Page 1 of The Grumpy Vet (Vet Shop Boys Down Under #3)

Ryde

"I'm so happy you're here,"

I say as I hit the accelerator and leave a plume of red dust in my wake on the short drive from my place to the Scuttlebutt Pub.

"And that we get to work together for the next six months."

"I'm happy to be here, too,"

Dario says from the passenger seat.

"But we still have our deal, right? I'll be your wingman and help you progress things with Linus, and you'll"—he grabs his midsection and gives it a jiggle—"help me get rid of Blug Blug?"

I come to a stop at the only intersection in town and turn to face him.

The late afternoon sun shines through the windshield, catching on his hazel eyes, turning them warm, almost golden, and turning his dark hair copper at the edges.

His grey flannel is unbuttoned over a plain white tee, the fabric bunched where he's holding his belly.

My eyebrow flicks up.

"Blug Blug?"

His eyes meet mine.

"Sounds better than belly fat."

He smiles, but it doesn't ease the tightness in his expression.

The light turns green, so I continue down the road.

I refrain from telling him for the millionth time he's not overweight.

Has he put on a bit of extra weight since the last time I visited Dad back home eight months ago? Yeah, he has.

But after what Quade put him through, I don't blame him for comfort eating.

Besides, at his height—six four—it actually suits him, filling out his frame in a really nice way.

I almost told him that when I picked him up from the airport this morning and he made some crack about his size, but I thought better of it.

Even if I personally don't think he needs to lose a few kilos, after months of hearing him calling himself 'disgustingly fat' and unsuccessfully trying to convince him otherwise, I realise the best thing I can do is be sensitive and respect his feelings.

And hey, if it brings him to town for half a year, and we get to work together for the first time since my very first job out of vet studies in our hometown of Blowend, of course I'll help him out in any way I can.

For the next six months, I'm his emotional support best friend, his work colleague, his housemate, and if he wants, his personal trainer.

"We're here,"

I announce, pulling into an empty parking space on the street.

"Whoa. I'm used to living in a small town, but that was insanely fast."

I switch off the ignition.

"Scuttlebutt makes Blowend look like a metropolis."

He turns to face me, assessing me with his sharp eyes.

"Do you like it here?"

"I do. I mean, I miss a lot of things about home. You. Dad. The water."

He leans back in his seat.

"How can you live without the beach?"

"Trust me, the outback has a lot going for it, too. You should see the stars at night."

He glances out at the almost empty street. It's a scorching hot day, so most people are indoors.

"So no plans to come back?"

I shake my head.

"Nope. I've been here for two years, and it's starting to feel like home."

His lips twitch.

"They do say home is where the heart is…"

I roll my eyes with a grin.

"Smooth topic change."

"Never said I was smooth."

That's true.

But what Dario may lack in refinement, he more than makes up for with his personality.

He's the perfect mix of outgoing, approachable, and charismatic. I've never met anyone who draws people in the way he does.

And there's one particular person I'm hoping he can help me draw in—my boss, Linus Stevenson.

I've known him all my life since he's my dad's best friend, but it wasn't until I moved to Scuttlebutt and joined his vet clinic that I developed a massive crush on him.

Dario rests his hands in his lap.

"Please tell me the texting situation has progressed."

"It has,"

I say excitedly. I grab my phone from the console, open it to the message thread with Linus that started three months, two weeks, and five days ago, and hand Dario the phone.

His mouth falls open in shock.

"You've been going on and on about these texts for months. I was expecting to see my new boss's dick and balls from every angle, sprinkled with the occasional hole. What the hell is all this?"

"These are the texts."

"Dude."

He scrolls through the messages, a small crease forming between his brows.

"All I'm seeing is a lot of animal GIFs, memes, and some lame-ass jokes."

"Keep going. We've recently started sharing photos."

His eyes light up, and his thumb glides over the screen with an increased urgency. Then his face drops.

"You mean these?"

He lifts the phone and turns the screen to me.

I nod as I see the first photo I sent Linus.

Me, in bed, nursing a shocking hangover, the day after Fitz's birthday party where I drank too much again and embarrassed myself in front of Linus again.

I'm pretty good at managing my feelings for him on a day-to-day basis, but as soon as I get some alcohol in me, my inner army of horny demons takes over and I cannot be held responsible for what I say or do.

It's a pattern that's been going on the entire time I've been here, and it needs to stop.

I'm entrusting Dario with ensuring that it does.

And with helping me progress things. I need to, once and for all, find out if what I feel for Linus is one-sided or if the attraction is mutual.

He lets out a dramatic groan, dragging the sound out for effect.

"But you're still wearing clothes."

