CHAPTER THREE
“They’re back in three days,” Rori remarked as she sat at the island counter, watching as Essie chopped some carrots.
The older woman glanced at her. “How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t know.” Rori grimaced as she folded her hands together and leaned forward to prop her chin on them. “I hadn’t thought I’d like being here so much. I came because I had the time, and it seemed like it might be a nice way to visit somewhere new without having to cover the cost of travel and accommodation.”
“You didn’t come because you love cats?”
The question made Rori chuckled. “You know, I was prepared to love this cat, but she wasn’t interested in even hanging out with me.”
As if she knew they were talking about her, Queenie prowled into the kitchen with slow steps, her tail held high. Rori and Essie both stared at the cat.
She made her way over to where her food and water bowls were. The fancy light pink ceramic bowls sat in an elegant wrought iron stand. Only the best for Queen Charlotte.
After taking a few dainty licks at the water, the cat turned and left the kitchen. Though she’d continued to not purr, Rori hadn’t taken her back to the vet after that initial visit over a week earlier.
Letting out a huff of laughter, Rori said, “Can’t say I’ll miss her. Can’t miss what you never had.”
Essie returned to chopping the carrots on the board in front of her. “Have you had any success with your applications?”
Rori frowned. “Nope.”
“Even if you can’t find a job now, would you be interested if I hear of anything?”
Would she? Ever since their conversation, the idea of moving to Serenity had really settled into her mind.
Without a job, she had no real attachment to Denver. Her dad lived there, but she rarely saw or spoke to him. He was busy with his career and his family. Of which she wasn’t a part.
He probably wouldn’t have any sort of feelings one way or another if she moved. Someone else might assume the move was motivated by the desire to be closer to her mom. However, neither her dad nor her siblings would think that.
If she had a different sort of relationship with her mom, she might have asked if she could stay with her for a bit to see if she could find a job. However, she was pretty sure her mom would flat out tell her no.
But still…
“Yes. I think I’d like to know. Nothing might come of it, but then again, something might.”
Over the past few days, she’d worked on her budget a bit, so she knew what she needed salary-wise. She’d also found a few apartments that might work within her budget. Nothing fancy, but she thought that she could make anything into a home.
Since the apartment she rented in Denver was fully furnished, she’d have to buy furniture. But she didn’t have to buy everything right away. All she’d really need to start with was a bed.
But she was getting ahead of herself.
“You should ask your mom if you could stay a few extra days,” Essie said.
Had Essie forgotten the type of woman her mom was? “That’ll never happen. I have to go home and see what transpires. I need a job. Whether it’s here or Denver… only time will tell where I’ll end up.”
Rori had kept her fingers crossed that the vet clinic would call, even though she knew the likelihood of that was slim to none. There’d been a friendly vibe at the clinic that she’d liked, even if it had been the source of a lovely embarrassing moment. Thankfully, the mortification she’d felt at that encounter had faded some with the passage of time, enough that she might be able to work there without dwelling on the embarrassment.
As she continued through her day, Rori realized how much she’d already gotten into life there in Serenity. She’d fallen into a schedule of sorts over the past couple of weeks—which included attempted cuddle-time with the cat each day.
Since she was technically on vacation, she slept in a bit later than she usually did, setting her alarm for eight-thirty. After breakfast, Rori would hunt down the cat to spend some time trying to pet her.
Reading was something she did a lot of, even when she wasn’t on vacation. So while she’d been in Serenity, she’d made a sizeable dent in the books she’d downloaded on her tablet over the past few years.
After lunch, she’d started going for walks with her camera. She’d discovered a lot to photograph, finding the nature around the area fascinating. It was wilder than what she usually photographed in Denver.
Each evening, she spent a few hours editing the photos and uploading the ones she liked best to her Instagram. Slowly but surely, she was building a following there of people who liked nature photography. It wasn’t something she’d planned, but it was nice to be part of a community of people who appreciated the beauty of nature like she did.
The thought of leaving Serenity created a longing within Rori. She didn’t have close friends in Denver. The people she’d spent the most time with had been at her job, and now she didn’t have that connection.
Would Serenity give her the opportunity to build different types of friendships? Ones that were deeper and more meaningful?
She’d developed a friendship of sorts with Essie, since they spent time chatting each day. The older woman had a kind and gentle spirit that drew Rori to her. She enjoyed their conversations and wouldn’t mind having more in the future. If she was around.
The next morning, Rori was in the sunroom at the back of the mansion, reading her latest book and petting the cat who refused to purr, when her phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number, but she’d given it to a few people whom she’d asked about possible job openings.
“Oh, please let it be the vet clinic,” she murmured, even though she knew it was unlikely.
“Aurora Harlow-Gray?” a woman’s voice asked.
“Speaking.”
“This is Cheryl from the Serenity Veterinary Clinic.”
Rori’s breath caught in her lungs, but she tried not to let her hopes soar. “Hi! What can I do for you?”
“Were you serious about wanting a job?”
