Amelia Addler [Addler - Veterinarian’s Date with a Billionaire

Veterinarians Date with a Billionaire

Amelia Addler

ANJ Press

Pittsburgh

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Veterinarians Date with a Billionaire

ANJ Press, First edition. June 2019 .

Copyright 2019 Amelia Addler .

Written by Amelia Addler .

Cover design by Charmaine Ross at CharmaineRoss.com

For Andrzej

my brave, funny, silly, and loving dog

who is fighting cancer with all of his might.

I would go to the moon and back to save you.

I t didnt take long for Juliet to spot her friends laughing in a booth at the far corner of the restaurant. They didnt see her coming. A smile spread across her face as she walked toward them.

Well, well, well, she said, arms crossed. If it isnt the Dynamic Duo of Wayside H igh S chool.

No, Greg replied, standing from his seat. With you, were the Three Stooges .

Juliet broke into laughter. I completely forgot that they used to call us that. She pulled Greg in for a hug.

Aaron stood up, wrapping his arms around them both in a group hug.

When did you get so strong? s queaked Juliet.

Aaron shrugged. I have to be able to hold a wriggling four-year-old twin in each arm, and I think thats the ultimate workout.

Oh my gosh, I havent gotten to see them since their third birthday party. I havent seen you guys in forever! said Juliet as she took a seat.

Greg shook his head. No, thats not true. We all hung out six months ago, at my wedding. And my bachelor party, though the kids werent there.

Ah, of course. How could I forget?

How could she forget? She was the only woman invited on the bachelor party a four day backpacking trip in the mountains. She was worried that she wouldnt be able to keep up, but she was one of the fastest in the pack. It seemed that getting married and having kids really slowed the rest of her friends down.

So Jules, said Greg, Whats this project that you need help with?

She took a deep breath. Its a long story, but basically, the vet clinic where I work is at risk of being shut down.

They looked at her with surprise , and she was about to continue when something caught her eye . It look ed like but no, it couldnt be.

Greg turned around to see what she was squinting at. What?

Sh h ! She kicked him under the table. Turn around!

Greg snapped back to face her just as Aaron leaned across the table to see what was so interesting.

Could you guys be any more obvious? I thought I saw someone, but it turns out I was wrong.

Aaron shrugged. Its the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We probably know everybody in this restaurant. Its practically a high school reunion.

Juliet cautioned a glance toward the front door again. She was being silly; there was no one there and she d got ten all flustered for nothing.

She cleared her throat and started again. We had grant funding from

A voice cut her off from behind. Hey guys! Hows it going?

Her eyes didnt deceive her. Shed know that voice anywhere: h er ex-boyfriend, James Balin.

Hey man! Long time no see. Hows it going? Greg offered a handshake before motioning for James to take a seat.

That flushed feeling was back, and Juliet knew that the skin on her chest was bright red under her hoodie. This was the last thing she thought shed have to face during this visit to her hometown.

Her mom nagging her about her hair being too long? Yes, always . The owner of the restaurant scolding her, for the thousandth time, about breaking a huge stack of dishes back when she was a freshman in high school? Sure.

But running into James? Definitely not. As far as she knew, he hadnt been back to Michigan in years. His family didnt even live there anymore. I t made her feel a little rattled to see him appear like that. But sh e didnt want him thinking that he could rattle her, so she needed to play it cool.

Juliet turned to him and smiled with as much grace as she could muster. He hadnt aged a day well, not in a normal way, more like a George Clooney way. His blue eyes were as bright as ever, and she had to force herself not to stare. James had many flaws, but being homely was not one of them.

Pretty good, its good to see you all, James said. His eyes met Juliets. Do you mind if I join you?

Before she could think of an excuse as to why he couldnt sit with them , Aaron said, N o, of course not!

She reminded herself to breathe slowly. This was the problem with having guy friends. It was all fine and dandy until an ex-boyfriend showed up. If Juliets female friends were there, they wouldve known that the ex-boyfriend protocol call ed for civility with a large helping of coldness .

They wouldnt shake his hand. They wouldnt ask how he was doing unless they planned to look away, disinterested in his answer . And t hey certainly wouldnt have invite d him to sit down!

James scooted into the booth next to Greg.

Hi James, fancy see ing you here, she said coolly .

Yeah, Im in town, kinda a surprise actually. Zach invites me for Thanksgiving every year, and I finally took him up on it.

Juliet shifted uncomfortably to make sure her legs didnt brush against his; there wasnt enough room in the booth for another person.

Oh yeah? Hows he doing? asked Aaron.

Really well, replied James. I havent been able to see him for a while, so its a nice treat.

Juliet had to force herself not to say something snarky back to him, like Im sure it is hard to see your best friend when you refuse to leave your precious New York City.

Instead, she said, I s your dad alone for T hanksgiving?

James laughed. No, hes got all of his coworkers to keep him company. Theyre working on a big presentation for some investors, I doubt theyll take any breaks for Thanksgiving dinner . Or Christmas.

I see.

Its so nice to see you Juliet, I cant believe I ran into you here, said James.

What was he going on about? Where else would she be for Thanksgiving? Oh yeah, she could be with her boyfriends family. If she had a boyfriend.

Yeah, its nice to see you too, she lied.

Greg prompted her again. So whats going on with the clinic?

Oh! James said, eyes lighting up. Are you working at a clinic here ?

Westside V eterinary C linic, she said, keeping the edge out of her tone. In Lansing.

It was best to remain neutral, she decided. Shed carry on as though he wasnt even there, or as though it wasnt the first time shed seen him in five years. It d been so long that it was just like seeing a stranger. A t least thats what she told herself to keep from getting frazzled.

We got notice two months ago that our funding will run out at the end of the year, and it wont be renewed . The grant agency is no longer able to fund vet clinics .

Aaron shook his head. Thats awful. How long can the clinic survive without funding?

Juliet sighed. A month? Maybe two? Not very long. We dont make much profit, because everything we do is offer ed on a sliding scale based on peoples income. Its n ot enough to cover operating costs hence why we got the grant for being a vet clinic in an underserved area.

That s so nice though , interjected James. Y oure helping, uh, poor people take care of their pets?

She turned to him with the slightest glare in her eye. When you say it like that you make them sound like theyre homeless. T hey just dont have a lot of extra money to spend on their pets. But it doesnt mean that they love them any less.