Page 4 of Hold Me Instead (Elmwood Falls #1)

Charlie

“Christ on a cracker,” Charlie cursed through gritted teeth, rubbing the crown of her head. She pressed her chest to the floor, ass in the air, and scooted from under the table.

“Dr. Harris, what in the world are you doing?” Maura’s tone suggested a hands-on-hips stance, her work-mom role one she took as seriously as being office coordinator at Elmwood Falls Veterinary Hospital.

Charlie stretched for the On switch, and the newly powered device hummed to life.

“Just adding some final touches,” she said.

She stood, pleased to see the projection of the ghost dog, Zero, flying around the wall.

“Hm, maybe we should’ve gone with an entire Nightmare Before Christmas theme,” Charlie muttered.

She gasped and whipped around. “Oh my God. Why did I decide a ghost of a dog was a good idea for a veterinary hospital!”

Maura angled her head, sigh implied. “People know the movie, they’ll get it. Besides, it’s very spooky, a ghost-ridden lab.”

“Right, right.” Charlie released a noisy breath, curving her lips into a smile.

As expected, Maura stood in the doorway, hands on hips, wearing her trusty Halloween sweatshirt.

The faded black crew neck had screen-printed ghosts flying through a graveyard, the quality only slightly cracked.

She fit right in with the ghosts dangling from lights and tucked around operating tables and kennels.

A new accessory, however, was a fuzzy orange headband nestled in her wavy, shoulder-length gray hair.

With every slight movement, two green springs with googly eyes bounced around her head.

Charlie laughed. “I like the new addition.”

Maura knocked a spring out of her face. “The grandkids picked this out.” The eye hopped back, and she swatted it again. “Well, that’ll get annoying.”

“I love it. But secret’s safe if that headband goes missing for the day,” Charlie said, moving toward her.

Maura chuckled. “Are you kidding? Wouldn’t dare risk their wrath when they stop by.” She pointed at Charlie’s cat ears. “I made the mistake of mentioning yours, and next thing I knew, they showed up at my house with this.”

“They know you’ll do anything they ask.”

“Yeah, it’s going to be a problem as they get older,” Maura said, her voice almost wistful.

“Like it isn’t already?” Charlie chuckled. She rubbed at the fading ache on her head, slowing as she took in the concerned look on Maura’s face. A few inches shorter than Charlie’s five foot four, Maura adjusted her stance, maintaining eye contact.

“How long have you been here?” Maura demanded.

“Not long…”

Maura narrowed her gray-blue eyes. There was a secret power in the wrinkles decorating her fair skin, more a measure of her perceptive abilities than her seventy years .

Charlie shrugged. “Wanted to get a jump start on the schedule, see what we need to shift around. Since Dr. Fletcher’s only available a few more days—”

“I said I’d go over that with you, Charlie,” Maura said softly.

“I know.” Charlie rested her head against the doorjamb. “I couldn’t sleep last night, and really, it felt better to be here. Stay busy, I guess.”

“You spent all your free time here this past week as it is,” Maura said. “You can’t keep that up.”

Charlie nodded, her brow sliding against the wood frame. “This is the first village trick or treat Daniel will miss.” His strong runner’s form had looked frail in the hospital bed, well beyond his sixty-five years. “He looked like he’d aged ten years in a week, Maura.”

Maura averted her gaze. “I was wondering if you stopped by the hospital last night.”

“I barely saw him the first time. I needed…” Charlie swallowed.

Maura nodded, then patted Charlie’s arm. “Why don’t you get some fresh air? It’s a beautiful day, smells wonderful after the rainy week. Buy a coffee or something.”

Charlie looked at the wall clock. “Trick-or-treating starts soon—”

The back door burst open and smacked the wall.

“Sorry!” a voice rang through the hallway.

Charlie and Maura hustled toward the employee entrance, slowing at the sight of Charlie’s cousin using her body to softly close the door.

“Amber? What are you doing here?” Charlie asked.

Amber Harris whipped around, long golden-brown hair spinning under a bowler hat. “Hi!” she said, arms outstretched, a coffee in each hand. Her mauve lipstick grin was partly visible behind a green apple dangling in her face .

“What in the…?” Charlie started.

Amber straightened, showing off a black suit coat, buttoned over a white dress shirt and red tie. “I’m that portrait!”

Maura chuckled. “ The Son of Man .”

“Yeah! Today I’m calling it The Daughter of Man ,” Amber said with a shrug. “Oh, shit, Maura. I didn’t grab you a coffee.”

Maura waved her off. “I was just telling Charlie she should get one, so your timing’s impeccable.

