The other two laughed and his scowl deepened, only interrupted when Doneeta popped by again. He handed her a wad of bills to cover all three breakfasts plus a generous tip.
“Sugar, you’re giving me too much,” she protested, her brows raised to her bouffant hairline.
“No, ma’am. It’s for you. Good breakfast. Good service.”
Her eyes widened as she sucked in her breath. She reached out and rested her hand on his shoulder. “Well, Lordy be. My Harvey was a generous man, too. I’ll share this with Marlene. I might have served, but she did the cooking.”
With that, she bustled off again, and he turned back to the other two, seeing their wide grins. “Shut it,” he rumbled, sliding out of the booth. The others followed, and the three men walked into the sunshine.
“I’ve got to get to the station. Come by sometime, and I’ll show you the ropes.” Zac tossed a wave and headed to his SUV.
Jason clapped him on the back. “If you’re ready, we can head to the shop. We’re just getting into vacation season, and I’ve got no doubt the tow truck will be called for soon.”
With a nod, he slid his sunglasses onto his face and climbed into Jason’s SUV. Looks like my quick visit with friends is turning into a bit of a stay. Strange, but that thought didn’t scare him.
3
“What are you doing? This makes no sense!” With her hands planted on her hips and her fingers curling into fists, she wondered how everything could go so wrong. An errant strand of dark hair fell from her neat ponytail, most likely from swiping her hand over her face several times in frustration.
Samantha Collins stood in the middle of the lobby of Robertson’s Veterinary Clinic, her gaze following Tom Robertson as he hustled back and forth between his office to the right of the reception area and out to his truck before returning and making the trip again with boxes in his hands. Tall and bespectacled, his short, dark brown hair was sprinkled with gray, and his usually warm eyes now avoided looking at her.
She’d arrived early like she had every day since he’d hired her. Today, instead of finding him prepping for the animals that would be seen, she found him emptying his office. After shock and disbelief shifted to the side and a tide of anger rode in full force, she jumped in front of the door, spread her arms out, and speared him with her glare. “Stop!” For a second, she wasn’t sure if he was going to plow straight through her, but his feet halted even as he returned her glare. “What the hell is going on? Jesus, Tom, talk to me!”
His shoulders slumped as the air escaped his lungs in a rush. He dropped the box to the floor, his hands lifted to the side, and he shook his head. “Sam, I’m sorry.”
“Tom, I don’t know what you’re sorry for. I don’t know how to help or what to do unless you tell me what you’re doing and why the hell you’re doing it.”
His eyes shifted to the side, staring out one of the large windows in the front of the clinic. He swallowed audibly, his Adam’s apple bobbing, catching her attention for some inexplicable reason.
“I got a call last week that my father wasn’t doing well. I didn’t mention it because I thought there was time to figure out what I was going to do. I got another call yesterday that let me know that I was needed back in Boston. After I got packed up today, I was going to sit down and tell you all of this, but you showed up in the middle of me trying to get everything taken care of.”
Her anger fled but frustration simply filled the empty space. “Okay. I’m sorry. I can see that you’re upset about your father, and I understand.” Sucking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly. “What I don’t understand is what you’re doing right now.”
“I’ve got to go back to Boston and deal with my family. I have no idea how long it’s going to be, so I made the decision late yesterday to simply move back.”
“Temporarily?”
“No, Sam. I’m leaving the Eastern Shore.”
She blinked, her gaze jerking around the room. “But… but… the clinic? The business is growing. We talked about hiring another vet so there’d be three of us! You’re in the process of getting a vet intern!”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” He sighed heavily again. “I just don’t have any choice. But you’re going to be taken care of. I called my attorney yesterday evening, and he’s already drawn up all the paperwork. I’m leaving the business to you—”
“You can’t do that!”
“I can, and I did. It’s solvent, I promise. The books are good, the staff will stay the same, and the new intern will be here soon. I know it’s going to be hard on you, and you’ll be spread thin, but you can hire a new vet almost immediately if he wants to stay. And if not, it’s spring, and new veterinarians will be graduating soon.”
“This wasn’t what I wanted,” she said, her heart pounding and her stomach churning. She had been lured to the rural area in need of a vet, excited for the chance to practice medicine for an established clinic. Going to small farms, getting to know the residents and their pets, helping out at the shelter. After the years in the military, the ease of being a shore-life veterinarian was easy on her soul. The notion of running the clinic held no appeal. “I don’t know that I can handle the pressure of trying to run this place by myself for a while.”
“Sam, truly, I’m sorry. But I have no choice. I have to leave.”
She stood unmoving for a moment, but no reply was forthcoming. Feet like lead, she stepped to the side, watching as he gathered the box from the floor and walked out the door. Her mind was whirling with the changes that had struck like lightning in the last fifteen minutes.
Tom walked inside again, and for once didn’t head back into his office. Instead, he stopped right in front of her. She looked up and saw what appeared to be regret slashing across his face. Her emotions were churning, frustration warring with anger, and a large dose of fear mixed with disbelief. She had no idea what he observed staring at her. Probably the mess that I’m feeling inside.
There were no words to stop Tom from leaving considering it was a family crisis that was taking him away. Still unable to think of anything to say, she simply held his gaze.
“Sam, you’re going to be fine. You’re smart, competent, and caring. I know it’s going to be rough until you can get help, but I left instructions for the staff. The new vet intern starts next week and can cover a lot of the smaller jobs.”
She nodded, the motion more automatic than an indication of agreement.
He reached his hand out, and she hesitated only a second before grasping it in return. The professional handshake seemed incongruent with the loss of a colleague, but he surprised her when he bent and kissed the top of her head, mumbling, “Sam, I’m sorry. For… everything.”
With that, he hustled around her and moved out the door. She followed on wooden legs and watched as he backed out of the parking lot and pulled onto the street, quickly disappearing into the distance.
What just happened? What the hell just happened?
Standing outside the clinic, she continued to stare as though that would bring him back. Robertson’s Veterinary Clinic was not located on the main road that ran north and south through the Eastern Shore but was on a side road. The location was still easy to find while offering the animals that had to be boarded overnight due to surgeries a quiet place for their runs in the back. Tom had taken over the clinic from an elderly veterinarian in the area who’d retired years before. He’d built the practice and spent money improving the clinic. While the surgical area might not be considered state-of-the-art, it was more than adequate for what they needed. The office manager and receptionist, Annette, ordered supplies, handled the schedules, and kept things running. There was one vet assistant and one vet tech. Tom had wanted to hire another veterinarian but found it difficult to find someone willing to move to the Eastern Shore, so he’d been working on securing a vet intern.