Lee: A Christian Romance

CHAPTER ONE

It took a couple of minutes, but finally, Aurora Harlow-Gray managed to coax the cat from her carrier. The white, long-haired feline primly stepped out onto the exam table and settled herself on her haunches, wrapping her tail around her paws, head upright as she took in her new surroundings. Though her body remained motionless, the tip of her tail twitched.

It was just the two of them in the small space. The woman who’d showed them to the room had gotten paged for a call, and she’d hurried off, closing the door behind her.

Left alone and seeing the cat sitting there with no signs of pain or any other issues, Rori began to have second thoughts about her decision to bring Queen Charlotte—AKA Queenie—to see the vet.

However, the time to change her mind passed when the door opposite to where she stood swung open, and a tall, dark-haired man stepped into the room. He wore a pair of light blue jeans and a dark blue polo shirt with the clinic’s logo on the left side of his chest. The woman who’d shown them to the room earlier followed him in.

Moving with noticeably cautious steps, the man approached the exam table where Queenie waited. He kept his gaze on the cat until he came to a stop next to the table.

Looking up at Rori, he smiled. His expression was warm and friendly as he introduced himself. “I’m Dr. Halverson. What seems to be the problem with…?”

“Queenie,” Rori volunteered, giving him the name her mom favored for the cat.

The corner of the man’s lips twitched up. “Queenie?”

“Short for Queen Charlotte.” Rori shrugged as the man grinned. “She’s my mom’s cat, and my mom’s a big royalty fan. I’m just cat-sitting while she’s out of town.”

The vet shifted his attention back to Queenie. “So, what’s brought you and Queen Charlotte here today?”

Rori crossed her arms, trying to order her words into an explanation that didn’t make her look like a complete idiot. “Something’s wrong with her.”

Dr. Halverson glanced at Rori with raised brows, then looked at the woman standing next to him. When the vet focused back on Rori, his face was expressionless. “What have you noticed that’s made you think there’s something wrong with her?”

“Her purr thingy is broken.”

Well, she didn’t have to worry about ordering her words when they just disappeared on her. Although, in her defense, Rori wasn’t sure there actually was a commonly known word for the mechanism that caused cats to purr.

The doctor scratched his chin, which currently boasted a five o’clock shadow at nine-thirty in the morning. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“She’s not purring.”

“Is she a cat that usually purrs?”

Rori nodded. “She was purring all the time before my mom left, especially when she’d brush her.”

“And she hasn’t been purring since your mom left?”

“Nope. Not at all.”

The vet reached out to run his hand over the cat. He scratched some different spots on Queenie, probably trying to coax a purr from her.

Even though she’d brought the cat to the clinic for help, a small, selfish part of Rori hoped the vet didn’t succeed in making Queenie purr either. She already felt dumb, but if he managed to do it, she would feel like a complete idiot.

The cat regarded the vet with a haughty gaze, and the pair had a stare down that had the other clinic employee chuckling.

Finally, the vet looked up at Rori, a small smile tipping up one corner of his mouth. “It’s possible that Queen Charlotte is a one-person cat and simply refuses to purr for anyone but your mom.”

Rori glared down at the cat. “Would she really do that?”

“Cats can be temperamental,” he told her.

“Are you sure?” She looked up, scrunching her nose. “Because if my mom comes back and her cat isn’t purring anymore, she’s going to be furious with me.”

“Has the cat been injured in any way?” Rori shook her head. “How long has your mom been gone?”

“Over a week.”

“And the cat’s been eating and drinking normally?”

“Yes. She eats all her food, and we have to fill her water bowl frequently.”

“Give it a few more days, then. If she’s still eating and drinking and doesn’t appear to be in any discomfort, I would just peg it as her being temperamental and missing your mom.”

“Okay.”

Now that it didn’t appear there was anything wrong with Queenie, Rori just wanted to escape the awkwardness of the appointment. Embarrassing herself in front of a handsome man was just how she liked to start a Wednesday morning.

