Page 19 of Hold Me Instead (Elmwood Falls #1)

Zachary

Zachary couldn’t get over the amount of white streaked through his dad’s black hair.

That and his mom lightening her tousled bob from its usual brown shade to what she called “caramel blonde”—the long game to lighten it and ease into her grays—glaringly reminded him of how long he’d been gone.

One thing that was steadfast, though, was the commitment between his parents.

Leaning against the wall of the hospital room, arms crossed, his focus went from his mom fixing the sheets around his dad in bed every half hour to the rain pummeling the window.

“Get me out of this godforsaken place.”

“Daniel, honey, the doctor said he’s hoping in the next few days.

” Apparently, the half hour was up, as Jeanie set her crochet supplies on her chair and fixed the sheets again.

His dad had grumbled when she’d said she was making him a blanket, arguing she only did that for the kids, but then he’d voted on the shades of blue yarn he preferred.

“I need to get back. The cookout’s coming up—” Daniel stopped as soon as Jeanie’s hand smoothed hair from his forehead.

“Dear, the kids are taking care of everything,” Jeanie said softly.

Zachary simultaneously rolled his eyes and puffed up his chest .

“You know Charlie, she keeps things running smoothly. She’s handled it all before.”

“That was different,” Daniel grumbled.

“Yes, this isn’t really a vacation for you, that’s for sure,” Jeanie agreed. “All the same, they’ve got it under control. And since Zachary stepped in, they’ve been able to continue almost uninterrupted, right, sweetheart?” Jeanie looked at him, tired eyes pleading.

Zachary nodded. “Yeah, Dad. Schedule’s busy, but we haven’t had to cancel any appointments.”

Daniel watched him carefully. “Jeanie, can I get some water?”

“Oh! Of course.” Jeanie grabbed the cup off the bedside table and stood on tiptoe to kiss Zachary’s cheek on her way to the hall.

Panic seized him. This was the first time he and his dad had been alone in years.

Zachary followed Daniel’s gaze. They watched the rain as it slithered down the window and blurred the view of the flat roof of another hospital wing. A breeze whipped and rattled the glass.

It looked safer out there.

“You didn’t run in and start changing everything, did you? Will I even recognize my own practice when I get back?”

Zachary gritted his teeth, laser-focused out the window. “No, Dad. Everything’s as you left it.”

Daniel grunted.

Zachary dared him a glance. “The place needs a lot of repairs.”

His dad’s face scrunched as if he’d bit a raisin thinking it a chocolate chip. “What are you talking about? It’s fine. ”

“There’s a chunk of tile missing in the kitchenette, a peeling floor. Paint chipping off the lobby walls. Not to mention the equipment. I heard some of it’s been repaired multiple times—”

“Yes, well, not all of us can afford replacing the equipment every few years. Or being one of the first to order state-of-the-art technology.”

Zachary paused as his dad described the exact details of his ex-father-in-law’s practice.

“It’s not for you to worry about, Zachary.”

Zachary shifted his feet. “The place looks old, Dad. It’s falling apart. I think something might be wrong with the heat—”

“It may not be as fancy as your place in Chicago, but the care is top-notch.”

“This has nothing to do with the St. James Veterinary Clinic.”

“Of course it does. As soon as you met that family, our place hasn’t lived up to your standards.”

Zachary took a full step back. The anger, the hurt on his dad’s face, took him back to when he’d married Anna.

To when her father gave a speech at the reception, welcoming Zachary into the family and his veterinary practice, even though Zachary hadn’t officially accepted.

That was how his dad had found out, in front of all their guests, when Zachary had wanted to talk with him first.

Beeping increased, his dad’s heartbeat rising as he struggled to boost himself higher on clenched fists.

“Dad.” Zachary moved forward just as Daniel relaxed into the pillows, holding up a hand to ward him off.

Daniel’s eyes were squeezed shut, his breathing deep and slow.

Zachary placed a hand on his, waiting for the beeping to return to normal, and the contact drew Zachary’s attention.

His dad’s chilled fingers, long and thin, similar to his own.

The veins he’d traced curiously as a kid, still prominent, though surrounded by more wrinkles.

It was the first physical contact they’d had in years.

“The place is fine, Zachary,” Daniel said softly.

“Dad, I’m just saying I’ve noticed a few things I could help with while I’m in town.”

“How long are you in town ? A few more days?”

“I’ll be here awhile, actually. Helping out until you’re better.”

