Page 4 of Shaded Amethysts
“You’ll help us fight this, won’t you?” Molly gave me a pleading gaze.
Of course, I would do anything to help my best friend and her fiancé keep custody of their son, but I was afraid Molly was putting too much blind faith in me.
Just as I started to voice that sentiment, Grant said firmly, “We’ll be hiring the best team of lawyers that money can buy to fight this case for us.”
Molly angled a fiery gaze toward him before saying, “That’s fine, but I want Avery to be a part of that legal team.”
“Molly, I haven’t even passed the bar yet,” I reminded my friend.
Grant gave her a knowing look, as if to say that settled it, but Molly was adamant. “I know that, but you have been studying for months. Everything is fresh in your mind, unlike a bunch of stuffy, overpriced old codgers who graduated law school a hundred years ago.”
Grant started to object, but Molly held up a pointer finger that immediately stopped him. “Besides, Avery knows and loves us. She won’t be in it for the payday. It will be a passion project for her because she actually cares about the outcome and has our best interest at heart. I want her on our legal team.”
Molly’s words were said with such finality, Grant had little choice except to nod his agreement. With that settled, Molly turned to me. “You’ll help us keep custody of our little boy, right?”
Plastering a fake look of confidence on my face, I said, “Of course,” and hoped they couldn’t hear my gulp of fear from knowing that I was in over my head deeper than Scout had been in the pond this morning.
4
Avery
Icould have called to check on Pepper, but something compelled me to go visit the vet’s office in person. I told myself it was because I wanted to see with my own eyes that our furry baby-rescuing hero was truly okay, but deep down, I knew it was in large part because I wanted to see the handsome doctor again.
When I pulled into the driveway of the large, white, clapboard home, I stared at the hand-painted sign that read “Noah James, DVM.”
Noah was a good, strong name, and it perfectly suited the handsome veterinarian.How had such an eligible bachelor been in town for several weeks, and I was just now meeting him? Oh, right… I ignored Mrs. Branson and the other busybodies in town who tried to convince me to borrow a pet to bring to his office for a checkup. Perhaps, just this once, the nosy older women had been right.
In any case, I was here now, and I intended to make a better impression on him than the frightened, mute one I’d left him with this morning. After flipping my car’s sun visor down to use the lighted mirror to apply a fresh coat of tinted lip gloss, I declared myself as ready as I’d ever be and emerged from my vehicle.
I purposely avoided looking at the frozen pond at the back of his property where this morning’s near-tragedy had taken place. I didn’t want to get all weepy just before going in to see the heroic vet.
Bells jingled when I opened the door to the small office. The front desk was empty, so I took advantage of the opportunity to have a look around the reception area. It was tidy, inviting, and comfortably furnished.
I was grinning over a sign that read, ‘Free belly rubs with exam. Sorry, pets only!’ when Dr. James emerged from an exam room.
If I was better at flirting, I would have made a comment about wishing I was a pet, so I could get a free belly rub from him, but I wasn’t that brave. Instead, I said, “How is Miss Pepper doing?”
“Remarkably well,” he assured me with a wide, dashing smile before adding, “I just spoke with your brother and gave him a full update. I’m going to keep her overnight for observation as a precaution, but I expect she’ll be ready to go home tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful news,” I said, allowing my body to sag with relief.
“She’s napping, or I’d bring you back for a visit,” he offered kindly.
“Oh, that’s not necessary, Dr. James,” I answered automatically.
“After what we’ve been through together, I think you can call me Noah.” That sexy grin emerged and stole my breath away.
“Okay, Noah,” I said in a husky voice that I hoped sounded flirty, rather than congested. Deciding he would probably like to know, I added, “Scout, the little boy who fell in the water, is doing well, too.”
“That’s wonderful.” A relieved look emerged on his face, making me think he truly cared.
We stood there staring at each other for a long moment as I searched my mind for something witty to say, but came up frustratingly empty.
Finally, he said in a serious tone, “We need to have a discussion about your trespassing on my property this morning.”
Of all the things I had imagined him saying in that moment, this had never crossed my mind. The blood drained from my head as I gawked at his grim expression. He might be concerned about being sued by Scout’s parents. As I was preparing to explain to him that this wasn’t how things worked in our close-knit, small town, he added, “Perhaps we can talk about it over dinner tomorrow night?”
His sparkly-eyed gaze immediately released any concerns I had that he might truly be angry with me. Just as I opened my mouth to respond that I would love that, a golden retriever wearing a plastic cone emerged from the back of the office.
