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I shake my head. “I sincerely don't want to believe that.”
She throws her hands up. “How else do you explain it?”
“She probably thought it was fair.”
“Emma, she worshipped Bryan.”
I sigh, rubbing my temples. “I don’t care what she was thinking, okay? I just wanted to get back and move on. Do what I always wanted to do.”
She tilts her head. “What do you mean?”
I hesitate, then reach for the sketchpad on the coffee table, flipping it open. “I’m opening my own vet clinic.”
That gets her attention. Her eyes light up. “Oh, my goodness,” she gasps, snatching the pad from my hands. “You’re serious?”
I nod. “I’ve been planning it for a while. After I finished school and my internship, I worked at a clinic part time. I loved taking care of all the diverse animals there, but I knew that I wanted the business to me my own. I just need to get funds and make it happen.”
Stella flips through the sketches. “This is amazing. The town needs this. I mean after the death of Grayson Davies, the old clinic shut down before it was brought down because of the preschool project.”
I think of old Mr. Grayson who passed a little over two years ago. Hearing about his death had been devastating but it had in some ways given me clarity on what I needed to do with myself.
"Yeah, I need it too. The past few years of my life I've sacrificed my happiness for others but now I just want to do something I love. Give animals the best care possible with little to no fee atall. But it doesn't seem feasible. I've written organizations, done campaigns online but nothing is forthcoming especially when they realize it's not profit oriented."
My voice drifts as I thought about how the past years have focused on repaying my father’s debt. How I had left town back then so I wouldn’t drag Bryan down with me. Seeing his current success confirms that my decision had been right in that respect, but my heart still aches.
"Hey, don't be like that. We will figure it out together. We can have a fundraising, you know everyone in town will be happy to help,"
"Yeah, they will but I want them to decide to help because they want to. I want to offer the most cost effective medical services for animals as possible."
"I know, everyone has always known how much you dote on them, and I believe we can work on it. You should do some volunteer work, Emma. That will let everyone get to know you again, and then we can start talking about the fundraising to them. I'm sure there will be people who are ready to support your cause,"
"You sure?"
"Absolutely. Trust me, you have my support every step of the way besides I'm sure we are all tired of going to clinic in the next town to get our pets treated. If people knew you want to open a low cost clinic for their pets, they’ll do what they can do,"
I stare at her, my eyes almost burning with tears. Wrapping my arms around her, I feel her chuckle as she holds me tight.
"Thank you," I mutter as I pull back.
"You're welcome,"
Something in me steadies. Because this is the only thing that makes sense right now.
Then my phone buzzes again. I glance at it, expecting the creditors. It’s not. Henshaw.
My stomach drops. I open the message, reading it twice. "Bryan’s moving in tomorrow. 8 a.m. Three months start then."
My breath catches. I feel Stella’s gaze on me. “What?” she asks.
I swallow hard. “He’s moving in, tomorrow.”
Stella blinks. “Tomorrow?”
I nod, my fingers tightening around my notebook. She lets out a low whistle. “Wow! He’s really going through with it.”
I exhale. “Yeah. Looks like it.”
Her grin returns. “Oh, babe. This is gonna be a mess.”