I chuckle but say nothing as he continues skimming through the messages with a furrowed brow.

"And this is so not what I thought you meant when you said Linus has an impressive cock."

He flips the screen towards me.

"What?"

I say.

"That is impressive. Cluck Norris has won best rooster at The Great Scuttlebutt Strut & Crow-Off three years running."

He drops the phone into his lap, closes his eyes, and starts massaging his temples.

"Okay. Somehow, this is even worse than my worst-case scenario."

"What was your worst-case scenario?" I ask.

"You know."

With a sly grin, he raises his pinkie and gives it a deliberate wiggle.

"Oh my god, you are terrible."

I laugh anyway, smacking him across the chest.

"Seriously, though."

He exhales, blinks, and when he turns, his golden-flecked eyes meet mine with quiet determination.

"I know you don't feel confident around guys, but that's okay. I'm confident enough for the two of us, and I can do this. Wait. No. That's not right."

He leans over the centre console and takes my hands in his.

"We can do this."

I smile in relief.

As excited as I am to have my bestie living and working with me, a huge benefit of his stay here will be exactly this.

Dario has always been way better at reading people and knowing what to say and do around them than me.

I misread signs, and if there's a worst thing to say or do, best believe I'll be saying and doing it.

I'm generally a pretty smart guy, but when it comes to someone I like, common sense flies out the door and I turn into a bumbling, usually drunk out of my mind, idiot.

Case in point, I've been crushing on Linus for two years, and all I have to show for it is a string of embarrassing episodes—grinding and twerking on him at Wilby and Col's wedding reception, basically blushing and stuttering the whole time when Dad visited for Pride and the three of us hung out together, and then there was possibly the most humiliating episode of all—texting him I'm horny and my vibrator just ran out of juice.

I meant to send it to Dario as a joke based on a truth, but I accidentally sent it to Linus instead.

Thankfully, I was able to explain the mix-up to Linus, and he a) didn't fire me on the spot and b) was actually super nice about it, and as an unexpected bonus, it led to c) us texting each other every few days ever since.

Even if the texts aren't what I'd maybe led Dario to believe they were.

Which is all the more reason why I need his help. Stat.

Dario flicks his gaze to the sun-bleached timber and sagging tin roof of the Scuttlebutt Pub.

"And he'll be here tonight?"

I nod.

"Yep. Monthly karaoke is the closest thing to a local tradition. You'll get to meet the entire gang before you start work tomorrow. Even Wilby and Col are flying in."

Dario smiles.

"You talk about the guys so much I feel like I already know them."

"They're awesome."

"With one being more awesome than the others?"

My cheeks warm, and I open the door. "Yeah."

"Why do you like him so much?"

Dario asks as we step out of the car.

I pull him away from the entrance so that no one coming or going can overhear us. In a town this small, gossip travels faster than the speed of sound.

"It's hard to explain. It's just a feeling I got when I moved here. I've known him all my life, but when I came in on my first day at the clinic, something changed. I saw him in a new light, and I just… I just like him."

It feels good letting the words out. I've kept my emotions bottled up so tight for so long, not telling a single soul. I'm pretty sure none of the guys at the clinic suspect how I feel, and that gets tiring. Confiding in someone I trust with my whole heart lifts a huge weight off my shoulders.

I lean against the streetlight and grin wistfully.

"He's kind of grumpy and a bit of a closed book, but he's a good man with a good heart."

"And he's older?"

"He's forty-one,"

I answer, nodding. Dario squints, and I figure he's trying—and failing—to do the maths in his head, so I help him out.

"There's fourteen years between us."

"Thanks. I failed maths."

He smiles.

"What about the other thing?"

"What other thing?"

"You know…"

He leans in closer even though there's no one else on the street.

"The fact that your old man and Linus are best mates."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh, boy. Have you not read a single romance novel in your life?"

"No, I haven't."

I match his smile.

"I failed English."

Dario snorts.

"This'll be interesting."

Okay, so while I may have dismissed the dad thing to Dario, it has crossed my mind a few times. Dad and I are super close, so of course I care what he thinks. But what's the point in getting ahead of myself and worrying about his reaction when I haven't even confirmed whether Linus even likes me or not, whether he sees me as anything other than just an employee…or his best mate's son? I'll cross the Dad bridge if—when?—I get to it.

Dario and I make our way towards the entrance where a battered screen door, patched with duct tape, slaps against the frame in the evening breeze.

Dario grabs my arm.

"Wait. You've never even told me what Linus looks like."

"You didn't see him when he interviewed you for the job?"

"No. It was a phone call, not video."

"Well, you'll know him when you see him?—"

He grins cheekily.

