Without a word she gets off the swing and marches into the house. When she returns, she’s carrying a chilled bottle of vodka. Unscrewing the top, she motions for me to lift my glass and pours some into my lemonade then some in her own glass. The swing squeaks a bit when she sits back down.
I try not to laugh but she’s so damn funny I can’t help myself. She clinks her glass against mine and nods her head in a manner I know she wants me to take a drink. Together we finish our vodka lemonades until the glasses are nothing but remnants of melting ice.
“You should warn a girl before you go and drop a bomb like that one,” Polly says as she leans down to lift the bottle, pouring us each a hefty shot.
“I could say the same to you when you delivered your news about walking in on your ex-husband with your ex-best friend.”
“I figured it was the best way to get you to open up. Nothing says bonding like understanding what someone else is going through.”
I take a drink and relish the burn the clear alcohol makes as it slides down my throat. “How’d you know?”
“You’re still wearing his ring, Walker said he saw you about to demolish his car, and not that you’re not one of the prettiest things I’ve ever seen right now sitting on my porch throwing back vodka like a champ,” she nods to my once again empty glass, “but yesterday you looked another brand of gorgeous.” She taps her temple and winks. “Plus, I’m pretty good at reading people. And you, my girl, are pissed.”
“Well, yeah,” I scoff. “He…”
“No, honey. At yourself.”
I press my lips together as tears spring back into my eyes. She’s right. After Michael cheated, I swore I’d never let a man into my life again unless I knew for certain he wasn’t going to jerk me around. For close to a decade I kept barbed wire around my heart and it worked. Then Gary came along and he wined and dined and wooed me like I was a prize to be won and I fell for every moment of it. Like an idiot.
“I knew better,” I whisper.
“Love has a funny way of clouding our thoughts.”
“No. That’s not even it. I look back now and I don’t think I ever really loved him. Not the way that a woman loves a man she’s about to marry. And, obviously, he returned the same feelings. When I walked in on him with Crystal, you want to know what my first thought was? It was Damn, I really wanted to go to Turks and Caicos. It had nothing at all to do with the fact that I wasn’t getting married to Gary. It wasn’t anything to do with him. I wanted to go on that freaking honeymoon, dammit.”
“That is a bummer. I’ve heard it’s gorgeous.”
“Me too. I was so excited to sit around on a beach and drink fruity drinks and sink my toes into the white sand. Maybe do some snorkeling. Stupid Gary. I should have just gone without him.”
“So go. What’s holding you back?”
“I considered it. When I left with all our luggage, tickets, passports… I planned on driving straight to the airport.”
“What stopped you?”
“Walker.”
Her eyes light up and I’m quick to explain with a smirk. “He found me lightening my luggage.”
She giggles. “That’s one way to say it.”
I sigh and turn on the swing so I’m facing her. “If Walker hadn’t stopped on the side of the road, I would have gone to the airport, gotten on a plane and headed to the island by myself. From there I would have wallowed in self-pity over the fact that two men in my life vowed to love me forever after asking me to be their wife then decided ‘eh, never mind. I’ll keep screwing other women while lying to her.’ Of course, he also stopped me from taking that golf club to Gary’s car. I guess I should probably thank Walker and Grayson for stepping in.”
“Walker’s intuitive like that. He’s always known what other people need.”
I nod my head in understanding. Not knowing him at all, I still get that vibe. I mean, he pulled over on the side of the road to stop me from doing physical damage to Gary’s car. I could have been a crazed lunatic for all he knew. I’m sure I didn’t look that sane.
“You talk like you’ve known him a while.”
She nods her head. “I have.”
She doesn’t offer more and I don’t ask.
We rock back and forth, the swing squeaking with each motion. Crickets chirp and the leaves rustle in the trees around us. It all screams serenity. Too bad I don’t feel a bit of it inside.
I hate not knowing my next steps.
I hate not feeling like I’ll ever be able to trust someone again.
And I hate, most of all, that I gave that bastard even a minute of my life.
“I’M SO SORRY, WALKER.”
Last week I felt completely off kilter knowing that Ellie is in town, staying at Polly’s house while Polly does her magic. Now the news Linda just dropped in my lap threatens to tip me over the edge. “Relax, Linda. It’s not as if this is coming out of nowhere. I knew you’d be retiring at some point.”
Linda worked for the clinic long before I took over. She’s been over retirement age for a few years so it’s not exactly a surprise. However, I did expect to have a little more warning.
“I know it’s sudden.” I give her a look and the skin around her eyes wrinkles. “Okay, I know you expected this but… I feel bad leaving you right now.”
“It’s not a big deal. It’s summer and Grayson can help out until I find a replacement. You need to focus on your family right now.” Tears spring to her eyes and I don’t hesitate to pull her into a hug. “No tears, please. You know how they break my heart,” I murmur, rubbing her back.
She just told me her husband Roger was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Between his appointments and just managing his every day care needs, she needs to be more available to him. I would expect nothing else.
We step away from each other and she wipes under her eyes. She’s been a staple at the clinic for so long, it’s going to be weird without her here but my main worry is for Roger.
“I’m going to miss you,” she mutters.
