Page 18 of Before We’re More Than Friends (When We Faced the Music #1)

Raina

D allas narrowed his dark eyes at me. “I’ve dealt with this and worse several times, thank you.”

My grin widened and I put my hands on my hips. “Are you sure? Your face wouldn’t look like that if you’ve dealt with this and worse several times.”

Dallas looked like he’d just witnessed two babies having blowouts while he ate pudding. I had to restrain myself from taking a picture.

“Take it or leave it.” He waved his hand to shoo me away. “I have business to do.”

“You sure do.” Doo .

He muttered what was probably a curse word and grabbed another wipe with his poop-free hand.

“I guess I don’t need to ask how your first day is going,” I said.

“It’s going fantastic, thank you very much,” he grumbled. “Why are you still here?”

“I wanted to apologize for last night again.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “But it seems like I came at the wrong time. ”

“You think?” He shook his head. “It’s fine. We already resolved things.”

We clearly hadn’t from how pissed off he was. “I just want to make peace. It wouldn’t be fun volunteering here if we hated each other.”

“I don’t hate you.” His tone went from agitated to serious.

I adjusted my posture. “Good. I don’t hate you, either.”

“Good,” he echoed, too occupied with cleaning the bunny poop off his hand to look at me.

Not knowing how to continue the conversation, I said, “Mrs. Landers assigned me to help you put the bunnies back in their cages and feed them.”

“Oh.” His voice was flatter than soda left open in the fridge.

Yeah, we still had a little bit of bad blood. Whatever awkwardness between us could be resolved when he was in a better mood.

After he finished his crappy situation, we grabbed some of the portable cages and went to the room where Hayden, Arielle, and Caleb were playing with the bunnies.

When Hayden saw us, he gave Dallas a smile. “How’s the first day going?”

“Not completely crappy,” Dallas said with a shrug. “I’ll get into the flow of things.”

“Unless more crap gets in your way,” I said, nudging him with a laugh. He didn’t crack a smile.

Caleb and Hayden exchanged confused looks.

Dallas sighed. “Just give us the bunnies.”

“He’s so moody,” I heard Caleb whisper to Hayden. “He and Raina would be gold together.”

Hayden chuckled. “They’re like old people who complain about the news and stuff nobody else cares about.”

“You guys aren’t good at whispering,” I muttered. “And don’t ever ship me with someone. I thought I told you that. ”

Hayden smirked and shrugged. “Doesn’t mean we have to listen.”

This would be harder than I thought.

After putting the animals back where they should be, Dallas grabbed the food and I grabbed the water, and we set it out for each of them. While I hummed to the music playing, Dallas kept shaking. Every few bowls, he would drop the food on the floor and try to clean it up.

“You know there’s a better way to do that,” I told him after the fifth time . . . on the same bowl. Even I wasn’t this clumsy when anxious.

When he didn’t answer or give me a sarcastic comment back, I stood in front of him. “Are you okay? You’re very jittery.”

Dallas stood up and threw the food bits in the trash. “S-Sorry, it’s just chilly in here.”

“It’s actually nice in here.” Mrs. Landers usually had the air conditioning blasting so the animals wouldn’t get hot, but not today. “Is something else wrong?” I asked. “This isn’t your first time being close to a girl, is it?”

He snorted, covering his mouth. “Yes, it is. You’re part of a fine specimen.”

“Why, thank you.” I fluttered my eyelashes, putting a hand to my chest. “No need to be nervous, though. Women are just like men. Just with the wo .”

“Those two letters make a big difference.” He gave me a sheepish smile, his fair cheeks flushing and his dimples appearing.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I pointed to his cheeks. “Are you actually blushing?”

“What?” The red in his cheeks deepened. “Oh, um, I’m just pale and get red easily. It’s a little warm in here.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You just said it was too cold a minute ago. ”

He was suddenly super focused on feeding the bunnies. “The temperature changes fast in here.”

“Okay.” I wasn’t convinced at all.

When we were done feeding the bunnies, we went into the break room to see what our next tasks were. Dallas didn’t stick around, and Mrs. Landers came into the break room as he left.

“Hey, Raina,” she said with a smile, her black heels clattering against the floor. I never understood why she wore those things when she was five-foot-ten and moved around a lot. “Have you met Dr. Friar yet?”

I shook my head. “Haven’t had the chance.” I didn’t interact with the vets much, unless I needed to bring an animal to them. Our office had three—before one was replaced by Dr. Friar—and they kept to themselves for the most part.

“Stop by her office and get to know her between tasks. She’s currently taking care of a new puppy who came in.”

“Aw. I’ll stop by right now.” I walked all the way to the vet’s hall before knocking on the door with Dr. Leanne Friar on the name plaque beside it.

