sweetheart? No wonder the dog was a goner. To heck with Charlotte’s assessment of him being hot. He was nice. She added brave, funny and nice to the list. Had she ever dated anyone who possessed all of these qualities in such an attractive package? Ignoring the tingle of disappointment, she reminded herself that dating him was not an option.
Examining the tag, he repeated the name with a chuckle. “Coastie?”
“Charlotte, our office manager, went out and got her some supplies today—a leash, toys, bowls, dog food and a collar with that tag. She named her Coastie in your honor. I hope you don’t mind?”
His lips curled up at the corners as he shrugged. “That sounds fine for now. I’m sure whoever adopts her will want to choose their own name anyway, right? How long until this heals and she can get a new home?”
“The wound looks really good. It was a little deeper than I thought, but we’ll take those stitches out in a week or two and she’ll be good as new. She’ll need to be brought into the office for that. So it might be a good idea to wait at least that long before putting her up for adoption.”
Nora chimed in, “My daughter knows her stuff, Jay. Like I was telling you earlier, she graduated at the top of her class from vet school. You know she did that program where you get your associate degree before you’re even out of high school? She had a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s in animal science by the time she was twenty-one. She’s won so many awards. The—”
“Mom,” Mia interrupted with an awkward laugh. “I’m sure Jay’s not interested in my educational background. I think all he needs to know is that I’m a qualified vet. Right, Jay?”
All these years later and her mom still didn’t see that her daughter’s burying herself in her studies had been her way of coping with her nomadic existence, her innate shyness, and her dad’s blatant lack of attention to her. Three years of therapy had helped her nail down and deal with her issues, or at least understand them. As she’d aged, she’d shifted that focus and determination to helping animals. That felt healthy and productive, even if it did feed into her desire for “positive affirmation” as her therapist called it.
Unfortunately, Jay was looking eagerly toward her mom. She did not trust the expression of exaggerated interest on his face as he glanced at her and then back to Nora.
“Dr. Anthony was one of her professors. He recruited her to join his practice. Out of all the students he’s had throughout the years, he picked Mia. Don’t worry, Coastie will be fit as a fiddle when she gets through with her.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Jay said.
The teakettle began to whistle in the background. Nora shot to her feet. “Who wants a cup of tea?” Without waiting for answers, she hustled toward the kitchen. Mia grinned weakly as her gaze met Jay’s. Twirling a finger after her mom, she asked, “Has she been...?”
“Talking about you the whole time?” Jay offered. “Yes. She mentioned that she has a collection of your trophies. Any chance we could take a peek at those later?”
Mia groaned softly and gripped the bridge of her nose. “Sorry about that. She’s...”
“She’s really proud of you. It sounds like she has good reason to be.”
“Um, thanks, but—” Mia didn’t say that her mother was clearly trying to sell her attributes to someone she’d identified as a potential suitor.
“I didn’t even make it into the spelling bee when I was in grade school. And there you were, a three-time champ.”
She pressed a finger onto her eyebrow in an effort to stop the throbbing behind her eye. “Mortified, M-O-R-T-I-F-I-E-D, mortified. Yep, that’s me.”
He laughed again as Nora sailed back into the room with a tray containing three steaming mugs and a plate heaped with cookies. She set it down on the table in front of them. “You’re in luck. I made some cookies today. Coconut oil instead of butter. Sweetened with agave nectar and stevia. Wait till you try them. Not a drop of sugar and you’d never know.”
Terror flickered briefly across Jay’s face before morphing into what Mia might describe as pained enthusiasm. “Sounds great, Nora. Thank you.”
Mia brushed a hand over her face to hide a snicker.
“Oops, forgot the soy milk.” Nora dashed away again.
“Don’t worry,” Mia whispered as her mom disappeared into the kitchen for her “creamer.”
“George is always hungry.” She patted the dog who, at again hearing the word cookie, had pushed himself up into a sitting position from where he’d been lying on Mia’s feet. She took two from the tray, handed them to the dog, broke another in half and spread a few crumbs around so it would look like they’d been enjoying the treats.
“What kind of dog do you think she is?” He rubbed his chin on the top of Coastie’s head, which Mia found incredibly endearing. She couldn’t help but wonder why he didn’t just keep the dog.
“She looks Australian shepherd, but her silky coat and coloring says Brittany or springer spaniel. There might be some border collie in there, too.”
He nodded, studying the fur-ball now sprawled contentedly across his lap. Mia noticed that Coastie’s cinnamon-brown spots closely matched the shade of his hair. They looked good together.
“It’s so great of you to take care of her. I wish...” He trailed off as Ruby came closer to investigate the new canine invading her couch space. They both watched as she stuck her neck out and executed a pretentious sniff. Coastie didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by the intrusion.
“What do you wish?” Mia asked. She found herself holding a breath.
