Page 18 of Shameless
I swallowed my bite. “Well, I can tell you that when things don’t go as planned, it sucks. Now I need to look into opening a practice alone since Trey and I got divorced.”
“You’ll do it.” Taylor wrapped her arm around my shoulders and gave me a side hug.
“Maybe Blake can open a gym slash nightclub slash veterinary practice in Vegas,” Amanda teased.
“Yeah, I’ll put a dentist’s office there too. Maybe even a grocery store,” Blake replied.
“Can’t forget a movie theater too,” Josie joked, and we all laughed.
“In all seriousness, I had thought I needed to open my nightclub on my own,” Blake admitted. “But having my brother as a partner helped a lot. Maybe you can find someone else to start a practice with.”
While I knew that was an option, the more I thought about starting my own vet clinic, the more I realized I didn’t need to be a business owner. Trey and I had wanted to open one so we could work together and have something with our name on it, but really, I made decent money working for Bradford Animal Hospital. Did I really need the headache of having my own business? I knew a lot of responsibilities came with being in charge. I’d have to hire and fire people. Being in charge would come with a lot of responsibilities, such as hiring and firing, accounting and compliance, supplies and maintenance—all of which would take me away from my true passion: taking care of animals. So, I simply gave Blake a warm smile and replied, “Yeah, maybe. I’ll see what the future holds.”
“I like that,” Taylor stated. “And that goes for you too, Blake. Maybe Houston was where you needed to open a club at the time, but it could be time you look for a new location.”
Blake nodded. “Not a bad idea.”
* * *
After lunch,we visited a few more shops before the shuttle picked us up and took us back to the resort. I ended up buying a Cabo San Lucas tank top and baseball hat as mementos of the trip.
“I need a nap.” Taylor yawned as we stepped off the small bus.
“I could go for one too,” Amanda admitted. “Your snoring kept me up all night.”
“I don’t snore.” Taylor scoffed.
“You do,” Amanda pressed.
I smiled and shook my head as I followed behind my friends. Guess I was lucky to have Josie as a roommate because she didn’t snore. Blake fell into step with me and I said to him, “Thanks for coming with us. It was fun.”
“Shopping is never fun, but I enjoyed it.”
“Good, I’m glad.” I grinned.
“Blake! Oh my god, you have to do this,” Josie exclaimed.
“Do what?” he asked.
She tugged on his arm and led him into the lobby. She pointed at a sign that read:
DOS LOBOS 2NDANNUAL COCKTAIL COMPETITION
1stPlace: A trip for two to the Dos Lobos distillery - includes customization of 6 bottles of Mezcal of your creation
2ndPlace: A bottle of Dos Lobos Mezcal Joven, a bottle of Dos Lobos Mezcal Reposado, and a bottle of Dos Lobos Mezcal Anejo
3rdPlace: A bottle of Dos Lobos Mezcal of your choosing
I didn’t finish reading the sign before she hauled Blake to a nearby table. “He’d like to sign up.”
Blake glanced at me and I shrugged. My friends were apparently on some sort of mission and, no matter what I said or did, they were going to continue. I wasn’t going to step in. Blake was a big boy and if he didn’t want to participate in the contest, then he would tell her. But he didn’t say no. Instead, he signed up to compete in the competition, which started in an hour at the lobby bar.
“What do you have to do?” I asked as he and Josie walked back toward me, Amanda, and Taylor.
“Come up with a drink featuring one of their Mezcals.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Amanda inquired.
