“He got into a package of gum up in my loft. I’m pretty sure he ate the whole thing, and it’s the kind that has xylitol.”
Justine inexplicably slammed on the brakes and nearly got rear-ended. “What?”
“He’s going to be okay, but you need to get him to a vet, now.” Griffin’s voice was shockingly calm. “The vet site says, ‘The toxic effects of xylitol can occur within ten to fifteen minutes.’”
“Oh shit. What are the symptoms again? Vomiting and what?” She craned her neck and peered over her shoulder at Spencer despite the heavy traffic all around her. “Being in the car makes him puke anyway. How can I tell if it’s from the gum?”
“If he threw up it’ll help. They suggest inducing vomiting as quickly after ingestion as possible. Did he?”
Justine looked over her shoulder again and felt her heart sink when she saw how pathetic Spencer looked with his head positioned awkwardly on the armrest and his eyes at half-mast. “No.”
“Okay, where are you? I’ll find a clinic for you that’s close to where you are. You can’t wait until you get home.”
“I just got off the bridge. Fort Lee maybe?”
Ten minutes later she pulled into the parking lot of a roadside clinic and gently led Spencer out of the back seat of her Mini. He seemed out of it, more so than usual after a brief drive. Once he was checked in and led to the back by a concerned-looking vet tech, she settled onto one of the uncomfortable chairs in the empty waiting room and texted Griffin with an update.
It’s been too long to induce vomiting so they’re measuring his blood glucose levels and liver values. We’re going to be here for a while as they monitor him.
Okay, I’m paying. Call me when you check out and I’ll give you my credit card, Griffin texted.
No, I’ve got it, don’t worry about it, she texted back immediately.
But she was worried about it. Just walking in the door at the emergency clinic set her back $175 before they even laid a hand on Spencer. The blood work, fluids, liver protectants, and the rest of his treatment were bound to cost more than she could afford, but there was no way she was going to let Griffin pay for it, even if it was his fault.
I’m paying.
Suddenly Griffin’s words took on an ominous new meaning. If Justine allowed him to pay, it would be another piece of paper for him to put in his perfectly organized Leo file. Another way for him to lay claim to her dog while he was in her care.
No way. She wasn’t about to let him think that she couldn’t afford to take care of her dog.
She kicked numbers around as she waited, trying to envision how much the bill was going to be. Five hundred dollars? Sure, doable with some credit card juggling. Nine hundred? Ouch. But okay, she could make it happen. Anything more? She was going to be pennies from maxing out her personal card, and she wasn’t about to put the cost of Spencer’s care on one of Tricks & Biscuits’ cards. She didn’t know when the money from The Eighteenth would show up in her bank account.
The dark-haired woman behind the counter stood up. “Excuse me, Spencer’s mom?”
Justine leapt up and nearly dropped her phone. “Yes, that’s me. Is he okay?”
“He’s still getting treatment, but I’m sure he’s fine. Can you come over here for a minute? I have to ask you something.” She beckoned Justine to the counter. “Someone on the phone says he wants to pay for Spencer’s care. Griffin McCabe. We don’t normally do that sort of thing without permission from the pet guardian, so I wanted to check in with you before I took his card details. Is that okay with you?”
She felt her face go hot. The nerve!
“No, it’s not okay with me. Please tell him it’s taken care of and hang up.”
The receptionist gave her a concerned look and picked up the phone. Justine hovered and listened.
“Sir? I’m sorry but I can’t take your payment for treatment. The pet’s guardian refused.” Her eyes flitted to Justine. “Yes, she’s right here. Hold on.” She pushed a button on the phone and held the receiver out. “He’d like to speak to you.”
Justine backed up like the woman was offering her a flaming turd. “No,” she hissed. “Just hang up!”
“Are you okay? Is this person threatening you?”
“No, no, he’s fine.” She flapped her hand. “I just don’t need his help. Tell him I just left the building to go find food.” It was a few minutes from being true. The bag of almonds and granola bar in her purse were long gone.