Not…

“Continue to offer her affection and as many pets as she’ll tolerate,” the vet continued. “If you have any more concerns, don’t hesitate to call us.”

Though she’d thought she’d seen twitches of humor from him, right then, his expression was professional. If he found her situation funny, he was hiding it well.

“Thank you.” Rori stepped closer to the exam table, trying not to think about how much this visit might end up costing her.

“Have a nice day,” the vet said with a final smile, then he left the room, though the woman stayed behind.

“Have you had a cat before?” the woman asked as she stroked Queenie’s fur.

“No. My mom couldn’t have a cat until recently, since a couple of us kids were allergic to them.”

“Well, I’ve grown up with cats my whole life and some of them are just aloof and very particular about who they choose to grace with their affection.” The woman helped her get Queenie into the carrier. “Just hang in there. As long as she’s acting normal in every other way, don’t worry about her.”

Leaving the exam room, Rori definitely felt reassured about the cat’s health. She just wished it hadn’t cost her her dignity. Oh… maybe more than just her dignity. A little bit of pride had been sacrificed as well.

At the front counter, the receptionist who’d greeted her earlier smiled at Rori. When she got up to retrieve a copy of the bill from the printer, Rori saw that the woman was noticeably pregnant.

Once she’d paid the bill—ouch!—a sudden inspiration struck Rori, and she decided to take a chance. “You don’t happen to have any job openings here, do you?”

The woman rubbed a hand over her swollen abdomen. “We did have one for my replacement, but we recently hired someone.”

Rori wasn’t sure why she felt disappointed. It had been a shot in the dark to begin with. She hadn’t even contemplated looking for a job while she was in Serenity Point until that moment.

“Well, if something comes up, keep me in mind. I’ve done receptionist and secretarial work and could even do janitorial if you needed it.”

The woman nodded. “Send me your resume at the clinic’s email address, and I’ll keep it on file in case something comes up.”

After thanking her, Rori picked up the cat and left the large building. She put the carrier on the back seat on the driver’s side, then she slipped behind the wheel. For a moment, Rori just sat there.

Did she really want a job in Serenity?

She was currently unemployed, which was why she’d been able to come to cat-sit for her mom. Her job as a receptionist at a dental office had ended when the owners had decided to close the practice and retire.

They’d given her a generous severance package, which was the only reason she wasn’t desperately searching for a new job just yet. As long as she was careful with her money, she should be okay for a bit.

Until she’d arrived in Serenity, Rori hadn’t really contemplated moving away from Denver. However, she was getting the chance to see a new place without it costing her anything. Her mom had paid for her plane ticket and was covering all her expenses while in Serenity, plus she’d mentioned paying her for her time there.

It was a bit insane that her mom had spent so much money to have someone watch her cat, especially when there were people at the property who could have taken care of Queenie.

Over a year ago, her mom had married for the third time. This husband was a wealthy retired real estate tycoon who had a large spread of land near Serenity. He had horses, but they weren’t Rori’s responsibility. Neither was the cooking or cleaning, since he had a housekeeper for that.

Though it was clear that Rori’s mom didn’t interact with the woman much, Essie had been friendly to Rori. The older woman probably had some questions about why Rori had been flown in to watch a cat, but she’d never voiced them.

With a sigh, Rori turned the key to start the engine of the only vehicle her mom had given her permission to drive. She glanced into the rearview mirror as she prepared to back out of the parking spot and winced at her reflection.

She’d rolled out of bed that morning and pulled on a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt. After doing her morning skin care routine, she’d forgone any makeup and twisted her hair up into a messy bun. She was a hot mess.

Normally, she didn’t really care too much about her appearance when she wasn’t at work. Comfort was more important than looks.

