Page 138 of Sit, Stay, Love
Sera lay in the dark with her earphones in, sobbing as she listened to Toby’s messages.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The hubbub of the airport swirled around her, but Sera was oblivious. She was frozen in front of the Qantas self-serve check-in kiosk with her passport in her hand, staring blankly at the options on the screen.
Ethan had messaged to tell her he’d had to go to New York at the last minute and wouldn’t be back for a few days. He’d organised a car to pick her up at the airport, and there would be champagne to greet her in her room. He’d take her out when he got back to LA.
She’d told him it was fine – she’d be fine – but the thought of him not being there made her already unsettled stomach tumble and churn, and her whispering doubts became deafening.
You’re not going for Ethan, her brain reminded her for the thousandth time.You’re going for…
Why the hell was she going again?
A booming laugh made her jump, and she blinked and looked up, glancing at all the excited faces. The place was buzzing. People were smiling as they printed out baggage labels, weighed their bags and cuddled family and friends, their happiness practically bouncing off the walls.
She blew out a soft breath and glumly turned back to the red-and-white screen glowing in front of her, her brow furrowed and her teeth gnawing at her bottom lip.
‘Can I help you?’ a woman in a Qantas uniform asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Sera said with a resigned sigh.
‘Are you not sure what you’re doing?’
‘I thought I knew. I really did.’ She shook her head and rubbed her eyes, holding back the tears desperate to fall. ‘I mean, I know what I’m supposed to be doing. But what if I’m wrong?’
‘It’s okay, I’m here to help,’ the woman said brightly, offering Sera a reassuring smile. ‘It’s not as hard as you think. I bet you know exactly what to do. Take a deep breath. You’ve got this.’
Sera stared at the woman for a long beat, then another, then another. The woman stared back with an expression of increasing alarm.
Then Sera gasped. ‘Oh god. You’re right. You’re absolutely right. How could I be such a colossal idiot?’ She threw her arms around the surprised woman. ‘Thank you so much,’ she said hugging her tight.
The woman hesitated a moment and then returned the hug. ‘You’re welcome.’
Sera paced outside Toby’s surgery, glancing up every couple of seconds to see if he was peering out the window at her, wondering what the hell she was doing.
What the hell am I doing?
She was doing what her heart was telling her to do. Not her head, or her stupid pros and cons list, or her fear of what might go horribly wrong, or her sense of commitment. Just listening to her heart. Like she did when she first met Toby and decided to open an animal rescue with zero experience. That had gone okay – more than okay. It was the best decision she’d ever made. And she had to trust that this would be too.
She stopped pacing, stared at the phone in her hand and nodded to herself like one of those bobblehead tigers in the back of a car. Nod, nod, nod. Her finger hovered over Toby’s name. She’d tossed away an amazing opportunity – and the possibility of something wonderful with a lovely man – for Toby.
Her mind cleared like crystal.
For Toby.
She blew out a slow, centring breath and hit call, swallowed hard and waited for him to answer.
On the fourth ring, he picked up. ‘Hey. Hi. Are you about to board? Or are you in the Qantas lounge living it up with the rich people?’
‘You didn’t say Petside Vet Clinic,’ she said. ‘That’s not very professional of you.’
He was quiet for a beat, then chuckled. ‘Sorry. Do you want to ring back?’
She laughed. ‘No… I want you to open the door.’
He was quiet again, and she could almost hear his mind ticking over.
Then the lock clicked and the door swung open. Toby hovered on the other side of the security screen with his phone still held to his ear. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked. He glanced down at the suitcase beside her feet. ‘Was your flight cancelled?’