His dad’s eyes blinked open in surprise. The dark brown irises Zachary knew so well, that matched his own, were dim, the exhaustion so pronounced it choked him.

“Don’t worry about repairs, there’s no room for that right now. I’ll see to them when I get back. Just help Charlie,” Daniel said, voice low.

“What do you mean, ‘no room’?” Zachary asked.

Jeanie blew back into the room, renewed energy surrounding her.

“Got some good water cooler gossip,” she said, rounding the bed to hand Daniel his water.

“There was a proposal here the other day. A nurse and a doctor who met working the Halloween shift years ago—yesterday was their dating anniversary, and they both planned a surprise in the break room. How sweet is that?” She named the staff involved, Daniel acknowledging with apparent interest.

Zachary shook his head. He wasn’t against other people’s happiness.

It was the gestures, though, the tiny acts of love and attention that couples shared so early in their relationships that chafed.

He and Anna had been that way once. He’d believed in it.

Couldn’t imagine them ever stopping, growing apart, or looking back on their life together to find it was all a fabrication, a giant lie, a staged production of young love truly being naive .

What he’d really been was an idiot.

“Our son here thinks he can go in and fix all the ‘problems’ in the practice,” Daniel groused.

His father thought he was still one.

Zachary shook his head, unsure how the conversation had switched back to work. “Dad, I was just offering my help.”

“Did you know he’ll be home for a while?”

Jeanie looked at Zachary, her pale blue eyes hopeful. “How long, sweetheart? Will you be here for Thanksgiving?”

“Mom…”

“You know you’re welcome to stay by us.”

“Yes, Mom, I know.”

“Jeanie, leave him be.”

Jeanie turned narrowed eyes at her husband. “ I should leave him be, you say?”

Zachary watched his parents exchange a silent conversation, surprised to see his father’s expression turn sheepish. Daniel picked up Jeanie’s hand and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles, softening.

This visit had gone on long enough, Zachary thought as he pulled out his phone. There could only be more disagreements if he stayed, and one riled up moment for his dad was enough.

“I have to get going. I’ll see you both later,” Zachary said as he moved to kiss his mom.

“Oh, okay.” Jeanie snuck in a hug.

He gave his dad’s hand a gentle tap, surprised when his father wrapped his fingers into Zachary’s with a small squeeze, so quick he almost missed it.

He swore he heard a soft, "Be careful," as he went out the door .

Zachary stopped to pick up Maple and continued to the vet hospital, dissecting his conversation with his dad.

It was clear his father had to delegate more, get assistance finding a general contractor to repair problem areas, allow Maura and Charlie to help with the financial side.

Daniel needed them, plus, it was smart business sense for Charlie to slowly take over.

What he couldn’t shake was how there wasn’t “room” for repairs…

and the envelope he’d discovered in his dad’s desk the night before.

He’d set it aside, confused more than anything, deciding to dig into it later.

Seemed like a harmless decision at the time, but now its importance shot up a notch.

He parked next to their building and released a breath.

What got him out of the clinic the night before was a plan to meet Jordan for dinner—something Zachary had arranged to compensate for Charlie’s rejection.

He hadn’t meant to ask her out, but quickly covering it up under the guise of work had felt wrong.

Especially after holding her close, feeling her silky wrist against his thumb.

He’d surprised himself completely when he bit the cookie right from her hand, but what had overwhelmed him was the desire to suck her fingers into his mouth and remove every speck of sugar from her skin.

The employee door burst open and swung back to bump Charlie as she exited, nose buried in her phone.

Maple buzzed around the back seat, whimpering with excitement.

“Yeah, girl, I see her,” Zachary said, getting out of the car.

Charlie jumped at the sound of the car door, hand to her chest. “Holy crap. Hi!”

“Hey, sorry,” Zachary said. He kept his attention on Maple, lifting her out of the compact gray SUV.

The old girl couldn’t jump like she used to, but she always made a move like she was, as if pretending Zachary’s arms were really her, leaping high.

Once on the ground, she bumbled over to Charlie, tail swishing, and greeted the woman with kisses.

Charlie cooed and asked Maple about her day, and his dog sat proudly at her feet.

“What are you doing here?” Despite his aloof tone, his emotions were having a field day, punching his insides around like a tetherball.

He asked to fill the brief silence, or at least the lack of conversation between him and Charlie.

She was wrapped up in Maple, granting loving pets and soothing sounds, and he almost squatted to get in on the attention.