“Yes,” Rori said, her heart pounding in her chest. “Yes, I was.”
“Well, the plans we had for my replacement have fallen through. Would you be able to come in for an interview?”
“Yes. Sure. When were you thinking?”
“Sooner rather than later,” Cheryl said. “Would you be available this afternoon?”
“Give me a time, and I’ll be there.”
“Let’s say two.”
“Perfect.” And she hoped it really was.
As she hung up, Rori did a little dance in her seat, which made Queenie give an annoyed meow as she jumped off the loveseat. Since the royal had abandoned her audience, Rori got up and followed her out of the sunroom.
She found Essie in the laundry room. “Hey, Essie! I got a call from the clinic to go for an interview this afternoon.”
“Really?” Essie lowered the towel she was folding on the counter. “For what position?”
“Receptionist. Cheryl said something had happened to the person they’d hired, but she didn’t say what. I have an interview at two.”
Even though Cheryl had initially told her there was no position available, Rori had still emailed her a copy of her resume for her to keep on file. She hadn’t had much hope for a position there, but she’d figured she had nothing to lose.
And apparently that had been the right decision!
Essie smiled. “That’s great news. I’ll be praying that if it’s God’s will for you to get the job, the interview will go well.”
Rori thought she’d be nervous, but instead, she was just excited. If this job fell into place, then she believed that everything else would, too. The only thing she wasn’t certain about was what her mom’s reaction would be to the news that Rori was moving to Serenity.
If Serenity was a larger city, she’d take the chance of just never running into her mom. However, given Serenity’s size, and the fact that she might soon have a job at a place her mom was likely to visit, keeping it a secret really wasn’t an option.
Hopefully her mom would understand that Rori wasn’t doing it to be part of her life. Because she wasn’t.
It was just that coming to cat-sit had opened her eyes to possibilities that she hadn’t considered before, at just the point in her life when she needed some possibilities. Some options.
What Rori didn’t plan to do was tell her mom about it until everything was settled. That way, hopefully, she wouldn’t object as strongly.
As two o’clock neared, Rori parked the car in the lot next to the clinic, then sat for a couple of minutes. She needed to calm down and present herself professionally for this interview.
While she was trying to tell herself this wasn’t a big deal—that if she didn’t get this job, she’d find another one in Denver—Rori couldn’t deny how much she was now invested in moving to Serenity.
It was a strange feeling because she’d never had a lot of excitement about the trajectory her life. She’d never sought out a career beyond working as a receptionist, choosing instead to find small moments of joy in her life outside of work.
Now, there was a possibility of working some place new. A place that looked like fun. And her life outside of work could possibly expand as well, with more places to explore and photograph.
Not wanting to be late, Rori stepped out of the car and headed for the front doors of the clinic. She glanced down at herself to make sure her outfit looked okay, then she opened the door and stepped into the coolness of the building.
Cheryl was behind the reception desk and glanced up, giving her a smile. “Hi. How can I help you?”
Rori hesitated for a moment. Had someone been playing a practical joke on her?
“You called me earlier about an interview?”
Cheryl’s eyes widened. “Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you.”
“That’s okay. I do look a little bit different.”
Thankfully, she’d packed one of her nicer work outfits, just in case her mom had insisted they dress for dinner for one of the few meals they’d shared before she and her husband left on their trip.
As she got to her feet, Cheryl chuckled. “Just a bit.”
When Cheryl waved a hand toward a hallway, Rori followed her. They walked into a small office and took seats on opposite sides of the desk that was positioned in the center of the room.
“Thank you for coming in on such short notice,” Cheryl said as she shifted in the chair behind the desk. “The husband of the person we’d hired was given a promotion, but it was out of state, so she was no longer available to work here.”
“You know nothing about me,” Rori said. “And yet you’re willing to give me a chance.”
“I’m a bit desperate,” Cheryl admitted. “And the two other people who had applied when we first posted the job have found work elsewhere. So I’m willing to take a chance with you.”
“I appreciate that.”
“So.” Cheryl folded her hands on her belly, then smiled. “Tell me why you think you’d be a good fit for the job here.”
Nerves fluttered in Rori’s stomach. She’d expected to have questions to answer. Selling herself was not something she ever did. She had a hard time seeing her strengths in a way that allowed her to verbalize them to other people.
Instead, she chose to tell Cheryl about the job she’d had at the dentist office in Denver and the tasks she’d been responsible for. If Cheryl wanted someone to sing Rori’s praises, it wasn’t going to be her.
The dentist and his wife had assured her that they would happily give a reference for her next job. They’d always told her they appreciated her work, so she hoped that they’d pump up her skills and abilities in a way she wasn’t comfortable doing.
“Why do you want to work at a vet clinic?” Cheryl asked once Rori had finished outlining her former responsibilities.
The question wasn’t an unexpected one, but it did make Rori hesitate. It wasn’t a tremendous love for animals. She’d never had a pet, nor had she been longing to have one. Would that be a deal breaker?
