Over the moon with you, p.17
Over the Moon With You, page 17
“I don’t actually think it’s too small anymore. Remember, it’s me, not the town.”
“But you’re still not convinced it’s cool, right? Because I want to keep going with this tour.”
Seren smiled. “I’m not ready to put up the ‘I Heart Davis’ magnet yet.” She was ready, however, to wrap her arms around Paige. Fighting that temptation wasn’t easy, but Mathias was waiting for them at the back door.
Chapter Twenty-Five
It wasn’t until they passed Central Park and angled south that Seren suspected Paige’s plan. “Picnic in the arboretum?”
Paige glanced over her shoulder, maneuvering around a car. “Unless you hate trees.”
“I love trees, and I’ve always loved the arboretum. I haven’t been in a long time.”
“It’s my favorite spot in Davis. And definitely cool.” Paige winked and then turned her attention back to snaking through the pedestrians and car traffic.
As soon as they turned their bikes onto the arboretum path, the noise of the town faded abruptly. Car sounds and the racket of people were replaced with birds chirping and a whispery light breeze lifting leaves. The path followed a creek lined with trees of all types and bushes in full blossom. As they made their way deeper into the arboretum, sunlight glistening on the water and branches arching overhead, it seemed they’d entered a different world. Seren felt her shoulders relax. She exhaled and then breathed in deeply. Okay, some things about Davis are nice.
Paige turned her bike across one of the bridges and Seren followed, realizing how much she didn’t care where they went. When was the last time she hadn’t planned anything at all for a whole afternoon? It was freeing and a pleasure she hadn’t enjoyed in way too long.
Aside from a rumbling in her stomach, and thoughts of the sandwiches and strawberries they’d bought, she didn’t want anything else from the day. Well, there was one other thing she wanted. Since Paige had shown up at her house that afternoon, looking sexier than ever in perfectly fitting cargo pants and a sky-blue T-shirt that showed off her form, she’d wanted a kiss.
Paige hopped off her bike when they reached the old wooden gazebo. Seren leaned her cruiser against a tree and then slowly turned in a circle, trying to take it all in. The gazebo, the trees, the spring-green lawn sloping down to the creek. “It’s like time’s stopped here. I remember coming here with my mom once. I was too old to feed the ducks, but she insisted I wasn’t. We had the best time.” Instead of making her sad, the memory only made her happy to have come back to the spot.
Paige smiled. “I love that.”
“I don’t think it’s changed at all.”
“Trees change a lot slower than us,” Paige said. She’d brought a backpack and she opened it now, pulling out a blanket, plates, napkins, and two bottles of water. She handed one of the bottles to Seren.
“What else do you have hiding in there?”
“Chocolate chip cookies. I’d like to say I made them myself but they’re from Rita. Payment for helping clean out that shed.”
“She gave you cookies and a bike?”
“You wouldn’t believe how many spiders there were in that place.” Paige shuddered.
“Are you scared of spiders?”
“Not really. But I’m not a fan.”
As soon as Paige turned to set up the picnic blanket, Seren reached over and touched her neck. Paige jumped at the light stroke, then spun around to face Seren. She laughed as she swiped at her neck. “I don’t know what you just did but it felt exactly like a spider.”
“Thought you weren’t scared of spiders.” Seren raised an eyebrow.
Her smile widened and Seren ached to kiss her. Again, she hesitated, and again she lost her chance. Paige stepped back and held out one end of the picnic blanket. “For that move, I’m making you help.”
“If you ever need someone to move a spider for you, call me up. I happen to like them.”
“I’ll get you on speed dial.”
Once they’d set out the food, they sat down with a view of the creek and Seren stretched out her legs. Maybe it was the sound of the creek or watching the ducks glide past. Or maybe it was the company. Whatever it was, she was happier and more relaxed than she’d been in a long time. “This is nice. A bike ride was a good idea.”
“You like your new ride?”
“I love it.” She’d glanced over at the red cruiser. Not only did the new bike have a smoother ride, it came with a basket. Big upgrade. “I know it was free, but you did all the work fixing it up and my conscience is nagging me about a way to repay you.”
“You definitely don’t have to pay me back, but I understand the conscience thing. I’ll happily accept another dinner invite as payment.”
“You’re that easy, huh?”
“Before I moved in with my mom, I’d do all sorts of things to get people to cook for me.”
“What sort of things?” Paige blushed at the innuendo in her tone and Seren added, “Those sort of things, huh?”
“No. I’ve never had sex with anyone for food. Although I’m not saying it’s a terrible idea, depending on the person—and what they cook.”
Seren laughed. “You could probably get a lot of offers for that trade if you advertise in the right places.”
“I think I’d need to have some legit skills if I do that sort of thing for a business venture. And probably a better wardrobe.”
“I can’t speak to your skills, but you wearing that tank top you had on when I pushed you into the pool along with those cargo pants would be enough for most interested parties.” Seren hadn’t meant to look at Paige’s crotch, but she did. A warmth immediately shot up to her cheeks.
“My ex told me to never wear cargo pants on a date. But we agreed to disagree on a lot of things.”
