“Check your key,” he suggested. “Then look at the drawers a little closer.”
She glanced at her hand, turning the key chain over. Then she dropped to her heels, running her fingers over the front of the wooden drawers. “Oh, you’re tricky.”
She traced the outline of a Christmas tree on one of the smallest drawers, inserted the key in the lock, and opened it.
2
The key turned easily, and Yvette pulled the drawer open to discover a slim envelope and another key chain. This new one was star shaped and shimmering gold, another small key dangling from the loop.
“It’s very tempting to figure out right now which drawer this opens,” Yvette told him, turning to Alex with the key in one hand and the envelope in the other.
“Now you see the fun part of having to wait a day. Anticipation.” He waggled his brows.
“Irritation,” she muttered, but amusement lingered as she slipped the envelope open. Inside was a gift certificate to Fallen Books, the local indie bookstore. The amount—
“Whoa.” She glanced up.
“Don’t stop at the numbers, read all the way to the bottom,” Alex encouraged.
A second later she spotted it. “…certificate is for both of us to purchase a selection of books to enjoy.” That was sneaky. Only one problem. She eyed him suspiciously. “You’re not going to try and pick out books for me, are you?”
“Definitely not. You get what you want. I’ll get what I want.” His grin was back, although by the way he glanced at his watch, he had to be running out of time. “We can always trade later.”
“Dude, life’s too short to read bad books. And a bad book is one that’s not up your alley.”
“We’ll figure something out,” he assured her. “Consider it part of the adventure.”
Yvette slipped the gift certificate back in the envelope, not quite sure what was supposed to happen next. “When do you want to go to the store?”
“Tonight works for me. I know they’re open late. I can swing by and get you—"
“I’ll meet you there,” Yvette told him firmly. “Seven?”
Alex chuckled softly as he turned to go. “Okay. I’ll see you there.”
Damn, she wasn’t letting him leave without any food. “Wait. Let me give you your lunch.”
“Keep what you want,” he insisted.
Yvette moved quickly, sliding a sandwich and a couple treats onto a plate for herself before wrapping up the rest and placing it in the bag.
She rejoined him on the porch and held the food forward. “Thanks. For everything.”
When he paused only a step away, Yvette’s breath caught in her throat.
He better not plan on trying—anything. Not today.
Only when he lifted a hand to brush his knuckles over her cheek, her feet froze in place. Her heart pounded, and her mouth was suddenly dry.
“See you tonight.” Alex spoke softly, his deep voice stroking her senses. He tugged the bag from her white-knuckled grip then marched down the stairs to his truck.
She was still standing motionless on the porch when the red of his taillights vanished in the distance.
It took the cold breeze blowing across the wintry landscape and tangling around her shoulders to snap her out of her partly hypnotized immobility.
Inside the cabin, she hastily ate lunch then headed back to the veterinary clinic.
A busy afternoon spent dealing with small-animal care offered her a wonderful distraction. She didn’t have time for her thoughts to linger on the impossibly tangled situation she’d agreed to leap into with both feet. No one would possibly know that she was completely thrown for a loop by Alex and everything he’d started.
Or…maybe she wasn’t doing as good of a job as she’d imagined.
Fingers snapped in front of her face. “Earth to Yvette.”
She blinked, looking up to discover her boss’s wife staring at her with concern. Lisa Ryder’s dark-brown hair hung loose around her shoulders, her just-over-a-year-old daughter, Zoë, propped on her hip. Little Ollie, the family’s cream-coloured terrier, sat at Lisa’s feet, eyeing Yvette suspiciously, a soft grumble rising from her.
“Sorry.” Yvette straightened, glancing around the waiting room to discover empty chairs. “Woolgathering. Ready for Ollie’s checkup?”
Lisa nodded even as she pulled a face. “I asked for the last appointment of the day just in case.” She shocked Yvette by passing over the little girl in her arms. “Here, you hold Zoë. I’ll bring Ollie into the case room.”
Zoë’s eyes widened, but she patted Yvette’s face as if giving the go-ahead. Lisa stooped to nab Ollie, and a moment later, they were all gathered in the examination room—Lisa holding Ollie on the table, Yvette holding Zoë.
The rumble of noise from Ollie continued.
“We need to do some juggling,” Yvette said dryly. “Unless Zoë plans to do the exam for me.”
“Right.” Lisa made another face before taking Zoë and placing her on the chair at the side of the room. “You stay there for a minute, okay, sunshine? Mommy needs to help the puppy.”
Yvette got her stethoscope out. She worked through the examination, still wondering exactly why Lisa seemed as distracted as she was. “Did Josiah say he was worried about Ollie? Because you seem nervous.”
“Oh, that.” Lisa patted Ollie absentmindedly. The pup wagged her tail enthusiastically and leaned into the caress, all the while managing to keep an eye on Yvette. “Umm, no. Josiah just likes for someone other than family to do her checkups.”
“And…?” Yvette encouraged. No way was that all.
Lisa’s cheeks turned bright pink. She glanced over her shoulder at Zoë, who was playing with the key chain Lisa had given her. She met Yvette’s gaze and spoke quietly. “And the last time I was pregnant, Ollie got very protective, remember?”
“Oh my God.” Yvette felt a smile stretch her face. “That’s wonderful news.”
Lisa held up a hand. “It’s really early, so this is still hush-hush. But I’d already made the appointment for Ollie, and I didn’t want to cancel.”
Yvette focused her attention on the usually sweet little terrier. “Well, either she hasn’t figured it out yet, or this time Ollie doesn’t plan to be as protective, but I wish you the best of luck.”
“Thanks.” Lisa scooped up her daughter, pressing a kiss to her chubby little cheek. “This one is so much fun, we figured we’d better make another attempt before the brat genes rise to the surface.”
“You mean before you end up with a kid just like you?” Yvette teased before adding reassuringly, “Zoë is adorable, the same as any kids you’ll have.”
“You’re just saying that because my husband is your boss.”
“I’m saying that because it’s true. Also, I’m going to tell Josiah that when you have kids less than two years apart, Daddy gets to do night duty with the oldest one.”
“Great idea,” Lisa said. “Hey, I wanted to talk to you about Madison’s baby shower. Can you come over tonight? Hanna is bringing Crissy, and my sister Tamara will be there with her brood, so we can chat while the kids play.”