Chapter 24
24
T he following morning, Lila Bellamy stepped into the vet clinic, her mind still reeling from learning about Whit’s girlfriend.
Whit was already there, leaning over a chart at the reception desk. His tall frame and cowboy demeanor were typically a source of silent attraction, but today she could only feel a sharp pang of annoyance and regret. When he glanced up and offered a warm smile, she felt her temper flare.
“Morning, Lila,” he greeted, his Texas drawl as smooth as ever.
“Morning,” she replied curtly, avoiding his eyes as she walked past him and headed to the back room.
Lila could feel Whit’s confused gaze following her, but she refused to engage. She busied herself with organizing supplies, trying to focus on anything but the anger bubbling inside her.
A few minutes later, Whit’s voice came from the doorway. “Lila, is something wrong?”
She didn’t look up. “Everything’s fine. Just a lot on my mind.”
“Doesn’t seem like everything’s fine,” he pressed, his tone gentle but insistent. “You gave me the cold shoulder when you walked in.”
Lila slammed a drawer shut and turned her fiercest glare on him. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, her voice tight.
Whit raised his hands in a placating gesture, concern etched across his face. “All right. But if something’s bothering you, you know you can talk to me, right?”
She scoffed, the sound bitter. “Funny. You don’t seem to think that applies to you.”
He blinked, clearly taken aback. “What do you mean by that?”
Lila turned away, her shoulders tense. That’s when she noticed a pink cell phone on the counter. “Nothing. Just forget it.”
But Whit wasn’t letting it go. “Lila, come on. Just tell me what’s going on.”
She sighed heavily, her frustration evident. “I said drop it, Whit.”
A thick, uncomfortable silence settled between them. Lila could feel Whit’s eyes on her, searching for answers she wasn’t ready to give. From the corner of her eye, she saw him run a hand through his hair, a gesture she knew meant he was trying to figure out what to do next.
“All right,” he said softly, backing off. “But like I said. If you ever want to talk, I'm here.”
Lila kept her back to him and didn’t respond. She heard him leave the room, and a wave of guilt washed over her. She hated conflict, especially with someone at work, but the thought of Candy Faye whatever-her-name-was claiming to be Whit’s girlfriend made her blood boil. How could he not have mentioned the minor fact he was dating someone else?
The day dragged on with a palpable tension hanging in the air. Lila went through the motions of her duties, her interactions with Whit limited to the essentials. Every time he tried to engage her in conversation, she shut him down with curt, one-word answers.
By the end of the day, Lila felt exhausted, the weight of her emotions bearing down on her. She left the clinic without a word, her heart heavy and her mind a whirl of conflicting emotions. She knew she couldn’t keep this up for long and hoped with time she could move past it.
But right now, all she could think about was the conjured image of the woman Capri described and that pink phone on the counter.