Grant Murchison is a computer programmer with a great job, a small house he’s fixing up, and a mischievous tabby cat named Molly. Doctor Brodie Hall is a veterinarian with a sleeve full of tattoos and an enormous mastiff named Ruby.
When Molly gets sick after nibbling on Grant’s favorite purple toy, he rushes her to the vet clinic where the doctor works. Grant’s embarrassed to admit what Molly ate, but Brodie finds Grant’s reaction charming.
Brodie decides to pursue Molly’s owner, but getting close to Grant is a bigger challenge than he anticipated. Despite Grant’s attraction to the vet, his past leaves him unable to trust in a future together. Doc Brodie may be great with scared and hurting animals but will his technique work on Grant?
Curiosity killed the cat, well Molly's curiosity doesn't kill her but it certainly creates a little havoc in her human's life that changes everything for Grant and the vet who tends to her curiosity fallout. Another great short story/novella(I'm never quite sure where to draw the line between the two. Sometimes what I call short story is considered a novella and vice versa so I have taken to covering both bets - lol) by Brigham Vaughn. The drama level is pretty low but not non-existent for the pair but this tale is fun, loving, and romantic. If you haven't figured out just what Grant's purple toy is, well I am not going to spell it out but it's a nice change that I haven't often seen explored in this genre. An all around great read and generally, stories of this size usually get 1/2 a bookmark knocked off just because on principle I am a long novel girl, but over the past couple of years I have read some pretty amazing shorter tales that I no longer automatically knock it down. Doc Brodie and the Big, Purple Cat Toy definitely earns a whole 5 rating and left me smiling, which is always a good thing.
RATING:
Doc Brodie and the Big, Purple Cat Toy
Brodie smiled at the sight of Grant’s geekery on display, complete with Doctor Who posters and a life-size Captain Jack Harkness cardboard cutout from the spin-off Torchwood, because what nerdy gay man wouldn’t have a crush on an openly bisexual character with a wicked sense of humor? Brodie had fantasized about Captain Jack more than once that was for sure.
“This is great,” Brodie said, enthusiastically. He’d grown up watching Dr. Who. “Who is your favorite doctor?”
“You,” Grant blurted out, then closed his eyes as if embarrassed by the fact he said that aloud. “Um, ignore that. I, uh …”
Brodie stepped closer, thrilled by Grant’s admission. “You like me, huh?”
“Yeah,” Grant croaked and cracked an eye open.
“Well, you’re the favorite owner of a patient of mine,” Brodie murmured before he closed the distance between them.
Grant’s eyes closed again as Brodie’s lips touched his. Grant’s mouth was warm and soft, tasting faintly of lemonade. He clutched Brodie’s T-shirt, and Brodie groaned at the contact between their bodies.
He cradled the back of Grant’s head as the kiss deepened, gently teasing Grant’s lips apart. Grant let out a little groan of pleasure, and Brodie felt his cock stir at the sound.
They were both panting when they finally pulled away. Grant’s cheeks were flushed, or maybe that was the heat between them. Brodie had a sudden, desperate hope that his deodorant had held up against the jogging he’d done earlier.
“Damn,” Brodie said with a slow grin, and Grant nodded, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed noisily. “I was planning to ask you out on a date before I left, but I think that answers my question.”
Grant nodded again and licked his lips. His voice was hoarse when he responded. “Um, the answer is definitely yes.”
“Tomorrow maybe?” Brodie offered, hoping he wasn’t being too pushy.
“Yeah, I’m free tomorrow. But, uh, you don’t have to run off right now or anything. Unless you have to be somewhere?”
“I can stay. Besides, I should take a look at my patient.” Brodie winked, and Grant’s mouth curved up in a smile as he seemed to relax.
“Oh, she’s probably curled up on my bed. It’s her favorite place.”
“Can’t say as I blame her,” Brodie murmured as he followed Grant out of the office.
Geeks, Nerds, and Cuddles
My online relationship with Isaac had made me feel like a normal guy, but meeting in person threatened that. I had social anxiety to the point where I’d been known to have panic attacks in public. It was humiliating but something I was used to. Granted, I was nowhere near as bad as I'd been in high school; I’d gotten a pretty good handle on my anxiety over the years, but it was still bad enough. Bad enough that I rarely went anywhere but work and the few places I felt comfortable. Bad enough that if I didn't get myself under control I would flip out when I walked into the café where we agreed to meet. Bad enough that I was petrified I couldn’t go through with meeting Isaac at all.
Isaac asking to meet in person made me terrified I would lose the one person I cared about as more than a friend. I put him off for months, making excuses about why it wasn’t the right time, or why we should wait just a little bit longer, but this week, Isaac finally sent me a message begging to meet, and I’d been replaying it in my head ever since. His message was more or less an ultimatum. I couldn’t blame him; he wanted a full, real-life relationship, and while so did I, the fear that I’d disappoint him so much he’d never want to speak to me again was strong. I knew if I didn’t go through with meeting him, I risked losing Isaac completely. Isaac was a chance for me to move past my fears and live the kind of life I’d always dreamed of, but the more I yearned for it, the more my anxiety grew. I had promised him I’d be there but nearly every fiber of my being was desperate to turn around and head right back home. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to meet him, I just didn’t know if I could.