“Come in!” Dr. Friar said.

When I opened the door, a warm atmosphere greeted me.

There were pictures of puppies hung on the walls, along with a pink poster with a proverb about taking care of the creatures in this world.

A pug was wrapped in a blanket on the desk.

It turned around and looked at me with its big brown eyes. My insides melted into a puddle.

Dr. Friar grinned. She was the spitting image of her children, with the same upturned nose, dark eyes, and black hair, though her skin was a shade tanner. Like Kami, her straight hair hung in a high ponytail. She pushed her dark blue glasses up her nose. “Good afternoon, miss.”

“Good afternoon,” I said with a smile. “I’m Raina Vermont, one of the volunteers here. ”

The pug let out a whimper, and Dr. Friar rubbed its belly to calm it down. “Thank you, Raina. That’s a beautiful name.”

“Thanks. It means queen .” It was where Mom’s nickname for me, princess , came from.

“I love that. I’m Dr. Friar, but you can call me Leanne.” She tickled the pug’s belly and giggled, causing the pug to squeal. “This shelter is an amazing place, isn’t it?”

“It is. Glad you’re liking it here.” I looked down at the sad pug again. “What happened?”

“This is Flap Jack. We rescued him yesterday, and he’s been feeling under the weather.” Leanne brushed his fur. “I just gave him some medicine, so I’m letting him rest here now.”

“Poor Flap Jack.” I sat in the chair in front of her desk, hoping she wouldn’t mind. “I’ve always wanted a pug. I just have a German Shepherd who tries to kill me in my sleep.”

She laughed. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Not sure why you laughed, then.”

“Sorry.” She laughed again. “And sorry again. But my Lab at home likes to lick us in our sleep. He’s always on top of Dallas in the morning, licking his face.”

“Gross.” I giggled. “Do you like it here in April Springs so far?”

“I do. I’ve been in love with Las Vegas since I was a girl, but April Springs is such a nice area away from the buzz.

” She let out a heavy sigh as she rubbed Flap Jack.

“Kami seems to share my love for it, but Dallas and my husband have been stubborn. I know they’ll adjust, though.

” There was underlying hope in her voice.

“They just need some time,” I said, watching Flap Jack warm up to her. “Have you met any new favorite animals yet?”

“Right here.” She tickled Flap Jack again, and he looked up at her with big puppy eyes. “I can’t believe someone left him at a gas station.”

“Really?” I frowned. “People are freaking cruel.”

“I know. Working to save animals is my passion.” She studied Flap Jack as he snuggled against the blanket. “That’s why I took this job opportunity even though it was farther away than I wanted it to be.”

I nodded. “I bet your kids look up to you.”

“They do. Both of them want to be veterinarians when they grow up. My husband is jealous since he’s just the police officer of the family.”

“Everyone has different dreams.” I leaned back in my chair.

“Being a vet sounds like a great job, but I want to own my own jewelry company. I love the idea of it, but my dad has always seen creative jobs as non-practical jobs.” I wanted to tell her about my small business before realizing that I would start rambling about my life.

Leanne shook her head. “Some parents are blind to how they see the world.”

“That couldn’t be any truer.” I made puppy eyes at Flap Jack, and he whimpered again. “Aw, my heart melts whenever I look at him.”

“I know. He makes me wish we had a pug.”

I smiled at the thought. “Then get one. Wouldn’t your dog want a friend?”

Leanne snorted. “Yeah, I don’t think my husband would like that.”

“Come on, he’ll never have to know.”

“Friars know everything. You can’t hide anything from us.”

“Good to know.” I studied some of the pictures on the wall, most of them with her kids and a man with curly brown hair. They weren’t giants like the Landers family, but they seemed taller than average, with big smiles. “How long have you been a vet? ”

“Twenty years this summer.” She flipped her ponytail and smiled. “I know, I don’t look that old. I get that a lot.”

“I was going to say the opposite, actually.”

“My wrinkles are that noticeable?”

I laughed. “Joking. You don’t look a day over thirty. And I can tell that this comes naturally to you.” I beamed at Flap Jack, whose eyes fluttered shut. “I’ll let him rest now. Thanks for talking to me. Our other vets are more focused on the animals than people.”

“Well, if they liked people, I’m sure they would’ve become a human doctor instead,” she said.

My lips curved in a smile. “Your humor is on point.”

She returned my smile, her eyes sparkling. “It was really great to meet you. Come back whenever you like.”

“Thank you.” I got up from the chair and waved goodbye before going back into the hallway.

After grabbing the dog food for my next task, I went inside the dog kennel. In the outside the area, Dallas was playing with the puppies with Kami, both of them with big grins on their faces. I couldn’t help but smile myself. They would be at home here in no time.