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“Okay, stop right there.” Tyra grabbed my elbows, her big brown eyes locking on mine. “Firstly, you didn’t drag anyone into it. You hired Beckham and ended up falling face-first into his open legs—that’s a win-win situation to me.”
I laughed at that. Tyra always knew how to get me to laugh, even when the world was hell-bent on getting me to cry. It was her superpower. Aside from how incredible she was with animals, she was also extremely capable of handling emotions. I’d known her since my first year at college, and ever since then, Tyra’s been a huge grounding force in my life.
“Second,” she continued, “you’re allowed to feel all those raw emotions coming back. Acknowledge them. Accept them. But don’t let them take control. There’s no need for that. You’ve got this, Olly. You’re safe and you’re surrounded by people who have your back.” She smiled a warm and genuine smile. She was right, and it helped ease some of the rising anxiety inside my chest.
Still didn’t cure it, though.
Ben Lamar walked in through the doors. He was the veterinarian who owned the clinic and was watching over us during our clerkship. “You guys good?” he asked, spotting our little powwow by the X-ray machine. A couple of dogs in the kennels started to bark as Ben walked by.
“Just having a little pep talk,” Tyra answered. She went back to her stool and sat down.
With Ben in the room, I didn’t exactly feel comfortable talking about all my problems. He was a great guy but was pretty stern when it came to his clinic and was always in work mode. Even when there weren’t any patients to take care of, he was always looking for something to keep him busy around the clinic, and in turn, us as well.
I went about my business, checking up on the couple of boarded dogs before the vet tech took them out for a walk. Thankfully the four dogs that were being boarded were here because their owners were on vacation and not because they needed to recover from any surgeries or procedures. I made sure to give some love to all four of the pups before finishing up the rest of my routine.
An hour later and I was sitting in my car outside the clinic, trying to talk some sense into myself.
“It’s okay. This isn’t a big deal. Jonah’s going to be fine with the news. He likes Beckham. Everything’s going to be fine.”
One deep breath later and I was reversing out of my parking spot and on my way to my brother’s house.
The drive there helped calm some of my nerves. The sun was still up and shining even though it was pushing close to seven thirty in the evening. The roads were miraculously empty (well, relatively empty), and the music on the radio was keeping my fingers tapping away on the steering wheel.
I got to Jonah’s place, spotting his and Fox’s cars out in the driveway. I was actually hoping Fox would be home, too, that way I could rip off the “dating your coworker” Band-Aid all at once.
The air was warm and humid as I walked up to the front door. A couple of lizards that were catching the last rays of sun scurried off the path and into the surrounding bushes. I could feel my anxiety start to climb. I had to forcefully remind myself that this was going to be okay.
I rang the doorbell and didn’t have to wait much longer for Jonah to open the door. He stood there, a bright slash of last-minute sun streaking across his chest. He was wearing a dark green shirt and khaki shorts, which was dangerously similar to the light green shirt and white shorts I had thrown on.
“Hey, twin,” Jonah said, noting the similarities as we hugged.
“Hey, Jojo.” I bounced on light feet into his living room, the nerves making my steps a little more dancey than normal. Fox was sitting on the couch, his feet up on the coffee table. He saw me and stood, smiling wide as he came over and hugged me. He was so much warmer than Jonah’s ex-girlfriend, who had been a five-alarm bitchfest through the entire four years of their relationship. I was so happy when Jonah introduced us to Fox, who matched my brother on every single level.
“Want some dinner?” Fox offered. He looked relaxed in a white T-shirt and black gym shorts. I could smell the delicious cooking from the living room, but I politely declined. My nerves had my stomach in a headlock.
“Sit,” Jonah said, taking a seat on the big yellow love seat. “How’s everything been? No more pig heads, right?”
I had told Jonah all about that night. I just neglected to tell him who I was with when it happened.
