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“If you’re going to write me up for having a relationship with Dean Johnson and Birdie Robertson, I want it in writing. As for Mr. Boyd, I’ll expect the same as well. What I’m reallydisappointed in is how you’re treating someone who has taken everything you’ve thrown her way with a smile. You have yet to look at my report for what happened at Mr. Boyd’s farm. Your bias is showing, and I hope you have a rock-solid explanation.” I stand up, ready to be done.
“You stop there with that attitude. It won’t get you anywhere, and acting like a brat will only make me ride your ass that much harder.” Oh, this man is full of shit. He not once acknowledged anything good I’ve done. Like the Joyce’s mare. The foal was breech, we had to do everything we could to turn her, and we did it. All three of us. By the time I left, it was nearly daybreak, and by some miracle, my shift didn’t start till after lunch. My body thanked me. Relentlessly tugging and pulling takes it out of you, yet I still hung around until momma was up and moving, her foal was nursing, and all seemed good. I stayed with her well into the night, making sure she didn’t have post-partum metritis. It can be toxic in its worst form, life-threatening even. Especially if the horse is lame. Joyce’s mare wasn’t, though. I made sure to take notice of anything out of the ordinary. My eyes are eagle sharp when I’m working, the only zone I’m in is work mode. It doesn’t matter the lack of sleep. I’m as sharp as a tack. You have to be when it comes to animals of any size.
“Is that so? Well, I guess when the state veterinary licensing board hears about what Ihave to say, we’ll see about that.” I don’t stick around for whatever else he has to stay. All the red flags were there from the very beginning. Alarm bells have been ringing non-stop. I was just the idiot who didn’t listen to her intuition. I’m the statistic, like girls who think they can change a manwhore and his cheating ways, only mine was in the case of thinking I could tough it out with a chauvinistic pig.
“It goes without saying this will be documented. You’re also on probation for the time being,” he says loud enough for the whole clinic to hear. Still, I walk out with my shoulders back and a serene smile on my face. I’ll cry, scream, and hit something later. Right now, it’s all about saving face. My steps are sure even though I already know I’m about to walk out on a job, which won’t be easy.
“Maureen, will you take me off the schedule?” I ask our front desk receptionist. She’s a fucking gem. There’s only so much a person can take, and I’m at my breaking point. My parents taught me if you’re not valued, you’re replaceable, and I’ll be damned to ever feel like this again.
“Sure thing. For the day?” She bites at her bottom lip in worry.
“Indefinitely. I’m sad to say my time here at Herbert’s has come to an end.” I tap my fingers on the countertop. My nerves are hitting me. It’s either make a taping noise or tossing my cookies.There’s no way I’m going to be stuck here any longer than necessary.
“This sucks, big time, Tully. You have my phone number. Please use it whenever.” Wow, maybe I wasn’t the only one being mistreated.
“I will, promise. Are you sure, though? This could get really messy.” Lucky for us, there are only one or two patients waiting to be seen. The time for me to come in was after lunch, and the office closes for a full hour. I guess it’s helping keep the embarrassment down to a minimum, except I’m no fool. The gossip will happen.
“You’re doing what I should have done years ago.” Well, damn, that hits me in the feels.
“Alright. I’m going to clean up my space, turn in my keys and badge in a few moments. I’ll have my resignation letter, too. He didn’t fire me, but I’m not sticking around for more of his craziness.” She nods, and I do as well. Meanwhile, I’m repeating a mantra in my head:I will not break down. I will not let him break me down. I will not let him see me break down.I repeat this over and over again the whole time I sit at my desk and type up my letter. There are certain things you don’t ever want to do. Quitting a job without notice is one of them. I also document everything while I still have access to charts, especially the example he used about Mr. Boyd. The date and time, who all was there, and what Doctor Herbert had to say today in our meeting. I type every single thing out, print it, and sign myresignation letter. As for my desk area, there isn’t too much. A few pens, notepads, and a needlepoint frame with a quote: “Veterinarians don’t just treat animals, they treat the people who love them.”A gift from my mom when I graduated, along with a slew of congratulations and a big party. I put everything in my pockets that I can and head back toward Maureen. Guilt at having her deliver the news hits me in the gut. Maybe once the dust settles, I can help her find someone else to work for. Anyone has to be better than Herbert and people like the Boyds.
I walk back toward the front reception area and place everything on the counter. “This is everything. Thank you, Maureen. Truly, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me during my time here.”
“You’re welcome, honey. Now give me a hug and get on out of here, but make sure you’re not a stranger.” She’s an older lady, closer to my mom’s age, yet Maureen has as much energy as a teenager.
“I won’t. See you soon.” Maybe my decision is a bit rash, maybe it’s not. All I know is today may be a doozy, yet tomorrow will be better. On the plus side, moving into Dean’s is being moved up on my agenda. Then again, so is figuring out my next step. Luckily, I have some money set aside and can take a day or two until I come up with a solution to my problem.
