Page 10 of Hold Me Instead
“No. I didn’t. I was trying to feel him out.” Amber hummed a moment. “If he’s leaving town soon, this seems like the perfect time. You’re positive he’s not seeing anyone?”
“No one. He’s going on this trip solo too.”
“Gah, he’s getting better by the second! Oh, I see little monsters in the distance.”
Charlie followed her line of sight across the park and spotted clusters of people starting their trek down Main Street.
“I better get back to Cleo. Don’t go in there too soon, Maura’s probably standing guard at the door.” Amber grinned.
“Yeah. Thanks for the goodies.”
“Stop by after, okay?” Amber gave her a quick smack on the ass, then hopped into a light jog toward Cleo’s shop. “See ya later, sport!”
Charlie swiped at air, too slow to get her cousin back, but the family endearment lightened her mood further.
When they were kids, Charlie and Amber had played on the same recreation soccer team, coached by Amber’s dad. Watching professional sports with Uncle Carl had resulted in the girls observing a lot, especially in the way of commentating. When a young Amber had asked why players and coaches smacked each other on the butt, her dad had repliedthat it was a way to show camaraderie, almost like calling the other person “buddy” or “sport.” Little did he know his daughter would try it on her own teammates, literally calling out “Go get 'em, sport!” as she tapped a player on the ass. Her dad had quickly shut it down, explaining that wasn’t something they could freely do.
It stopped in the game, but the two girls found it hilarious and continued it personally.
Charlie did a slow walk to the edge of their parking lot, then immediately went back to the building. This had been plenty of time outside. As soon as she touched the cold metal handle of the employee door, a memory hit her with such force, she felt transported to when she’d worked for Daniel during high school. It had been overcast, a chilly autumn weekend much like this one. She’d held open the door as Daniel rushed inside, carrying a box of puppies he’d found on his doorstep that morning. Zachary followed closely behind, wearing her favorite navy hoodie of his and holding a single pup wrapped in a towel, his focus intent as though he was counting each breath.
She could still hear the newborn squeaks, remembered watching in awe as Daniel handled the situation smoothly, without skimping on the care of any patients scheduled that day. He was her hero, guiding her and the rest of his staff through the care the animals needed. Charlie had known since she was a kid that being a veterinarian was her dream, but that moment had solidified it as a calling, holding the helpless little pups and nursing them back to health. And, she recalled, the look on Zachary’s face had displayed what she felt. He was early in his vet schooling, but the two had been stationed side by side whenever they worked together, until each and every pup had found a family.
It was possible because of Daniel, because of his love and care for any animal under his watch, and it fostered a strong team around him who ensured the same. One that kept the practice running even when their fearless leader fell ill.
She opened the door and walked inside, laughter carrying through the small hospital as more staff gathered to prepare for trick-or-treaters. It was true—this didn’t fall on her alone. But she’d be damned to let anything falter while Daniel was gone.
Chapter 4
Zachary
GigglesechoedthroughoutElmwoodFalls Village like some eighties movie come to life. A toddler dressed like a clownfish exited the veterinary hospital with a group of costumed children and waddled past Zachary, tail fin wiggling. The kids joined a handful of skeleton-clad adults who waited in the parking lot with a brown dachshund wearing a hot dog bun costume. They refilled thermoses from a carafe in their little red wagon stacked with winter coats. The temperature was expected to plummet that night for a short stint, and Zachary recalled when he was six and had to wear a snowsuit over his costume to combat the weather. He had been disappointed no one saw his Woody costume and thought he was just a regular cowboy. So the following year, he'd planned to be the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and wear his giant coat under his costume. Instead, it was a beautiful seventy degrees, and he’d walked around like a saggy balloon. Zachary had come to understand global warming at a young age.
His attention snagged on two families passing in the park. One family dressed like a team of superheroes, and the other parents wore everyday coats, while the kids ran around as a tiny witch and a dragon. The parents were spunky, their laughter and shouts reminding Zachary how close-knit the community was. The Village was the heart of thecity of Elmwood Falls, part of a fairly large Midwest metropolis, yet the likelihood of running into someone you knew was high, giving the feeling of a small Wisconsin town.
Zachary stood at the edge of the Elmwood Falls Veterinary Hospital parking lot. There were countless people from his past he might encounter today. Plenty he hadn’t talked to since he’d moved and would be fine never seeing again.
But what unnerved him most was going inside the small red-and-brown brick building where he’d grown up, learned from his father, and worked alongside him. The place where his dad had told him he was giving the practice to Charlie.
“Come on, Uncle Zachy!” His niece Vivi yanked his hand. “It’s a haunted house!”
A sheet of black fabric covered the entrance, attached to the wide white sign that read VETERINARY HOSPITALin fading black letters. A scarecrow propped open the front door, and monster music carried across the lot. Vivi halted, tapping her toes and flinging her arms, the wings of her iridescent butterfly costume flapping in time.
“What are you doing, Vivi?” he asked, arms crossed like a bodyguard.
“We did this”—tap,tap—“for our Halloween dance class!” She turned in a slow circle with zombie arms timed to growls in the song, then busted a kid-version "Thriller"move, her straight black hair swinging back and forth.
“Wow, Viv, is that what you learned this week?” Sandra stopped beside Zachary, setting down a wriggling Spider-Man Alex.
“Yeah!” Vivi shouted, then bolted to the front door.
“Hold it!” Sandra hollered at Vivi, then turned toward the park, eyes scanning. “Where the hell is Jay?”
Vivi held still, her front half already hidden behind the curtained doorway.
“I’ll find him,” Zachary offered, eager to delay his venture into the past, but the man himself appeared just in time.
Jay Wang sauntered toward them, tray of coffees in hand. His black hair was faded on the sides, the top slicked just off-center. His warm beige skin was already flush with pink from the biting wind.
