Page 16

CHAPTER 16

THE CAT WHISPERER

EMORY

I barely slept last night. Today's the day I start my new job. Away from my dad, in a clinic that serves low-income families. It's exactly where I want to be, and I should have been inside as soon as they opened.

Instead, I'm sitting in my truck, rubbing my thumb over my engagement ring. Just like I have every day for the three days I've had it.

The engagement isn't real, so wearing this ring inside means I'll be lying to my coworkers every day until this is over. But my stomach knots every time I start to take it off.

Am I really that committed to the act? To a man I barely even like?

Sighing, I push open the truck door and walk up to the clinic. The ring still on my finger.

I'm barely ten steps away from the front door when my phone vibrates.

My (Annoying Asshole of a) Fiancé:

You're going to be amazing today! Just like you are every day. I wouldn't have agreed to be your boyfriend otherwise ; )

"Such a dork." I slip my phone back into my purse and catch my smiling reflection in the glass of the front doors as I walk inside.

The waiting area of the clinic is nothing like Dad's. His is bright, with white walls and a colorful rainbow of chairs. These walls are a flat brown that hasn't been painted in a decade. There are more scratches than wood along the baseboard, and the bottom corner of an exam room door has been chewed off. It's a little before eight on a Monday morning, and the air is already filled with the background music of barking from the back. It couldn't be more perfect.

The woman working at the counter looks like she's probably ten years older than me, even though her pink lipstick is brighter than what a teenager might wear. That plus the warmth of her round face—a hint of laugh lines forming at the corners of her eyes—instantly puts me at ease.

She holds up a finger and points to the phone, in case I couldn't see that it's up to her ear. "We can do this afternoon at three… No, it's with a new doctor… Not sure. I haven't met her yet… Oh I agree. She looks fabulous on paper, but you never know." She laughs, and I can't help but grin. "Between you and me, I doubt this doctor sticks around very long. I think we're a temporary stop on her way up… Fantastic. We'll see you and Puddles at three."

After she hangs up, she looks at me and smiles. "Sorry about that. What can I do for you?"

"Does this clinic treat ducks? I assume Puddles is a duck, right?"

"A dog. With major bladder control issues. Do you have an appointment?" She rises from the chair just enough to see the floor around my feet. "You might have forgotten to bring the patient. That's kinda the most important step in all this."

Damn it, I like this girl already. "I'm the other side of Puddles' appointment. Dr. Hopkins, the one who looks fabulous on paper. And in real life too, if I say so myself." I try to subtly draw her attention to my hair so at least one other person can notice how amazing it came out today. "Love your makeup, by the way. You nailed it."

"You…" she stands the rest of the way, and her mouth cycles through several words without making a sound. "Dr. Hopkins? Oh my god, the scrubs should have given it away."

I'm wearing my favorite scrubs—light blue with rainbow-colored kitties and puppies. Lily gave them to me for my birthday a couple of years ago. At the time, I loved that they matched the furniture in Dad's office. "Call me Emory. Do you have time to give me a quick tour before I go to HR for all the paperwork?"

She laughs, the full belly laugh that only exists in movies. "You're looking at the HR department. And scheduling. And billing. And occasionally maintenance if it's not something too complicated. I found out last week, I'm not so good at fixing washing machines. Electrical problems, though, I'm your girl!"

"How many people work here?"

"Counting you or not counting you?"

"I'm really good at math, so I can handle either way without getting too confused. As of yesterday, how many people worked here?"

"Three."

I try not to let my jaw drop. I knew this place was small, but during my interview with the board of directors, I didn't think to ask just how small. Dad has three girls who only handle billing and scheduling. Even in school, I never worked at a facility this small. "I guess it's easy to remember names that way," I say.

"Oh right! I'm Tara. Then there's Grace, but she's only part-time. And Dr. Karchin, of course. I'm definitely happy to show you the lay of the land, but there really isn't that much land to get a lay of."