"Because your boner will poke me in the leg?"

"No."

I give his chest a playful thump.

"Because he'll be the hottest guy in the place."

Dario

"This is Wilby and his husband, Col."

Ryde begins the round of introductions when we reach the corner table his friends are sitting at. Wilby and Col both smile warmly at me.

"That's Fitz and Muir."

I'm terrible at remembering names, but Fitz, with his rainbow glitter beard, is going to be one I won't forget. Ryde takes a deep breath.

"And that's Linus."

I give the guy a quick and deliberate once-over, my face revealing nothing, before reaching across the table to shake hands with everyone.

Wilby looks just like I imagined based on what Ryde has told me about him, all cheeky smile and playful eyes. He's giving total larrikin vibes. Col looks more serious but seems equally friendly. He's from New York if I remember correctly and gave up the Big Apple and moved to the middle of the Australian outback for love.

"Love your beard,"

I say when I get to Fitz.

"Thanks."

He cranes his neck proudly, all the different flecks of colour catching in the light.

"Need to keep the children fed."

"You certainly left no crumbs,"

I reply with a smile, which seems to please him.

He and Muir are together, and Muir seems slightly quieter than his partner, but then again, it's always the quiet ones you need to look out for.

And then I reach Linus.

The fucking bastard.

What the hell is his problem?

He's got the world's best guy interested in him and he's what, stringing him along? For years! Ryde may not be super great when it comes to dating, but Linus is older and should be handling this situation better. He should have either shut it down if he's not interested or, if he wants to pursue something, do it already. Two bloody years this thing has been going on, and literally zero progress has been made.

That's one of the reasons why I took this job. Ryde wants to move things forwards with Linus, and after witnessing the sorriest message thread in human history, he needs me even more than I realised. In exchange, he'll help get me in tip-top shape, and I'll go back to Blowend with a killer body I can flaunt in front of Quade's stupid face, and also, hopefully, be totally, one hundred percent over my crush on my bestie.

Uhhh, yeah.

That.

Just like Ryde got a feeling about Linus, I got a feeling when I met Ryde on his first day at the Blowend Vet Clinic. He was late, slightly dishevelled, and just so fucking adorable. I melted instantly. I waved him over to sit next to me in the staff lounge. We started talking and became instant besties.

I've tried everything these past nine years to get over him, but it turns out dating a string of red-flag guys, including Quade who not only cheated on me but also tried—unsuccessfully, thank god—to steal the money I'd been saving for a house deposit, isn't the answer to getting over being in love with your best mate.

The only thing left for me to try is to live with him for six months. Hopefully, he's a disgusting, thoughtless pig of a housemate and we drive each other so crazy I never think of him in a romantic light ever again. I don't know how I do it, but I come up with the best plans.

"Good to meet you,"

Linus says, his voice low. He doesn’t smile, just gives a slow, thoughtful nod as he shakes my hand, his calloused palm rough against mine.

"Welcome to Scuttlebutt."

"Thanks."

I keep my gaze locked on him, and as much as I hate to admit it, Ryde was right. Despite all of his friends being ridiculously attractive, there's something about Linus that places him a cut above.

Thick dark hair. A smouldering scowl. A few days' worth of stubble. A square jaw. And the way his shoulders stretch the material of his black T-shirt… Je-zus. Can't fault Ryde for being attracted to the guy.

"You guys want a drink?" he asks.

"Sure."

Ryde responds eagerly and a little too quickly.

Linus steps up from the table, and I push my chest forwards and straighten my spine. Am I above using my slight height advantage as a passive-aggressive intimidation tactic? No. No I am not.

The three of us make our way to the bar. The place is packed, and someone's bringing out a mic stand onto the stage. With Linus a few steps ahead of us, I whisper to Ryde, "One drink. That's it. Soft drinks or water after that. Okay?"

"Got it,"

he agrees, looking up at me with that wide, trusting smile of his, and my heart melts into a puddle.

How is it possible to love someone you can't have this much? And I know I can't have him because in all our years of friendship, he's never once given any indication he's interested in me.

Unlike him, I have read my fair share of romance novels, and we've never once had a moment where our fingers brushed and he got flushed in the face or we looked at each other intensely and felt something simmering between us.

No innocent touch that led to something more.

No almost kiss. There's been none of that.

We are firmly and securely locked deep in the friendship zone.

And what can I do? You can't force feelings.

You can't make someone love you the way you love them no matter how much you'd like to.

I'd rather have Ryde in my life as my best friend than not have him in my life at all. That's just the way it is sometimes, and I have the next six months to finally, fully, accept that…or die trying.

