Page 54 of Love It or List It
She tugged him along, following her nose and inspecting grass and trees.Before Austin knew it, she’d dragged him to the border of Linda’s property.She sniffed aggressively at a tree near her driveway and then—as was her wont these days—peed on the tree without squatting.Austin couldn’t fault her for using her disability to her advantage.
“Well, hello there.”
Austin and Pepa turned at the sound of Linda’s voice, though Pepa was the only one to wag her tail.She hopped over, lifting her head for pets and waggling her butt with delight.
“How are you doing?”Linda asked softly and stroked her ears.Pepa answered with happy woofs and snorts.“She looks good,” she added to Austin.“Healing up well?”
“Yeah,” he sighed with relief and pride.“She’s a trooper.”
“So I see,” Linda agreed, still paying Pepa her due attention.
Austin wasn’t quite sure how their small talk turned into an offer to join Linda inside, but a short time later found him in her kitchen, nursing a cup of hot coffee while Pepa lounged in front of her old wood-burning fireplace.
“You don’t mind if I cook while we talk?”Linda asked.She had something in the oven in a cast-iron pot, and she pulled it out and set it on the stove.“I have to get the potatoes in the pot or they’ll be rock-hard when it’s time to eat.”
One of these days Austin was going to have to learn to cook, he thought.When he and Joe sold this place and went their separate ways, his usual SpaghettiOs were not going to cut it, and he didn’t have the budget for constant takeout.“No, of course not.”He paused.“Um, do you need help?I don’t really cook, but I can chop things.”
She shook her head, smiling.“No, I already did all the prep work.I just have to add the potatoes.They take forever in this old oven, though.”She removed the lid with an oven mitt, and the aroma of slow-cooked beef filled the kitchen.
Austin should not have any room in his stomach after breakfast and lunch, but his stomach suggested it could make room.“Oh—do you want me to take a look at it?”
Linda blinked at him.“You fix ovens?”
He smiled.“I fix just about anything.”
“Well, I didn’t invite you over for that, but I’d appreciate it.Maybe after dinner, though.Seems like a bad idea to do it while it’s hot.And you have to let me feed you.”
“Deal,” Austin said immediately.
Linda gave him a smug look; she’d obviously clocked him drooling.Oh well.“I won’t be taking you away from Joe?”
That was kind of a weird question, but—well, they did live together; it made sense she’d think they had meals together too.“No, he’s out working after the storm.Trees down everywhere, I guess.”
“I believe it,” she said.“You boys are finally all moved in, then?”
Austin brightened and reached out with his foot to rub Pepa’s belly.“Yeah,” he agreed.“It’s kind of wild.Don’t know what I’m going to do with myself now that the majority of the work is done.”He paused and thought about his bank balance.“Okay, no, that’s a lie.I definitely have to do actual work that I get paid for.”
“Renovations can be expensive.”She stirred the potatoes into the pot and returned it to the oven.Austin looked over her shoulder; he was pretty sure she needed to replace the seal.That shouldn’t take long.
“Renovations and dog surgery,” Austin agreed.Then he realized that made him sound like an asshole.“Not that—uh—I mean, it was worth it and everything!Just… you know.Unexpected.”
Pepa licked his sock as if in thanks.
“No, no, I get it,” she assured him as she resumed her seat opposite him.“Honestly.It’s one of the hardest things about being a vet, trying to balance the need to keep the lights on and pay everyone fairly and knowing that paying for veterinary care is a real hardship for people.”
Austin took her at her word.But that reminded him—“Actually, I wanted to ask, uh.You said dogs can do well on three legs, and I mean, she’s come a long way already.But they make canine prosthetics, right?Like… that’s a thing?”
She nodded, sipped her coffee, set it back on the table.“They do,” she agreed.“There’s a lot of custom fitting involved, which is why most people don’t do it.It gets expensive—in the thousands.”
Not surprising.“But it can be done,” he prompted.
“Well, sure.With the right—oh.”She smiled.“You’re going to build her one.”
Austin flushed.“Uh, I mean, only if I can get your professional advice on how to do things without hurting her.I don’t want to, like, make it too long and give her back problems or whatever.”
Linda tapped her fingers on the kitchen table for a moment and pursed her lips in thought.Then she looked down at Pepa, stretching out next to the fire.“You know, I think I have a sewing tape around here somewhere.”
Chapter Twelve
