“It’s good for two reasons. One, hopefully my dog doesn’t destroy all of Austin before he learns something. Two, it led me to you.”
I licked my lips and stared at him. “I like you, Kiernan,” I blurted out.
His arms wound around my hips and tugged me until my body crashed against his. I rested my hands on his chest. He grinned and kissed me. “I like you too.”
“No,” I said slowly, suddenly feeling like a middle schooler. “I like you, like you.”
“I know,” he said. “I like you, like you too. Caroline, I thought you understood that I want this, whatever it is that’s happening between us, I want it. Whether it lasts for a week, a month, the rest of our lives—I’m here and wanting to explore it. Your friend is right. I’m your man, sweetness.”
I bit my lip. Kiernan tugged my bottom lip from my teeth and shook his head. “Stop. Don’t hide your smiles. They’re fucking gorgeous and make my days better.”
I smiled then. A full-on, all-out, showing-your-teeth smile. Complete with dimples.
24 Caroline
“It was wonderful to meet you, Dr. Townsend.” I stood behind my desk and shook the young veterinarian’s hand. He was two years out of veterinary school, but he had an impressive resume and came from a family that trained K-9 officers. He smiled and buttoned his suit jacket.
“Thank you for meeting with me. Your clinic is great, and I’m really interested in your training program. I look forward to hearing from you.”
“We have a few more candidates to interview, but I will be in touch soon, either way.”
“Thank you, Dr. Conroy.”
I led Asher to the front and waved as he exited. Alicia was waiting for me back in my office. She had been sitting in on interviews throughout the week. I wanted her opinion, and she would know who would work well with the other technicians.
“What’d you think?” I asked.
“He was great. He’s one of the top candidates on my list, but I’m wondering if it would be inappropriate to give him some extra points because he’s so freaking gorgeous.”
“Definitely inappropriate,” I said. Asher was handsome, but I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, I was looking for a partner for my practice. “His looks don’t matter. Only if he’s a good doctor, good leader, and good to my staff.”
Alicia sighed. “I know, I know, I was kidding, but honestly, I was impressed by him. He has a great grasp on how to handle animals and training. It’d be wonderful for you to have help not only at the office, but in training classes as well. He’s friendly. Everyone on staff will like him.”
“He’s only a few years out of veterinary school,” I reminded her.
“So were you when you started your practice.”
My lips pulled up on one side. “That’s true. He’s one of the best we’ve met so far, but I’m keeping an open mind for the people we’re meeting later this week. Though he also has experience with horses and cows. We could maybe expand…” I thought about what we could do in the area if we broadened the scope of our practice.
Alicia laughed. “Let’s do one thing at a time, Dr. Conroy. First, we need to get our heads above water before we talk about growing. Slow it down.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “You’re right. Let’s get back to it. Have you seen Toby yet?”
She shook her head. “Maybe he arrived while we were in the meeting.”
I glanced at the watch on my wrist. Toby was coming by today to disable all the cameras on our devices and block anyone from accessing our electronic equipment. It might be overkill, but I was hoping it would make me feel safe. At the moment, I was keeping tablets turned away from me and off my face until the last possible moment. I hated having them in my hands now, but changing from electronic devices to paper would be overwhelming for my staff.
I walked out of my office and poked my head into each empty exam room until I found Toby. “Hey, Toby. How’s it going?”
His head popped up. His shaggy hair fell into his eyes and he flicked it back. “I’m just getting started.” His brow crinkled and he turned toward me in the swivel chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “So you want me to block the cameras and microphones, and any apps that use them besides your office software?”
“Yes.” I nodded. I didn’t want to explain everything to him, but I wondered if he’d find this request odd. “There have been some…security breaches,” I hedged. “I want everyone on the staff to feel more secure.”
“Is everything alright?” he asked.
I nodded. “It is. It’s okay. We’re handling it, but I’d like all the devices to be able to handle only the office software and remove anything else accessible by a camera.”
“It shouldn’t take me too long to do that. Has the software been glitchy again?”
“No.” I held up my hand with crossed fingers. “It’s been great since the last time you fixed something. But I do have a question about security cameras. When you installed them, you said that there were very few blind spots and, without overlapping, that was the best it could be.”
“That’s right,” he said. Toby had done all my technical work since I opened the practice, and I usually went with anything he recommended.
“I’d like to do some overlap and completely eliminate blind spots. Could you get that set up for me and expand the recording system to save more than one month at a time?”
“Sure,” he answered slowly. “Caroline, are you sure everything is alright?”
Before I could answer him, Kiernan called my name from down the hall. I poked my head out the door and smiled. “Hey,” I said softly. He came over to me and kissed the top of my head. He was in jeans
