Page 107 of Dad Next Door

“What? That’s an actual insult, considering everything you’re bringing to the table.”

“They tried to jazz it up by saying I could potentially make up the fifty K after I’d shown my loyalty and proved I was a team player, but they were cagey when I asked about timelines or raise schedules. They just kept going on about how they were a tight-knit family and how everyone worked together to make it a great environment, even if the pay wasn’t what I was expecting.”

“Any company that says they’re a family is a giant red flag. Those are the ones who’ll exploit the fuck out of you and gaslight you into thinking they wouldn’t replace you before your body went cold if you dropped dead.” He snort-laughed.

“This is the least funny thing ever, but I worked at a small grocery store when I was in high school. They did that ‘we’re a family’ thing to us too, but only when they wanted us to work off the clock or cover shifts on short notice. One of the older guys who’d worked there since the store opened, so we’re talking over twenty years, didn’t show up one day. Bill never called in sick and was never late. We were worried about him, but our managers said they called and he didn’t answer, so they assumed he’d blown off work. He didn’t show up again the next day, and no one said a word beyond telling us he’d been fired for skipping two shifts in a row without an explanation. Three days later, they put a sign up in the break room with the info for his funeral. He’d died in his sleep, and those fuckers fired him instead of calling for a wellness check or calling his next of kin so they could check in on him. Then they didn’t even tell us he’d passed and just stuck the notice up like it was no big deal. Twenty-some years with the company, and they didn’t even send flowers and wouldn’t give anyone time off to attend his service.”

“That’s horrible.”

“I’ll never forget it. But yeah, that clinic sounds like my old grocery store. Giant red flags all the way.”

“That was the vibe I got too.” I closed my eyes as he resumed stroking my hair. “It’s just really disheartening. I’ve put out dozens of resumes and got one interview, and I wouldn’t even have bothered if they’d been honest about the salary. It was a giant waste of time, and I’m right back where I was.”

“Has management made any headway with replacing Eric?”

“Nope. They finally hired a temp to replace Amber while she’s out on sick leave and for her maternity leave, but we’re still a person short.”

“Have you thought about opening your own clinic?”

“Only every day from age fifteen to twenty-five.” I laughed. “But then I realized I’m a scientist and not a businessman.”

“What if you and Stephanie and Amber all went in on a clinic together? You said Stephanie has a business degree, and she’s been talking about opening a clinic for years. And I might be remembering wrong, but didn’t Amber say her husband is an accountant and she’d love to work at a family clinic like her dad used to run on their farm? I could be reaching, but they sound like the perfect people to go into business with.”

A mess of thoughts, mostly of all the reasons I couldn’t risk leaving my job to open a clinic with my colleagues, hit all at once. Slowly, I sat up.

“Babe?” Quinn bit his lip. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I was just trying to give you an alternative, but?—”

I held up my hand to stop him. “No, you’re not wrong. And I didn’t think of that, didn’t even consider it…”

“Tris?”

“Sorry. Zoned out there for a second.” I smiled, or at least tried to. “Half of me is screaming that this is the best idea ever, but the other half is yelling about all the reasons it could never work.”

“What are some of the things your brain is saying won’t work?”

“All the practical stuff. We’d need a space, a very specific type of space with specialized equipment. We’d also need loans and licenses and brand partnerships for the startup.”

“Well, let’s break down the feasibility of all those things. The space will be hard to find, but my stepdad is a Realtor. If he can’t find what you’re looking for, he’ll know someone who can. And when it comes to customizing a space, my dad and I are both contractors, so that’s easy peasy. And I know Pops and my dad would be as pissed off as me if you offered to pay us, so that helps with the loans and the startup costs if you only have to worry about the materials and the crew’s wages.”

“They’d do that for me?”

I knew a lot of professionals, and not one of them would offer their services to a friend for free. At a discount, maybe, but not for free.

“Of course.” He grinned. “As long as you’re with me, you’re family, and that’s what we do for family. I don’t know the specifics of a vet clinic, but I’ve set up multiple businesses. I can help navigate that stuff. And I have an amazing business accountant I can talk to and see if she’s looking for new corporate clients. Plus, you know a ton of lawyers who can help with the legal side of things. And those are just your connections. I imagine Stephanie and Amber will have their own, so you’ll probably have options.”

“The more you talk, the more this sounds like a viable option.”

“I mean, I’m just thinking out loud here, but it could be. Running a business is stressful as hell and comes with its own issues, but at least you’ll be in control of your life and your schedule. And all the work you put into it will benefit you and your business partners, not some assholes in suits who only care about their profit margins.”

“I’ll have to think on it a bit more, break it down, but this might be the answer we’ve been looking for,” I mused, my mind still spinning. “I’ll have to talk to Stephanie and Amber, of course, but maybe it’s time to finally take control of my life and my career. To create the future I want instead of trying to find ways to make my current circumstances less shitty. Something like this would take time to set up, but it really could be a viable option.”

“You never know until you look into it.” Smiling, he laced our fingers together and loosely held my hand. “You’ve done so much to reclaim your life in the past few years. If this is something you want, then I’ll do whatever I can to help make it a reality.”

A lump formed in my throat. It didn’t matter if we were talking about opening a vet clinic or deciding if we wanted to accept an invitation from the people I once considered friends; Quinn’s support was unconditional and unfailing, two things I’d always wished I could have in my life.

He believed in me, but more than that, he helped me believe in myself. He reminded me that I wasn’t always like this. That once upon a time, I’d had dreams and ambitions and the confidence to go after what I wanted.

“Babe?”

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