However, she hadn’t even considered that the vet might be tall, dark, and handsome. He’d probably taken one look at her and seen a crazy cat lady. Only she wasn’t crazy about cats. She was crazy because of a cat.

Rolling her eyes at herself, Rori backed out of her spot and headed home to spend the rest of the day trying to coax a purr out of Queenie. It felt like a lost cause, but she was going to persist, mainly because she didn’t have much else to do.

After working full time for all of her adult life—and a good portion of her teen years—Rori had always assumed that if she had nothing to do for a long stretch of time, she’d love it.

And she did love moments of it. Reading late into the night, then being able to sleep in. Taking leisurely baths. However, she couldn’t fill all her hours with those things.

Grooming and playing with Queenie didn’t take much time since the cat usually ignored her. That left her with long stretches when she didn’t have anything to do. And after finishing several books already, boredom was truly setting in.

When she got back to the house, she parked the car, then carried Queenie into the house. She set the carrier down in the foyer and opened it to let the cat out.

As she exited the carrier, Queen Charlotte lived up to her royal name. She turned to stare at Rori with her bright blue eyes.

“Stop with the attitude,” Rori told her. “I only took you to make sure you were okay. I wouldn’t have had to do that if you’d just purr.”

Queenie’s fluffy tail twitched high in the air as she turned around and headed for the sunroom at the back of the house where her throne—her elaborate cat tree—was situated. Rori took the carrier into the kitchen to return it to Essie.

“Thanks for getting this for me,” Rori said as she set it on the counter.

“Was everything okay?” Essie asked, concern on her face.

“Yeah. Apparently I’m worried for no reason.”

“That cat has a… challenging personality.”

Rori gave a huff of laughter. “That’s one way to put it. She’s snooty and stingy with her approval. Kind of like my mom.”

A quick smile crossed Essie’s face, but she didn’t respond to Rori’s words, probably figuring that holding her tongue was necessary to keep her employment.

“Have you lived in Serenity for long?” Rori asked as she sat on a padded bar stool at the island counter.

Essie looked up from where she was pouring coffee into a mug. “All my life.”

“So, are you still here because you like to live here or because you haven’t been able to leave?”

She set the mug in front of Rori, then went to get the cream and sugar for her. “Probably a bit of both. I think if I’d really wanted to leave, I could have found a way to do that. Why do you ask?”

“I’m just wondering about maybe moving here. I’m between jobs at the moment, so if I wanted to make a move somewhere new, now might be the time.”

“There are worse places to live than Serenity. There are lots of people who choose to raise their families here and plenty more who retire here.”

Rori wasn’t sure yet if she wanted to live so close to her mom. Although, it was far more likely that her mom wouldn’t want Rori to live close to her.

“Thank you for this,” Rori said as she lifted her mug of doctored coffee and took a sip.

Since coming to Serenity, she’d learned that there was coffee, and then there was COFFEE. She’d apparently been simply surviving on the coffee she’d been drinking her whole life because what Essie made her each morning gave her life!

“Is this coffee grown by gnomes and harvested by elves?” Rori asked, unable to keep the smile of delight from her face.

As Essie slid a bagel into the toaster, she chuckled—the first time Rori had heard that from her—and said, “I have no idea. It’s a blend that Mr. Cannon provides. Who knows where he gets it.”

Rori was glad that her day was on the upswing. Though her conversations to date with Essie had always been fairly short, she’d enjoyed them. Not only did they help to alleviate the monotony, but Essie had a friendly vibe that made chatting with her easy.

“I wonder if there are any places in Serenity hiring,” Rori mused after another sip of her coffee. “I asked at the vet clinic, but they had no openings.”

Essie paused, then pushed down the lever on the toaster. “You’d want to work?”

“Of course. I’m not independently wealthy,” Rori said, then it dawned on her. “Oh, you mean because my mom married into this?”

As Rori waved her hand at the house in general, Essie looked uncomfortable, but still gave a nod.

