Chapter one
Parker
Three Years Later
“You ready for another busy day, gentlemen?” Dr. O’Neil hoists his pants up on his waist so that they’re hugging his protruding belly even tighter, though they’re just going to slide right back down in a few minutes. The man seriously needs to invest in a better belt or a pair of suspenders.
“As ready as I’m going to be,” I say, stifling a yawn. “The truth is, I’m still trying to recover from yesterday.”
An emergency surgery kept me here until well after midnight, but it was worth it just to see the look of relief on the young girl’s face when I told her that her puppy was going to be all right.
The little German Shepherd got stuck under a chain-link fence and sliced his belly open pretty badly.
Of course, the parents were grateful too—until they saw the bill.
“Well, I’m bright-eyed and bushy tailed, ready to be put to work, Dr. O’Neil!”
That’s my new colleague, Seth Brown, who has his schnoz shoved so far up our boss’s ass that his last name has taken on a new meaning. It’s pathetic, really.
Or maybe I’m just too tired today to tolerate his kiss ass behavior.
I take a moment to stare at him, trying to read him for the thousandth time and give him the benefit of the doubt.
Nope. The guy really irritates the shit out of me.
“That’s the spirit, Dr. Brown.” Dr. O’Neil, who insists we call each other by our rightfully earned titles, slaps Seth on the back while I try to conceal my eye roll. “Glad to see we have a team player on the staff.”
Seth has only been here for a few weeks, but it hasn’t taken very long for me to get an uneasy feeling about him.
The front receptionists adore him, but all I sense is fakeness and an overeager need to get everyone to like him.
He’s happy all the time, which is a huge red flag if there ever was one.
I mean, no one is happy all the fucking time.
And the passive-aggressive way he likes to try to correct me at every turn has me itching to take him out back and show him what I can do with a pair of dog nail clippers.
Unfortunately, his services are necessary, given how fast Carrington Cove has grown in the past few years.
Dr. O’Neil and I just couldn’t keep up on our own anymore.
Now, between the three of us, we’re able to juggle the workload a bit better, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t still long and draining days.
Another yawn escapes my lips. “Well, I’m going to check on Chewy and then prepare for the day.
” Holding up my coffee to the two men, I turn on my heel and head toward the recovery area of the practice, intent on making sure my little German Shepherd pal is doing well so his family can take him home later today.
I didn’t always used to be this irritated by everyone and everything. In fact, there was a time when someone might have accused me of being as cheerful as Seth. But life has a funny way of changing you, and not always for the better.
As I check on Chewy’s vitals, my boss comes up behind me. “You saved this little guy’s life last night.”
“He got lucky. He didn’t puncture any internal organs, just some deep lacerations that needed stitches and a course of antibiotics.”
“Still, Parker. You care. I know we’re not supposed to get attached to these animals, but you always put your heart into it.
That’s what makes you great at this.” He clasps my shoulder.
“You’ve come a long way since you were a rookie, always trying to prove yourself.
” He chuckles, likely remembering all the times he had to rein in my over-eager work ethic.
“One day when I finally decide to retire, I know I’ll have two sets of capable hands to leave the practice to. ”
“Two sets of hands?” I say, looking down at my one set.
“Yes, you and Seth.”
“Ah.”
“Of course, that’s if I can ever make that decision. Beth says they’ll have to drag me out of this building kicking and screaming in order to make me hang up my lab coat.”
I snort. “Sounds about right.”
“You get it, though. When you work this hard at something, at a job that feels more like a purpose than just work, it’s hard to step away.”
I nod, but the irritation simmers beneath the surface.
I’ve given too much to this job—and sacrificed more than I care to admit—so the thought of Seth taking even a piece of that away from me makes my blood boil.
If I have it my way, that guy won’t be around for long.
My goal is to take over the practice as the sole owner when Dr. O’Neil decides to retire, whenever the hell that may be, and I sure as hell don’t want Seth to be my right hand man when I do.
The last thing I should feel toward my colleague is a lack of trust, especially when there are furry lives on the line. But the fact is, I don’t trust him, and if I’ve learned anything in the past few years, it’s to trust my gut.
