The beach escape, p.1
The Beach Escape, page 1
Table Of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Epilogue
Tequila Lime Grilled Shrimp
About the Author
The Beach Escape
Copyright @ 2022 Rachel Magee
Cover design by Michael Rehder
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereinafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Print 978-1-952210-65-5
eBook 978-1-952210-66-2
www.hallmarkpublishing.com
Chapter One
Today was not supposed to be the first day of Molly Lawrence’s new life.
Molly 2.0, the updated, cooler, more glamourous version, was scheduled to start at eight a.m. on Monday morning. She’d written it that way on her calendar and had arranged the rest of her plans accordingly. Today, for example, she was supposed to be unpacking her moving boxes. Tomorrow? Laundry and grocery shopping. But one unexpected call in the middle of the night had changed all of that. So, here she was, launching the revamped version of her life three days early.
She brushed cat hair off her shirt, left over from her last client—a gorgeous twelve-year-old Ragdoll cat named Cupcake in for her yearly checkup—and pulled up her schedule.
Truth be told, she hadn’t expected to need this new life at all. Up until four months ago, she’d been convinced that Molly the Original was pretty perfect, going exactly according to the plan she’d drawn up in her junior high diary with those colorful sparkle gel pens. And yet the entire thing had unraveled in the course of one day.
One really bad day.
But how she’d gotten here wasn’t the point. The point was she was getting the rare chance to reimagine her life. She could go on adventures she’d never even considered before. Take her new gig, for example. Instead of a normal vet who showed up to the same neighborhood clinic day in and day out, she was transitioning to a career as a traveling vet who bounced around from city to interesting city, filling in for those out on short-term leave. And she couldn’t be more excited that her first assignment was a three-month stay in the beautiful Florida panhandle beach town of Emerald Cove.
Of course, that assignment was supposed to start on Monday, but the vet she was replacing had a baby who’d decided to make an early appearance. Maybe that was a good sign. Along with adventure, Molly 2.0 was going to embrace spontaneity. She was going to be one of those people who rolled with the punches and could go with the flow. At least, that was her goal as soon as she got more used to how this whole spontaneity thing worked. At the moment, she wouldn’t have hated having a little more of a heads up so she could’ve washed her brand-new puppy-paw print scrubs before she had to wear them.
But all in all, scratchy scrubs aside, it’d been a pretty great spontaneous first day of her adventurous job. The clients at Gulfview Animal Clinic had a lot to do with that. Putting it simply, they were amazing. Every single one of them had been sweet, accepting, and more than welcoming. Their humans weren’t so bad, either.
Molly pulled up her final appointment of the day and clicked on the name, Chompers. Normally—or what she was calling normal from the vast experience of her eight-hour shift—that double-tap should’ve taken her to the screen where she could access all of the animal’s charts and information. However, this one didn’t go anywhere. The only information connected with this client were the letters ECTRR. Odd.
She jabbed at the screen, trying a couple more tricks she’d picked up during the day, but nothing worked. That was the problem with spontaneity. Things didn’t always go as well as they did when they were carefully planned out. Learning how to navigate an unfamiliar system on the fly without anyone to show her the ropes was a perfect example. Hopefully, Chompers’ owner could fill in the missing details she needed to complete today’s appointment.
She walked from her office through the back entrance of exam room two to make sure it was ready for the patient, then headed out the door on the opposite side that led to the lobby.
“Chompers.” She always used a sing-song voice when she talked to animals. In her experience, it seemed to put the nervous creatures more at ease, even from the very first time she said their name.
Only this time, there weren’t any animals hanging out in the waiting room, nervous or otherwise.
She craned her neck, looking all around the small spaces where fur babies could hide. “Chompers?” she called again, checking her tablet to make sure she had the right name.
“That’s me.” The only other living being in the room stood from his chair and strode toward her.
The first thing she noticed about this particular creature was that he wasn’t a furry, four-legged friend. He was a man. One with warm chestnut eyes and the kind of authentic smile that was contagious. The stubble covering his chiseled jaw seemed to be more a product of his lifestyle than any sort of deliberate fashion choice, which somehow made it more attractive. He looked like someone who’d stopped by after wrapping up some epic adventure. Or maybe he was on his way to start an epic adventure. Or maybe both.
“You’re Chompers?”
He extended his hand. “Actually, it’s pronounced Grant Torres.” His grin widened, producing a set of charming dimples. Of course he had dimples. He was like the poster child for ruggedly handsome. He probably free-climbed rocky cliffs, then stopped traffic at the top to help little old ladies cross the street, too. “It’s a pleasure to meet you…”
“Molly. Dr. Molly Lawrence.” She grasped his hand. Molly had never thought to classify someone’s grip as friendly, but his was. It caused a bubbly feeling in her chest.
