The low, even purr of the cat curled up next to Ashby’s laptop as she did paperwork in the vet’s office should have been calming. Under normal circumstances the sound would help her focus, keeping her mind clear. Not today.
These reports were the last thing she had to do and then she was done with her project for Paw It in Neutral. Her bags were packed, and the flight back to Miami was in a few hours. She knew she should be excited about heading home and finding out her next assignment. That was why she’d become a traveling vet—for the chance to see new places and try new things. Now she was starting to rethink that.
Steeling herself, she put her fingers back on the keys, telling herself to start typing. But it was no use. Her thoughts were not on final numbers of procedures performed or on the status of supplies. They were back with Carlos, reliving the perfect goodbye he’d given her last night. That luxurious massage followed by an incredible dinner. Just the two of them in Almost Paradise, an open-air room in Cherish Spa that overlooked the beach as the sun was setting, was like something out of a movie. To say nothing of how perfect it felt every time he held her. She’d had to pinch herself a couple of times just to make sure it was real. But it had been. And now, it was just a memory.
“Dr. Carver!”
The knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts, the sweet, older veterinarian who ran the clinic calling her name. Ashby looked over to find him standing in the doorway, a gentle smile on his face.
“Dr. Metcalf, hi. I’m just finishing up on the last of the reports for Operation: Snip It, Snip It Good.”
She giggled at the name that Carlos had come up with when she had told him all about her work and why she was here. The love of eighties music and the commitment to using song titles to name everything at the Indigo Royal was impressive, and just one more thing she was going to miss.
“Oh, wonderful,” he said, coming in and sitting down in the chair next to the desk. He ran his thumb along the top of the sleeping cat’s head, his gentle smile brightening. “I think your time here was very productive, and I hope you do too. You did a lot of good for the animals of St. Thomas, and I hope your heart is very full.”
Too bad it’s also breaking…
“It is, and I’m glad you think we made a difference.”
Ashby sat back in her chair, trying to enjoy the praise she was being given. Making a difference is why she worked with Paw It in Neutral. She’d wanted to use her vet training to help educate pet owners and aid communities so that everyone—humans and animals—could have a better life. She just had to remember that was where her focus needed to be. Not on nursing her aching heart.
“I do, but that’s not why I’m here in this particular moment.”
“Oh?”
What on earth could he want? A quick glance at the clock on her laptop told her that she didn’t really have time to help with another procedure, but maybe there was another client he wanted her to see? She’d loved helping out with his regular day-to-day patients on top of the spays and neuters that had been on the books over these last few weeks. It had been a long time since she’d worked as a primary care vet, and she hadn’t realized that she missed it.
“We’ve really enjoyed having you here this summer. And by that I mean me, my staff, and Charlotte Amalie as a whole. I’ve had a number of clients mention to me that they thought you were wonderful, and that I should keep you.”
“Keep me?” she squeaked. Dr. Metcalf was a kind man, somewhere in his early sixties if she had to guess. Not someone she could ever see doing anything nefarious. But after a comment like that, Ashby’s mind couldn’t help but wander to all sorts of places.
Dr. Metcalf laughed. “Sorry, when I word it like that, it seems rather ominous, doesn’t it? That’s not my intent. It’s simply that I have been thinking a lot about retiring lately—I'm up to six grandchildren now, and I would like to spend more time with them. But I’ve had a hard time with the idea of handing this place over to just anyone. It’s been my baby for almost forty years, after all. But you, Dr. Carver, aren’t just anyone. At least I don’t think so. And my staff and patients seem to agree. So, I would like to ask you to consider staying.”
Ashby’s eyes went wide, her brain trying to process everything he’d just said. He wanted her to stay? To take over his practice? No, she was imagining this. She must have fallen asleep writing her reports and it was just her brain playing tricks on her. Pinching herself, she realized she wasn’t. Dr. Metcalf was still sitting there, looking at her, the same kind smile on his face.
“You want me to run this place? Just like that?”
“There would need to be some transition involved, but I don’t see it being too difficult. So, yes, just like that.”
Sucking in a breath, Ashby blinked rapidly, letting it sink in. When Carlos had asked her last night if there was any way for her to stay, she hadn’t hesitated in saying no. Because that had been the answer. Now…now there was a way. But did it make sense? Did he even really want her to stay, or was that just something he said in the moment? Could she really just give up the life she had built over a summer fling?
“When do you need an answer by?”
“Soon. But I don’t want to rush you. I know you have a flight scheduled for this evening, so if you need to catch that and then call me in a couple of days, that’s fine.”
Ashby nodded, unable to do anything else. Her heart said one thing, but her head was questioning that answer.