“When I brought my mom’s cat in the other day, I just really liked the feel of this place. No one made me feel stupid for bringing her in for such a silly reason. The vet was very reassuring and kind. I appreciated that, even if it was a bit of an embarrassing moment.”
A smile grew on Cheryl’s face. “Lee would never make someone feel dumb for caring about an animal. He is great at dealing with our patients. It is important that everyone working here treats all our patients and their owners with that same care and understanding. These pets are important to their owners, and because they can’t communicate how they’re feeling, their owners often come here greatly distressed.”
Rori had never really thought about that until seeing her mom with Queenie. She was pretty sure that her mom loved her cat more than she did Rori. Her mom would probably lose her mind if Queenie was actually sick.
They talked a bit more about the clinic and what the responsibilities would be for the job before Cheryl said, “I’ll be contacting your references, and then I’ll let you know our decision about the job. If it works for us to hire you, when do you think you’ll be able to start?”
“I’m flying back to Denver on Thursday, and then I’ll have to pack up my stuff. I don’t have much since the apartment I’m renting is furnished. I could probably be back by the middle of next week.”
Cheryl’s brows lifted. “Will you have a place to stay here?”
Rori nodded, figuring that even if she didn’t have an apartment right away, she could afford to rent a room at a cheap motel for a short time. She’d already looked up what was available, and there were a couple of possibilities.
As the interview ended, Rori got to her feet when Cheryl did, then walked with her back to the reception area. The vet who’d helped her with Queenie was leaning against the elevated edge of the receptionist desk, talking to the woman who’d also been there during Rori’s previous visit.
Both of them glanced at her and Cheryl as they approached. The younger woman’s face lit up with a friendly smile, while the vet’s expression was a bit more reserved. More curious.
Rori felt a rush of unexpected shyness as she briefly met his gaze.
“Rori, this is Lee Halverson, our primary small animal vet, and this is Alys. She’s the vet tech. My dad is also a vet here. He deals mainly with large animals, so he’s out of the office a lot.”
“How’s Queenie doing?” Alys asked after they’d greeted each other.
Heat filled Rori’s cheeks at the memory of their first meeting. Not only had she come in about something silly, she’d come in looking a hot mess. Not a great impression, that’s for sure.
“Still not purring, but my mom is coming back tomorrow, so we’ll see if she’ll purr once her favorite person is back.”
“Or maybe she’ll decide that she’s mad at your mom and won’t purr for her, either.”
Rori couldn’t think of a worse prospect. If her mom came back and Queenie wasn’t purring? Oh boy… She’d definitely blame Rori for that.
“I never realized that cats were so temperamental,” Rori said.
“It really depends on the breed,” Lee said, the deep timber of his voice soothing. “It looks like perhaps Queenie got a heavy dose of the Siamese temperament over the Ragdoll.”
“Ragdoll?” Rori asked.
“According to her file, Queenie is a Siamese-Ragdoll mix. She’s got the long fur and facial features of the Ragdoll, but her coloring and temperament seems more in line with the Siamese breed.”
Trust her mom to pick a breed mix that was both pretty and petty.
The door of the clinic opened, and they all turned to watch as a man walked in with a large dog on a leash. Lee greeted him by name, and as the two men chatted, Rori focused on Cheryl.
“I’d better go,” she said. “Thank you again for considering me for the job here.”
Cheryl smiled. “I’m hoping that this works out for both of us.”
After saying goodbye, Rori left the clinic and headed for the car. On the drive home, she mulled over what all she’d need to do if she got the job.
But soon, her thoughts drifted to the tall, dark, and handsome vet.
Lee.
There was something about the man that appealed to her. He was handsome, yes, but it was more than that. The man had treated Rori respectfully, and he’d handled Queenie with gentleness. He came across as being very nice.
Over the years, she’d harbored a lot of crushes, and Rori definitely had a type. She didn’t go for the overly muscled guys. She much preferred them like Lee. Solidly built, strong but not ripped.
Lee was tall with a sturdy build that spoke to her of a strength that could be depended on. Not that she knew for sure that he was that sort of man. Her imagination often gave men attributes that they didn’t necessarily have.
Along with dependable, she also longed for a man to be gentle and caring. It was rare that she recognized those qualities in her crushes, simply because she didn’t get close enough to them to see for certain.
Over the years, some of the guys she’d had a crush on had asked her out, but she’d discovered that too often, they didn’t live up to the hype in her mind. Hype that had more to do with her own desires for what she wanted in a man, rather than anything they’d done to reveal those qualities to her.
Because of that, she’d decided it was safer to just stick with crushes. To live with the anticipation of what could be, rather than the reality of what wasn’t. She didn’t want to fall in love, then discover that the man wasn’t all she hoped he’d be. Or worse yet, discover that she wasn’t what he hoped she’d be.
So Lee was safe from her.
She’d enjoy the little flutters of attraction in her stomach, all the while knowing they would lead to nothing further.