The receptionist nodded and pushed the button again. “Sir? I’m sorry but she just walked out the door to get dinner. She said not to worry about payment.” She paused. “Around the clinic? There really aren’t any restaurants near here except for a Long John Silver’s.” She laughed. “Yes, Long John Silver’s is still around.” She laughed again. “You’re telling me! I know. Okay, honey. Um-hm. Will do. Take care.”
Justine narrowed her eyes at the woman. Another victim of Mr. Customer Service. “What did he say?” she asked quietly.
“He said he likes Long John Silver’s popcorn shrimp.”
Justine half smiled at his ridiculousness; then the idea of eating short-circuited everything else. “Is that seriously the only place that has food near here?”
“Not unless you want to drive for a few miles,” the woman replied. “It’s right across the street.”
Justine sighed. “Okay. Do I have time to grab something?”
“You do. He’ll be here for a while, so you have plenty of time.”
Justine tried not to get killed as she crossed the four-lane road to get to the fast-food restaurant across the street. She was worried about her dog, cold, exhausted, and starving, her feet hurt, and she felt filthy. It was close to seven and she still had hours of waiting ahead of her, which was why she found herself inside the empty bright yellow fast-seafood restaurant.
The skinny young guy behind the counter narrowed his eyes at her. “You Justine?”
She looked over her shoulder in confusion, then pointed at herself. “Me?”
“Yeah, blue sweater. You Justine?”
“Yes?”
“Okay, some dude just called and bought you a gift card.” He threw it on the counter in front of him. “Twenty-five dollars. Gave me a really good tip too.”
She froze. Damn it, he was good. He’d gambled on her showing up to get dinner and it had paid off. And the fact that he footed the bill for her meal made the $14.29 she spent on various fried delights taste that much better.
* * *
• • •
“Justine,” a comforting voice cut through the haze. “Hey.”
She blinked at the fluorescent light and tried to figure out where she was and who was calling her name. Her neck ached and her foot was asleep, and she realized that Griffin McCabe was next to her and staring at her with kind eyes at the Riverside Emergency Veterinary Clinic.
She jumped.
“Oh my God, what are you doing here?”
He was looking at her like she was a lost kitten, studying her with his eyebrows knitted and his mouth slightly downturned. She sat up straighter, pulled her sweater so it wasn’t rumpled, and ran her hand over her hair.
“I was worried about Leo—I mean Spencer—so I decided to come see how things were going. Plus, I thought I might be able to convince Miss Janet over there to use my credit card instead of yours.” He smiled his devastating smile, which made Justine want to punch him because Miss Janet had probably already fallen under his spell. Between buying her dinner and showing up in person, it was clear that Griffin knew how to play to win.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, quickly drawing her hand across her chin to wipe away any drool that might have crusted there. “Thanks for all the shrimp, by the way. I meant to text you a thank-you, but I went into a fried-food coma the second I finished.”
“Popcorn shrim
p, right?” He nodded. “Can’t go wrong with those little suckers. So, what’s the latest on Le—I mean Spencer?”
She shrugged. “No news in hours. I think at this point they’re just monitoring him. I’m sure they’d come get me if something was wrong.”
“Okay, I guess that’s good. Have you been able to see him?”
She shook her head and they both stared at the door that led to the back of the clinic.
“I can’t believe you came. You didn’t have to do that.” Justine blinked. “What time is it?”
He peered at his wrist. “Ten forty-five.”
“Wow. I didn’t think anyone wore watches these days.”
“I’m old-school. I collect them. I have about twenty.”
She snorted. “But you only have two wrists.”
Griffin huffed and opened his mouth to answer her as a doctor in a white coat came into the lobby. “You’re Spencer’s people?”
Justine sat forward before Griffin could say anything. “Yes, I’m his person.”
