“He likes Dr. Hayes.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask who this mysterious Dr. Hayes was, but there was no need. Footsteps sounded down the hallway, growing louder, until a tall figure appeared where Rafe had disappeared with Gilbert. I raised an eyebrow at the sight of the good-looking blond dude wearing a set of green scrubs. He couldn’t have been much older than me, putting him around Rafe’s age. His gaze swept the reception, stopping on me with a slight frown, before returning to the woman and Rocco. As he approached the pit bull, however, his attention kept flickering to me.
“And how is Rocco today?” The man lowered to his haunches to pet the pit bull as he wagged his tail and made delighted chuffing sounds. I’d never seen a dog so happy to see his vet.
“Hi, Dr. Hayes,” the woman said, beaming at him. I didn’t blame her. He was even more gorgeous up close. “He’s been struggling lately, so I thought I better bring him in for another checkup.”
Dr. Hayes.
This was the other vet.
Oh.
Oh, I got it.
A small smile played on my lips.
Two young handsome vets running a clinic together on the Upper West Side. I bet they made a killing. Maybe Rafe wasn’t so uptight that he didn’t know how to use good looks to his advantage.
“Okay, Rocco, let’s have a look at you.” Dr. Hayes stood and his dark gaze came to me. “Are you being attended to?”
“She’s here to see Dr. Whitman,” Finn replied.
Interest gleamed in the vet’s chocolate brown eyes. He gave me a brief, curious smile. “All right.”
Then he was gone, leading Rocco and her admiring owner out of the reception area.
“Can I get you anything? Water, perhaps?” Finn asked.
“I’m okay, but thank you.” I smiled widely, appreciative that he’d think to ask.
His cheeks turned a little red at the crests as he nodded and focused on his computer. Noting his blue scrubs, I wondered about them, considering Dr. Hayes wore green scrubs.
“Are you a vet too?”
Finn’s mouth quirked up at the corners. “No. I’m a veterinary nurse.”
“So as good as.”
He preened, visibly pleased. “Well, I do a lot. There are two nurses here. Me and Rebecca. We do all the health checks and vaccinations, some of the more unpleasant tasks like . . . well”—his cheeks flushed—“stuff. And uh, nail clipping, dental checks. We do all that. Plus, we do all the reception work too.”
“It sounds like this place couldn’t run without you.”
That obviously delighted him. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything, Ms. Meadows?”
“Please call me Star. And I’m really okay.”
Finn nodded. “Dr. Whitman shouldn’t be much longer.”
Thankfully, Finn was right. A few minutes later, Rafe appeared with Ms. Van Alstyne and Gilbert. They murmured together at the reception desk and then Rafe held the door open for her as she and her Chihuahua left the building.
Then I found myself under his keen regard. His gaze lowered down my body to where my floral skirt flowed over my legs and covered my boots. I stared back, trying not to squirm.
“This way,” he announced abruptly, marching across the reception area.
Jumping up from my seat, I hurried to follow him, throwing Finn a small smile and ignoring how he stared after us wide-eyed.
My boots were loud on the floor as I rushed after Rafe. He led me down a narrow hallway that had two doors with signs that read EXAM ROOM 1 and EXAM ROOM 2.
At the end of that hall, we stopped at one of three doors. Rafe held the door open and gestured me forward. He’d ushered me into what I could only presume was his office. There was a small window on the back wall that I assumed faced into the alleyway. Artificial lighting and the same walnut touches saved the room from being dreary. There were framed degrees on his wall, as well as a family photograph.
“Take a seat.”
I did, watching him round his desk to sit in his dark brown leather chair. He leaned back in it, eyes hooked to mine. My breathing grew a little shallow.
“What are you reading?” he surprised me by asking.
It was then I realized I still clutched my e-reader in my hand. I stuffed it into my purse. “Uh, a book about an Old Hollywood starlet.”
“Tragic?” he queried, as if he was genuinely interested.
“Parts of it.” I smiled at him. “Do you want to start a book club?”
He sighed wearily. “I’d really like to discuss paying you a bonus to not have you make smart comments like that.”
“I wasn’t being smart.” I really wasn’t. “I’d love to start a book club.”
“Someone give me patience,” Rafe muttered before he sat forward, elbows on his desk. “Do we have a deal or not?”
“So is Dr. Hayes your partner here, or does he work for you?”
He scowled. “What does it matter?”
“It’s very smart,” I mused. “The two of you running this place.”
“Why’s that?”
I guffawed. “You know why.”
“I do?”
“Look at you both. You must have every person inclined toward the male gender in New York lining up to bring their beloved pets to you.”
“You met Owen.” He sat back in his chair, eyeing me coldly. “Owen is my friend. We went through vet school together at Cornell. He’s my employee. And if we’re going to do this, he’s completely off-limits to you.”
Wow, he was a surly bastard. “Noted, Mr. Sunshine. Will you be telling Owen the truth about us . . . if we do this?”
Rafe’s eyes narrowed. “That’s none of your business.”
Huh. “Well, it kind of will be, because I don’t want to be the idiot pretending to like you in front of him if he already knows the truth.”
That muscle in his jaw ticced. “Fine. I haven’t decided if I’m telling him, but I will let you know if I do. Happy? Do we have a deal or not?”
“About the smart comments? Definitely not. About the fake dating thing, maybe. I need to know exactly what will be required of me. And I’ll want it in a contract so you can’t renege on payments.”
Affronted, he denied, “I would never.”
“Still . . .”
“Fine. I’ll draw up a contract.”