“Ahh, the locum vet. Dr. Lacey tells me you’ll be filling in for her while she’s out on maternity leave.”
Molly took her hand back and clutched the tablet against her chest. “That’s right.”
“Welcome to Emerald Cove, the most charming town on 30A.” He leaned closer as if sharing a secret. “At least, that’s the claim according to our visitor information.”
Molly couldn’t help but smile. He had the kind of charm that drew her in. She tucked a fly-away lock of recently highlighted hair that had freed itself from her ponytail behind her ear. “Thanks. I’m looking forward to getting to explore it.” She’d been in town for less than twenty-four hours and so far had seen the inside of the furnished condo and the inside of the vet clinic, but she had big plans for a beach stroll after work to explore her new town.
“You should check out Rock Bluff. They have great food, amazing views, and live music on the weekends.” He grinned again, showing off his dimples and causing another round of bubbles in her chest.
“Sounds great. Thanks for the suggestion.” She made a mental note of it. “But I’m guessing you didn’t come in just to give me dinner recommendations. How can I help you this afternoon?”
Grant slid his hands into his pockets. “Is Dr. Lacey around? I have an appointment with her.”
Molly flashed her best apologetic expression. “No, sorry. She had to start her leave a little early. It’s only me here today.”
A look of compassionate concern crossed his handsome face. “Is she okay?”
“Dr. Lacey gave birth to a healthy baby girl yesterday, and both mom and baby are doing well.” Molly recited the official update she’d been given to pass on to clients, her mind flickering to the adorable image of the scrunchy-faced newborn Dr. Lacey’s husband had texted over that morning. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Maybe.” Grant’s mouth twisted to the side in consideration. “Dr. Lacey tells me you have some experience with turtles.”
“Some,” Molly agreed. “I did a year-long internship at a zoo, where I worked with several different breeds. Plus, I saw the occasional pet turtle at the neighborhood practice I was with.”
“Great.” Relief seemed to wash over him. “We have a final exam today and I’d hate to put it off. Would you be willing to help us out this one time?”
As far as Molly knew, a final exam was a memory from college that still gave her nightmares, and she had no idea what any of this had to do with Chompers, but it was her job to help them out. “I’m happy to assist
“Unfortunately”—Grant jerked his thumb toward the doorway—“the big guy was in a mood today, so we’re going to have to go for a ride. I hope you don’t mind.”
Molly stared at the doorway. “Go for a ride? Like a house call?”
Grant bobbed his head from side to side as if considering the term. “Sure, I guess you could call it that.”
“I didn’t know Dr. Lacey did house calls.”
“She does when a hundred fifty-pound loggerhead turtle doesn’t want to go for a ride.”
Molly was all for trying to embrace spontaneity, but this conversation had taken a turn into the bizarre zone. “You have a loggerhead turtle? At your house?”
Grant chuckled. “That would be a sight, wouldn’t it? How about we start over.” He held out his hand again. “I’m Grant Torres, director of Emerald Cove Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center.”
ECTRR. All the pieces were starting to come together. “That makes a lot more sense.” She shook his hand for a second time. “I’m the still-learning-the-ropes substitute vet.”
His eyes twinkled. “Looks to me like you’re killing it.”
She took her hand back, trying to push the sparkly feelings away. She wasn’t the kind of girl who fell for handsome strangers at first sight, like some sort of leading lady in a romcom. At least, not anymore. Although, if she were being totally honest, the fact that this one spent his days caring for sea turtles wasn’t helping. “What exactly does Dr. Lacey do for you?”
“She’s our staff veterinarian. A facility our size doesn’t need a full-time vet. Most rehab centers have a turtle expert come two to three times a month and schedule the turtles around the visit. But since we have our own expert living right in our backyard, she allows us to schedule her whenever we need her.” He shrugged. “We’re a little spoiled.”
“That’s fascinating. I had no idea she did that.” It was starting to make more sense why there wasn’t a chart for Chompers. He wasn’t a Gulfview patient. The appointment on her schedule was probably a placeholder so she wouldn’t get double booked. “I’m sorry she’s not going to be able to make today’s appointment. She’d planned on being here today, but the baby had other ideas.”
“I hear babies have a way of doing that.” His eyes twinkled. “How about you?”
She pointed at herself. “Me? You want me to come examine your loggerhead turtle?”
“I know your job here doesn’t include working with us. But you do have sea turtle experience, and it would really help us out.” One corner of Grant’s mouth pulled up in a lopsided grin that shouldn’t have been as charming as it was.