We get to the bar, and Ryde steps in so close to Linus he's clinging to him like a koala on a eucalyptus tree. Linus notices and cracks the tiniest of smiles. He then peers past Ryde and makes the whaddya want to drink gesture to me.

"Pale ale if they have it."

"I'll have one, too, please,"

Ryde adds.

Linus places the order, and the tattooed bartender slides three pale ales across the bar as the guy at the mic on stage starts to speak, welcoming everyone to Scuttlebutt's monthly karaoke night.

"It'll be quieter in the courtyard,"

Linus says, handing us our drinks.

"Unless you guys enjoy being tortured."

"Let's go outside,"

Ryde says, and I agree with a nod.

Ryde leads the way, and I gesture for Linus to go before me.

Age before beauty and all that.

He dips his head and follows Ryde, his hand finding Ryde's shoulder as the crowd swells around us.

My chest tightens. Physical contact. That's a good sign. For Ryde. Not so much for me.

But this isn't about me.

I'm here to help Ryde navigate what could possibly be a very complicated relationship.

It's got all the ingredients you need: Boss/employee, age gap, Dad's best friend.

Our earlier chat outside made me see just how in over his head Ryde really is. Poor guy has no idea the potential minefield he's walking into.

Everyone's jostling for a position near the stage, and we have to force our way through the throng to get out to the courtyard.

When we finally make it outside, the warm night air and silence is a welcome relief.

Apart from a few smokers, we've got the place to ourselves.

Linus and Ryde share a bench on one side of a wooden table, and I sit down across from them.

I want to see how they act around each other.

All I've gotten so far is one side of the story.

Ryde seems to think there might be something between them, but he's not one hundred percent sure.

I intend to find out. Working at the clinic will give me a good insight into how they are around each other and whether Ryde's feelings are reciprocated or not.

"So, first impressions of Scuttlebutt?"

Linus asks before taking a long pull of his beer.

"Hot, dusty, quiet."

He chuckles, deep in his throat.

"That's about right."

He then pins me with a stare that almost makes my breath hitch. Ryde told me Linus is intense like that, that one look from him is enough to immobilise you, freeze you in place, but hearing about it and feeling the full force of it is something else.

"Not everyone is cut out for outback life."

"I'll be fine."

My throat has gone dry, so I have a sip of my ale.

"I've always lived in small towns. And I'm looking forward to getting into some farm animal care."

"Not much of that in Blowend?"

Linus asks.

"Not really. I've spent the last eighteen months working in a marine sanctuary."

"That's right. I remember you saying that in our interview."

"This'll be a nice change."

"The animals are always the easy part,"

Ryde says.

"Humans are the challenge."

Linus lifts a brow, amused.

"Ain't that the truth."

"I happen to like people,"

I say, my eyes flicking between them, and yeah, I can see it. They'd make a cute couple—Linus with his hot, older, edgy, slightly pissed-off vibe and cute, sweet, innocent Ryde. I grit my teeth and pretend my gut didn't just twist sharply.

"You can learn a lot just by observing someone."

Ryde looks at me funny.

"That's a very ominous-sounding thing to say."

Was it? I force a smile.

"Didn't mean it like that. I just like observing people, that's all. Sitting in a café window, watching people as they walk past, making up stories in my head about who they are and what they're doing."

"I'm happy sticking to animals,"

Linus says, having some more beer.

"People do my head in."

"Speaking from experience?"

I ask as Ryde's eyes widen like he's just seen a horrific car accident. But I know what I'm doing.

He's told me Linus is a closed book and rarely shares anything about his personal life.

But Linus doesn't know that I'm privy to that information, so I can exploit his not knowing that I know under the guise of making friendly get-to-know-you conversation.

See? I really am the king of best plans.

Linus's jaw tightens.

"Something like that. I'm just…"

He blows out a breath, cutting himself off.

"Doesn't matter. You guys want another drink?"

"No, we're good, thanks,"

Ryde replies for us, and I smile. He's always been a quick learner.

"No worries. I might head off then. Still have a few things to do."

"Okay,"

I say as Ryde and I get up with him. I'm curious about what he has to do at 6 p.m. on a Sunday, but I think asking would be taking things a step too far. The man is my new boss, after all.

"It was nice to meet you in person."

"You, too. I'll see you at the clinic tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be a nice, quiet day, and I can run you through a few things."

"Sounds good," I reply.

He claps my back then looks at Ryde for a few long seconds.

"Enjoy your day off."

Ryde smiles up at him, and if he were a cartoon, red hearts would be shooting out of his eyes like fireworks right about now. "I will."

Linus stays in place for a moment, smiles his biggest smile so far—which truthfully, is a half smile at most—and then ducks inside.