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I clutched my belly with both hands for emphasis. If things didn’t work out at the clinic, I could definitely become an actress.

Jim walked to the front door, his forehead creased with concern. “Do you need me to call someone?”

I could hear a soft whimper coming from the bathroom. My time to improvise was up.

“No,” I said, then leaned forward and let out an imaginary cry of pain. “Ouch, it hurts. I’m sorry, the toilet is calling me.”

Those words seemed to do the trick. Jim ran out with a look of horror on his face, and I closed the door behind him. I could hear his footsteps echoing on the stairs. He was clearly in a hurry to get away from me.

As soon as the sound of his footsteps had died away, I rushed to the bathroom to let Rhubarb out. The dog had eaten a small portion of the food, but apparently, the other things in there had seemed more appealing to her.

A complete roll of toilet paper lay unrolled on my floor, and one of my slippers had been chewed on. The bathroom towel I kept on a hook next to the sink was draped on the floor and seemed to be wet. Did she pee on it, or was it just saliva? Either way, I’d need to get that towel washed.

Rhubarb looked up at me with her innocent puppy eyes. How could I get mad at her now? I scooped her up in my arms and cuddled her.

“Aren’t you the cutest? Don’t trash my bathroom again, though,” I said.

She licked my face, making me laugh.

I could hardly believe how amazing it was to have a living creature around again. The loneliness of living on my own had impacted me more than I had cared to admit to myself. Letting go of Rhubarb to find a suitable home for her was going to be hard, despite the fact she’d only been in my life for an hour.

Sometimes it takes a lifetime to connect with a person or animal you meet. Sometimes that connection never even comes. And sometimes, you meet another soul, and you instantly click with them.

Like little Rhubarb.

And Lewis. Most definitely Lewis.

Chapter Seventeen

Lewis

After spending the entire night with Beau at the clinic, I was pleased to call Justin and tell him their dog was doing much better. Addy and Justin picked him up looking all happy and excited.

I, on the other hand, was a mess. The exhaustion was something I had become accustomed to over the years, so that was a minor inconvenience. What really bothered me was the way I had left things with Olive.

I had driven straight home after releasing Beau. My scrubs were now in the laundry basket, and hot water ran over my tired body as I enjoyed a much-needed shower.

That kiss with Olive had been magical, even though it was wrong on so many levels. I normally wasn’t the kind of guy who broke his promises that easily, especially not a promise I had made to myself in order to protect my heart. But wow, I just had to kiss her.

I grinned as I thought about her sweet laugh, her cute smile, her perfect curves. At any other time in my life, I would have chosen to go all-in and start a relationship with her. If she wanted to, of course. But now, so soon after getting my heart and trust broken… Doubts filled my head.

But as I soaped up my body, it clicked. Sue had taken so much from me already. She’d broken my heart, tainted my professional career. Heck, she even sent me running across the pond. Why would I be stupid enough to let her ruin a new chance at love? I couldn’t let one mistake hold me back from moving on. Letting Sue have this kind of power over my love life was ridiculous. It had to stop.

The realization that I could do as I pleased felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Yes, Olive could potentially break my heart, but I’d be better off losing again than never trying.

That still didn’t solve the biggest problem of all, though.

Olive was still my employee. I didn’t want to mix business and pleasure. That was something Suehadtaught me. Where would I run off to if things with Olive took a nasty turn, professionally speaking? The north pole? Or, if I stayed and something went wrong, I’d have to fire her.

I balled my hands into fists. Why couldn’t I be attracted to someone else? Someone not working for me? Why did I have to offer her the receptionist job?

Because I was smitten, that’s why.

I knew I had to talk to her before the clinic opened again on Monday. This was an issue too serious to ignore.

I decided to take Archie out for a short walk, have a rest, and then drop by Olive’s place.

Scratch that. I’d ask her to meet me someplace neutral, or I probably wouldn’t be able to contain myself from kissing her soft lips again.