Nervousness twisted in her gut. The good news was she’d finally gotten rid of the bubbly feeling in her chest. The bad news was it had been replaced with a sort of jittery energy that seeped through her whole body. It’d been more than five years since she’d worked with a sea turtle, and even then, she’d always had another, more qualified vet with her. This was way outside her area of expertise. “It’s been a while since I’ve done anything like that, and I’m far from being an expert. I don’t know that I’m your best candidate.”
“At the moment, you’re our only candidate.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and his tone shifted to one steeped in compassion. “The thing is, this is Chompers’ final exam. He’s met all of his recovery goals and is doing great. The only thing standing between him and the open waters of the ocean is being cleared by a vet. We could get on one of the other specialists’ schedules, but it’ll mean Chompers is stuck in a tank for at least another month.”
That tugged on her heart. Molly didn’t want any creature to have to spend one minute more than absolutely necessary in a hospital, especially a giant sea turtle who could swim hundreds of miles in a day. “I…” She wanted to protest again. Maybe if she’d known ahead of time, she could’ve had a chance to plan for this. She could’ve reviewed her notes, done some preparation work to get herself ready…
But then she stopped herself. Wasn’t her goal to be more adventurous and spontaneous?
She nibbled on her lip, considering the possibilities. “What kind of exam are we doing?”
“Just a basic exam. Nothing fancy.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve done even a basic exam.” She absent-mindedly traced the perimeter of her tablet with her finger, trying to mentally pull up what she knew about sea turtles. “I mean a long while.”
“I happen to know that working with sea turtles is like riding a bike. Once you hop on, it’ll all come back to you.” And there was that grin again. “I’ll even give you a ride to the rehab center in the turtle ambo.”
“A turtle ambulance, huh?”
Everything in her wanted to pass. Showing up three days early to a job she knew she was starting was one thing. But examining sea turtles at a rescue and rehabilitation center? That was a whole different level of unexpected.
But what kind of effort was she making on her new goal if she passed on the first spontaneous adventure that came her way? Plus, she’d never been in a turtle ambulance before.
She drew in a deep breath, hoping she didn’t regret what she was about to say. “All right. Let’s do this.”
Chapter Two
Grant led the new locum vet to the turtle ambo he’d parked in Gulfview Veterinary Clinic’s tiny parking lot. It was a good thing it was late in the day and there weren’t any other Gulfview clients there, because the large green truck took up almost half the lot.
“Huh. I guess a turtle ambulance is just like a people ambulance.” She paused and propped her hands on her hips, her head tilting to the side as she took it in.
“Except for the turtle painted on the side and a slightly modified cabin, it’s one and the same.”
Dr. Lacey had given him a quick background on the substitute vet who’d be replacing her for the next few months. She’d graduated top of her class, had an impressive, well-versed work history, was very involved in several charities, and had come highly recommended. Grant had imagined such an accomplished vet to be older, serious and, though he was embarrassed to admit it, maybe slightly stuffy.
But Dr. Molly Lawrence was as far from stuffy as she was from old. She had to be close to his age, probably around thirty, and her brightly colored cartoon scrubs and high, swingy, blond ponytail showed a playful side he found intriguing. But what really caught his attention was her eyes. There was a kindness there that resonated with him, and he found himself wanting to know more about Gulfview’s substitute vet.
“You even have lights. Do they really work?” Molly asked.
“Of course. Climb aboard, and I’ll let you turn them on.” He opened the passenger side door for her.
She eyed him skeptically. “On the road? Like this is an emergency?”
“It is an emergency to Chompers. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner he can get back in his tank and relax. Doctor visits make him nervous.”
“I feel his pain. Turtle visits make me nervous.”
Grant chuckled. Impressive resume, playful spirit, and obvious passion for animals. She was by far the most interesting vet he’d met in a long time, even if she did seem a little on the cautious side. So far, he approved of Dr. Lacey’s choice for her replacement. He walked around to the other side and climbed into the driver’s seat, sticking his key in the ignition. “To be clear, that was a no to the lights and siren?”
“Wait a second. You didn’t say anything about a siren.” She paused and pursed her lips together, reconsidering the question. “Nope. Still a pass.”
He shrugged. “Okay, but your loss.” He shifted into drive and slowly pulled the big old ambo out of the parking lot and onto the busy two-lane highway that ran through the middle of town.
Molly settled in her seat, keeping her gaze on the scene in front of them. “Tell me more about our friend Chompers and what we’ll be doing today.”
“It’s a standard comprehensive exam. Think of it like a checkup to make sure everything’s running the way it should before we release him into the wild.”
“We did a couple of those with the turtles when I was at the zoo.” She snagged her bottom lip with her teeth, as if replaying the exams in her mind. “Except for the release part, of course.”
