Page 7 of The Last Lavender Sister

“She’s Tyler,” Aster echoed. Her brother was struggling, and it was clear she just had to let him lick his wounds for a bit. Hopefully, he’d come around. He was literally losing his best friend, and that would be hard on anyone.

Aster went home to the house she rented on Baker Street, just a handful of blocks from the center of town. She liked being close to things, not just for convenience purposes, but she was someone who liked to observe and take in as much activity as possible. There wasn’t a lot going on in Homer’s Bluff, so every little bit mattered. She could report that the laundromat had three broken washers the week before,which nearly incited a laundry riot. That was good stuff. She’d read her book on a nearby bench and watched the drama as she sipped her iced vanilla latte. Seven people vying for two washing machines over the course of a three-hour period was theDays of Our Livesshe needed. The bench had served her well. She took a late lunch there most days after closing down Hole in One. Watching the world go by was her favorite pastime, and that was a little sad. Most notably the wordwatching. Because that’s all she ever did. She was off to the side, removed from the action, and inconsequential.

As she brushed her teeth before bed, Aster regarded herself in the mirror, taking stock. Standing there in her gray shorts and black tank top, her eyes moved down her body. The dip of cleavage in her shirt led to medium-sized breasts and a waist that flared to hips. She touched her stomach, in decent shape from the time she spent on her bike. She could work on her abs, but then again, she’d rather spend the time in a science fiction book. Her dark hair was pulled into a standard ponytail. She liked that it was thick. A familiar freckle dotted the side of her right eye. She knew the face looking back at her intimately, but also not at all. There was a longing in her for something greater than what she had going, but cowardice held her back. For the life of her, Aster had no clue what to do about that. Pull a Tyler and head out for the big bad world without a net? Accept the spot at the culinary school in Boston, or find a way to make peace with all she had? Her shop, her customers, her family, and a handful of friends. She didn’t lead a bad life, but she did feel invisible. Her social floundering in front of the new vet was par for a course she was tired of. Aster knew that somewhere in her, she had more to give. “Here I am,” she said to her reflection. “Maybe I need to work on letting other people know it.”

It wasn’t such a bad idea.

* * *

Well, well. Homer’s Bluff Veterinary Clinic turned out to be the well-organized operation that Tyler had advertised. Brynn nearly wept with relief, shelving half her fears that she’d be walking into a monster of a task. The records were all easily accessible on the electronic network. The small staff of exactly three was made up of friendly, helpful people,and absolutely everything was labeled. That part was going to save her. She could kiss Tyler, quite frankly, all across her cute little face.

It was Monday, and after spending the weekend acquainting herself with the ins and outs of the practice, she was ready and appropriately nervous for her first official day in the clinic. This would be her professional introduction to Tyler’s clients. Big shoes to fill.

“All right. Who’s up first?” She checked the morning lineup. She had an eight a.m. with a poodle with a possible respiratory infection.

“Waiting for you in exam room A,” she was told by Eve, the office manager. Brynn scrunched her shoulders. “This is a pretty big moment,” Eve said, her eyes wide. “You can do this, Dr. Brynn. Know that we’re all cheering for you. We will do so silently, however, to not disturb your exam.”

“Thank you,” Brynn said, picking up the printout of the chart as she headed in.

“Best wishes,” Eve whispered loudly. “You are a hero. A towering giant. Go, go. Stomp the enemy.”

“Eve, were you a cheerleader?” Brynn asked, pausing with the door handle in her hand.

Eve blinked, mystified. “How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.” She headed into exam A, brightening. “Mr. Dobbs?” she asked as she opened the door.

“Hey there,” a man about forty said, standing and straightening when she entered. He had short brown hair and a nice enough smile. He also sucked his stomach in, which had her smothering a smile. “You can call me Ray. Ray Dobbs. I work at the auto body shop up the road if you ever need any dents banged out of your car. You just give me a call. Yes, sir.” He stood in that gentlemanly way.

She nodded. “Ray it is, and I will certainly remember that offer. And this is Sprinkles?”

He glanced at the little white dog walking in circles around his feet, clearly more interested in his shoelaces than anything else going on. “Yeah, yeah. That’s Sprinkles, all right.” His gaze returned to hers. He smiled big and held it. Huh. Interesting. Extra friendly fellow.

“And what made you bring Sprinkles in today?” Brynn knew full well he’d reported to the staff that the dog had been coughing, but she liked to hear the firsthand account from the patient’s owner. She oftenpicked up more specific details that way, and the little things mattered. They helped create the bigger picture and flag potential issues.

“She has a cough.” Ray left it there, preferring instead to gaze at her with a big dopey smile again.

“Got it. Poor thing.” She knelt and gave Sprinkles a scratch behind the ears. “When did that start and how frequently? Tell me the whole story.” She also kept an ear out, should Sprinkles give a demonstration. Most notably, Brynn wanted to hear if she was dealing with a wet or dry cough, which could make a difference in treatment.

“I heard her cough yesterday morning.” He seemed distracted by her questions, as if his focus was needed elsewhere. More specifically, on Brynn’s face. He puffed out his chest like an afterthought. He now looked like one of those manly statues in front of an old-fashioned hardware store. What in the world was happening?

“And it’s continued since?” He didn’t answer. Confusion on his face. “The cough.”

“No. Just that one time, but I thought I should definitely have it checked out by you. And say hi.”

“Oh.” She paused and pressed the chart to her chest. “Is it possible Sprinkles just needed to clear her airway, or maybe encountered some dust? It’s not sounding like a chronic cough from your description.”

He made a big show of relaxing, as if the weight had been lifted off his shoulders magically. “You’re really good at this, Doc. And you know what? I bet that’s what happened. Since there’s been no more coughing after that time. I feel a million times better now that I’ve talked with you.”

“Right. Well, I’m so glad.” Brynn squinted, a little confused. “But since you’re here anyway, why don’t we do a brief exam and make sure Sprinkles is doing well. Give her a little checkup just to be sure.”

Brynn scooped up the cutie and placed her on the flat surface of the exam table. Ray immediately countered around to the other side, not wanting to miss a moment. She checked her mouth, her eyes, her ears, and did a quick assessment of her weight and vitals from the chart. All looked perfectly normal and healthy. Sprinkles was in fine shape. “She’s looking great,” Brynn reported. “We should maybe look into a teeth cleaning in the next year.”

“What about dinner?” Ray asked.

“Well, most dogs like to eat around the same time each day. Splitting her food into two meals a day can help with metabolism. She’s at a healthy weight and her coat looks great, so I’m not concerned about diet. Whatever you’re feeding her seems to be working.” Brynn took a moment to build rapport with the dog, offering a few well-placed pets and accepting the wag and wiggle she got in return. Cute baby. Happy, too.

“Right. I’m not really sure. She’s actually my mom’s dog. What about having dinner withme? I was thinking burgers. Beer. We can shoot the breeze. I have a tractor. Not sure if you knew that. It’s pretty big. I can show you.”

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