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She smiled at me while answering the phone and put her thumb in the air. Excitement raced through my body when I thought about this new chapter in my life. Focusing on my job would definitely take my mind off the drama I had left behind in England.

My first patient was set to arrive in fifteen minutes, which gave me a small window of time to grab a coffee from the employees’ lounge and look at the records of those with appointments. Alexander had been using paper files up until now, so I’d need to get the clinic a proper computer system soon.

I poured myself a fresh cup of coffee, then sat down at my desk in examination room one. First up was Lulu, a three-month-old Pomeranian puppy who needed her vaccinations.

I scribbled down some notes before moving to the next patient on the list. I almost choked on my coffee when I read the information. Scheduled for an eight-thirty appointment was a turtle. Under reason for visit, Lori had put “owner fears animal doesn’t get enough exercise.”

How did Olive know? After our extremely pleasant meeting at my house the other day, she’d specifically predicted a turtle and a parrot would come into the clinic. I frowned. Could it be she knew more than others and was, in fact, a psychic?

I chuckled at how gullible that made me sound. There was no such thing as psychic powers. I was positive there had to be another, much more logical explanation.

I sat back in my chair, my thoughts drawn to the enthusiastic and quirky person that was Olive. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but something about her made me want to spend more time with her. Her beautiful smile had crept into my dreams the other night. The memory made me feel good, even though I knew dreams weren’t real. What was real, though, was having someone you love and trust, stab you in the back.

I let out a sigh and warned myself, don’t go there. Not right now, anyway.

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.

“Come in,” I called out.

Lori peeked her head inside. “Your first patient is ready, Doctor Grant. Shall I send her in?”

“Yes, please.”

“Oh, and I’ve emailed you your schedule for next week. Could you go over it when you have a minute and let me know if it’s a schedule you’re comfortable with? There are several non-urgent cases on there, so I could switch some things around if need be.”

I gave her a warm smile, feeling blessed to have such great employees to work with. “Great, thanks a lot, Lori.”

“I’ll just send Lulu and her owner Diane in then.”

Lori left the door ajar, and a moment later, an older woman walked in with her dog in her arms.

“Good morning, Mrs. Philips, nice to meet you. Please, take a seat,” I said, motioning toward the chairs opposite me.

“Oh, Doctor Grant, please call me Diane,” the lady said. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you already, I just had to be the first person to get an appointment here. Oh, and did someone show you around town already? Because if they haven’t, I’m without a doubt the most suitable candidate for the job. I grew up here and know the town better than anyone.”

Wow, okay. I should’ve felt flattered, but all this talk of people dying to meet me and wanting to take me on a town tour made me feel uncomfortable.

“That’s kind of you, but I’ve already got someone to show me around.”

She furrowed her brows. “Really? Who?”

I cleared my throat, hesitant to share personal information like that with my patients. “Erm, Olive.”

“The barista girl? What an odd choice for a gentleman like yourself.”

I decided to ignore Diane’s obviously underhanded comment. I didn’t have all day, and she was here for her dog after all, not an update on my personal life. I’d learned years ago that boundaries were extremely important in my field of work.

“Why don’t we get Lulu those vaccinations first?” I offered and got up.

While I prepared the shots, Diane traced a finger along the edge of the examination table. Then she looked at her finger and blew some imaginary dust away.

“Did you know I’m the only person in town who offers the best deal on a TurboVac5000 Diamond series?” she asked.

I took Lulu from her and put the Pomeranian on the table. “I didn’t. What is a TurboVac?”

She shot me a look as if she was about to let me in on a big secret. “A top-notch vacuum cleaner. Surely, this clinic needs to be cleaned daily, with all the animals shedding hair.”

“Of course,” I said while administering the vaccinations.