“Hi, I’m Dr. Gisemba. I took over Spencer’s care after Dr. Doyle left for the night.” She reached out to shake Justine’s and Griffin’s hands. “Spencer is doing very well. So well that Dr. Doyle and I both think he might have vomited the gum immediately after eating it without either of you knowing. Is it possible you both missed it in your home or in your yard?”
“Oh, we’re not . . . um.” Justine turned to Griffin. “Did you look for vomit?”
He squinted. “I actually didn’t. I saw the wrappers and freaked out.”
“Well, we’re not seeing anything concerning and it’s been six hours since he ate it. I wanted to offer you the option of going home and doing a recheck at your regular vet tomorrow morning. To be honest, it’s more economical than doing it here.”
“Seriously? That would be amazing. I still have a long drive ahead of me.”
“Okay, then let’s take that approach,” Dr. Gisemba said with a nod. “I’ll have a tech bring Spencer out to you, and Janet will call you up once I’ve entered everything in the computer.”
“I’m paying.” Griffin turned to face her the moment the doctor disappeared in back. “No arguments. It’s my fault you’re here. You and Spencer have had a really long day.”
“Absolutely not,” Justine said, grabbing her purse and digging through it for her wallet. “He’s my dog and he’s my responsibility. Don’t worry about it.”
She could tell they were headed for a fight at the checkout counter, but it was late, and she was too tired to be truly up for it.
Griffin started to respond when the door opened and Spencer galloped out, dragging a tattooed vet tech behind him.
“There they are,” the man said. “There’s your mom and dad!”
Spencer seemed overjoyed to see them together and bounded from Justine to Griffin, then back again, as if the past hours hooked up to various drips and monitors hadn’t happened.
“Janet will have your checkout info in a minute,” the tech said as he handed the leash to Griffin.
Justine was about to snatch it out of his hand when Janet called her to the desk. Griffin was so busy petting Spencer that she was able to sneak away before he realized what was happening.
“Here,” Justine said quietly, handing two credit cards to her. “Please split the charge between these two. Do not, under any circumstances, let him pay.” She flicked her eyes toward Griffin.
“Got it,” Janet said and took the cards. “Do you want your total?”
She frowned. “Is it over a thousand dollars?”
Janet nodded slowly.
“Please tell me it’s under three thousand.”
“Oh yes, well under.”
Justine let out a small sigh of relief. The money from The Eighteenth would come soon enough and help her catch up. “Okay, that’s fine, I guess. Just run it, please.”
Griffin looked up from petting Spencer’s belly and realized what was happening at the counter. “Hey! I said I was paying.” He reached into his back pocket and strode to her.
“Too late,” Justine said gleefully. “All done.”
Janet shot him an apologetic smile as she ran the second card. “Sorry.”
“I’m not blaming you, Janet,” Griffin said, leveling his gaze on Justine. “I still owe you. This isn’t over.”
“That’s what you think,” Justine replied, folding up Spencer’s discharge paperwork before he could see her address. “Thanks for coming. Bye, Griffin.”
chapter twelve
Sienna sat cross-legged on the floor at Tricks & Biscuits sorting through the box of colorful fleece dog vests. Spencer watched her through the gate behind the counter with his face smashed against the rails, so his nose was pushed through. After his pricey visit to the vet the day before Justine wanted to make sure that he didn’t regress completely and start eating anything he could put in his mouth. She kept him safely cordoned off with her while she logged on to her credit card account and tried to stop her financial hemorrhage.
Justine sucked in her breath when she saw the balance.
“What?” Sienna asked.
“Nothing, just boring accounting stuff. It’s fine.”
But it wasn’t even close to fine. She could pay for the COD shipment of dog food that was due to be delivered later in the day, but it meant that the invoice she’d been waiting to pay would be even later.
“I can finish putting those vests out,” Justine said to Sienna, thinking about how she was also going to need to meet payroll. “You can leave for the day.”
