Page 28 of Living Hell

I turned and ran back to the diner. When I entered, I saw that Iona, Olivia, and Babette were still occupying the back booth. Marching over, I said, “Make the reporters go away.”

“What reporters?” Olivia asked.

I pointed to the large glass window which gave a view of the sidewalk. “The ones outside the office.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “Is it me? Do they want Carter?”

Carter Fitzwilliam had his own issues with journalists. I always thought he was crazy avoiding people but now I was getting a taste as to why he hid away in his cabin. Now I understood the grumpy sheep farmer.

“No. They wish to speak with Dr. Ferguson,” Babette said and removed something black from her purse. Folding it open, it produced a small tablet which instantly came to life.

“That is so cool.” Olivia reached for it, but Babette swatted her hand away.

“It’s not here to entertain. I brought it out to show Dr. Ferguson why the paps won’t leave him alone.”

She tapped it a few times and then I saw my face everywhere. She handed it to me, and I read headlines that said, “Killer Vet. Highest rate of euthanized animals in the state.” “Hollywood Actress kicked out of her own home by Killer Vet.”

“This makes me into some kind of monster.” I couldn’t keep from reading each post. Some had even quoted my clients—even the mayor had a comment.

That man hated me.

“Unfortunately, it’s not much better for I.D. A pap took a picture of you on set grabbing Cara and made it out to be that you were going to hurt her.”

“I would never hurt Cara! She’s the best,” Iona said.

Babette plucked the tablet from me and put it back into her bag. “You know that. And I’m sure the good doctor here isn’t really a killer, either.”

“No, I would never purposely hurt or, worse, kill an animal.”

My head felt cloudy, unable to clear my brain. I tried to think of anything that would make people believe I would unnecessarily kill animals, but nothing came to mind.

“The paparazzi can turn anything into something bad. Trust me. My family’s been dealing with this sort of thing my whole life. If people think you have money or fame or power, they will turn the smallest thing into a total nightmare,” Olivia said as she lifted the cocoa to her mouth.

Debbie had given them their food while I was walking to the office. Looking at their plates, my stomach rumbled, and I wished I had ordered food.

“My practice. Has anyone canceled their appointments?” I looked over to Olivia as she frowned.

“Yes, a lot actually. I thought it was weird this morning that so many had canceled and refused to reschedule, but I thought maybe there was a fair going on that I didn’t know about. This explains a lot.”

I pulled at the collar of my white button-up shirt. The room was hot, and I looked around for Debbie to tell her to turn up the air-conditioning. She was nowhere to be found.

As the ringing in my ears increased, I just hoped I wouldn’t pass out.

Babette cleared her throat, causing me to give her my attention as I finally sat. “This can be cleared up, but it’s going to take some time and a bit of effort on both your parts.” Babette waved her hands at Iona and me.

“By pretending to get married to Iona? No thank you.” I tried not to sound bitter, but there was no masking my irritation.

Iona sighed, and I noticed she was more sad than angry.

“Not getting married. Having an engagement.”

It wasn’t the thought of marrying Iona that made me want to run away. It was the lie.

I watched my parents lie and cheat and even steal if they had to. Anyone was fair game. I knew my dad and he would have been eager to take part in this scheme, as long as there was a big payout on the other side.

My father was as far from earnest as could be, and I vowed never to be like him. My brother disliked what our parents did, too. He worked in security in Chicago to keep people like my parents away.

Once they passed

“Here’s the thing . . . You can either go along with this little plan for a month or two. At least until everything has died down and I.D. can head back to the West Coast. Or, you can hope the slander to your reputation as a veterinarian magically disappears. All while we find the realtor and former owner of our house that did a runner with both our money.”

Her words hit me hard. I reached for the first cup in front of me and discovered too late it was Olivia’s hot chocolate. Warm, creamy drinks weren’t a good choice when parched.

“And how would a fake engagement to Iona make all this go away?” I asked as I pushed the cup back to Olivia.

“It was my masseuse, I mean, I.D. who gave me the idea, funny enough,” Babette said with a smile.

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