“We’re going to miss you, too. You’ll be impossible to replace, you know that? But we’ll survive,” I rush to add, not wanting her to feel even worse than she already does.
“I know you will. And you’re not going to get rid of me completely. I’ll still be around.”
“Thank goodness for that,” I tell her smiling.
I hear the chime of the front door sound, letting me know my first patient must be here. I reach over and squeeze her hand lightly. “We’ll be fine. And Roger will beat this. He’s a fighter. I’m here for whatever your family needs, okay?”
She nods once and offers me a watery smile before heading out into the reception area to begin our day.
I settle back on my chair in my office and scrub a hand down my face, allowing myself just a few minutes to worry about the next steps before I move to the first exam room. Linda is only going to be with me for two more weeks.
When I said she’d be impossible to replace, I wasn’t exaggerating. She knows the patients, their owners, the accounting system and patient records like the back of her hand. But I also know that she’s religious about keeping notes and has done a great job of keeping track of how she does things.
Willow has helped out enough when Linda was gone on vacation or out sick and never had any problems.
I grab the chart out of the plastic holder on the outside of the exam room door and open the folder. Immediately I have to suppress a groan from escaping my throat.
Brooklyn Rosin is not exactly subtle in her pursuit of me. Within a month of her divorce she became a regular with her new puppy. There always seemed to be something wrong—her urine looked or smelled funny, she was shedding two more hairs than normal, her claws needed cut and she was nervous to do it on her own. The best was when she said she thought her puppy had anxiety because she barked at the mailman. I can’t even make this shit up.
I walk past the room and straight to Linda at reception.
“What’s the probl
em today?”
She presses her lips together tightly.
“Just tell me,” I groan.
“Brooklyn is concerned because Matilda pooped twice yesterday instead of just once.”
I stare at her unblinking.
“It’s a legitimate concern, Dr. McKinstry.”
How she manages to say the words without laughing is beyond me. And I know she’s being sassy. She only Doctor’s me when she’s in the mood to be a smart ass.
“She cares very deeply for Matilda,” Linda goes on, holding her hand to her chest.
I close my eyes and sigh, spinning on my heels to get this over with. “Thorn in my damn side,” I grumble. To that she does giggle.
I knock twice on the door and hear Brooklyn’s voice call out far too chipper, “Uh huh, yup! Come on in!”
She’s nothing if not cheerful.
I cringe, take a deep breath to steel my nerves and open the door. Brooklyn is standing in the middle of the room wearing a skin tight bright pink tank top, black shorts that could double as a pair of swimsuit bottoms because of how small they are, and a wide smile. She’s holding her tiny Yorkie, Matilda, in her arms looking healthy as ever. “Good morning, Brooklyn. What seems to be the problem with Matilda today?”
“Oh it’s probably nothing but you know me. I worry because I just love animals sooooo much,” she gushes.
I suppose it would be rude to roll my eyes in front of her.
Instead, I simply nod my head, resisting the urge to just walk out the door. I raise my eyebrows at her and she turns her head to the side, her dark ponytail brushing the tops of her shoulder when she does so. “Matilda?” I ask by way of reminding her of what fake reason she’s in my clinic this morning.”
“Oh, right! Yes. Um, this is kind of embarrassing but you know, I pay really close attention to her because I care for her like she’s my baby and yeah, she,” Brooklyn leans close to me, no doubt in part so that her cleavage is on full display and drops her voice to a whisper, “pooped twice yesterday.”
“Okay?”
“Well, she normally just goes once. She’s very regular. I just know her cycles so well and this isn’t like her! I think she’s got the flu or a virus or something.”
Yes. You’re a regular Dr. Pol. I get it.
I take a calming breath. “Brooklyn, dogs poop. A lot. Some dogs poop multiple times a day. Just like you and me.”
She sputters and her cheeks turn pink. Like she doesn’t poop.
“Walker,” she whisper shouts and playfully nudges me, then drags a hand from my shoulder down my bicep. It’s not lost on me that she squeezes it lightly before I take a step back.
“Listen. It’s not abnormal for my dog Brutus to poop different amounts every day.”
“Really?”
I take Matilda out of her hands and look her over, just to give her peace of mind—as if she was even worried anyway.
I check the dog over, look into her eyes and feel her stomach and bowel area. I even go as far as checking her temperature, to which Matilda turns accusing eyes to me. I know, girl. Your mama is a nutcase. Not surprisingly, I find nothing wrong.
“She’s perfectly healthy, aren’t you girl?” I say, cradling the dog in my arms and scratching her ear. She licks my hand and I grab her a treat from the plastic container on the counter. Something she’s unfortunately all too familiar with.
After she scarfs down her treat I hand her back to Brooklyn.
“Maybe we should get Brutus together with Matilda. I bet that would make me feel better. To see how healthy he is.”
“We’ll see.” I avert my eyes quickly. “Like usual, check in with Linda before you leave.”
“That’s it? We’re done?”
“She’s perfectly healthy, Brooklyn. You’re doing great with her. Relax.”
She preens at my praise and I immediately wish I hadn’t said anything to begin with.
