Chapter Ten

        As Noah dropped her off in front of Fetterman Animal Care, Emma Jean mentally added getting a car to the top of her to-do list. She’d had a car, but since it came from Cody’s father’s car lot and the title was in Cody’s name, she’d opted to leave it behind. Realizing now how incredibly inconvenient it would be going without, she was giving it priority even above finding an apartment. She supposed freedom was going to have to come in baby steps.

         Guess I’ll have to stay with Noah a little longer , she thought.

        She stomped her feet on the welcome mat to dislodge the small amount of freshly packed snow that had accumulated on her boots from her trek up the sidewalk. A tiny bell rang over the door as she entered the lobby of the veterinary office and the aroma of disinfectant, wet dog, and cinnamon filtered into her nose.

         That’s an interesting combination.

         “Good morning,” the woman behind the counter greeted her. She had shoulder length red hair that sported the kind of slightly frizzy, kinky curls one might get from a poorly executed perm. Her light blue scrubs hung off her shoulders in a way that hinted at her gaunt frame.

        “Good morning,” Emma Jean replied. “You must be Marissa.” She paused in the unraveling of her scarf to extend her hand.

        “Affirmative. I guess that makes you Emma Jean.” Marissa’s smile was wide and genuine making Emma Jean instantly like her. “I came in a little earlier than usual this morning to get Abel set up for the day, so I have about fifteen minutes to go over anything you might need.”

        “Oh, that’s awesome,” Emma Jean breathed on a sigh of relief. “I was afraid I’d be winging it on my first day.”

        “Well, I’m sure you still will be. Winging it, that is. The front office is your domain. You can rearrange, organize, and file in whatever way is easiest for you so long as Abel and I can easily find what we need when we need it in the event that you aren’t here.”

        Emma Jean felt the remaining anxiety drain from her system at Marissa’s friendliness and easy going manner.

        “I’m sorry...who’s Abel?” She didn’t think there was anyone else working in the clinic besides Dr. Fetterman and Marissa.

        “Dr. Fetterman. He insists I call him by his first name. I’m sure he’ll insist the same with you. He’s a pretty laid back kind of guy. I think you’ll really like working for him.”

        Emma Jean felt her own smile widen. She thought she’d really like working there too.

        Marissa went on to explain how the phone system worked, including how to access the voicemail for calls that were left after hours and the emergency hotline that rang into the office during business hours but went straight to Dr. Fetterman’s cell phone otherwise.

Dr. Fetterman didn’t just treat small pets like cats and dogs, he also made house calls to treat large animals. In fact, it was Dr. Fetterman who treated Tally’s horses at Hawkins Stables a couple of months ago when nearly all of them fell inexplicably ill. The bulk of Dr. Fetterman’s house calls involved assisting in the difficult births of calves or foals, managing the general health of various livestock animals, and the occasional euthanasia. He wasn’t the only large animal veterinarian in the county, but he was one of the most popular. Emma Jean figured it was only a matter of time before he would be forced to expand his practice, maybe take on another vet or two.

Emma Jean was nodding her understanding of the scheduling system when Dr. Fetterman himself walked in bearing gifts of donuts and coffee.

“Good morning, ladies.” His white smile matched the twinkle in his eyes, and Emma Jean took a private moment to appreciate his good looks. He may have been in his early forties and therefore technically old enough to be her father, but he had the kind of classic good looks that only improved as he aged. If she was in the right frame of mind and not clawing her way out of an abusive marriage, she would have swooned. “Emma Jean, welcome aboard.”

“Thank you, Dr. Fetterman. I’m happy to be here.”

“Please, call me Abel,” he entreated, allowing Marissa to take the carrier holding three coffees from his hand as he set the box of donuts on the counter. “I wasn’t sure how you take your coffee, so I got it black. I’m pretty sure there’s sugar and milk in the break room if you want it.”

“Thank you, Dr. Fett...er, Abel,” she said, distracted by the sight of Marissa who was practically chugging her coffee.

Dr. Fetterman took in Emma Jean’s wide-eyed look and chuckled. “As you can see, Marissa prefers her coffee black. Like her soul,” he grinned as Marissa picked up a pen off the desk and gave it a half-hearted chuck in his direction.

Emma Jean began to relax even more at the easy banter between the two and thought, once again, that she would very much enjoy working with them.

A minute later, Emma Jean was accepting a packet of employment paperwork from Dr. Fetterman in exchange for her promise to have it filled out and returned to him by the end of the day. Once her new co-worker and employer headed to Dr. Fetterman’s office to review that day’s schedule, she sat down at her new desk and began making notes. Writing herself a to-do list, in order of priority, had always helped her keep her tasks on track. It was something she’d started doing in high school when classwork, sporting events, and social obligations became overwhelming. It seemed silly now, but at the time, it was unthinkable to her to be anything less than a straight-A student, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, and the star quarterback’s girlfriend all at the same time.

