CHAPTER FOUR
Lee left the room where he’d just had to tell an owner that their dog didn’t have long to live. It was the very worst part of his job. Well, second worst. The worst was when the day came that he’d have to watch them say goodbye to their beloved pet.
In the hallway outside the exam room, he paused, pressing a hand to his stomach. He said a brief prayer, asking God to comfort the owner and her family as they faced the last days with their elderly dog.
He took a deep breath and exhaled, then headed to the reception area at the front of the clinic. They’d had a dog surrendered to the shelter earlier that morning, so he needed to check it out.
“Hi, Lee,” Cheryl said as he approached the desk.
“Hey.”
“Today is Rori’s first day,” she told him, motioning to the woman seated beside her at the desk.
Lee gave Rori a warm smile, happy that something had worked out for Cheryl after her initial plans for a replacement had fallen through. She’d been so stressed the day she’d found out that the woman she’d hired couldn’t take the job, so it was good to see her relaxed once again.
Hopefully this woman would work out so that Cheryl could relax and enjoy the last weeks of her pregnancy. It seemed a long shot that the woman who’d brought her cat in because it wasn’t purring would fit in at a vet clinic. But only time would tell.
If she’d been a receptionist before, it was possible it would be okay. Rori would be a permanent replacement since Cheryl planned to stay home with the baby, so Lee hoped she fit in well.
“How are you finding things here so far?”
“I’m enjoying it.” Rori tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she looked up at him with her clear blue eyes. “I loved meeting the kittens in the shelter.”
Working at the front desk didn’t require Rori to have a vet’s knowledge, but loving—or at the very least, liking—animals was a necessity.
“Are you in the market for a cat?” Lee asked.
Rori shook her head. “Not yet. I’d like to be a little more settled before I consider getting a pet.”
“Lee’s got the cutest dog,” Cheryl said. “You should show Rori a picture of her.”
Lee pulled out his phone and opened his photo roll. He had a lot of pictures of Elsa, including a bunch that Layla and Amelia had taken. They frequently asked for his phone to do photoshoots with Elsa.
He settled on one that had Elsa sitting next to her food bowl, waiting for permission to eat with an expression of anticipation on her sweet furry face. When he held the phone out, Rori hesitated a moment before taking it from him.
She bent her head over the screen, then looked up with a smile. “She’s so cute! What’s her name?”
“Elsa.”
Her brows lifted, widening her eyes. “From Frozen?”
Lee shrugged. “Sort of. I was having trouble coming up with a name, so my former co-workers suggested we put her on the floor and see what name made her come to me. And then they gave me a bunch of names to try. Someone who had seen Frozen offeredElsa. I hadn’t seen the movie, but I still liked the name, and so did Elsa.”
“Do you ever bring her into the office?” Rorie asked.
“Rarely.”
“You should bring her in again,” Cheryl said.
“Maybe I’ll ask Charli to come by with her one day.” Lee figured she might do that since she was out of school at the moment. The girls would probably also love to spend a little time at the shelter.
“Have you seen the new dog?” Cheryl asked.
“Not yet. I am going to check on him now.”
“Why don’t you go with him, Rori?” Cheryl suggested. “See how we do things in our shelter.”
Rori looked at Lee, as if waiting for him to give her permission.
“C’mon,” Lee said, tipping his head toward the door leading to the shelter. “Let’s go meet our newest resident.”
A small smile played across Rori’s face as she got to her feet. She wasn’t dressed as formally as she’d been for her interview, but also not as casually as their first meeting.
Instead, she wore a pair of jeans and a dark blue T-shirt that had the clinic’s logo on it. That was pretty much the uniform for the staff, simply because sometimes things got a little messy when working with animals.
As they reached the door, he held it open for her, then led her to the desk where Carmen sat.
“Hi, Carmen. Have you met Rori already?” Lee asked.
Carmen nodded with a smile. “Cheryl introduced us earlier. Have you come to see the pup?”
“Yep. Need to check how he’s doing.”
The dog was currently in one of their quarantine rooms. It was the policy to segregate any animal that came into the shelter until it was examined and given a clean bill of health.
When they walked into the quarantine room, they found the dog cowering near the back wall, watching them over the low fence that was in place to allow them to contain the dog while still being close to him.
As he observed the dog from a distance first, Lee explained to Rori what they knew of the animal, which wasn’t much.
“So you give any animal that gets brought in like this a checkup?” Rori asked as she stood next to him.
In the process of glancing over at her, Lee noted that she came up to his shoulder. Her profile showed delicate features in the slope of her nose and in her cheekbones. She was a pretty woman, though there was an air of fragile reserve around her.
Was that just because she didn’t know them well yet? Cheryl and Alys didn’t have a reserved bone in her body, whether it was with a friend or a stranger, but not everyone was like that.
“Yes, we check over every animal brought to the shelter. First, though, we’ll need to give this dog a bath and clean him up.”
“Do you do that?”
“Rachel or Cap usually takes care of the grooming.”
“The other volunteers?”