“I had an ex like that.” Seren nearly asked about Paige’s ex but then stopped herself. Everyone had history. Still, she wanted to know Paige’s and if she’d measure up to her exes. It was a messed-up thought, but she couldn’t help it. She glanced at the sandwich she’d unwrapped. Paige’s past didn’t matter if this was really only a fling.
“Sorry about bringing up exes,” Paige said. “I did tell you that I’m the worst with dinner conversations, right? If I don’t bring up something gross, I take the conversation to other off-limits topics.”
“I’m fine talking about exes. People act like it’s taboo to have been in love with anyone else when you meet someone new, but it’d be weird if we hadn’t at our ancient age. Besides, I brought up my dating history first.” Seren sighed. “Remember when I broke down at the Co-op?”
“That wasn’t a breakdown. That was you being honest. I appreciated it, by the way.” Paige unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite. She chewed for a moment, then swallowed and said, “I am wondering what the hell your ex was thinking not wanting to keep her hands on you, though.”
“We could talk about it if you want. I’ll answer any questions. But I promise my exes aren’t the most interesting thing about me.”
“Huh. Well played. Now I want to ask what’s something interesting about you, but I’ve already got a long list. I’m starting to wonder why anyone as cool as you would hang out with a nerd like me.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. I mean, you do teach water aerobics. Besides, everyone likes nerds.”
“Not sure that’s scientifically proven,” Paige joked. She took another bite of her sandwich and shifted back on one elbow, looking across the creek at the far shore where a line of ducks was waddling up the bank. “I get why you don’t like this town, and I guess I don’t blame you, but I’m wondering…where do you want to go from here? Back to New York? Or are you ready for somewhere new?”
Seren turned the question over in her mind. God knows it wasn’t the first time. “I was already thinking about leaving New York when my mom got sick. For a while I considered moving to LA. My mom and I lived there for a few years when I was in grade school, and one of my friends from New York started up a spa there. He wants another massage therapist. I also considered Miami because I’ve got connections there too. Miami would be an unknown but that could be exciting. The problem is, now that I’m going to have a kid, I’m not sure if unknown and exciting is what I want.”
“Could you stay in your mom’s house?”
“Money’s going to be tight soon.” She glanced down at her belly. “My mom took out a second loan on the house when she got sick. She had to pay for a lot of medical bills…Anyway, I’ll stay for a while. But I don’t know how long.”
Paige nodded, seeming to understand what she meant. Don’t get too attached. She needed to remind herself to do the same.
“You have convinced me that this town does have a few things going for it. And some cool people. One in particular.” When Paige met her gaze, Seren wondered if she had any chance not getting attached. To downplay her admission a little, she added, “I used to think the vet school was the coolest part. I mean, how many towns have a vet school?”
“In the US? I think we’re up to thirty.”
“See? That’s not many. And you went to the best one, right? Automatically makes you cool.” Seren bumped Paige’s shoulder. Her body seemed to wake up at the contact, and when Paige shifted closer, letting their legs touch, she wondered how much longer she’d have to wait to feel Paige’s hands on her. She tried to remember what they’d been talking about. Vet school. Right.
“When I was in high school, we took a tour of the college campus.” Seren paused as a flock of geese soared overhead, honking loudly. After they’d passed, she continued, “I remember seeing a group of vet students heading into the hospital and thinking how cool they must be. I always wondered what that hospital was like on the inside. The tour didn’t include that part. I imagined those vet students in little exam rooms learning how to talk to their patients.” She smiled and looked over at Paige. “That happens, right?”
“That’s the first class you take. Everyone uses Dr. Dolittle’s textbook.”
“I knew it!” She laughed. “And I pictured this line of dogs and cats and horses all waiting their turn. No people, just animals, all chatting about their problems while they waited.” She shook her head, feeling ridiculous for admitting her daydream. “Anyway. I do think the vet school is another cool thing about Davis.”
“Want me to give you a tour of the hospital? It should be pretty quiet on a Saturday night and we’re only five minutes away.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“Why not? How many other chances are you going to get to walk into a teaching hospital and see where veterinarians learn to talk to their patients?”
“Probably none.”
“Then you should take me up on my offer.”
“This isn’t going to mess up your other plans for us?”
“Plans can be changed.” Paige took another bite of her sandwich and murmured her approval. She held it out to Seren. “Want to try mine?”
Something about the way Paige offered made Seren not want to say no. She took a bite of the sandwich, savoring the chicken-pesto-provolone combination, and then handed over hers. Paige tried the turkey and avocado—with extra avocado—and nodded in approval.
“You really do like to add avocado to everything, don’t you?”
“Best part of being back in Davis.” As often as she’d said it, she knew it wasn’t true. There were many things she missed about New York and there was no comparing the energy and opportunities of a big city to a place like Davis. But a lot of things made her happy here. And there was no one like Paige anywhere else she’d been. If only she could let go of all the reasons she didn’t want to stay.
