Page 27 of Hold Me Instead
Charlie scoffed. “We can’t work like this.”
“Why didn’t Dad delegate anything to Maura?”
Charlie sighed. “He passed on a couple things to her, but he doesn’t include me in any of it either. We tried to convince him numerous times.”
Zachary muttered to himself, then said, “How do you stand being in here?”
“Guess they became part of the room for me too.”
He glanced at her desk. “Never mind. Makes sense now.”
“Hey!” Charlie looked at her desk, slightly offended. Sure, there were piles, but they wereorganizedpiles, one on each side of the desk. She knew where everything was, and the keyboard and mouse pad were visible, unlike Zachary’s. She glanced at the rest of the office. “I’m not likingthisat all.”
He spun his chair around to face her. “Have you two really never talked about it? Discussed a better system—wait, I mean discussedasystem because this sure isn’t one.” He hesitated. “He trusts you, he’d hear you out.”
Charlie paused, her hummus and celery halfway to her mouth. He’d barely forced out those words. “I’ve brought it up, yes. He acted like he had things under control, though. Switched conversations…”
“How can you run a business like that?”
She almost nodded in agreement to what she thought was hypothetical, then realized he was actuallyaskingher.“Wait, what? I’m not involved in anything beyond paperwork pertaining to the patients I treat.”
Zachary crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. “Doesn’t bode well for the future. There’s no proactive spirit in that. How could he feel comfortable leaving the practice to you?”
The hummus slid off her celery, landing on her desk with a tinyblup. This was the first time the two of them had discussed the practice transferring to her.
She waved the now naked vegetable at him as she swiveled her chair his way, a few feet of frustration hovering between them. “How dare you suggest that I wouldn’t take care of this place?”
He shook his head. “Dad’s planning on retiring in what, a couple years? Why isn’t some of this on your plate now?”
Charlie had mentioned this exact concern to Daniel. She knew full well she had plenty to learn. Treating pets? Her dream career. Working with the community? She had a good rapport with people. But the business side of things? The finances? Looking at spreadsheets and dealing with money was the most unexciting task she could think of, but that didn’t mean she had a problem learning it. She was well aware owning her own practice was a large undertaking and had forced her way through a business degree for that explicit purpose.
“That isn’t for you to decide,” she said through gritted teeth.
At some point, the two of them had leaned forward in their rolling chairs, knees inches apart in the tight space. Zachary’s hands gripped the armrests, while Charlie still waved that piece of celery in the air, her other hand squeezing her thigh.
“Heyyy, Dr. Harris, Dr. Lee.” Their lead tech, Jasmine, stood in their doorway. “I’m just gonna close the door, give you some privacy.” With a sheepish grin, she shut the door.
Charlie and Zachary locked eyes. He leaned back, and she crunched loudly on celery, quickly shoveling in another piece covered in enough hummus to make up for what was already in her mouth.
She watched from the corner of her eyes as he rubbed his forehead. This wasn’t the Zachary she remembered, the one who came home from college for the summer to find an eager sixteen-year-old working for his father, who was just as eager to talk with her about all thingsanimal related. She’d picked his brain, and he’d happily taught her some new things he’d learned in school. She could admit she’d looked up to him, and he’d shown pride at filling that role. He’d also listened to her stories about working at the animal shelter with a genuine sincerity. She’d gained a friend who cared as much as she did.
ThisZachary seemed…lost.
“Look. I’m…” Zachary sighed. “I shouldn’t have gone there. I know this isn’t your doing.” He gestured to the mess around them.
It was a start. “I mean, this is actuallyyourdoing,” she said, pointing to the stacks covering the floor.
She immediately regretted it, making light of the moment instead of pursuing what was actually going on here. Her therapist would probably agree, but she shoved the thought from her mind as soon as Zachary met her eyes, that hint of a smile playing on his face.
“Well, before I run out of time, let’s go over some things.” She turned toward her desk and grabbed her notebook. She had a list of general information they shared with new employees, but she’d jotted down additional notes she knew Zachary would appreciate.
They discussed changes in protocols since he’d last worked there and a rundown of new staff. He wasn’t familiar with their software, so Charlie made a note to have him briefed when he came in on Tuesday. Because, of course he was.
“Daniel’s off day is still Wednesday, just not this week. Maura rearranged some of the appointments we had to reschedule, once we learned you’d be here. We’ll start with a staff meeting, to get you acclimated with everyone.”
“Fine,” he said.
She looked at the time and stood. “This will be gone by end of day, right?”