Lee nodded. “I’m sure one of them will be in soon to take care of it.”
Lee approached the fence and leaned over to hold his hand out toward the dog. He didn’t move at all, so Lee took the opportunity to further observe the animal.
“Do you think he was abused?” Rori asked, her voice soft. “He seems scared.”
“It’s possible,” Lee said. “Or he could have been neglected, so he doesn’t know how to react to us.”
“Why do people do that to animals?”
“I have no idea. Just like I have no idea why people hurt children,” Lee said. “Or other people, for that matter.”
Rori gave a short hum of agreement. “How do you get him to come to you so you can check him over?”
Lee spent a few minutes walking Rori through their procedure for animals coming into the shelter. Some, like the kittens, were fairly straightforward. Older animals could be more of a challenge, and large dogs, in particular, could be dangerous.
As he was talking, the door to the room opened, and Rachel slipped in.
“Hey, Rachel,” Lee said as he turned to face her. “Come to meet our newest resident?”
“And the newest employee.” Rachel held her hand out to Rori, a friendly smile lighting up her face. “I’m Rachel.”
“Rori,” she said. “Nice to meet you.”
Lee could see the curiosity on the teen’s face. From the moment he’d started work at the clinic, he’d appreciated the outgoing and friendly attitude Rachel had. She was great with people who came into the shelter, and he was sure that more than one person had adopted a pet because of Rachel.
She was also good at reading a person’s character, and there had been a couple of times when she’d advised them not to allow someone to adopt a pet. Her passion for the care and wellbeing of the animals at the shelter was great to see, and as someone else who loved animals, he appreciated that.
“How’s this beautiful pup?” Rachel said, switching her attention to the dog. She moved to stand next to Lee and crooned softly at the dog.
Lee let her do her thing because there were times she could reach a dog that he hadn’t been able to.
“Can I go in?” Rachel asked, glancing over at him.
“He was skittish when he was brought in but didn’t seem aggressive.”
With a nod, Rachel opened the gate and stepped into the area with the dog. Lee crossed his arms as he watched her.
Rori leaned closer to him. “Is it safe for her?”
“Yes. She knows the rules, and she has experience with animals like this.”
“She’s so young,” Rori murmured.
“Yep. But she loves animals, and she’s been working here for a couple of years already. Longer than me.”
Rori looked up at him. “How long have you been here?”
“A couple of months.”
“Oooh, look,” Rori said, her attention back on Rachel, who was now seated with her legs crossed not far from the dog.
She held a treat out, talking softly to the animal. When the dog’s tail thumped once, Lee smiled. It wasn’t long before the dog lay down, his head pointed in Rachel’s direction, resting on his paws.
“Aren’t you a pretty boy?” Rachel said. “Do you want a treat?”
Her voice was a bit louder, but still gentle. The dog’s response was to thump his tail a few more times.
“That is so amazing,” Rori said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Lee glanced over to see a big smile lighting up Rori’s face as she watched Rachel interact with the dog. Her joy was clearly visible, and it gave Lee hope that she really would fit in well at the clinic.
Soon, Rachel had the dog eating out of her hand. Literally.
Once the dog had warmed up to the teen, Lee joined them, keeping his movements slow and cautious. He was aware of Rori behind them as they continued to work with the dog. Lee was relieved when they got to the point where he could get close enough to check the dog over.
“I think we should name him…” Rachel paused and leaned over to cup the dog’s face in her hands. The dog’s tail continued to thump against the floor. “Oslo.”
“Why Oslo?” Lee asked.
Rachel had taken on the job of naming the animals that came into the shelter, and she usually had an interesting reason for the names she chose.
“We were watching a documentary about Norway last night, and I liked the name.”
Lee chuckled softly as he checked over the dog.
His cursory check of the dog revealed nothing alarming, and hopefully now that he’d warmed up to Rachel, they’d be able to bathe and groom him and then do a few more tests.
Cap joined them a few minutes later, greeting Rori before turning his attention to Rachel and the dog. “We gonna give this guy a bath?”
“Yep,” Rachel said. “Hopefully he’s relaxed enough to tolerate it.”
Lee got to his feet. “Let me know when you’re done.”
Rachel looked up at him and nodded.
As he walked back to the gate, Lee saw that Rori was watching them all with wide eyes and a smile. “I’m heading back to the other side. Are you going to hang out here?”
Rori shook her head. “I should probably get back to Cheryl. Pretty sure my job description doesn’t include spending all my time hanging out with the animals.”
“No, probably not all your time,” Lee agreed as they made their way back to the clinic side of the building. “But it’s good that you’re aware of how the shelter operates too. Even if most of your attention will be on the clinic.”
“Thank you for allowing me to go with you to see the dog,” she said as they reached the reception desk. Her smile was warm, lighting up her eyes, and it made Lee smile in return.
“You’re welcome.” Lee dragged his attention from Rori to Cheryl. “I’ll be in the back. Please let me know when the Carrols arrive.”
She nodded. “Will do.”
