Page 43 of The Grumpy Vet
"I have to say, I wasn't expecting you to be so…I don't know. What's the opposite of a miserable prick?"
I chuckle. He's not wrong there. Despite not liking seeing less of the guys since Oakey showed up, overall, I guess I am, I don't know, happier?
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Well, running the clinic is as hard and time-consuming as it always is. And then on top of that, you've got all the stuff that's going on with your father. I thought it'd be affecting you more. I secretly dropped in to check in on you. Make sure you aren't drowning and doing that thing you do when you don't tell anyone you're drowning."
I walk over and stand beside him, keeping my eyes trained on the roosters pecking and scratching about excitedly. "You're not entirely wrong. I'm barely scraping by with the clinic."
He shoots me a concerned look. "You haven't been dipping into your own money again to cover expenses, have you?"
I keep staring straight ahead, my jaw set tight. "I'm notnotgoing to pay my staff, Oakey. They all work bloody hard."
He exhales through his nose. "You know that if you ever need mon?—"
"Thank you, but no." It's not the first time he's offered, and it's not the first time I've refused. I have my pride. "I'll get through it. I always do."
"God, you're a stubborn prick."
"Thank you." I nudge him with my elbow, and he just rolls his eyes. "And the Dad thing, well, what can I do? It is what it is. He's going to deteriorate, and my job is to make sure the process is as smooth and painless as it can be."
"How are you feeling about it? I know you guys have a complicated past."
"That's putting it mildly." I swipe a hand through my hair and notice The Man picking at Sunny. "Oi, knock it off, you two," I growl, and they stop right away. I stay silent for a while, keeping a close eye on the brood, letting my emotions move through me. "I don't think he and I are going to have that movie moment where we get closure or whatever."
"He's from a different generation, mate. Blokes out here weren't encouraged to talk about emotions. Heck, they weren't even allowed to have them in the first place. He's a product of that time."
"He very much is."
"And I'm sure he loves you." When I quirk a brow, Oakey adds, "Take this from a dad. Youalwayslove your kids. No matter what. And I'm sure your father was proud of you. You've never set a foot wrong. You followed in his footsteps and took over the clinic. You're a great vet. A good person."
A good person?
If he knew what his son and I have been getting up to, I doubt he'd be saying that. My face tightens, and Oakey holds me in his gaze with a contemplative stare that only makes me more uneasy. Justthinkingabout Ryde in his presence is too close for my liking. I feel like I'm doing something wrong, and that doesn't sit right with me because when the three of us are together, it feels so right.
"You sure you're okay?" he asks, lowering his voice.
"Yep. Fine." I avoid looking at him then shut the gate a little more forcefully than necessary. We start walking back towardsthe house in silence. I don't like keeping what we've been doing from Oakey, but Ryde and I have never discussed how, when, or even if, we should bring it up with him. Personally, I feel a responsibility to break it to him, but Ryde might have other ideas. And if he does, I'll respect his wishes. They are family, after all.
"I should get going," Oakey says, giving me a clap on the shoulder when we reach the back steps. "Ryde's making dinner. You want to come over and join us?"
"Nah. I'm good."
"Aw, come on. Ryde's a whizz in the kitchen, just like his old man."
The pride in his voice hits me right in the proverbial guts. There's a reason why I've been declining Oakey's invites for me to hang out with him and his son, and it's called guilt. Massive, overflowing, container loads of guilt. Oakey may have been cool with my little crush on him all those years ago, but what Ryde, Dario, and I have been getting up to is a whole other thing. I can't imagine how he'll react, but I suspect it won't be well.
"All right, mate." He bundles me in for a hug. "Call me if you need anything. Or just want to chat."
"I will," I say, clapping his back.
"I'll be sure to tell Ryde to keep an extra close eye on you, mister," he says, smiling as he walks away, and I just pray my stubble manages to contain most of the blush his words have caused.
"Did your dad get off okay this morning?" I ask the next morning at the clinic.
Ryde looks across at me from the table in the staff lounge and frowns. "Please don't use the termsyour dadandget offin the same sentence again." His eyes drift to the doorway, likely checking for signs of anyone coming down the hallway. "Especially given the current situation."
The tops of my ears go warm. "Roger that."
