Page 26 of Hold Me Instead
“Jesus, you don’t have to sound so repulsed by the idea,” he muttered.
If onlyrepulsedwas what I was feeling.
“How many weeks out are you booked solid?”
She squinted at him. Considered lying, except he’d learn the truth soon enough. “Two months.”
“Then I’ll make sure you’re set at least until then.” He brushed his hand over his head, and she registered the tousled strands as they flipped against his forehead.
“Uh-huh,” Charlie replied numbly. “Oh!”
Dr. Logan Fletcher’s appearance in their office startled them both. Maple merely raised her head a few inches and studied their new visitor.
“Whoa! Full house we have here.” With an easy smile, Logan reached out his hand toward Zachary. “Logan Fletcher.”
Zachary shook it, voice firm. “Zachary Lee.”
Logan’s blue eyes brightened. “I’ve heard so much about you!”
She watched Zachary’s face harden at Logan’s obvious comfort.
“Nice to finally meet you. I always enjoy working with this team.” Logan gestured toward Charlie with a wide smile that had made him the cover of the local emergency veterinary hospital pamphlet. His focus fell to Maple, who perked at his approach. “Hello there, aren’t you a lovely lady?” Logan said as she gave him a sniff and lick of approval. Maple rested her frosted face between her two front paws, and he turned a genuine softness back to Zachary. He was like a shiny penny, his blond hair and chiseled jawline—and strong veterinary skills, of course—fresh and around for only a while. “Really glad to hear Daniel’s doing alright. Charlie mentioned you’ll be stepping in for him. I’m sure he’s relieved.”
“Yes. Charlie and I have everything under control,” Zachary said.
Charlie shivered. He said her name with such intent. She’d replay it in her mind if she wasn’t so irritated by him upending everything. His decision to work with them, no end date in sight. An early arrival, despiteher insistence. Frustration about the cookout she had completely under control.
She wanted to yell at whomever told him navy was his color while running her hands over the soft weave of his shirt, reveling in the contours of his chest.
If she wasn’t careful, he would bulldoze his way through the practice. She’d given herself a pep talk that morning, determined to focus on work and handle Zachary’s presence for the week. A few days of him helping out wouldn’t equate to enough time for him to rock the process. But longer? There was no way he’d be able to help himself. Such confident comments from him in his one-sided standoff with Logan reminded her to stick to her plan.
“Logan, Zachary will be shadowing a bit today.”
That brought Zachary’s attention back to her, his eyebrows slowly rising. She swore she saw a smirk tug at his lips. “Shadowing,” he murmured.
She waved at the boxes. “And handling some paperwork.” She steeled an assertive look at Zachary. “The kitchenette has a little table that should work just fine.”
“No, no, you work in here,” Logan said. He stepped between them to clear the few things he had at Daniel’s desk. “I don’t need much space, you know that, Charlie. I’m only here through tomorrow. He should have access to the office.”
All the while, she couldn’t tear her gaze from Zachary’s, awareness brightening his saddened eyes. That had definitely been a smirk in hiding because now it appeared in full splendor, punctuated by laugh lines that cited his amusement at her frustration.
She clenched her fingers. Logan was only being accommodating—the man never made waves—but paired with Zachary rolling in like the boss’s son, it rankled.
She managed a smile. “Thank you. I have to get into surgery.” She moved toward the door and called over her shoulder, “See you at lunch, Lee.”
***
“Oh, dear God.” Charlie stood in the doorway, the tired gray carpet covered in piles.
Zachary sat at Daniel’s solid oak desk, chin propped on his hand, flipping through paperwork. At the sound of her voice, he glanced up, then looked at his watch. “That went fast.”
“So did this explosion,” Charlie said as she stepped around the stacks, balancing her lunch high as though that’d help her avoid making a mess.
“Careful!”
She glared but made it to her desk without incident. “Please tell me this will be gone by the end of the day.”
“I can’t promise anything,” Zachary said, returning to the pile in front of him.