18
TULLY
What a freaking day,and it’s not over yet. Before I even contemplate calling Dean or my mom, I’m going to stop at the bakery. A girl needs to drown herself in something sweet after dealing with the asshole of all assholes. Plus, I owe it to my best friend to catch up on the book she’s been reading, and in order to do that, I’ll have to hold being on the phone for later. The narrator talks while I drive down the two-lane road, heading into town, my tires eating up the distance from the clinic. There isn’t much in the way of things to do in Arrowleaf. We don’t even have a downtown area. A couple of main roads where you’ll find a diner, a bakery, a couple of gas stations, and a dollar store of sorts. Even further into town is where you find the vet clinic, grocery store, and whatever else you could need, like a smaller auto parts store. As for the rest, you’llhave to hit the next town over. I turn my blinker on, slow down, and prepare to turn intoWhisked Away.I’ve only been here a couple of times before then I was hooked. I literally crave Maeve’s croissants—the perfect amount of flakiness, buttery goodness, and the best part is the big chocolate chunk inside.
“That’s different. I hope she’s not closed.” It would really put a kink in my plans if Mae was closed. I’d probably resort to calling or texting her to see when she’ll be open again. A movement in the glass window reassures me she’s open. Besides her, Mae only has a couple of the local high schoolers come in to help in the afternoon. Essentially, she’s a one-woman show, and I have no idea how she does it all. It’s not like she gets to sleep in either. The bakery is open as early as five o’clock in the morning on some days. The ranchers and farmers around here may like breakfast at home or at the local diner, but when their sweet tooth hits, Mae is overrun with customers. I hit the pause button on my steering wheel, not wanting to miss a single thing in this highlander book Birdie is talking nonstop about. Especially when it gets to the spicy scenes. There is something insanely hot about a big, towering man taking his woman. I mean, yeah, I have that in real life with Dean, but that doesn’t mean I can’t read about it. I’m hopping out of my car once it’s inPark, transferring the shit in my pockets into my bag in the back seat, rooting around for mydang AirPods. I swear I’m always losing them, and the littleFind my Deviceapp doesn’t work when they’re right under your nose. Too bad they won’t give you the exact location, likein your outside purse pocket, for example. “Gotcha!” The little boogers were at the very bottom of my ridiculously huge purse. I take one AirPod out of the case, grab my phone, get the book cued up, and make sure my wallet has money in it. There have been times I stash cash and my cards in scrub pants, jeans, or wherever I can find a spot. Today seems to be looking up as I see everything is in its place. Who knows if I’ll be able to listen to a chapter. It’ll depend on how busy Maeve is, and even still, she’s working. I don’t expect her to entertain me while she’s running a business.
A few adjustments later, and I’m stepping out of my Tahoe. Most single women wouldn’t fathom of having a vehicle or gas guzzler this big. My black-on-black SUV was my dream car all through high school. I’d beg to drive my mom’s car all the time. She’d say no, and I made it my goal to eventually have one of my own. Now I do with a hefty payment monthly, along with the gas to go with it. I hip-check my door to close it, then hit the lock button on the handle and walk towardWhisked Away.The scent of fresh baked bread wafts in the air before I make it inside. My stomach grumbles, an oddity considering Dean and I ate breakfast together this morning. He was heading back to the ranch, and I was heading intowork, yet he still made time to come back home, wake me up with the sweetest kiss as well as breakfast.
“Hey, there, Tallulah,” Maeve greets me when I open the door. It’s so weird to see her bakery not be busting at the seams.
“Hey, Maeve, are you closing early today?” I ask in case I’m intruding.
“Yeah, I’ve got a wedding cake to drop off, but I don’t have to leave for a few more minutes.” She wipes down the counter before doing the same with her hands on her apron.
“Are you sure?” There’s no doubt in my mind she’s probably thinkingGood grief, why did this lady have to come in before I had a chance to lock the door?
“I am, plus because I’m closing early today and won’t be in until later in the day tomorrow. You’d be doing me a favor to help off-load some of the stuff I overbaked. Maybe take it back to the clinic?” I must make a face I’m unable to control. “Oh, no, something happened. Did that old coot fire you? I swear the only person to last at the clinic is Maureen, and she’s too sweet to leave.”
“You could say that. I didn’t get fired. I quit. We had some words, and I didn’t think it was fair how he was handling things, so I put in my notice effective immediately.” Looks like I’m the one gossiping, though it’s the truth and not lies others would spread around.
“Good for you! That man has been a bane ofthe whole town’s existence long enough.” Mae is still boxing up a plethora of sweet treats.
“Thank you, but, ugh, Mae, I can’t take those back to the clinic.” I point at the sage green box in her hand when she turns around.
“I know, but you’re going back the Johnson ranch, right?”
“I am, I’ll take the rest of the croissants, too.” I lick my lips. There are about six left, and I’m not above eating one daily until they’re gone. “In a separate box,” I tack on.
“Of course. Not going to share with the rest of the bunch?”
