Page 7 of Hold Me Instead
“He’s asleep, but Mom would love to see you. You’re family, you know that.”
Zachary stiffened at Sandra’s words, noting Charlie’s similar reaction. Without looking at him, Charlie nodded.
“Okay. I’ll pop in for a minute,” she said.
“Great. You coming too?” Sandra asked.
He shook his head. “Gotta make a call first. I’ll be in shortly,” he lied.
“Okay…Don’t go anywhere, Z.” Sandra looped her arm in Charlie’s, and they headed through the double doors like the best of friends. Like women who were there for each other.
Like family.
While Zachary stood alone, watching them go—his sister, and the woman who’d take over his dad’s veterinary hospital in his place.
He cursed softly, scrubbing a hand over his clenched jaw.
Charlie didn’t look back, which was actually for the best—she wouldn’t like what she saw in him anyway.
Chapter 3
Charlie
“Christonacracker,”Charlie cursed through gritted teeth, rubbing the crown of her head. She pressed her chest to the floor, ass in the air, and scooted from under the table.
“Dr. Harris, what in the world are you doing?” Maura’s tone suggested a hands-on-hips stance, her work-mom role one she took as seriously as being office coordinator at Elmwood Falls Veterinary Hospital.
Charlie stretched for the On switch, and the newly powered device hummed to life. “Just adding some final touches,” she said. She stood, pleased to see the projection of the ghost dog, Zero, flying around the wall. “Hm, maybe we should’ve gone with an entireNightmare Before Christmastheme,” Charlie muttered. She gasped and whipped around. “Oh my God. Why did I decide aghost of a dogwas a good idea for a veterinary hospital!”
Maura angled her head, sigh implied. “People know the movie, they’ll get it. Besides, it’s very spooky, a ghost-ridden lab.”
“Right, right.” Charlie released a noisy breath, curving her lips into a smile.
As expected, Maura stood in the doorway, hands on hips, wearing her trusty Halloween sweatshirt. The faded black crew neck hadscreen-printed ghosts flying through a graveyard, the quality only slightly cracked. She fit right in with the ghosts dangling from lights and tucked around operating tables and kennels. A new accessory, however, was a fuzzy orange headband nestled in her wavy, shoulder-length gray hair. With every slight movement, two green springs with googly eyes bounced around her head.
Charlie laughed. “I like the new addition.”
Maura knocked a spring out of her face. “The grandkids picked this out.” The eye hopped back, and she swatted it again. “Well, that’ll get annoying.”
“I love it. But secret’s safe if that headband goes missing for the day,” Charlie said, moving toward her.
Maura chuckled. “Are you kidding? Wouldn’t dare risk their wrath when they stop by.” She pointed at Charlie’s cat ears. “I made the mistake of mentioning yours, and next thing I knew, they showed up at my house with this.”
“They know you’ll do anything they ask.”
“Yeah, it’s going to be a problem as they get older,” Maura said, her voice almost wistful.
“Like it isn’t already?” Charlie chuckled. She rubbed at the fading ache on her head, slowing as she took in the concerned look on Maura’s face. A few inches shorter than Charlie’s five foot four, Maura adjusted her stance, maintaining eye contact.
“How long have you been here?” Maura demanded.
“Not long…”
Maura narrowed her gray-blue eyes. There was a secret power in the wrinkles decorating her fair skin, more a measure of her perceptive abilities than her seventy years.
Charlie shrugged. “Wanted to get a jump start on the schedule, see what we need to shift around. Since Dr. Fletcher’s only available a few more days—”
“I said I’d go over that with you, Charlie,” Maura said softly.