“Thank you, Walker. That means so much to me,” she gushes and squeezes Matilda close and I’m pretty sure I hear her emit a tiny growl.
“You’re welcome,” I say and rush out the door, not wanting to prolong the appointment.
I glance down the hall and see Linda beaming a smile my way. I narrow my eyes and point at her. “See what you’re going to miss out on?”
“I’m having the cameras installed tomorrow so I don’t miss it,” she teases.
I shake my head and move into the next exam room, and for the next several hours I do what I love to do; working with animals and their owners. As long as they’re not trying to hit on me.
After my last patient, I shoo Linda out the door so she can get home to Roger. I wave to her then lock the door behind her and hit the lights before retreating to my office. After taking care of some paperwork and checking my email, I check my cell for the first time in a few hours.
Miss Polly called. Five times.
In a panic, I hit her number. I rush out of the office, my heart beating wildly as I wait for her to pick up.
“Hi Walker.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask, rushing across the gravel lot to my pickup. “I’m on my way over.”
“What? Why would there be anything wrong? Why are you on your way?”
I stop in my tracks. “I don’t understand.”
“What don’t you understand?”
“You called me five times.”
“Because I’m excited,” she exclaims so loudly I have to pull the phone away from my ear.
“That’s it?” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Miss Polly, the day started with Linda telling me that she was retiring because she needs to be home with Roger. My first owner was Brooklyn bringing in Matilda because she pooped more than normal. I was a little on edge, to say the least, and then I see that you had called me five times today which sent me into a panic that you were hurt or needed help.”
“Linda quit?”
I quiet my voice even though no one is around to hear, “Yeah. Found out Roger has prostate cancer.”
“No,” she breathes.
I drag my teeth over my bottom lip and briefly consider returning to my office to finish up a few things, knowing I’ll be going home to a quiet house since Willow isn’t working so Grayson’s with her. When Grayson isn’t with me, I tend to work too much and I’ve been at the clinic long enough for the day so I beep the lock on my pickup and hop in. I start it up and sit back in the seat. “Yeah. It wasn’t exactly a great way to start the day.”
“I’ll bring her a pie,” she says as if that fixes everything. Which, to Miss Polly’s credit, her pies do fix a lot. “I had no idea he wasn’t feeling well.”
“They’re pretty private people,” I remind her. “And it’s not as if her retiring is a complete surprise. She’s ready.”
“Hmm.”
The way she hums tells me she’s thinking of more than just the sad news about Roger. “So anyway, what were you excited about?”
“I get to keep her,” she shouts into the phone without missing a beat.
My heart picks back up, beating so hard I can feel it in my neck. “I assume you mean Ellie has decided to stay around?” It’s killed me but all week long I stayed away. Not once did I stop in, even though my pickup turned down Polly’s street on more than one occasion for no reason other than it’s like it read my mind and knew I wanted to see Ellie.
Polly texted me, something she’s not incredibly proficient in but has gotten a bit better at because she wants to talk to Grayson more often. Her texts were a little out of order but from what I gathered, Ellie was still in town, she was sleeping a lot, and they’d been talking. The last time she texted me she simply said: She’s getting better every day.
I didn’t want to dig deeper and figure out why that made me so happy.
“Yup, well, at least for a while but, isn’t that great? She said she has nowhere else to go!”
“Polly,” I chuckle, “that sounds far from great.”
“Oh shush. You know what I mean. Of co
urse, I wish that she had family waiting for her but she doesn’t so I’m keeping her and she’s going to find family with us.”
I let her words settle in, my heart cracking a little bit at the knowledge that she has no family. I stare through the windshield of my pickup at the barn behind the clinic that I use for large animals. “No family?”
“She didn’t explain, just said that she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Shit.”
“There’s more to her story, Walker. And now she’s going to stay here and I plan on being there for her.”
“When did she decide this?”
“I’d like to think last Sunday night. We sat on the back porch and talked after you stormed out and I sent Willow and Grayson home with that pie you should have stayed around to eat. Which, don’t think you’re getting away with not explaining why you felt the need to rush away.”
“Wait, you gave Grayson the whole pie?”
“Focus!”
“I am. I know I taught that boy to share.”
“Stop interrupting. Like I was saying, that night we talked all night on the porch but over this past week she’s opened up a little more every day. We’ve had a chance to get to know one another better, spent a lot of time cooking together and relaxing. She told me she’s never felt at home… before now. Do you know how that made me feel, Walker?”
“I’m happy she’s happy with you,” I tell her honestly.
“And now you need someone to replace Linda,” Miss Polly declares out of nowhere.
“Uh. What?”
“You heard me. Don’t even pretend you didn’t. It’s like Fate,” she cheers.
I sigh and will her to relax, not continue in the direction I think she’s going. “You don’t believe in Fate.”
“I do if it works out with the plans I was putting into place.”
I bite my tongue from letting out a string of curses because just as I feared, I know exactly how this is going to go. If I fight her on this, she’ll call Linda and the two will gang up on me.
“Have her come in sometime this week and I’ll talk to her.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow night for dinner,” she amends.
“Polly,” I groan.
All I Need Page 5