I just turned thirty last month, but I’m already further along in my career than most vets my age, and owning my own practice in my hometown would be the icing on the career cake.
I finished most of my undergrad work in high school, thanks to dual enrollment classes, which helped fast-track me through vet school.
By twenty-four, I was fully certified from the Veterinary School of Medicine at UC Davis and ready to come back home to work in the community that, honestly, I hated being away from.
Dr. O’Neil’s father, who ran the practice when I was growing up, knew I planned on returning.
But he passed away shortly after I left for school.
Luckily, when I came home, Dr. O’Neil was eager to bring in some new blood—especially someone who knew the latest techniques, which worked out well for me.
Dr. O’Neil and I have history, you might say. And you can’t beat history.
Take that, Seth.
I have my dream job, I live in a town with front-row access to the ocean and a beautiful cove it’s named after, and—even though they drive me nuts—my entire family lives here too.
Some would say I have it all. But my personal struggles continue to plague me every day.
There are just some things you can’t distract yourself from—no matter how good you’ve got it.
Dr. O’Neil clears his throat, continuing his thought from before. “Although, retirement does sound nice. Maybe then my June Bug will come to visit me instead of the other way around.”
“I know that’d mean a lot to you.” My boss talks about his daughter all the time, but she’s never visited Carrington Cove.
Robert only moved back here ten years ago when he inherited the practice, and he never mentions any other family.
I found out from one of the receptionists early on that his wife died years ago when his daughter was younger, and not that it’s any of my business, but the man has never mentioned dating anyone in the time that I’ve known him.
He’s a lone wolf, a man who is married to his job and prefers animals to humans.
Can’t say I blame him, as I find with each passing day that solitude is my preference as well.
“You remind me a lot of my June Bug,” Dr. O’Neil continues.
“Driven, passionate, and hardworking. A professional to the core. Such a shame you two haven’t met, but she’s busy taking on the big city, trying to rule the court system, and I can’t seem to get her to make time to visit her old man.
I think this small town is just too quiet for someone like her. ”
“Well, I imagine her caseload is hard to walk away from too.”
“Yes, I suppose, but that’s the life of a lawyer. All work and no play.”
I wave my hand around the room. “Uh, can’t say our lives are much different, Doc. I was here for fifteen hours yesterday.”
Robert chuckles as he takes a kitten out of her cage and holds her to his chest, petting her softly. “Yes, but we get to love on animals all day and get paid for it. That’s where the difference lies.”
Smiling, I scratch behind the little cat’s ears. “Yeah, I guess the job does have its perks.”
“Plus, you’re going to that dental care conference in Philadelphia next week. You’ve got to be looking forward to that.”
The truth is, I am. Poor dental hygiene in animals is the leading cause of so many preventable health problems. But it’s not like I’m going to Vegas. It’s two full days of lectures and conversations with people that do the same thing for a living that I do.
I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as a vacation, but it is still a break from the hustle and long hours I’ve been putting in at the practice lately.
I’ll take what I can get at this point.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the latest techniques in dental care, of course. I just…”
“Need to have a little fun too?” Dr. O’Neil winks at me as he places the kitten back in the cage.
“Fun is overrated, Dr. O’Neil.”
He eyes me wearily. “Parker, you’re a thirty-year-old man, and though I know you love this job, it’s important to get out and live too.
Don’t end up like me,” he says with a pinch in his brow.
“Maybe take an extra few days. Extend the trip and explore a bit. Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love anyway, right?”
I eye my boss, wondering if he’s been doused in rainbow dust, because I’m pretty sure I just saw one shoot out of his ass. He’s never this sentimental.
Has Seth been slipping him whatever drugs he’s on?
“I don’t need brotherly love, Doc. I have two older brothers, if you’ve forgotten. And I much prefer women for any lovin’.”
He chuckles. “You know what I mean. You don’t want to wake up one day as an old man and realize you wasted the best years of your life.
Take it from me,” he says, meeting my eyes.
“Tragedy can prevent you from truly living if you let it. That’s why I pushed my June to make something of herself, and I’m going to do the same for you. ”