It doesn't take long to learn that Tara isn't kidding. She shows me the two exam rooms with their mismatched cabinetry, the radiology and operating rooms, and then the ward with enough room to keep six patients overnight. Dad's has room for thirty-two. Plus, he has a dedicated on-site lab, two grooming stations, and an MRI—a machine that probably cost more than three years of this clinic's total budget. Finally, we end outside a small wood door that I assume leads to a closet .

"And this is your office," Tara smiles as she pulls open the door.

The room consists of a dented metal desk with at least one rusty leg and a desk chair that looks like it's just waiting for the chance to squeak. My ass rubs against the wall as I weasel behind the desk. My desk. My shoulders rise just from thinking the words. No one can accuse me of having this handed to me, especially not Dad.

"It's probably nothing like you're used to." Tara suddenly sounds timid. "I bet none of it is. I freaked when I saw your resume. You worked at ELH Veterinary Hospital? Do they have diamond studded toilet seats?"

"Not quite," I chuckle. "The exam tables are made of platinum though."

She studies me like she's not sure if I'm really joking. Then her eyes light up as they catch on my ring. "Oh my god! Speaking of gemstone mines, that ring!"

I do my best to fight back a smile as I hold my hand out.

Tara's mouth drops even farther when she sees the ring up close. "Are you marrying a billionaire? Oh my god, are you marrying the owner of the Gulls? He's been on the top of Salt Lake City's most eligible lists for years."

"The baseball team?" Hmm, once this fake engagement is over, I really need to have Lily introduce me to her boss. "Nothing at all like that. It's…" The words catch in my throat. I know what I'm supposed to say, but I hate the idea of lying to a coworker. "Do you know anything about hockey?" Maybe I'll get lucky and she's never even heard of the sport.

Tara's eyes widen and she backs into the doorframe with a thud. "It's not you, is it? It is! The hair! That picture! Kayden Bouchard? No! Yes!" She clamps her hands so tight I'm worried she can't get oxygen.

"I think you really need to breathe. But, yes?"

She stares at me for a few seconds and then starts to bounce. "No wonder you left ELH. I'd give up a gold-plated desk for him too! He's hot! "

"ELH is nice, but it's not really as nice as you make it sound. I'd much rather be here." For so many reasons.

"So the floors aren't really tiled with sapphires?"

I laugh. "Definitely not. My dad would hate blue floors." When I notice the puzzled look on her face, I realize she must not know the whole story about my connection to ELH. "That's my dad's practice. ELH. Emmanuel Lawrence Hopkins." Also my initials, but I'm sure he wasn't thinking of that when he named it.

"Shut up! Emmanuel Hopkins is your… But he's famous! Oh my god, you must really be good then! Are you really good? I mean, he didn't fire you, did he?"

Just ten minutes with Tara is all it takes to make me thrilled I took this job. Dad expects his employees to be quiet and deferential. Never this. "No, he didn't fire me. And yes, I am really good."

"Who scheduled the demonic cat?" A man roars somewhere outside my office.

Tara leans in a little more. "Time to introduce you to Dr. Karchin."

"Tara?" The wall vibrates as he calls her name, but in his defense, it seems like a light breeze might do that to these walls.

She steps out of my office. "I'm back here showing Dr. Hopkins around. She's really excited to meet you." Tara turns back to me and sticks her tongue out.

"Then let her treat this cat. She can meet me afterward."

"What's the deal with the cat?" I ask her in a whisper.

She holds her hands up. "Rucio? He's really a sweetheart—probably—but he gets a teeny bit anxious."

"So he's a little fractious? That's not a big deal. Did Dr. Karchin try using a towel?"

"Yeah, did I say teeny bit? Rucio bites. Hard. You wouldn't think a cat as old as him could move so fast, but he's really quick. Last time, I had him wrapped in a cute little purrito, but as soon as he got the chance, he still bit Dr. Karchin right on the meaty part between his thumb and finger." Tara bites her own hand, as if I don't know what the act of biting looks like.