Here, take her outside at least.” Maura’s firm grip scooted them along.

“Don’t come in until you see trick-or-treaters.

Coming our way, not clear across the park,” she clarified, then closed the door on them.

“She’s a strong little thing,” Amber said, handing over a cup. “And knows you well.”

Charlie took a sip, relishing the maple latte. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she muttered.

Amber scoffed. “Yeah. Like you wouldn’t spot a kid way across the park going the opposite direction and rush inside to prep as though they’d be here in three minutes instead of half an hour.”

Charlie took another sip, ignoring the accuracy of that statement.

“Oh!” Amber reached into a deep coat pocket and pulled out a small brown paper bag with the telltale white stamp of a cake. Her naturally husky voice deepened playfully. “Brought you this too.”

Charlie grabbed it and peered inside, the cinnamon sugar sweetness of Dorothy’s Bakery tickling her nose. “Snickerdoodles!” she squeaked.

“Figured you could use the pick-me-up,” Amber said.

“I’ll be on a sugar high after all this. You brought me a bunch!” Charlie said, a bite already in her mouth. “Ohmigod,” she managed.

“You don’t have to eat all of them now. ”

“Ha!” Charlie replied, already reaching for a second.

“You can bounce off the walls with all the kiddos then,” Amber said, chuckling.

Charlie grinned. “So how’d you do this?” She poked the dangling apple on the hat’s brim.

“Oh! Lots of glue.” Amber nodded seriously, and the apple hat bobbed with her. “Most importantly, a fake apple.”

Charlie shook her head, feeling lighter. “I love it. Should’ve known you’d do something creative.”

Amber flicked her straight locks over her shoulder, then tipped the hat’s brim and bowed, her bangs smooshed against her olive-toned skin.

“Thank you,” she said. “Thought it’d be a good way to promote Cleo’s art classes.

Even though I keep forgetting the name of this painting. Don’t even ask me who the artist is.”

Charlie chuckled. “Did she dress in theme too?”

Amber frowned. “No. Well, to be fair, I didn’t really mention my idea.”

“Ah. Don’t you have to get over there to help set up?”

Amber juggled three jobs: one working for her childhood best friend Cleo at her shop on Main Street, another as a waitress at the Italian restaurant Arturo’s—also on Main Street—and most recently, her own woodworking business.

Amber sighed. “Cleo kicked me out. Said I was ‘unhelping’ and to come back later.”

Charlie snickered, savoring the cookies as she took in the final minutes of quiet.

The veterinary hospital was a stand-alone red-and-brown brick building and shared a parking lot with an antique shop and an eye clinic.

The antique shop had an apothecary table in their front window with cauldrons and vessels fuming from dry ice, while the optometrist’s blinds were closed, two sets of blinking robotic eyes peeking through.

Together, the three businesses formed the tip of the triangle that was Elmwood Falls Village—EFV—the quaint downtown of Elmwood Falls.

All shops in their half-mile radius prepped for locals and nearby residents, amping up Halloween window decorations each year.

It was the vet hospital's tradition, since Daniel had opened its doors, to have a haunted house, and Charlie and the team had been determined to see it through.

She released a rough breath, her recent visit to see Daniel ingrained in her mind. He’d been asleep, breath steady, brow furrowed. Jeanie had never hugged her so tight, her eyes tired and red, new frown lines taking up firm residence. The reality of it all was even more…real.

Charlie closed her eyes and inhaled, the smell of ozone and damp crushed leaves as comforting as a flannel blanket.

“Alright, I’ve let it go long enough.”

Charlie looked at Amber. “What?”

“You doing okay? And don’t give me any ‘I’m fine’ bullshit. Seriously, how are you?”

Shoulders hitched, Charlie stared at Village Park beyond their lot.

Normally bustling with joggers and cozy picnics, or hosting movie nights and concerts in the summer, the pristine green lawn was quiet, cleared of activity before the annual EFV trick or treat got into full swing.

The peaceful setting did nothing to ease her mind.

There was so much to do, to arrange while Daniel was out, and no matter how many extra hours she’d put in this past week, they were swamped.

In fact, standing outside thinking about it wouldn’t help any.

She took her extra day off, and look what happened—Daniel had endured a heart attack, overworked, not leaning on Charlie enough.

If she dwelled on that though, it led her to why she’d taken the extra day, and that her cousin still had no clue.

“I’m exhausted,” she finally said. “Worried about him. Thankful he’s alright. Stressed because there aren’t a lot of independent veterinarians available to fill in.” Charlie shook her head. “I’m a lot of things right now.”

Amber put her hand on Charlie’s arm. “You don’t need to be here right now, Charlie.”