The first thing she did was fill out the employment paperwork. She’d never imagined the amount of satisfaction she gained from completing that one small task, but it felt good to officially be a contributing member of society and to know that she was going to having an income that was just hers. She wouldn’t have to rely on Cody, which she refused to do anymore anyway, since she was divorcing him. But, she also wouldn’t be forced to rely on the kindness and generosity of her friends.

She could get out of Noah’s hair. Even though she wanted to be there. But she wouldn’t stay any longer than necessary. It wouldn’t be fair to him, and he didn’t deserve that. He may claim that she means something to him, but that was based on who she had been to him and his family years ago and not who she was now. And who was she now? A freeloader. A freeloader with baggage. No, Noah deserved far better than the damaged woman Cody had turned her into.

She’d barely gotten started on her day when the phone started ringing, and once it started, it didn’t stop. She was still learning the ins and outs of the computer system. The electronic records listed all the clinic’s patients by owner first and then breed. So, looking up records was easy enough as long as she had the owner’s name. What had her grinding her teeth was the fact that she couldn’t figure out how to edit the records. Once Dr. Fetterman was done with a patient, either he or Marissa would leave their paper chart in a bin on Emma Jean’s desk. Emma Jean was responsible for entering the data into the electronic system before filing the paper chart in the large filing cabinet. Only she couldn’t do that. Tears of frustration pricked her eyes just as the bell over the door rang once more, heralding a witness to her incompetence and humiliation.

“Hey, sunshine.” Noah’s warm voice flowed over her, easing the tension from her shoulders.

“Hey,” she croaked before clearing her throat and trying again. “Hey.”

She watched him walk up to the counter and take in the concern on his face.

“You alright, Emmie?” he asked in a low tone. His body stiffened, ready to jump to her aid if needed.

Noah’s concern coupled with his fierce protectiveness obliterated Emma Jean’s defenses. Her tears began to flow freely, contradicting her affirmative nod.

Suddenly, Noah was behind the counter, squatting in front of her. Taking her hands in his, he cooed to her.
        “Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, baby. Whatever it is, it’ll be okay.”

“I know,” she breathed, trying to get herself under control. “I’m just frustrated, and I-”

“Everything alright out here?” Dr. Fetterman asked, eyes bouncing between the two of them.

Emma Jean felt her cheeks flush with mortification. “Yes, Dr. Fetterman. I’m so sorry.” She wiped the wetness from her face and muttered with irritation, “I’m so unprofessional.”

“Do you need a break, Emma Jean?”

“No-” she began at the same time Noah said the opposite.

She watched in irritated fascination as a look she couldn’t quite decipher passed between the two men.

“Why don’t you go to lunch,” Dr. Fetterman suggested. “Marissa and I are just wrapping up, and then we’ll be taking a break.”

“Perfect,” Noah jumped up. “I was coming to see if you wanted to go to Bucky’s for lunch anyway, so it’s perfect timing.”

She went along in a daze as Noah helped her into her coat and shuffled her out of the office. The drive to Bucky’s was short and quiet, but once they were situated in a booth with orders for patty melts placed, Noah picked at her freshest wound.

“Talk to me, sunshine. What happened back there?”

“God, it’s so stupid,” she muttered. “I was struggling with the computer system, and it was busy. I just got a little overwhelmed,” she shrugged.

“That’s not stupid. You need to use the computer system to do your job, right?” He waited for her acknowledgment before continuing. “So, it’s understandable that you got frustrated. It’s your first day.”

“That’s the problem, Noah. It is  my first day. I want to make a good impression.”

“Okay, I get that, but it’s literally only been a few hours. You have all afternoon to make a good impression.”

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “What if this was a mistake?” She hadn’t meant to ask the question out loud, and hearing the words with her own ears made her feel even worse about herself. What if she was failing before she even began?

“What if it was?”

Her head snapped up. “What? How could you say that?”

Noah held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not saying it was  a mistake. I’m just asking...what would you do if it was?”

“It’s not,” she insisted, taking offense to his apparent lack of faith in her.

“Are you sure?”

“No. How can I be sure unless I try?”

Her indignant tone made Noah smile.

“Oh.” Her ire fled, and she deflated. “I see what you did there.”

“Can I say one more thing?”

“I don’t suppose I can stop you.”

Noah’s grin faded, his tone serious. “You need to learn to ask for help, Emmie.”

She knew he wasn’t only referring to her work situation. She should have reached out a long time ago, but she couldn’t change how the past few years had played out. She could, however, set a new path going forward. One she’d already embarked on by leaving Cody, filing for divorce, and getting a job. She also had a support system in place; one that was new yet familiar, and so far, it was the one thing that had made the most difference.

“It won’t be easy, you know?”

“You’re a smart woman, Ems. I have no doubt you’ll figure it out.”

“Okay, well, if you’re done being a know-it-all can I eat my lunch now?” she asked with a lip twitch.

“Dessert, too. Bucky’s pastries suck, but I spied some of that turtle cheesecake in the display case on the way in.”

“I’ll take two slices since you’re buying,” she said, popping a fry into her mouth.

“Atta girl,” he muttered happily.