Page 52 of The Flirty Vet

"The guy with the eyes?"

Wilby groans.

"Hi, I'm Col."

"I know," Fitz says, smiling. "We all know. Good to meet you, mate."

He's got as strong a handshake as Linus has. Country men, they really do have a firmer grip than city boys.

"Mind if we take a selfie?" he asks.

"Uh, sure."

I mean, what else can I say?

"Fitz is big on TikTok," Wilby explains, which doesn't really clarify why he wants to snap a selfie with me or why he's in a koala onesie.

Fitz takes a few pics. "Thanks. Want me to tag you?"

"No. I'm fine. Thanks."

"Cool. Well, I gotta head. Got surgery. Nice to meet you, Col."

"Yeah. You, too."

I watch as he walks away. Wilby elbows me. "Hey. His eyes aren't that low."

"I wasn't checking him out. I'm just trying to figure out why he's wearing a onesie."

"He raises money online doing ridiculous things. He's in his onesie and painted fingernails era."

"That's cool," I say slowly. "Quirky, but cool."

Wilby chuckles. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

"Anyway, enough talking about him." Wilby inches closer. He takes my hand—firmly—as he shows me the staff room at the back, which looks like it doubles as a storage space, too. No other vets are around, and I get the impression that Wilby is done for the day.

"I was wondering…"

"Yes?"

There's a twinkle in his eye that gives me a good idea of what he's about to suggest.

"Wanna come back to my place?"

"Oh."

His place? He told me earlier he lives on a farm outside of Scuttlebutt.

"You seem surprised." He waggles his brows. "I thought you might be keen for some more of my Aussie sausage. Plus, I still need to demonstrate the word of the day to you."

I smile but avert my gaze.

He comes over and lifts my chin until our eyes meet. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's just… You want me to meet your family?"

"Sure, why not?"