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That’s an interesting development. It’s common knowledge among our team that Dr. Charles has always wanted Benjamin to take over for him when he retired. According to Dr. Charles, Ben has been very vocal about having no interest in living here or taking over the clinic, deeming it entirely too small for his abilities. I wonder how he feels now that it’s happening.
“When can we meet him?” Michelle raises an eyebrow, mistrust lining her features. We’re all unsure about how this transition will go.
“He’s just arrived in Sonoma this week. I’m hoping he’ll be ready to start learning the ropes on Monday.”
That’s a quick turnaround if he only just arrived.
“Are you going to be okay, Dr. Charles?” I ask. With the shock of him leaving finally abated, the reason why this is all happening in the first place pops back into my head.
“Oh, yes, I will be fine. I’m just having to bow down to my old, decrepit body a little sooner than I was planning.” He winks. The twinkle is back in his eye, telling me he really is going to be okay. He’s been the best mentor and boss I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. I’ll be sad to no longer work for him.
Change is one of those things that sneaks up on you when you’re least expecting it. Sometimes you can prepare for it, like when you move or get a new job, but the impactful changes are the ones that come out of nowhere, dropping into your life so suddenly they create a ripple effect, disrupting your life forever.
To me, that’s true change.
I have a feeling this bomb is about to create a ripple so strong my life will look nothing like the one I had before.
I’m not sure I’m ready for it.
2
BEN
The brown fan blades spin round, creating the familiar whirring breeze from my teen years. It’s been a long time since I’ve laid on my childhood bed, sulking at the unfairness of my life. Memories of doing this same thing at seventeen filter through my mind. My senior year of high school, my parents moved us to this shitty small town, where I had no friends and no choice in the matter.
Needless to say, I was pissed.
Those feelings are resurfacing now, even though I’m thirty-six instead of seventeen. I thought I had everything figured out. I had the career, the fiancée, a fancy downtown apartment, even a dog to round out the successful checklist. Now, I have a fiancée who lives an hour away…and a dog. Which, admittedly, makes up for a lot of the shit that’s been heaped on me.
My head falls to the side as I stare at Sadie. Her soft coat gleams in the sunshine coming from the window across my room. The golden retriever has been in my life since I started my job in Greensboro six years ago. We’ve been through many things together over the last several years. This is just another bump in our road together. The only difference is, this time, the bump could last forever.
God, that’s depressing.
“Come on, Sades.” Her head lifts. “Let’s go pretend like we aren’t miserable.”
I walk out of my bedroom at my parents’ house and head downstairs, Sadie’s nails clicking on the wood floor as she dutifully follows behind me. Walking through the living room, I step to the back door to take her out. Watching her play always puts me in a better mood. I know she’s enjoying having the space to run free in the backyard. Living in an apartment didn’t leave much room for her to play like she loves to do.
We play fetch until we’re both tired. Sadie would continue until she physically couldn’t move anymore. I usually have to be the bad guy and make her stop so she doesn’t get hurt. Instead of going back inside, I sit in the outdoor seating area on the deck. The weather is perfectly mild today, which helps my mood significantly.
If I were home, I would probably be getting lunch with Rebecca or just leaving the dog park with Sadie. I used to spend my weekends catching up on everything I didn’t do during the week or doing whatever activity Rebecca had planned for us. I don’t even know what she’s doing right now. Things have been strained between us since I came home. And every time we do talk, it’s like she’s a different person. She hasn’t exactly been the supportive partner I expected, which has put pressure on our relationship.
When Mom called to tell me Dad’s health was declining, I immediately came home to help her take care of him. There was a short period when I wasn’t sure he was going to get better. It was a scary couple of months.
Rebecca didn’t come to Sonoma one time when things started to turn dire. At the time, I thought it was better that way. I was too focused on my dad’s health and wouldn’t have been able to give her much attention. Looking back now, it would’ve been nice to have someone in my corner.
After Dad recovered, I went back to Greensboro, fully expecting things to go back to normal, but they never did. There was this uneasiness in my life that never seemed to go away, even though I was back to my regular routine.
Then Dad told me he was being forced to retire if he wanted his heart to stay strong. He pleaded with me to take over his clinic until he could find someone else. I agreed, despite having no desire to move here. I have no idea how long it’ll take, and it’s not going to be easy to find someone willing to live in a small town or run a family-owned business. Especially if they’re not even a part of the family. If I’m honest, I sort of hate the idea of letting a stranger run our family clinic despite not wanting to do the job myself.
Rebecca and I talked about doing the distance thing until we could find a better alternative. Greensboro is only an hour’s drive from Sonoma, so it’s doable for the short term. Rebecca Smyden, daughter of the finance mogul Jeffrey Smyden, would never move to this Podunk town. The idea of her spending any time in Sonoma is laughable. She’s a city girl through and through. Between her daily Starbucks and her constant need for being seen out and about, she would never survive here.
I just hope the search for someone new doesn’t take too long. If this tension between Rebecca and me gets any worse, I’m not sure how we’ll survive.
The patio door opens, pulling me from my thoughts. Mom steps outside with a tray of food in her hands that looks large enough to feed an army.
“I made us some lunch,” she says, setting the food down on the table. There are two plates on the tray, both with ginormous sandwiches.
“Thanks, Mom.” I grab a plate as my stomach growls. I didn’t even realize how hungry I was until the food was in front of me.
