Page 54 of His North Star
“I do.”
Just as my favorite song came on, James paused my music.Excuse me?Unless given DJ duties, you did not touch the music.
I frowned. “You don’t like that song?”
“It’s fine.” He shrugged. “I wanted to talk instead.”
I bit my lip. Music and cooking went hand in hand, like cookies and milk. At least, that was how Ty and I did it. My stomach knotted. It was unfair to expect James to like the same things Ty did. We could make memories in the kitchen too, even if they were different.
“Oh. Sure,” I said, like it wasn’t a big deal.
“When did you decide you wanted to stay working at the bed-and-breakfast?” James asked, watching me fry chicken on the stove.
I wore gloves when handling the raw meat, but my bandage would need to be changed again soon. “I’ve known since I was a little girl. I always wanted to be just like my grandma.”
His lips turned down slightly, as if I’d answered wrong. “If you could do anything else in the world, what would it be?”
Come on, he should know this. “Astronomer.” I flashed him aduhlook.
He laughed. “Of course.”
“Would you change being a veterinarian?”
His lips twisted to the side as he thought about his answer. “My dream job would be a river rafting guide, but that won’t support a family.”
True. But he could marry a woman who wanted to provide for the family instead. If I were his wife, I’d just want him to be happy. “Do you want a big family?”
He shrugged. “Not sure on the exact amount, but yes, I want kids.”
“I bet you’ll be an amazing dad one day.” What would it be like to have mini versions of James running around?
“I hope so.” He nodded. “What about you?”
“Yeah, I want kids.”
“Would you ever leave Whitefish?”
I shook my head. “I love it here. I always have.”
His lips quirked. “Okay. But let’s say you were given the opportunity to do something different. Would you take it?”
Where was he going with this? “If there were a big enough motivation, I guess it’s a possibility. Why?”
“Curious is all,” he said nonchalantly.
Riiight.“Well, let’s eat before the chicken gets cold.”
During dinner, James told me stories from work. Some were hilarious, others gathered tears in my eyes. Anyone who healed people or animals was a miracle worker in my book. It blew my mind he could do what he did for a living.
“Be honest, how many times have you wanted to bring home an animal that was left at the clinic?” I asked after he said a litter of kittens had been dropped off a few weeks ago.
He grinned. “This is going to sound crazy, but I had a doctor I worked with who made me promise I would never own a pet. He claimed it helped keep the work-life balance and made it so you didn’t end up with a zoo at your house.”
“I see the reasoning behind it, but you obviously love pets. Don’t you want a dog to greet you when you get home from a stressful day?”
“Yes, and no.” He shook his head. “I do love animals. But it’s like a cook or housekeeper. They do that all day at work. When they get home, they don’t want to do it at their own house.”
“Yeah, I get it.” After cooking and cleaning five days a week for the bed-and-breakfast, I often made myself easy dinners, like sandwiches or salad. Unless Ty came over. Then I made nicer meals.
