Blake:

The next morning, I wake up early and go to see Aunt Elvira. She’s eating breakfast on the patio and smiles warmly when she sees me. “Blake, you’re here. I wasn’t sure when you were getting in.”

I kiss her cheek. “We got in yesterday afternoon.”

“We?” She raises her eyebrow. “Are you seeing someone?”

“Nope, I brought Declan.”

Her smile dims when she finds out it isn’t a girlfriend, but she cheers up when I mention Declan, as I knew she would. Declan and Aunt Elvira get along like a house on fire. “Where is that boy?” she asks.

“He’s still in bed,” I reply. “You know Declan. He’s not a morning person.”

She chuckles. “No, he’s not. Do you want some coffee?”

“Don’t get up.” I was in Goat for Christmas, and Aunt Elvira had been recovering from a bout of flu that had left her weak and drained. I’m delighted to see that she’s looking a lot sprier now, but I still don’t want her overexerting herself. “I know where everything is.”

I go into the kitchen to pour myself a cup of coffee and rejoin my great-aunt on the patio. “What’s new with you, Aunt Elvira? What’s happening in town?”

She chuckles. “This is Goat. There’s always something happening, but none of it is very important. Lots of new people in town though, which is always good for the local businesses. Never mind that; tell me what’s going on with you.”

“Well, I injected Botox into a lot of beautiful women the last six months.”

She frowns at me. “When are you going to settle down, Blake?” she demands. “When was the last time you were in one place for more than six months?”

“I can’t remember.”

She carefully butters her toast and adds a thin layer of ginger marmalade, and my heart catches at that simple gesture. My parents were in a deeply-unhappy marriage. Growing up, my happiest memories are of spending my summers in Goat, eating breakfast with Elvira, wandering through the woods with the neighborhood boys, helping Marla with her bed-and-breakfast… I lean back in my chair, feeling the sun’s warmth on my face. “This is home, Aunt Elvira,” I say quietly. “Nowhere else comes close.”

Her expression softens. “I don’t know why you insist on staying at Marla’s place,” she says. “There’s plenty of room here. For Declan too.”

I chuckle. “I’ll drive you crazy in ten minutes,” I reply. “Besides, I’m too old to be sneaking girls into my aunt’s house.”

She snorts. “Kids. You think I didn’t know what you were up to?”

I give her a fond look. “You keep your illusions. I’ll keep mine.” Talking about women, my thoughts return to last night, to the beautiful, intriguing Lana Davey and her bucket list. When she’d leaned over, giving me an eyeful of her round, squeezable breasts—all natural and fucking perfect—and grabbed my collar, she’d definitely taken me by surprise.

And that kiss… Thinking about her soft lips parting under mine sends an uncomfortable shot of arousal through my groin. Settle down, Thorpe. You don’t want to sport a semi in front of Aunt Elvira.

With difficulty, I put the dark-haired woman out of my mind and return my focus to the conversation. “I don’t know what you’re going to do all month,” my aunt is saying. “Goat’s not that entertaining.”

Lana’s sex bucket list will keep me entertained.

If Declan and I can convince her to let us help.

I intend to give it my best shot.

Declan is talking to two guys in the dining room when I get back. As soon as he sees me, he waves me over. “Blake,” he says, “This is Dr. George Rhodes and Dr. Ted Swanson. They run a clinic in town.”

I shake their hands, thinking privately that the two doctors look like aging Casanovas. “Is the clinic new?” I ask them. “I’ve been visiting Goat for years, and I’ve never heard of it.”

One of the doctors—Ted Swanson—nods. “We’ve been here about eighteen months,” he says. “There’s been more demand than we expected, to be honest, which brings me to the reason we’re here.” He gives his partner a careful look.

“Yes, well—” George Rhodes clears his throat. “We’ve been running flat out without a break, and we really need one. When I found out that two doctors were staying at the Nanny Goat, it was like fate was giving us a nudge.”

Declan gets to the point faster than Rhodes and Swanson. “They want us to fill in while they’re away for the next month.”

“Exactly,” Ted Swanson says eagerly. “The work isn’t too strenuous. The clinic is only open three evenings a week.  Thursday through Saturday, which will still give you four days to enjoy your time off.”

I exchange a glance with Declan. Part of me is tempted by the offer. I do consider Goat home. If there’s one place in the world I wouldn’t mind settling down in, it’d be in this oddly-named small town that holds so many happy memories for me. I didn’t think that Goat was large enough to support an independent medical practice, but if what Aunt Elvira said this morning was true, the town’s getting larger. Filling in for these two doctors is a way for me to assess whether I could stay longer.

I’m not going to lie—I’m getting tired of bouncing around from one place to the other. Friday night, when Declan was talking about the Congo, I’d been envious of the clarity of his purpose. While my college roommate is saving lives, I’m staving off wrinkles. It isn’t a good comparison.

My twenties are behind me. I’m almost thirty-five, and I’m ready to commit to something.

I’m getting a sketchy vibe from these doctors. They’re nervous and twitchy, and neither of them really meets our eyes. Something’s off. Doctors don’t take spur-of-the-moment vacations, and locums are arranged well in advance. Everything about them is setting off red flags in my mind, but I throw caution to the wind.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” I announce. “How long do you want me to fill in for?”

Declan shrugs his shoulders. “Sure, I’m in too,” he says. “Being on vacation for weeks on end sounds tempting, but by the time the weekend’s up, I’ll be itching to do some real work.”

“That’s excellent,” George Rhodes says, his air of relief palpable. “Thank you so much, Doctors. I really appreciate you helping out. Now, we’ve cleared our schedules for the day, so the first day you’ll see patients is next Thursday. Our admin, Rhonda Sawyer is a wealth of knowledge. I’ll tell her to expect you.” He pulls a business card out of his wallet. “My personal phone number is on there. Call me if you need anything, anything at all.”

Declan frowns at the two men. “You’re not going to be at your clinic to show us around?” he asks. “This is really unorthodox.”

“No, no, not at all,” Dr. Swanson cuts in hastily. “Trust me, you’re in very capable hands with Rhonda.” He smiles nervously. “Well, we’ll be off. Thank you again, Doctors. We’ll see you in four weeks.”

As I watch them hurry out of the Nanny Goat, get into a red sports-car and speed off, I start to wonder what the heck we’ve got ourselves into.