Page 19 of Wilde Ride

“No, I’m a vet.”

Lucy nodded. “Thank you for your service. Were you a doctor in the military?”

I blinked at her a few times, until Emeline subtly nudged me. “Um.” I shook my head, then replied, “A veterinarian. The other kind of vet. Not a vet like in the military… It doesn’t matter.”

Lucy looked confused.

Emeline smiled at the young girl. “An animal doctor, Lucy.”

The light bulb went off. “Ohh! I’m so stupid. Daddy calls our local veterinarian a fleecer.”

Emeline laughed, then quickly covered it up by coughing.

“He calls him a fleecer?” I asked, frowning.

She nodded. “Is that another name for a veterinarian?”

I looked over to Emeline, who was practically turning red from trying to hold her laughter in. She also gave up on a different table, and finally slid into the booth.

“No, it’s not,” I answered with a forced smile.

She shrugged, as if bored with the conversation. “What can I get you both to drink?”

“I’ll have a water for now,” Emeline stated.

“Same for me.”

“Two waters, coming up!”

Turning on her heel, Lucy walked toward the counter. I took that moment to glance around. The café wasn’t crowded, but there were still a good number of people here. All of whom were still watching us.

Anna’s Café hadn’t changed a bit. It still looked the same as when I was little, sitting at the counter when my father brought me in for a shake. I was pretty sure they hadn’t remodeled it since it opened in 1955.

I focused back on Emeline, who was looking through the menu with a small smile on her face.

“I think I should let my father know what Mr. Miller thinks of him.”

She giggled but didn’t say anything.

Opening the menu, I asked, “Wait, who is her father?”

Emeline glanced over the menu. “That would be Jed Miller.”

I groaned. “Janet’s younger son?”

“That’s the one. Anna’s his aunt.”

“Does Jed have just the one girl?”

Her eyes sparkled. “He has four girls.”

I was positive my eyes went as wide as saucers.

“And three boys.”

“Fucking hell,” I mumbled. “Seven more Millers?”

She bit her lower lip and dropped her eyes back to the menu.