"That's when Dr. Karchin told me to refuse him as a patient, but I can't do that. Rucio's mom is the most adorable lady ever. Last time she was here, she told me her rent each month is almost as much as her monthly check. Where else is she going to take her cat for medical care?"

Definitely not ELH. Dad makes everyone prepay, and he never discounts anything.

"I'll do it. What's he coming in for today, and what time is the appointment?"

"Ear infection. And now."

Nothing like jumping right into the fire. I work my way out from behind my desk, finally able to inhale fully once I get to the door, and follow Tara to the exam room.

The woman waiting inside looks like she's almost ninety and can't be more than five feet tall. She has the cutest gray pixie cut I've ever seen.

"You must be Rucio's mom?" I smile at her. "I'm Dr. Hopkins." She grabs the handle of the cat carrier to lift it to the exam table, but I stop her. "Just leave it, but open the door for him, please."

I sit cross-legged on the floor on the other side of the room. But that doesn't stop Rucio from hissing at me. I just lean my back against the wall and ignore him, knowing that his curiosity will bring him around sooner or later.

"So you think it's an ear infection?" I whisper to his mom.

She and I spend the next few minutes whispering back and forth, completely ignoring Rucio until he finally peeks his head out into the open. "There's our big guy," I say, but I still don't look at him. Not until he tentatively steps away from the carrier. "Such a handsome gentleman. I'm Emory. Come here, baby. Your momma says your ear is sore and stinky. Let's make you all better. Okay?" When he finally comes over, he lets me give him a few light pets on the top of his head, and once I'm sure he's as calm as he can be, I start to examine him .

After a few minutes, not only do I have the ear infection diagnosed, I'm able to get a rectal temperature, and start an oral exam. Rucio is brave enough to make it almost all the way to the end before he gets agitated again. I don't get a chance to check his blood pressure, so that will have to wait until he trusts me a little more.

Tara is waiting for me when I leave the exam room. She was so close to the door she has to hop back to avoid a collision. "You're smiling, and I didn't hear you yell out in pain."

"Were you standing here listening the whole time?"

"Of course not! I pulled up a chair to get off my feet for a little while. Let me see your back just to make sure he didn't pull off a sneak attack." She actually leans around me like she expects to see something. "Not a single shred? Girl, are you magic? Am I in the presence of the cat whisperer? Rucio is for real the devil."

"You told me he was a sweetheart!"

"Did you notice I didn't go anywhere near him? He's the kind of sweetheart who will gouge out a person's eyes just for having eyes. Dr. Karchin is going to flip. I can't wait to tell him."

I try to stop her, but she's already gone before I have the chance. It's not long before Dr. Karchin comes to my office door. He's a slender man, about the same age as my dad.

"Dr. Hopkins?"

"Call me Emory."

His eyes narrow. "I hear you got lucky with Luci-fur."

I want to tell him that it's not luck. It's understanding the animal's behavior and meeting them where they are. But I bite back the words. "Luck or not, I was able to get a partial examination. Anyway, I was thinking we could get lunch together sometime this week? Get to know each other?"

"Is there something more I need to know that didn't come up in my internet search? Graduated top of your class at Denver State. Three years in residency and then board certified in internal medicine. Impressive. Made me wonder why you'd want to work at a low-income clinic. Then found out your dad is Manny Hopkins," he almost spits the name. "I'd want to get as far away from him as I could too. I just hope you're not like him."

"I can promise I'm nothing like?—"

Tara interrupts me before I get a chance to say more. "Dr. Karchin? There you are. Your next patient is waiting for you. Exam Room Two."

Dr. Karchin gives me one last appraising look before walking away.

Tara takes his place at my office door as soon as he's gone. "How did it go? Was he rude? He can be rude sometimes. Want me to fill his car with a pack of rabid gerbils? Just give me that little nod people always give each other in mafia movies. You know the one."

I laugh so hard I snort. I'm going to love working here.