Page 58 of Heart of Gold
She bends down and pats the dog on the head, “It’s alright. We can share it, huh girl?”
The dog barks like it's agreeing with her and we both laugh. The back door sticks a little when you try to open it, and I hold it open for Quinn.
“So, you are passionate about animals?” She asks, untangling the leashes.
“I always wanted a dog growing up but our parents wouldn’t let us have one.”
She pulls her brows in, “Why not?”
“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. “I’ve always loved animals. I used to help our neighbors on their farm.”
“A real farm?” She asks, “Like chickens, pigs, cows, the whole shebang?”
“Yup, I helped deliver a calf once. It was awesome.”
She scrunches her nose, “Ew. Do you think you wanna become a veterinarian?”
“Would that be weird?”
Her head shakes adamantly, “No. I think that’s cool.”
“What do you plan to study?” I ask her, unable to read her expression.
“I’m pre-law.”
I pinch my brows together, “I didn’t know that Ridge U had a law program.”
Her jaw tenses, “They don’t. I’ll finish my bachelors and then have to attend law school somewhere else.”
Something tells me that was not the original plan.
Her face falls, “Wait… Ridge doesn’t have a vet program either.”
I laugh, “We got plenty of time to figure it all out.”
She stops walking so one of the dogs can sniff around a tree. “Are you always as cool as a cucumber?”
“I just try not to get all worked up about things.”
She smiles, “Not me. I have zero chill. My anxiety just doesn’t mess around. The older I get, the worse it seems to be.”
“You dated Collins for two years, I’d have anxiety too.”
After I say it, I wish I didn’t but she just laughs.
“That’s true.” She sighs. “He still is adamant that he didn’t cheat.”
I think back to Collins telling me that he didn’t do anything wrong, that he was just protecting her. What does that even mean?
“Does it make a difference if he didn’t?” I ask, genuinely curious.
She shakes her head, “No, as crazy as it sounds, it’s more complicated than that. He lied to me… for years.”
“You wanna talk about it?” I ask, hoping that she’ll give me something, but she doesn’t. It’s not like the cruise. We can’t spill our secrets because we won’t see each other again.
“Honestly, no.”
I nod in agreement, “Well, I’m here if you need someone to vent to.”
