Page 2 of Hold Me Instead
Amber:I should say no…
Time stamp of five minutes later.
Amber:I’m gonna say no.
Charlie tapped out a reply. He’d already done enough damage, wasn’t fair to take down Amber’s dream too.
Charlie:Take his money! And don’t deprive his innocent child of your handiwork.
Dots appeared immediately, signaling Amber’s reply.
Amber:Innocent? That kid is doomed.
Charlie snorted with a small shake of her head.
Charlie:Don’t curse the kid already, Amber.
Amber:[shrug emoji] Anyway, I don’t think he realizes it’s me.
Charlie:Your picture’s on your site…
Amber:Right below my name! He really is a dipshit. Look at that, my fee just went up!
Charlie chuckled. She could always rely on her cousin’s loyalty and levity. But no matter how many marks her ex scored in the bastard category, she wasn’t about to let that cost Amber business as she nudged her woodworking off the ground. Plus, unlike her cousin, Charlie had a little more faith in humanity that the kid could grow into a decent human.
Amber:You home yet?
Charlie’s fingers hovered over the phone. This week was taking its toll. While Amber was unaware Charlie had taken a day off, she needed her now.
Charlie:Actually just got to the hospital. Daniel had a heart attack this morning.
Amber:Oh shit.
Charlie:They did surgery as soon as he got here.
Amber:How is he?
Charlie:In recovery, it went well thankfully. Haven’t seen anyone yet, though.
Amber:Wow…
Another moment passed, then:
Amber:How are you?
Charlie swallowed. It was all surreal. He’d been operated on that morning. But the person through those doors, down the hall, couldn’t be Daniel Lee—the one who’d cheered her on through vet school and attended her graduations like a proud parent. Who joggedeverymorning, the same two-mile stretch he’d run for decades, even in a Wisconsin winter. Who twirled his granddaughter around and let his grandson cling to his back.
She typed a simpleI’m okin reply, the statement as numb as she felt. She’d worked hard to see all their scheduled patients, staying open well beyond their Saturday 4 p.m. closing time to do so. She’d allowed work to consume her, as though he’d gone home with a common cold. But it didn’t sit right. Not when she pictured the man who’d mentored her the last decade of her life and what he’d gone through today. Hell, he and his wife treated Charlie like one of their own children—their daughter was like her big sister.
There was nothing comforting in following through with it all. Daniel had endured a freaking heart attack, and Charlie had stayed at work. He’d undergone intense surgery, and she’d barely arrived before visiting hours ended. And here she sat, building up the nerve to see him. She couldn’t go to his room. No matter how she looked at it, she was hisemployee, his co-veterinarian. She wasn’t family—definitelywasn’this daughter.
Another buzz in her hand.
Amber:Is Zachary in town?
The breath whooshed from Charlie’s mouth. Daniel’s son was an entirely different story. Seeing his name sent a shot of adrenaline through her so unexpected her entire body warmed. She fanned the messy knot of brown hair resting at the nape of her neck. The black shirt under her scrubs became too much, so she shoved the long sleeves up her forearms.Shit. She might see him. Why hadn’t that thought crossed her mind? It’d been, what, five years?
Shut up,Charlie,you know it’s been six.
