pulled out trousers and an ivory cable knit sweater. She put on lip gloss and pinched her cheeks.
An image of Mr. Cell Phone, a.k.a Trey Blackfox, rose in her mind as she released the necklace clasp. She stared at the teardrop opal her father had given her on her fifteenth birthday. The last thing she needed was another distraction in her life. It was way too complex already. She especially didn’t need to waste time fantasizing about a man who couldn’t commit to her. Moreover, if she were going to pick a man based on more than good looks and charm, Trey didn’t measure up.
Later, after she’d had enough time to make her appearance halfway decent, Sasha walked downstairs and searched the house for her newest charge. She found Darwin lying at the foot of her godfather’s bed. The sight if his head dropping down as soon as she’d opened the door about broke her heart in two.
The Jack Russell terrier didn’t even look as she put on his leash and took him downstairs. Once they’d settled into the back of the car, Sasha caught Jackson’s look of concern in the rearview mirror. Darwin had been her uncle Camden’s constant companion. If her godfather flew first class, Darwin had his own seat. She’d met the canine when both she and Uncle Camden had been in Brussels for a wildlife preservation symposium.
She reached down, picked up the dog and put him in her lap and held him. It was almost as if she were holding piece of her godfather. She’d always known he’d loved animals, but she’d never visited his house, or met any of his other pets. She’d been aware of them only from letters. Yet in the back of her mind there had always been the expectation that she’d one day visit the house and meet the little creatures in person.
Sasha looked down and stroked the fur on the dog’s head. “Oh, Darwin. I know how you feel. I miss Camden, too, tough guy.”
His face lifted up and his dog tag jiggled back and forth twice and that brought a smile to her face. “Yes, I called you tough guy.” She used the nickname that her godfather had given the canine.
Minutes later with Darwin in her arms, Sasha carefully made her way across the parking lot and stopped in front of the automatic glass doors of the clinic. As they opened to reveal a large reception area, she had to blink as her eyes adjusted from the bright sunlight of the interior of the office. She glanced from left to right and would have backed out had she not seen the name of the office: Samuel Graham Veterinary Clinic. Stepping through the reception area she walked toward the smiling young man seated behind the counter.
“Good afternoon. I’m here to bring…” she started.
The young man smiled and reached over to rub Darwin’s head. “Little D, I haven’t seen you in ages.”
Sasha blinked as the Jack Russell terrier in her arms seemingly went from death to life; Darwin practically jumped from her arms into the assistant’s. She looked at his nametag: Joseph Morris.
“Oops. Sorry about that.” Sasha stepped forward in an attempt to reclaim the canine.
“I’ve given him special treats since he was weaned.” He chuckled, struggling to keep his face from the dog’s tongue. “How are you doing, fella? Looks like you’ve lost quite a bit of weight.”
“Yes, that’s what I’d like to speak to a doctor about.”
“Of course, Ms. Clayton.”
She gave the young man a warm open smile she normally reserved for animals and kids. “Please, call me Sasha.”
“Only if you call me Jo.” He grinned broadly. “Sasha, I’m Dr. Blackfox’s veterinary assistant and I’ll he helping with Darwin today. Now, if you’ll just have a seat, I’ll take you back as soon as a room becomes available.”
Sasha took the dog from his arms and settled into one of the comfortable waiting chairs. “So you like treats, boy? I’ll have to buy you a box before I leave.”
Leave. The word left an uncomfortable taste in her mouth. She’d only arrived in Atlanta yesterday and already her mind was mentally preparing to depart. “Poor pooch. It must seem like everyone is leaving you,” she murmured.
Her eyes strayed to the other people with their pets and she felt a momentary pang of envy. Although she studied animals for weeks or months at a time, she could never bond with them the way those people had bonded with their pets. Her parents had moved around so much that having a pet was never an option. Once she’d tried to befriend one of her mother’s wounded birds, but having an endangered hawk as a pet was against the law.
She thought of her parents and her heart sank. She’d have to tell them. There was no way she could deliver the news on the phone. She’d have to fly to Cuba and do it in person. She shook her head and rubbed Darwin’s back. One step at a time, Sasha, she told herself. Now if she could get through seeing Dr. Trey Blackfox as easily.
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