“She was healthy,” he finally said. “I wish she was healthy so we could find her a new home. I hate to drag this out.”
“You could keep her—you know? If no family is found.”
Mia watched his entire body stiffen with discomfort.
“Oh... No, I can’t. I’m really not a dog person.”
From her spot on his lap, Coastie looked up and gave his chin a lick.
“Really?” she answered doubtfully.
He winced. “I know, I’m not sure what the deal is with this dog in particular. But I can’t keep her. I don’t do pets.”
“Huh.” Mia felt her smile dim. Disappointment settled into her as she realized how much she’d been hoping he’d decide to keep the dog. It was probably better this way, she told herself. Regardless of her own rule, she was already liking the guy; if she had to add animal lover to the list it would only make him that much more difficult to resist. “Must love animals” was another deal-breaker. Jay Johnston was now in violation of her top two dating criteria.
“Hey, guess what, Mia?” Nora said, coming back into the room. “Jay has offered to take a look at our sticky back door.”
Living on the beach meant constantly battling issues that could arise from the humidity. The previous homeowner had installed a custom-made back door constructed from wood. It was incredibly lovely, but unfortunately, when wood absorbs moisture it swells, which was the case with the door.
“Oh, that’s really nice, but you don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t mind. I like to fix things.”
“Is that a skill you learned from your father?” Nora asked as she settled back down on the sofa. Mia gave her head a little shake at her mom’s obvious attempt to vet their guest.
“No,” Jay answered. “Self-taught for the most part. I worked for a carpenter for a while when I was younger. He taught me the basics. I learned on my own from there.” Mia silently added “good sport” to the list as she watched him swallow a large bite of cookie-blob.
“Do your parents live here in the Northwest?”
“My mother lives in Portland.”
“Oh, that’s not far. You two must be close. Probably requested Air Station Astoria to be near her?”
“Uh... Not exactly. But I did request Astoria to be closer to...other family.”
Other family? Mia’s curiosity was piqued. What did that mean?
“Are you married?” her mom asked, taking care of the question at the top of Mia’s list.
“No. These are really good, Nora,” he lied, shoving another cookie into his mouth.
Not married, but obviously uncomfortable talking about himself. Mia hoped her mom wouldn’t go too far. And yet she found herself irrationally disappointed when Nora changed the subject.
“Mia may have mentioned it but my husband was military, too. Navy,” she said proudly. “Thirty-two years. I’m sure he still would be if he hadn’t up and died on me. We saw some amazing places, didn’t we, Mia?”
Mia answered with a flat, “Yep.” Because they had seen plenty of the world, but as far as Mia was concerned it had not been worth it.
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Frasier. Did he die in combat?”
“What happened to calling me Nora? And no, he didn’t. Heart attack. I miss him every day, but I’m determined not to go out that way.” She gestured at the cookies. Jay dutifully took another bite.
Nora went on, “My son, Mia’s brother, is in the Navy, too. Kyle is a SEAL. He’s overseas right now...”
Mia listened silently, painful memories battering away at her, as they began chatting about the military. This was good, she told herself. It reminded her of all the things she’d disliked about military life while growing up: moving almost constantly, having to make new friends, attending new schools, learning new languages, a dad who was more devoted to his job than his family. She’d never understood her mom’s enthusiasm or Kyle’s infatuation. Mia didn’t share their devotion. But then, she’d essentially been invisible to her father. As a child, there’d been times Mia was convinced she’d been adopted or dropped here from another planet. In middle school, she’d gone through a phase of Googling terms like “switched at birth” and “mistaken babies” trying to calculate the odds. She wasn’t about to go down that road again as a grown woman. Her path was now hers to choose.
“I think I better head home,” Jay said a while later. “I’m beat.” He stood, Coastie still snuggled in his arms. He thanked her mom for the tea and cookies, promised to check out the door as soon as he could, and vaguely added that he’d look into that yoga class.
Mia said, “I’ll walk you out.”
He followed her to the entryway and stopped. Glancing around, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Finally, he held Coastie out for Mia to take. “Can you hold her for a minute while I get her stuff? I don’t want to trip over her while I pack all this stuff up and put it in the car.” He pointed at the round fleece snuggle bed Charlotte had purchased. “Is this dog bed for her, too?” At her confirmation, he let out a chuckle. “It’s going to take up half my living room.”
Mia took the dog, who let out a whine as she stared longingly at Jay.
Mia laughed. “Tell you what, I’ll carry her stuff. You carry the dog.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Jay chuckled as he gently removed the dog from her arms. “What am I going to do with you?” he asked as he looked down at Coastie. She gave his cheek an enthusiastic dog kiss.
In spite of his comments, the gentle way he treated the dog spoke volumes. She wouldn’t let him out of here with Coastie if she didn’t think he’d treat her well. A thought occurred to her then. “Never had a dog before, I’m guessing?”