Page 52 of Lorna's Savior
“Same time as Finn. It’s been almost two years now. I’m a trauma surgeon over in Helena.”
Finn elbowed Patch and grinned at him. “You almost lost your head about five minutes ago.”
“Why?” Patch looked around, looking for any threats.
“You hugged Ball’s girl.”
“Lorna? You and Lorna are hooked up?”
“Yeah.” Andy puffed up and glared at him.
“Good for you man, she’s a great gal. When I first met her, I tried to hook up with her, but turned out, we were only friends.” Patch grinned as he held up his hands. “Nothing happened.” He looked around, then whistled. “Now, that is one woman that I almost had.” Everyone turned to the woman standing in the doorway, and Finn punched Patch in the upper arm. Andy could tell it was a hard punch, because Patch didn’t fake being sent back a few steps.
“Hands off,” Finn bit out.
“Who is it?” Andy said as he watched the woman look around, and her entire face lit up when she saw Finn. His heart actually hurt when he saw it, and an instant feeling of jealously hit him. He wanted Lorna to look at him like that, then he smiled as he realized she had done exactly that when she’d opened her door earlier.
The newcomer walked directly to Finn, put her hand behind his head, and brought him down for a kiss. “Hi,” she whispered when they broke apart. “I made it.”
“You did. Who did you have to kill to get here early?”
The woman laughed and it lit up the whole area around her. “No one. Grady came in for the last two hours.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Yeah, I have another early meeting on Monday. This time, I think we’ll be less one vet tech at the end of that meeting.”
“Veronica, you know Patch, and Grandpa, but I don’t know if you’ve met Andy yet?” Finn asked. “This is the gentleman I met last week for a few.”
“Hello, I’m Veronica Parker.” She held out her hand, and before Andy could take it, Lorna arrived and gave a little squeal. “You made it!”
“I did.” They hugged, then Lorna stood next to Andy. “Did you meet Andy yet? He’s my date for tonight.”
“I was just about to,” Veronica said as she shook the man’s hand. When Finn asked Patch and Andy to help him bring in some tables, leaving the two women by themselves, Veronica turned on Lorna.
“Holy fucking shit, you didn’t tell me he was that handsome! And he knows Finn?”
“Yeah, they served in the same unit in the Marines together.”
“Damn, it would be great if the two of you hooked up permanently, then the four of us could hang out. Not that we couldn’t now, but there would be so much more in common for everyone.”
“I know, right?” Lorna smiled.
“What do you need me to help with? Remember, I’ve never been on this end of a fundraiser before. I was the one who researched before it was even a thing.”
“I remember. We’re setting up for the Chinese auction, and the men are bringing in the tables from the caterer. We can go out front and see if everything is ready out there.”
“Isn’t the party here?”
“Yes, and no. Yes, but it’s at the end. It starts out in the lobby, then we have the tour, and we’ll end up here. I have a silly question for you.”
“What’s that?” Ronnie laughed as she placed her hand over her friends. “Breathe.”
“Are the employees here that work on the fish considered veterinarians?”
“They’re actually aquatic veterinarians, along with being a regular vet, they have to have extra training in aquatic life, but yeah, they are considered vets.”
“Thank you. So, Mr. Jones, the director and the veterinarians who work with the animals here will be giving the patrons a tour. Afterward, we’ll all meet back here, and they, along with the board of trustees will answer any questions. We’ll have drinks, and snacks, as well as the raffle. It’ll be a lot of walking, but I think it’ll be interesting.” Lorna nodded for Ronnie to follow her. They used the back way to get to the front. That was where she ran into Chef Vincent as he was directing his workers where to set up the bar.
