Hitched(19)

So why can’t Hope and I get along?

Better yet…why can’t we do more than get along?

When I saw her in the casino in Vegas that weekend when I was in college, a blast from the past I’d rarely seen since our high school graduation—I was going to school at CalTech and had stayed out west for a summer internship—she was hunched over a slot machine looking like her dog died.

Like all of her dogs died.

I wanted to make her smile. I needed to make her smile.

I can’t finish vet school and my life is over and I don’t want to talk about it, but I kinda want to self-destruct, she’d said, tears in those big brown eyes that suddenly seemed even more beautiful than they had when we were just friends growing up.

I offered to sit with her while she waited for her friends to join her the next day.

The slot machine short-circuited.

Casino security asked her to leave.

And I designated myself her personal guardian while we went to a second casino, where she picked the blackjack table and then the roulette wheel—no electronics involved—and we won big and celebrated with too many rum and cokes.

Seven hours later, we were hitched.

Twenty-four after that, we were over.

I never got to romance her. Outside the bedroom, that is.

Maybe this is my second chance.

Hell, no maybe about it. Clint’s right. This is my second chance.

Once again, her life has taken a bad turn, and once again, I’m here.

It’s time for me to man up.

Pretend this is real?

Hell, no.

I’m gonna make this real.

Operation: Real Romance, here I come.





Eight





From the texts of Hope St. Claire

and Cassie O’Dell





Cassie: Hey babes! I hate to interrupt you on your first night of wedded bliss, but George Cooney is having tummy troubles, and I’d really appreciate some expert raccoon advice.





* * *



Hope: Hey! I’m no expert, but I’ll do my best.





* * *



Cassie: You are too an expert. You’re totally an animal doctor, just without the official paperwork.





* * *



Hope: Ha. Well, the state of Georgia likes official paperwork. And I’m sure there are a lot of things I missed dropping out of school with a year left to go. But I’m happy to try to help.





* * *



Cassie: You’re sure I’m not bothering you? Cramping your wedding night style?





* * *



Hope: Not at all. Blake was so beat from our big day he’s already dead to the world. I was just reading to unwind a little. What’s up with George?





* * *



Cassie: He got into the pantry after dinner, before I put the padlock on the door again, and he ate an entire jar of peanut butter. Now, he’s rolling around on the carpet in the living room, moaning and clutching his stomach like he’s in pain, while also trying to steal Ryan’s popcorn every time he leaves the bowl unattended. He could just be playing up his starvation to score treats after eight p.m., but this feels different than the usual theatrics.





* * *



Hope: Hmmm… A jar of peanut butter is a lot. Was it full?





* * *



Cassie: Practically. And he licked that sucker clean.





* * *



Hope: Did Sticky Fingers get into it too?





* * *



Cassie: No, just George. The babies didn’t touch it either.





* * *



Hope: Aww. That’s probably good. I loved the family photo of them you sent last week. Who knew George would be a family man? Although, I guess it makes sense, with you and Ryan as role models. So has he been drinking since the PB encounter?





* * *



Cassie: No. I refilled his water dish because I was worried he had peanut butter stuck to the roof of his mouth, but he hasn’t touched it.





* * *



Hope: Okay. Well, peanut butter is on the approved list of foods for raccoons. In moderation. But it’s got a lot of junk in it, too, and wild animals aren’t built to process that much refined sugar. Try giving him some ice chips in a bowl. That’ll give him something to chew on and get water into him at the same time. I think your best bet is to get him hydrated and keep him on crickets and found-in-nature foods tomorrow. That’ll be a fun treat for his family, too. But if he gets worse or you notice increased swelling or tenderness in the abdominal area, you should take him in to the vet.





* * *



Cassie: Gotcha. Will do. Thank you so much! Ryan’s going to get ice chips now. He said to tell Blake hi, by the way, and that he and Jace are going to take him out for a post-wedding bachelor party as soon as they all have a night off.





* * *



Hope: Oh good. I’m sure Blake will love that. But I bet Ryan and Jace are thinking we’re crazy people, huh?