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“Sometimes it makes it easier to joke than to think about animals hurting,” he muttered, “and that’ll never be a good thing in my book.”

“No, of course not,” she agreed. “Anyway, let me know if I can do anything to help.” She disconnected before he had a chance to say anything else.

When he called her back right away, he stated, “Don’t get yourself into any trouble over this.”

“Seems as if I’m already in trouble,” she said.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“My receptionist just quit. Apparently Brian is somebody Kelly knows well, and he would never hurt a donkey ,” she repeated in a mocking tone.

“Which just means that she doesn’t want to accept that Brian did it and more, and she probably shouldn’t be hanging around with him. She’s likely to get really pissed when she finds out he won’t be around for a while.”

“In that case maybe it’s good that she’s moved on.”

“She really quit?”

“Yeah, she literally just packed up her things and walked, giving me five minutes notice, which isn’t exactly what I needed right now. However, knowing where she’s coming from, I’m fine with her leaving. That’s just life.”

“Are you okay for staff?”

“No, not with no notice,” she pointed out. “Yet I’ve got a few people to draw from in a pinch, providing they aren’t pissed off at me too and enamored with Brian.”

“It’s an interesting response.”

“Not really, when you think about it. It all has to do with your being new, and the perception is that you ’re causing trouble. People around here have known Brian since forever, and the younger generation will only see the good in him.”

“Right, particularly if they’re female.”

She laughed. “Particularly if they’re female,” she agreed. “Anyway I’ve got to get back to work, especially now,” she noted. And, with that, she got off the phone and walked out to the main reception area.

Katie was there and looked up when Tiffany came in.

“Are you okay to stick around, or will you quit too?” Tiffany asked her.

Katie frowned at her. “I have no intention of quitting. I like the job, and I need the money too. What was that all about?”

“It had to do with Kelly being upset at something I shared about Brian.”

Katie rolled her eyes at that. “Oh God, that Brian is a major loser,” she stated, with disgust in her tone. “Plus, he’s vindictive and mean to animals.”

“That’s where the quitting part came in,” Tiffany noted. “It’s just as well because if Kelly was okay with his hurting a donkey the way he just did, or is in complete denial about it, I’m not okay with her being here.”

Katie hadn’t heard anything about the donkey, so Tiffany quickly filled her in. Katie gasped with shock and outrage that Brian would do such a thing or that Kelly defended him on it.

Tiffany nodded. “Keep in mind now that I may have potentially made an enemy out of the both of them too.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty normal for her. She goes off in fits and has only held a few jobs over the last couple years, so I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Her résumé was a little on the skimpy side,” Tiffany admitted sheepishly, “but we needed the help.”

“Yeah, but we don’t need that kind of people, not if they’re okay with animal cruelty,” Katie declared in a firm tone.

Tiffany smiled. “Thank you, Katie. I’m glad you agree with me on that one.”

“Absolutely. You’re only as good as the house you keep,” she shared. “And I not only need the job, I already know what that Brian guy is like. So, no, I’m not quitting over a loser like him, that’s for sure.”

“We could be short on staff for the next few days.”

“That’s not a major deal. Kelly only worked couple days a week, and she was forever taking time off anyway, so it’s not really that great of a loss.”

“I wasn’t aware of that,” Tiffany noted, frowning at her.

Katie nodded. “Other things were always going on in Kelly’s world that she was trying to change shifts for.”

“And she is also young and still on the immature side.”

“Yep, young and, dare I say, a little on the stupid side,” Katie added, with a laugh. “But it is what it is.”

And, with that, everybody got back to work, even as Tiffany realized she would have to put out an ad and hire somebody new to help out.

The thought filled her with anxiety and stress because trying to find the right people for her clinic was important, but it was just as important to find someone compatible with the employees she already had.

And, with that thought in mind, she called Elizabeth, who had worked part-time for her in the past. As soon as Elizabeth answered, Tiffany explained the situation. “Hey, I just wanted to ask if you’re interested in filling in on some shifts at the front desk. I’ve got a vacancy.”

“Who left?” she asked.

She quickly told her about it, and Elizabeth groaned. “Oh gosh, yeah, that’s fine. No surprise really, as Kelly never seems to hang on to a job longer than a few months at a time anyway.”

“She’s been here for about that long, but she got upset over something I said about Brian, who she is apparently friends with.”

“That kid is in need of some tough love, if you ask me,” Elizabeth shared, with a chortle. “Yet he’s a choir boy compared to his father.”

“Apparently Max’s back, so that’s a word of warning I’ll take to the wise.”

“What do you mean Max’s back?” she cried out. “He’s supposed to be dead. I just meant the kid comes by it naturally.”

“You might have been joking, but Max is not dead and has been hiding out over at Andy’s for these past several days.”

“Andy wouldn’t have him there if he had a choice in the matter, so that won’t go well and might explain why the kid’s lashing out.”

“Maybe, but the bottom line is that I’m short on staff,” Tiffany added, with a sigh.

“Not a problem,” Elizabeth said in a casual tone. “Honestly, I’ve been thinking about checking in to see if I could pick up a few more shifts anyway.”

“Done,” Tiffany declared. “How many do you want?”

“How many was Kelly doing?”

“Two full days a week, I think.”

“Perfect,” Elizabeth said, “I can handle that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, absolutely sure, so, in a way, good timing all around.”

Feeling much better, Tiffany explained the new schedule to Katie and asked her to email that to Elizabeth.

Katie was all in favor, and, with that problem solved, they settled into a routine for the rest of the day.

As the last patient left, and they closed up, Tiffany headed outside to her vehicle and looked around, realizing that everything felt different today.

Whether it was the events of the past few days, her interactions with Timber, or Elizabeth’s reaction to the return of Max Killerman, Tiffany didn’t know, but an odd sense of waiting filled the air.

She wasn’t sure why but couldn’t believe it had anything to do with someone she’d never met or had even heard of before this.

Still, it was a little disconcerting to think that somebody was around town with that kind of history.

Plus, the last thing Tiffany wanted was trouble from anybody, and yet it seemed as if she’d put herself smack dab in the middle of it.

When it came to her former receptionist Kelly, that was a completely different issue altogether, but it seemed as if a solution had presented itself. So, for now at least, that was handled.