"You're absolutely right." Beth linked arms with her friend as they walked around the building to the front of the clinic.
"It's like a supernatural family tree in there—Djinn, shifters, and humans all connected through marriage and friendship. Between the partners' marriages to Djinn and shifters, and our own connections through Tamera and Liam, I think most everyone at this clinic is related somehow—by blood, marriage, or magic. I swear, we need a chart to keep track of everyone's relationships. So now… let's go start our new lives!"
"I like that. Starting a new life." Layla's smile brightened her entire face as they approached the glass doors.
The familiar chime of the entry bell rang as Beth pushed open the door. Barbara glanced up from behind the reception desk, her silvering blonde hair neatly styled as always.
"Good morning, ladies!" Barbara's warm voice carried across the waiting room. She bustled around the desk to greet them. "Ready for your first day?"
Beth nodded, grateful for the office manager's enthusiastic welcome. Beside her, Layla was a mass of nerves.
"Welcome to the team." Barbara's eyes crinkled with warmth as she hugged first Beth, then Layla. "Though I suppose you're both already part of the family here. There's fresh coffee in the break room, and Liam brought in those cranberry scones you love, Beth. He said something about celebrating his favorite sister-in-law's coming to work here."
"His only sister-in-law," Beth chuckled. "He has to stay on my good side."
"Tamera's already here." Barbara glanced at her watch. "She came in early to help Dr. McCandliss with a sick ferret."
Layla perked up at the mention of her sister. "Maybe I can peek in and say hi before we start?"
"Of course, dear. Exam room three." Barbara turned to Beth as Layla hurried off down the hall. "It's a relief to finally have another veterinary assistant. We haven't been able to find a suitable tech since - well." She broke off, giving Beth an apologetic glance for bringing up Beth's quasi-aunt who had held the position a couple of years before. An unrepentant rogue shifter, Beatrice was now a lifetime inmate at the Sanctuary.
Layla returned just then, declaring herself ready to go.
"Wonderful. Let me show you where to put your things." Barbara led them through the door marked 'Staff Only' and down a short hallway to the break room. "We've got your lockers all set up."
The break room smelled of coffee and cinnamon, someone's breakfast pastry lingering in the air. Barbara pointed to two lockers along the far wall, already labeled with their names in neat block letters.
"These are yours. The combination is set to 1-2-3-4 for now, but you can change it whenever you'd like." Barbara demonstrated the mechanism. "There's a shelf for your lunch, hooks for your coat or sweater, and plenty of room for whatever else you need to store. And speaking of combinations, we'll get you the access code to the staff entrances tomorrow. There was no point giving them to you now, since we're changing the access codes regularly, and we'll have a new one tomorrow."
"Oh, that's smart," Beth agreed.
She opened her locker, running her fingers over the smooth metal door. Such a simple thing, having her own space at work, but it made everything feel more real. More permanent. She hung up her light cardigan and placed her lunch on the shelf, watching as Layla did the same.
Beth took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, letting excitement begin to creep in. She was really doing this! Her hands smoothed down her scrubs one final time as Barbara led them toward the reception area.
"Holly will show you the reception desk systems," she told Layla. "And Beth, Dr. Shelton is waiting for you in exam room two. He's got a busy day scheduled and could use the extra hands. Remember," she added with a warm smile for both of them. "Everyone here started as a beginner once. Just ask if you need help."
Beth squared her shoulders, drawing strength from Barbara's encouragement. After everything she'd survived, learning a new job shouldn't be scary. Yet her pulse quickened with a different kind of excitement as she headed down the hallway. This was her chance to build something new, something meaningful.
She could do this. She would do this.
The whole day stretched ahead, full of possibility. Beth felt a smile tugging at her lips as she approached exam room two, ready to begin.
Beth's musclesached as she walked to her car at the end of her shift, but her heart felt lighter than it had in years. The day had flown by in a whirlwind of learning new procedures, meeting patients, and working in the feline wing of the clinic alongside Dr. Shelton. The veterinarian's warm manner and patient teaching style had put Beth at ease immediately.
She couldn't face going straight home. Not when she felt this alive, this accomplished. Layla had already headed out with Tamera, the sisters having plans to celebrate her first day on thejob. They'd invited Beth, but she'd had enough of people for the day, and made a polite excuse to decline.
A local bistro caught her eye as she drove through the small downtown area - she'd been meaning to try it since it opened a month or so ago.
Going inside, the hostess seated her at a cozy corner booth. Beth ordered the chicken marsala and settled back with her Kindle while she waited. The familiar comfort of losing herself in a book wrapped around her like a warm blanket. She'd forgotten this simple pleasure—dining alone, losing herself in words while flavors bloomed on her tongue.
Long after her plate was cleared, Beth remained in the booth, legs crossed at the ankles, completely absorbed in her novel. The wait staff didn't seem to mind, keeping her water glass filled as the dinner crowd thinned out. For the first time in too long, she felt like herself again - the Beth who used to spend hours in coffee shops and bookstores, the Beth who had dreams and plans before everything fell apart.
Today felt like the first real step toward reclaiming that person. Not just surviving, but living again.
Beth startled at the time displayed on her Kindle - nearly eight o'clock. The bistro had emptied considerably while she'd been lost in her book. Guilt nagged at her as she quickly gathered her things and settled the bill, leaving a generous tip for her waitress.
The night air held a slight chill as she hurried to her car. She hadn't meant to stay out so late, especially not on a work night. The streets were quiet as she drove home, streetlights casting pools of yellow light on the empty sidewalks.
