“You know Myra is taking care of it.”
“Oh, right. How could I have forgotten Myra?”
“We’re both a little discombobulated this morning.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Myra said she’d be here soon.” I looked down at my phone and cursed. “Actually, she should be here any minute. And while I don’t want to be here when she shows up, you know Joshua is going to mention it. So no use keeping anything a secret.”
“I wasn’t planning to keep it a secret, especially since the interrogation wouldn’t be worth it.” Her eyes widened, and she shook her head before I could speak. “Not that you’re not worth it. I don’t know. I need coffee. And I can’t think. You should go so I can think.”
“I can do that. But we’re going to talk.”
“Okay. I guess so. I’m so confused.”
“Go get ready. Myra will help out for the day. And I’m always here if you need me.”
“I know you are, Macon. And I think that might be the problem.”
And on that note, I walked away, knowing if I stayed, we’d say something we’d likely regret because we weren’t ready. I knew she needed some space. And hell, so did I.
Being with Dakota would be like setting up for a ready-made family. I didn’t know if I was prepared for that. I liked Dakota, had been falling for her for a while. If I took the next step, it wouldn’t just be her and me in the relationship. Joshua would be part of it, but also our friends and family. It wasn’t as easy as a single date or our need and desire.
It was so much more.
And that was why we needed a minute.
And yet, all I could think about was how good she felt in my arms. She tasted like sweet sin, and I wanted more.
It probably wasn’t smart for me to dwell on that.
But I didn’t care.
I made it home and showered quickly and was only ten minutes late for work. My admin gave me a look but didn’t say anything. I was never late, was usually early, so I was grateful that they didn’t hound me because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say.
“Oh, you’re here,” Jeremy said when I got back to our office area.
“I am. Sorry. Long night.”
He studied my face for a moment before looking down at my hands. “You didn’t fight last night?” he said.
“No, I was out with Dakota.”
“Finally.” Jeremy grinned. “I won’t ask for details because we have to work, but…finally.”
“It’s not like that,” I began, but then knew that might be a lie. It might be precisely that. “We’re just...I don’t know, figuring things out. Though it’s not exactly what you think.”
“Okay,” he said, drawing out the word. “We have a few changes to the schedule this morning, but we should be able to handle it.”
I frowned as I looked down at everything. “What changes?”
“A couple of cancellations and then a few semi-emergencies.”
“What emergencies?” I asked, going through the tablet and our schedule.
“It’s insect season, and it looks like one of the new puppies is having a poor reaction to some ants. The parents were apologetic and nearly crying over the phone because of a rash, so I know it’s not neglectful parenting, it’s just the way things are.”
I nodded, going through my notes for the day. “Okay, I can handle that. You have a procedure soon, right? The Clemson neuter?”
“That’s pretty much my entire day. You get to handle the office visits. I’ll handle the part where I feel bad for those dogs.”
“You just have a sympathetic reaction,” I said, snorting. “But as Bob Barker always said, it controls a population when you take care of this.”
Jeremy winced. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I still feel bad about it.”
“You just feel weird because your wife threatens you with being neutered every time you guys have a little fight.”
“Well, if you’re going to get personal about it,” Jeremy said with a laugh, shaking his head. “By the way, I hope it works out between you and Dakota. I liked her from the moment I saw her, albeit at a distance.”
“You’ve never actually met her,” I added.
“True, but she makes you smile. And growl. And she frustrates you to no end because you have no idea what you feel. It’s like Marni and me. It doesn’t happen often. But when it does, it’s fucking perfect.”
“I don’t know, Jeremy. It’s not that easy.”
“Nothing worthwhile ever is.”
“I hate that saying,” I said.
“I know. That’s why I say it often. Because it’s true.”
“Okay, let’s get ready for the day,” I growled.
“Let’s do that. And then you can tell me exactly how it’s going between you and Dakota.”
“I thought you said you wouldn’t pry,” I added dryly.
“I lied.”
I shook my head as my friend walked away, laughing.
Jeremy was an asshole most of the time. He and Marni had gone through a rough spot about a year ago, and I’d almost thought we would have to close the practice because of it. I hadn’t liked working with him then. He’d made things very difficult.
But now, Jeremy was no longer drinking, and he and Marni had fixed their relationship and even saw a therapist who worked out of the same practice as mine.
They had worked things out and had both apologized to me, and things were going great.
I was happy about that. I had missed the man I’d started this business with, and now we had a practice we loved, and Jeremy was good at what he did. I just needed to figure out my personal life.
And, apparently, decide if Dakota would be part of that.
I was exhausted by the end of the day. I knew it was because I hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before.
I might not have noticed when