The slower pace of the Serenity clinic was both good and bad. He appreciated not having to rush through appointments, but sometimes the work hours passed slowly if there were only a few patients coming in.
After his last appointment of the morning, Lee made his way to the staff room. He’d just finished a quick prayer for his lunch when Alys came into the room with Rori. The women got their lunches from the fridge, then joined him at the round table.
“How has your morning gone, Rori?” Alys asked as she opened her floral lunch bag.
Rori looked up from where she was unwrapping a sandwich and smiled. “It’s been great.”
“You spent some time on the shelter side, huh?”
She nodded. “I saw the newest dog there. He seemed so sweet, especially the way he responded to Rachel.”
“Everyone loves Rachel, especially the animals,” Alys said.
Rori’s smile seemed to falter for a moment before taking over her face again. “I can see why. She’s very sweet.”
“The downside is that she gets so attached to the animals that it can be upsetting for her when they leave,” Alys said.
“I think I’d cry too.” Rori took a small bite of her sandwich, then set it down to take a drink from her water bottle. “But as long as they’re going to a good home, that might make it a little easier.”
“We try our best to vet anyone adopting an animal,” Lee said.
“And we follow up a few days after they take it home,” Alys added. “We also let them know that if it turns out the animal isn’t a good fit, they’re welcome to bring it back. The last thing we want is for a pet to be in a place that doesn’t work well for them.”
“It’s good that you all care so much about the animals,” Rori said.
“Yep.” Alys got up to put her lunch in the microwave. “Do you think you’ll want to adopt a pet?”
Rori took another small bite of her sandwich and shook her head. “Not for a while. I need to get a bit more settled first.”
“Are you a dog or cat person?” Alys asked.
“After hanging out with my mom’s cat, I’m thinking perhaps I’m more of a dog-person.”
Alys glanced at Lee. “Did she meet the kittens?”
“Nope. Just the newest dog.”
“Ooooh.” Alys grinned as she looked back at Rori. “You need to see the kittens. They might change your mind.”
As Alys talked about the kittens and her own pets, Rori continued to eat her sandwich in slow, small bites. From what Lee could see, it appeared to be peanut butter and jelly. It wasn’t his first choice of sandwich, but Layla and Amelia always asked for it when given the opportunity.
“So, Lee…” Alys began. “Does Wilder have a girlfriend?”
“Wilder?”
“Yeah. You know. Your brother?”
Lee gave a huff of laughter. “I know who he is. I’m just surprised you’re interested in him.”
“Why?” Alys asked. “He’s cute, and he’s nice.”
“And he’s gone for six months out of the year,” Lee reminded her. “That wouldn’t work so well for a relationship.”
“That’s true.” Alys narrowed her eyes for a moment. “How about Zane?”
“He has a girlfriend, so he’s definitely off the market. And Cole’s too young for you.”
Alys sighed. “Bummer.”
“You have three brothers?” Rori asked.
“Actually, I have five brothers and four sisters.”
Rori’s eyes widened. “There’s ten of you? Wow! Do you all have the same parents?”
It was a question that made Lee feel a little uneasy because it had led to the ending of at least one relationship. “Yes, we do now, but not all of us started out in the same family. We’re a mix of biological and adopted kids.”
Rori’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes as she said, “They must have really loved and wanted each of you.”
Lee nodded. “We’ve been very blessed to have the Halversons as parents.”
And even though he absolutely loved his parents and his family, the desire to know about his birth family was growing in intensity. Janessa and Jay were fortunate to know who their birth parents were, and so far, it seemed that Zane didn’t really care about having that information.
“Hey Lee,” Cheryl said as she poked her head into the room. “Got someone coming in with an injured cat.”
“Okay. I’ll be right there.”
Lee pushed back from the table and tossed his garbage out before setting his lunch kit on the counter to take home later. He left the two women to finish eating while he went to the reception desk to get more details from Cheryl.
While they were talking, Rori appeared and slipped into the chair beside Cheryl.
“Are you going for your lunch now?” Lee asked Cheryl.
She grimaced. “To be honest, I don’t feel super hungry. Plus, my chair here is more comfortable than the ones in the staff room.”
Lee hoped it was just an off day for her. He knew it would stress her if she went into labor before she felt comfortable about Rori taking over her job.
When someone came in to buy dog food, Lee left Rori and Cheryl to deal with it and went to the back to find Alys so they could prepare for the injured cat.
“Rori seems really nice,” Alys said as they waited. “I think she’ll do well here.”
Lee nodded. “For Cheryl’s sake, I hope she does work out.”
It did seem that, personality-wise, Rori fit in well. That was important, but her ability to do the job was equally necessary.
Lee was still a bit surprised that Cheryl had hired someone that she knew so little about. And he was also surprised that someone had uprooted their whole life to move to Serenity for a job as a receptionist. Although maybe Rori’s relocation had more to do with her mom living there than the job.
He hoped that for everyone’s sake, her reasons for being in Serenity would keep her there long-term so they wouldn’t need to hire another receptionist any time soon.