“Gigi, hey, he’s fine,” he said, handing the puppy to me and giving me a big hug. “See? It’s all good.” I still sobbed into his white coat, which I belatedly realized added to his hotness in a way no other accessory quite could.
“Are you the dad?” Dr. Barnes asked over my shoulder. Oh right, I forgot Beau was there.
I pushed away slightly and wiped under my eyes. “Yeah, this is Beau. Beau, Dr. Barnes.”
“You weren’t here last night? Or I should say this morning. Three in the morning’s a bit late for your girl to be out, don’t you think?” Barnes said and I might have accidentally hugged him harder…
“Yeah, I didn’t get Geneviève’s call,” Beau said, letting go of Dr. Barnes’ hand.
“Huh, seems to me, if I had a girl like Gigi in my bed at home, I wouldn’t be out at three in the morning—" Barnes said, then deepened his voice and whispered, “not answering my phone.”
Again, my arms involuntarily—I swear—tightened around him. Oh my gosh, I needed to stop hugging this man.
In a minute.
“Thanks for the suggestion and thank you for taking care of our dog last night. Do I pay at the front?” Beau asked, looking over at the receptionist.
“Gigi’s family now. Family doesn’t pay,” Dr. Barnes let his gaze fall to me. “You go home and get some sleep, now, okay? You must be exhausted. And Gigi?”
I nodded, almost ready to let go of him.
“If you ever find yourself tired of not being appreciated and—properly looked after like all ladies should, you give me a call. I know how to treat a woman.”
“All due respect, Dr. Barnes, that’s my girlfriend you’re holding?” Beau said and I just barely held in a giggle.
“My advice—Beau? Keep an eye on her. Lots of handsome, well-to-do gentlemen in this town who’d be more than willing to keep a girl like Gigi company at three in the morning.”
Wow. I was officially in love with Dr. Barnes. I smiled up at him so hard I was sure my face would crack. “Thanks, Dr. Barnes. You’re sweet. And thank you for looking after this naughty boy,” I said, finally letting go of the dreamy doctor and petting the puppy.
“Anytime, Gigi. I want you to bring in his sister as well when it’s time for their next shots, all right, sweetheart?” Dr. Barnes looked down at me as he swiped his thumb across my cheek. “And you call me day or night—if you ever need anything. Get me?”
“Yeah, she gets you, I get you, the whole goddamn world gets you,” Beau said haughtily, placing his hand over mine and clutching my hand. “We need to get going. Thanks again for your services.”
Then Beau started walking out, pulling me behind. I gave Dr. Barnes another smile and he more than returned it.