“My mom hasn’t given me a penny since I turned eighteen.” And for some time before that as well, but Rori didn’t add that. “That wouldn’t change even if I moved here.”

“I’m sorry,” Essie said, her head bent as she spread blueberry cream cheese on the blueberry bagel she’d just pulled out of the toaster.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Rori told her. “That might be a valid assumption for the rest of my mom’s kids, however.”

“Your mom’s kids?” Essie set the plate with the bagel on it in front of Rori. “Not your siblings?”

Rori realized that perhaps she shouldn’t spill family information in case her mom didn’t want her “hired help” to be in the know. “They’re my half-siblings, and we’re not close.”

“Families can be complicated.”

That was certainly an understatement as far as Rori was concerned, though she’d long ago accepted that her family would never be a place where she felt welcomed and accepted. She didn’t doubt that had any of her other four half-siblings been available to cat-sit, she wouldn’t be there chatting with Essie.

Rori was in no rush to leave the kitchen, and thankfully, Essie didn’t seem to mind the company. As she put together ingredients in a crock pot, the older woman answered Rori’s questions about the area.

The more Essie spoke, the more Rori thought that maybe she’d enjoy living there.

She’d always lived in a big city—well, just one big city—seeking out nature in the parks within walking distance of her small apartment in the basement of an elderly couple’s home. Serenity, on the other hand, seemed to be surrounded by amazing natural beauty, though Rori hadn’t yet taken the opportunity to wander out in it beyond the expansive backyard of the mansion.

“What sort of job would you be interested in?” Essie asked as she refilled Rori’s coffee.

After she thanked her, Rori said, “Office work would be my first choice. I worked as a receptionist at a dental office for the past few years, so that’s what I have the most experience doing. But I’ve also stocked shelves and worked as a cashier. I think I could pick up other jobs fairly quickly, provided there was no specific skill required. It just needs to have enough hours to support me.”

“If you’re serious about this, I can put out some feelers.”

Rori took a moment to consider how she was feeling. She’d never thought she was an impulsive person, but the fact that she was actually thinking about uprooting her life said otherwise.

“I’d need to find a place to live, too.”

“There is a good price range for housing around here, and we don’t have a really bad part of town that you’d want to avoid.”

Rori took a sip of her coffee. “I’m so tempted, especially since I’m between jobs and my housing situation in Denver could be easily resolved.”

Essie smiled, her hazel gaze softening. “Well, I’ll be praying that you’ll know what to do.”

The woman’s words reminded Rori of the dentist she’d worked for. It had been a family business. A Christian family business. The dentist and his wife—who was the office manager—were open about what they believed, and they’d invited Rori to church many times. However, she’d only gone with them on a few occasions.

Knowing that Essie shared a faith with people she’d been close to and who had treated her well endeared the woman to Rori even further.

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“Well, I’d best get to my vacuuming,” Essie said. “Lunch will be at twelve-thirty.”

“Is there anywhere around here that I can walk?”

“Sure. Paved lanes run around the property, and there are some hiking trails through the woods as well.”

“And I won’t be in anyone’s way?”

“Not as long as you don’t go into any of the fenced off areas without someone with you.”

“Okay. I think I might go for a bit of a walk later.”

“It’s a good day for it. Cloudy, but not raining.”

Once Essie left her alone in the kitchen, Rori finished the last of her bagel and coffee. She took the plate and mug to the sink and rinsed them before adding them to the dishwasher. Essie did a lot for her already, and Rori didn’t want her to think she took her for granted.

The day had definitely been interesting.

And now that her attention wasn’t on Essie, Rori found her thoughts returning to her embarrassing encounter with the handsome vet earlier. Maybe it was a good thing they didn’t have a position available for her because she wasn’t sure she could work with him every day without reliving their awkward—and thankfully brief—meeting.

And reliving embarrassing moments was one of her superpowers. She absolutely did not want to activate it for this particular situation.