Page 61 of All I Need

“Anyway, I reminded him I knew the truth about why you left. He yelled and threw a fit but eventually he left with his head hanging low.”

“What the hell was I thinking? I should have my ass kicked for giving that man a single minute of my time.”

“Well, he had us all fooled for just how much of a prick he is.”

“So what happened with Crystal?”

“She told him she was pregnant. He and his dad demanded a paternity test. Crystal cried, acted like the victim in all this. Gary’s dad pulled his inheritance on account that he’s a worthless pile of shit.”

“If Crystal did trap him, I bet she’s regretting that about now. She probably thought she was hopping on the money train.”

“No doubt. I feel like an idiot for staying friends with her all these years but I guess it brought me to you so she’s not all that bad.”

“I’m glad we both got something out of it.”

We talk for about ten more minutes. I tell her a little about the town I now consider home, the people I’m slowly believing to be more family than friends.

“I love you, Ellie. Please don’t stay a stranger and send me your address. I’m coming to visit you. I need to meet these people.”

“It’s a plan. Love you, too.”

“You obviously can rearrange things to how you see fit. This is just how my old brain works,” Linda says, showing me her filing system. Which is pretty cut and dried. Alphabetical folders for the papers that need filed. Her computer system “filing” is a little outdated and could be streamlined but there’s no reason to tell her that. She’s done a phenomenal job helping Walker keep this clinic running so smoothly over the years.

“I’m afraid I’m never going to live up to the standards you’ve set.”

She waves me off. “Oh hush. Everyone puts way too much weight on my work. It’s not as hard as everyone makes it out to be. Answer the phone. Pay bills. Record things. File papers. Order supplies. It’s just busy work.”

She’s downplaying what she does. I make a mental note to tell Walker that he needs to make sure he has a going away party for her because she deserves it.

“How’s it going, ladies?” Walker says, coming to stand behind both of us.

“Linda was just going over her filing system.”

“Ahh. She hasn’t scared you off yet?”

“Nope. Although, I’m not sure how you’ll survive without her around.”

“Somehow I have a feeling he’ll get along just fine with you here to take my place,” she says, sliding out of her seat. She taps me on the shoulder and says, “I’m just going to call home quick and check on Roger.”

We both watch her leave and Walker takes her vacated seat, leaning over on his elbows. The busy morning of checking dogs and cats, a few other random pets here and there, did nothing to quell how delicious this man smells.

“Did you take another shower?” I ask before I can think better of it.

He breathes out a laugh, his eyebrows bunching together, teeth biting his bottom lip, his mouth quirking up on the side. “What?”

“You still smell so dang good but you’ve been around slobbery pets all day long.” I close my eyes, hardly believing I said that out loud.

He reaches a hand out and threads our pinkies together. “You smell pretty fucking amazing, too.”

Our eyes lock. The temperature between us spiking from a low simmer to a boil.

“What are you doing tonight?”

“I promised Miss Polly I’d take her somewhere.”

“Are you making that up? It sounds like you just told me you’d be busy washing your hair.”

Laughing, I tell him, “No. I’m completely serious. She needs more yarn for a baby blanket she’s making for someone in the church. She said she needed out of the house and asked me to join her so she could show me around town a little more.”

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