Brodie smiled at the sight of Grant’s geekery on display, complete with Doctor Who posters and a life-size Captain Jack Harkness cardboard cutout from the spin-off Torchwood, because what nerdy gay man wouldn’t have a crush on an openly bisexual character with a wicked sense of humor? Brodie had fantasized about Captain Jack more than once that was for sure.
“This is great,” Brodie said, enthusiastically. He’d grown up watching Dr. Who. “Who is your favorite doctor?”
“You,” Grant blurted out, then closed his eyes as if embarrassed by the fact he said that aloud. “Um, ignore that. I, uh …”
Brodie stepped closer, thrilled by Grant’s admission. “You like me, huh?”
“Yeah,” Grant croaked and cracked an eye open.
“Well, you’re the favorite owner of a patient of mine,” Brodie murmured before he closed the distance between them.
Grant’s eyes closed again as Brodie’s lips touched his. Grant’s mouth was warm and soft, tasting faintly of lemonade. He clutched Brodie’s T-shirt, and Brodie groaned at the contact between their bodies.
He cradled the back of Grant’s head as the kiss deepened, gently teasing Grant’s lips apart. Grant let out a little groan of pleasure, and Brodie felt his cock stir at the sound.
They were both panting when they finally pulled away. Grant’s cheeks were flushed, or maybe that was the heat between them. Brodie had a sudden, desperate hope that his deodorant had held up against the jogging he’d done earlier.
“Damn,” Brodie said with a slow grin, and Grant nodded, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed noisily. “I was planning to ask you out on a date before I left, but I think that answers my question.”
Grant nodded again and licked his lips. His voice was hoarse when he responded. “Um, the answer is definitely yes.”
“Tomorrow maybe?” Brodie offered, hoping he wasn’t being too pushy.
“Yeah, I’m free tomorrow. But, uh, you don’t have to run off right now or anything. Unless you have to be somewhere?”
“I can stay. Besides, I should take a look at my patient.” Brodie winked, and Grant’s mouth curved up in a smile as he seemed to relax.
“Oh, she’s probably curled up on my bed. It’s her favorite place.”
“Can’t say as I blame her,” Brodie murmured as he followed Grant out of the office.
Geeks, Nerds, and Cuddles
My online relationship with Isaac had made me feel like a normal guy, but meeting in person threatened that. I had social anxiety to the point where I’d been known to have panic attacks in public. It was humiliating but something I was used to. Granted, I was nowhere near as bad as I'd been in high school; I’d gotten a pretty good handle on my anxiety over the years, but it was still bad enough. Bad enough that I rarely went anywhere but work and the few places I felt comfortable. Bad enough that if I didn't get myself under control I would flip out when I walked into the café where we agreed to meet. Bad enough that I was petrified I couldn’t go through with meeting Isaac at all.
Isaac asking to meet in person made me terrified I would lose the one person I cared about as more than a friend. I put him off for months, making excuses about why it wasn’t the right time, or why we should wait just a little bit longer, but this week, Isaac finally sent me a message begging to meet, and I’d been replaying it in my head ever since. His message was more or less an ultimatum. I couldn’t blame him; he wanted a full, real-life relationship, and while so did I, the fear that I’d disappoint him so much he’d never want to speak to me again was strong. I knew if I didn’t go through with meeting him, I risked losing Isaac completely. Isaac was a chance for me to move past my fears and live the kind of life I’d always dreamed of, but the more I yearned for it, the more my anxiety grew. I had promised him I’d be there but nearly every fiber of my being was desperate to turn around and head right back home. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to meet him, I just didn’t know if I could.
Summary:
Plagued by social anxiety, Paul Conway is content with the online relationship he's built with fellow nerd, Isaac Morrison. Isaac is determined to move their relationship off the screen and into real life but Paul’s fears stand in the way. The very thing that causes him anxiety in the first place might help him overcome it in the long run if he’s brave enough to face his fears.
I originally read this little story back in May 2014 and my review simply put said: "I loved it!" After seeing the names Isaac & Paul show up in Doc Brodie, I was pretty sure we heard their story earlier so I went and looked. Sure enough, there they were(at least I'm pretty sure they are same Isaac & Paul but if I'm wrong about the connection between the two stories and they are not companion pieces, it still doesn't take away from the enjoyment or the great characters). Well, I decided to give this little ditty a re-read. I say "little ditty" but don't mistake that as me saying this story is small, it may be short but it's lovely, fun, and romantic. I guess what I'm saying is I still loved it!
RATING:
Brigham Vaughn is starting the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.
SMASHWORDS / PINTEREST / ARe / B&N
EMAIL: brighamvaughn@gmail.com
Doc Brodie and the Big, Purple Cat Toy
Geeks, Nerds, and Cuddles
B&N / KOBO / iTUNES / GOOGLE PLAY
