Running Wild (Wild 3)

“Yes, she could stand to focus a little less on the former. And you could stand to focus a bit more, Marie. It’s not fun, being in this boat, where you have to make tough decisions like this. And your mother and I need to start thinking about how to leave what we have to you girls in a fair and equitable way.”

“It sounds like the smartest thing for you and Mom to do is to sell this place.” The anger I felt earlier is quickly evaporating. Though I don’t want everything I’ve been building to flip over suddenly, I can’t blame them for wanting to enjoy their waning years.

It just means I’ll have to start making tough decisions of my own.

“I’m not ready to do that yet. Or to leave this place. This is still my home.” He reaches blindly for Yukon, and the dog instantly meets him halfway, giving his hand a lick. “But life doesn’t slow down any when you get old. You slow down. Boy, do you ever.” He shakes his head. “But life just keeps speeding along. Lately, it’s beginning to feel like some sort of super train. You know, the ones that go across Europe? Your mother’s always talked about maybe trying one of those out.” He chuckles. “Except this one is feeling like it has no stops. Yeah … you start waking up in the mornings, realizing you’ve missed the view you’ve been waiting for while you were sleeping, and you can’t go back.”

“I don’t want you to miss anything on my account.”

“I still like the view I got, lookin’ out that window and seeing the lights on next door. And it’s too hot for me in Mexico, anyway. Plus, there’re the sharks to worry about.”

I laugh. “You don’t even swim.”

“Hey, I’ve always wondered, where do you suppose sharks go on vacation?”

We’re switching out of this somber, depressing conversation and back into corny dad jokes, a far more comfortable area. “I have no idea.”

“You should ask Tyler. I’ll bet he knows, given he’s from Finland.”

I frown. “Why would—” The answer hits me, and I groan.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

My head is down when the front door to the clinic chimes.

“You’re in early today,” Cory says in a singsong voice.

“Yeah. Couldn’t sleep, so I figured I’d do some housekeeping.” I abandon the computer screen to watch her glide across the floor to the desk. I’ve always said she looks better in blue scrubs than anyone I’ve ever met. “And you’re in an unusually good mood for a Monday morning. Why?”

“Oh, no reason.” She props her chin on her palm.

The diamond on her ring finger shimmers for attention.

My jaw drops. “No way! Joe finally did it?” They’ve been dating for almost seven years.

Cory’s round face bursts into a beaming smile.

I leap out of my chair and rush around to crash into her, my heart swelling, her excitement contagious. “Oh my God! Congratulations! When did he do it?”

“Yesterday morning!” she squeals.

“Where? How? Hold on! Let me pee first. I’ve had too much coffee already.” I’ve been here for hours, replaying last night’s family blowout and crunching numbers to try to prove to myself that Liz isn’t right.

So far, I’m not sure I can.

“Fine, but hurry.” She taps the sign I printed and taped to the counter, reading it out loud: “‘All payments for services rendered are required same day. No exceptions.’ This is new.”

“And long overdue.” Especially when I tallied the outstanding invoices. No wonder Jim has been on my case. Brad Garvis’s bills are still unpaid, and he and his ferrets haven’t been back. A copy of his outstanding bill is printed and ready for the mail, with interest tacked on that has always been part of my policy but I’ve never enforced. “We’re going to run things a bit differently here from now on.”

“Well, giddyup. You know I’m game.” Cory stretches her arms in front of her, her entwined hands cracking at the knuckles.

* * *

“What did you feed him?” I can’t help the accusatory tone. When Cory begged me to squeeze in her future brother-in-law today, I thought it was for a simple examination. Looking at the ball python on my table, its head and body riddled with vicious bite marks, it’s clear a thawed mouse wasn’t on the menu.

“A rat.”

“A rat.”

“My friend down in Florida feeds his snakes rats all the time. I thought it was okay!” Ivan shrugs.

“Like, a feeder rat from the pet store?”

He hesitates.

“I need to know what happened, so I can help him.”

With resignation, he admits, “I flew down to Juneau with a buddy in his plane so I could visit my mom, and she was complainin’ about some rats in her shed, so I figured I’d catch them and bring them home for Benny.” He shrugs a second time. “It’s a free meal, right?”