I couldn’t say.
But I knew one thing for damn sure.
My home was filled with girls who were laughing, smiling, gossiping, reading—simply living. Not one out of the four of us was afraid in this moment. Each of us were happy. At the very least, safe.
If this was the aftermath of an abusive man’s death, how could it have been a bad thing?
After they left, that question helped me fall into a fast sleep.
No weed was needed to get there. No nightmares after the fact, either.
I awoke rejuvenated for my 9 to 6 shift. When I arrived at work, Andrew was in a mood again. Molly and I ignored him, decorated our cakes, and served our customers.
Just as I was untying my apron to take my lunch, the front door swung open.
Face flushed, sweat dribbling his brow, Sebastian all but ran to the counter. Luckily, we were slowing down from the lunch rush, so he didn’t have a line to wait behind. Given how quickly he got to the other end, I wouldn’t have been shocked if he’d knocked a few people over to get to me.
Before I could greet him with my usual, “Hey, how’s your day going?” he spoke a mile a minute.
“I’m sorry, I can’t stay,” he said. “Shit, I’m not gonna be able to bring Lizzie to the ranch tonight for her lesson either. Damn it. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
If he was just stopping by to tell me that he couldn’t make it for our usual lunch, he would’ve texted. He was here for a quick bite to go.
“Don’t be sorry.” Reaching into the pastry case, I came out with his usual. A ham and cheese that Molly and I had prepped this morning. “Is everything okay? Is Lizzie alright?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m sorry.” He dropped a ten on the counter and shook his head. “I’m fine, Lizzie’s fine. But a patient of mine is on his way. It’s bad. I don’t know how bad yet, and I won’t for about”—he glanced at his watch—“nine minutes. But judging by the screaming, it’s bad.”
“Cat, dog, or something else?”
“Dog.” He shook his head in disbelief, eyes wide as they scanned the counter. “Six-year-old golden retriever. His mom’s one of my patients too. First time I saw him was on an ultrasound. Been with him through every checkup, a bowel obstruction from chewing on toys, regular health visits. And ten minutes ago, his mom called. The human one, I mean. His leash malfunctioned while they were on a walk, and he got hit by a car.”
Tears bubbled in my eyes. “Poor thing. How bad is it?”
“She said his nose and back leg are bleeding, a wound in his stomach from the fender, and he’s just crying and whimpering.” With his thumb and forefinger, he rubbed his eyes. “Nearest emergency vet is an hour away, and I don’t think he’ll make it there. So I told her to bring him in. I’ll probably be in surgery for hours.”
I passed him the sandwich. “You’re going to need your strength then.”
“To say the least.” Accepting, he gave a half smile. “Thanks. I just wanted to let you know. Figured it was best to stop by so you weren’t wondering why I bailed.”
Not once in my life had a partner shown so much consideration for my feelings. In the grand scheme, I guessed it was a small thing. It felt big to me though. If he hadn’t shown, I wasn’t sure what I would’ve done. Probably sat at the booth inthe corner, wondering what I did wrong and already imagining my life without him. Rhiannon called that catastrophizing.
“I really appreciate that.” Propping my hands on my hips, I cocked my head to the side. “But why wouldn’t I be able to have the lesson with Lizzie tonight?”
“She gets off the bus around 3:30, and you have your lesson at 7, but I’m not sure if I’ll be done by then. I don’t know if I’ll be able to drive her to you.”
“The bus drops her off right down the street,” I said, squinting with confusion. “If she doesn’t mind sitting here a few hours while I finish up my shift, I can just bring her back to the ranch with me. I can drive her home too, if you want.”
Eyes softening, stiff shoulders doing the same, he shook his head. “I can’t ask that of you.”
“You’re not.” I stretched over the counter and touched my lips to his. He cradled my jaw for the short while that it lasted. As I pulled back, I smiled. “I’m offering.”
“Are you sure?” Those big hazel eyes scanned mine, waiting for some sign that I didn’t want to do this. “Because you don’t have to babysit her or anything.”
“She’s not a baby.” I laughed. “She’ll scroll on her phone, I’ll get her something to eat, then we’ll go on with our night. Don’t worry about it. Just take care of that puppy.”
There was still a bit of hesitancy in his eyes, a bit of fear, but the relief outweighed all that. He grabbed my face, pulled me back in, and kissed me again. This time harder, deeper, probably too deeply for public.
When he pulled back, between hard breaths, he just said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Another smile. “Good luck.”
