Page 111 of Second Act
Diego’s face glowed with delight. “So I can bring contagious dogs here and never get the Carver Center in trouble again.”
“You didn’t get the Carver Center in trouble in the first place. It was just bad luck to be visited by a grouchy health inspector,” Jessica said. “I’ve always wanted to be able to treat highly infectious cases in-house. Your situation inspired me to install a facility for it, so thank you!”
She’d thought the boy couldn’t look any happier, but somehow he did. “Now I can’t wait for another case of giardia,” he said.
She wrinkled her nose at the memory of the stench. “Let’s not go that far.”
When they returned to the reception area, Diego retrieved his plate from Hugh with a sideways look and brief thank-you before he fled.
“You still make him nervous,” Emily said as she joined them along with her husband, Max, a genius chemist who also served on the board of the Carver Center.
“It’s amazing how many people truly believe I can kill them with my bare hands,” Hugh said.
“I can’t imagine Diego’s worried about that,” Emily said, her expression a little sad. Since Jessica knew about Diego’s father’s penchant for violence, she understood. Then Emily brightened. “Hugh, I hear you’re taking on a new role soon...on Broadway.”
“The Wrong Side of Truth,” Hugh said. “I haven’t done live theater in years, so I’m not straying too far from what I know. I play a cop who’s obsessed with finding his mother’s murderer because her death put him in foster care.”
Jessica couldn’t believe he was nervous about it, but he was. He’d told her that she’d given him the courage to take such an artistic risk, which had madehernervous about it. But she’d been running lines with him at home, watching as he added layers to the character, so she knew he would be brilliant.
“We’ll get you tickets for opening night,” Jessica promised.
“Oh my goodness, that would be dope,” Emily said, making everyone laugh.
A couple of hours later, Jessica locked the front door behind the last of the catering staff. Even though it was a Saturday, they’d decided to close the clinic for the day, giving everyone a weekend day off for once. Most of the staff had departed to enjoy their unusual holiday, but Carla and Diego remained behind, chatting with Hugh while lounging in the comfortable new reception chairs that all matched. Contentment and a sense of accomplishment floated through her.
As Jessica turned, Carla raised her hand to signal silence. Jessica followed her gaze toward the archway that now connected the old side of the clinic to the new one. Geode stood in the opening, his head lifted as he sniffed the air. Up until now, he had refused to abandon his favorite hiding places in the old building, despite the staff’s attempts to lure him over. Jessica suspected it was the mouthwatering aromas from the catered food that had brought him to the threshold.
He sniffed a few more times before sauntering into the reception area and looking around. Then he turned to amble down the hallway, his tail ramrod straight up to the white tip that curled over. Jessica tiptoed along behind his fuzzy little rear end, feeling the presence of the other three observers at her back.
Geode stuck his head in each doorway he passed but continued until he reached the entry to Jessica’s new office, which he padded into. Since the only furniture she’d moved from the old place was her treasured ergonomic chair, she wasn’t sure how Geode knew it was her space, other than by scent.
All four of them crowded into the doorway to watch the cat sniff around each new piece of furniture before he leaped on top of the built-in credenza and curled up on the brand-new cat bed she’d placed there, in hopes he might someday deign to use it.
Carla lifted her hand for a high five. “That darned cat finally did something he was supposed to,” the receptionist said, shaking her head.
“That darned cat convinced Hugh to propose to me,” Jessica pointed out.
“Well, I might actually have gotten around to it without the cat’s help.” Hugh’s tone was dry.
“Huh,” Carla said, giving him a skeptical glance before she sauntered back toward the reception area, taking Diego with her.
Hugh nudged Jessica into her office and closed the door behind them. He ran his hands down her back and cupped her bottom to pull her into him. “You look happy,” he said.
“I have Hugh Baker’s hands on my butt. Any woman in her right mind would be happy,” she teased.
He didn’t smile. “This is going to work, isn’t it?”
It amazed her that he still worried, although it happened less and less these days. “Never doubt it.” She skimmed her hands up the warm, hard wall of his chest to curve around his neck, wanting him to feel the love suffusing her. “You give me the confidence to be myself.”
“You give me the courage to take chances.” The gratitude in his voice pierced her soul. “But the greatest gift you’ve given me is belief in your love. That it will be there for me always.”
“Always,” Jessica said, before rising on her toes to give him the kind of kiss that would convince him she meant it.