“I’m off the clock now; I just want to finish. I hate leaving a job half-done, you know? Five more minutes.” Sienna folded the tiny vests expertly, like someone who’d done time at Baby Gap. “By the way, have you signed the lease yet? Seth peeked in looking for you today. He didn’t mention it but that’s probably what he wanted.”
Justine clenched her jaw. “Not yet. But soon. At some point.”
Neither one said anything for a few minutes and Fleetwood Mac filled the silence.
“So, what’s the latest with the Brooklyn DILF? Is he still texting you?”
“Gross.” Justine shuddered. “Please don’t call him that.”
When she’d shown Sienna the photos she’d secretly taken of Griffin as he walked Spencer, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Justine tried to downplay Griffin’s hotness but with photographic evidence it was impossible to deny.
“He keeps asking to send me money. I won’t give him my Venmo or PayPal. He feels so guilty and I’m loving every second of it.”
Sienna sat back on her haunches and surveyed her work. “Not that it’s any of my business, but wouldn’t it help to get some money from him? He is actually at fault.”
“No way!” Justine answered too quickly. “Once this gum thing dies down, I guarantee his campaign to get Spencer back is going to ramp up. He’ll send me money this week and use the fact that he paid against me in small-claims court next week.”
Sienna studied Justine. “Wow, you really don’t trust him, huh?”
The bell on the door pealed and both Sienna and Justine looked at it hopefully. They’d only had a handful of customers and they needed a shopper with a new rescue dog and bottomless wallet who was looking to stock up.
“Where is my sick boy?” Ruth called out as she burst into the store. She was in black pedal pushers and a pale pink sweater, looking like an extra from an old Elvis movie. “I have something to make him feel better.”
“Ooh, can’t wait to see this one,” Sienna said. “What’s the theme?”
Ruth leaned over the gate and gave Spencer a gentle rub under his chin, then reached out to hug Justine. “I’m so sorry all that happened yesterday. What a bummer.”
“Yeah, the fun of the audition kind of got lost in the mess afterward. I’ve bar
ely had a chance to think about it,” Justine said.
“Our boy is going to be a star! I can say I knew you when, Spence. I hope you’ll keep me on as your stylist, since your mom has no interest in the job.” Ruth grinned at Justine and handed a little polka-dotted bag to her.
She peeked inside and laughed when she saw what it was. “You are a cruel woman.”
It was a white bow tie covered with a repeating gumball machine pattern.
“Please, you can have the honor of reminding him of his trauma,” Justine said as she handed the tie to Ruth.
The shop phone rang as Ruth fastened the tie around Spencer’s neck.
“Tricks & Biscuits, may I help you?” Justine answered.
“Don’t hang up!” the voice demanded.
She recognized it instantly and her heart fell out of rhythm. “Griffin? How did you get this number?”
“When you were at my apartment you had a little temporary building pass clipped to your purse. It had your first and last name, so I tracked you down.”
“Oh my God, stalk much?” she asked as she realized he’d seen the badge from her meeting with Anderson and Ted.
“I had to, because you won’t answer my texts. I still feel awful about what happened, Justine. I want to take care of it.”
“You don’t have to worry about it,” she answered breezily as she fiddled with a basket of collar charms. “He’s fine now and I’m moving on. We’re done.”
“That’s the other reason why I’m calling. He’s doing okay?”
Justine leaned over and gave Spencer a scratch behind the ears. “He’s great. I had him at our vet this morning and they said everything looks perfect. So, we’re all set, Griffin. But thanks.”
He made a noise that sounded like a frustration growl. “This doesn’t feel right to me.”
She shrugged and made a noncommittal noise. Both Ruth and Sienna were watching her.
“Maybe I’ll drive up to Rexford and hand deliver a stack of cash.”
Justine wasn’t sure if her heart sped up at the thought of Griffin showing up on her doorstep or the pile of money he promised.
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