After the sandwiches, they polished off Rita’s cookies. Paige texted a friend who worked in the vet hospital, confirmed he was working, and then nodded to Seren. “Okay, we got a tour guide for the small animal part of the hospital. If you want to see the large animal barn too, I can get us in there no problem. I recommend we avoid the equine barn because you do not want to make horse people annoyed.”
“I’ll be happy if I only see one vet talking pig latin.”
Paige grinned. “In that case, ets-lay o-gay.”
Seren laughed. “‘Let’s go’ in pig latin?”
“You seem surprised. Forget I was a nerd?”
“I keep forgetting and you keep reminding me.” Once more she wanted to close the distance to Paige’s lips. Before she made her move, Paige stood and started packing up their things.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The bike ride from the arboretum to the vet school’s hospital only took five minutes. Paige’s friend Dr. Adrian met them out front. He led them from the main entrance through the waiting area, past exam rooms to the hospital wards. Paige was right—the place was quiet on a Saturday night. They chatted with a vet student helping a dog walk with a new splint and then peeked in on a cat that was a patient of Adrian’s and eating well for the first time in weeks, before checking out the surgery suites and the ICU.
“Was it what you expected?” Paige asked as they stepped outside.
“It’s bigger inside than I thought. Less stressful than a people hospital but not that different I guess.”
“Wait till you see the large animal side of things.” Paige led the way across the path from the small animal building toward a pair of long beige-colored barns.
A horse neighed and then came a racket of hooves pounding against something hard. Seren glanced at the first barn. “Let me guess, that’s the equine barn we aren’t touring?”
“Was it the neigh that gave it away?”
Seren smiled. “I’m a quick one.”
“I like that about you.” Paige held open the door to the second barn. She pointed to a line of boots. “We’re gonna take off our shoes and borrow some boots.”
“Whoever owns these won’t mind?”
Paige had already started unlacing her shoes. “I got friends in the right places.”
“Right here, actually.” A woman in tan coveralls had come around a corner. She looked from Seren to Paige. “Thought I heard your voice, Dannenberg. Then I said to myself, ‘Now why the fuck would someone that smart come to my barn on a Saturday night?’”
Paige straightened. “Seren, this is Connie—Dr. Morrison. Dr. Morrison’s head of the large animal barn. Connie, Seren.”
Connie didn’t offer to shake hands. Instead, she gave Seren a curt nod and muttered something like “Welcome to my night of dystopia.” Except the last word didn’t quite sound like dystopia.
No introduction was needed to guess Connie was in charge. She had a no-nonsense confidence and seemed like the type who didn’t get ruffled by anything. Still, she seemed surprised by Paige’s presence. And Paige clearly hadn’t expected to see her.
“How’d you end up working on a Saturday night?” Paige asked.
“A damn stomach bug took out my two residents.”
Maybe Seren was imagining it, but she sensed more familiarity between Paige and Connie than a work friendship would suggest. And maybe a little guarded animosity. Or competition? As soon as she realized Connie was giving her another critical look, she guessed she was Paige’s ex.
Well, Paige had good taste. Apart from the confidence thing, and a tough edge that was equally intimidating and appealing, she had a fit build, subtly graying brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail, and an angular face with faint lines at the corners of her eyes and on her forehead. Probably ten years separated them, but Seren could well guess how someone even a lot younger might fall for a woman like Connie.
Connie retrieved a vial of something from a cabinet opposite the row of boots and then looked back at Seren and Paige, now both booted up. “So, to what do I owe this surprise visit?”
“I’m giving Seren a tour. She’s always wanted to see the vet school’s hospital.”
“Hmm.”
Seren smiled, trying not to melt with Connie’s piercing blue eyes on her.
“Don’t suppose either of you want to work tonight? I’ve got a heifer who delivered one calf but won’t push out the second, a goat who needs a C-section, and a vaginal prolapse on a ewe that I think’s gone septic. Oh, and apparently there’s a neurologic alpaca on the way.”
“I’m a massage therapist.” Seren cringed as the sentence repeated in her head. Why had she spoken up?
“I’ll take that as a no thank you. Although the heifer could use a massage.”
Paige cleared her throat. “If you really need help, I could probably—”
Connie held up her hand. “I’ll be fine.” She looked back at Seren. “I’d like to say Paige is generally better at coming up with ideas for dates than a tour of the Large Animal Teaching Hospital. But…”
“I asked her to show me around,” Seren said.
“If you want an extra exciting tour, you can feed the Holstein calf that’s out there crying. No one’s had time to do any feedings and he could use some colostrum.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “His mama’s still trying to get his twin out. I’m hoping a little oxytocin gets things moving.”
“We’d be happy to feed the calf.” Paige glanced at Seren. “I mean, if it’s okay with you?”
“For real?” Seren couldn’t hold back her excitement. Who could say no to feeding a newborn calf?
“For real.” Connie chuckled. “The calf’s in a stall in the middle bay. You won’t be able to miss him. There’s only one Holstein bull-calf here tonight. For now.” She looked at Paige as she added, “I’m gonna assume I don’t need to tell you where to find the bottles of colostrum. Or the nipples.”
Paige’s eye roll was subtle but definitely happened. “I know my way around.”
