Page 55 of Lee

“You think so?”

Alys shrugged. “She pulled up the stakes of her life and moved here all on her own. A weak person wouldn’t have done that, especially since it seems that even though her mom is here, she isn’t helping her at all.”

Lee knew that was true. In fact, he’d thought she was strong himself.

But, selfishly, he kind of wanted her to need him. Aside from giving her a ride, she really hadn’t accepted anything he’d offered her.

It pained him to think that she was still sleeping on an air mattress, but he couldn’t exactly force her to accept what Charli had offered. He couldn’t just show up at her door with a bed.

Or could he?

He now knew where she lived, and he was sure that Charli would agree with him and let him use Blake’s truck and Blake’s muscles.

If Rori thought the bed came at Charli’s behest, she might be more likely to accept it. Especially as it would be on her doorstep.

Though he would have preferred she accept help directly from him, it was more important that she just receive help. Regardless of who it came from.

As they ate, Alys chatted about what she was going to do that weekend. Lee wasn’t all that interested, but he tried to respond appropriately. The young woman’s plans always left him exhausted.

His social life had slowed down as he neared thirty, which was another thing that had caused issues with his ex. She’d rarely wanted a quiet evening in, just the two of them watching tv or talking. Going out with friends was what she’d enjoyed more than anything. He’d enjoyed that too, just not all the time.

After living a more hectic life in Chicago, the slower pace of Serenity was welcome, even if it was almost too slow at times. None of his friends from high school were still in Serenity, so he spent most of his time with family.

Maybe once his position was secure at the clinic, and he knew for sure he’d be sticking around, he’d try to expand his social life. He just needed to get through the probationary period that they’d agreed to when he’d taken the job.

They had several appointments that afternoon, including an emergency for a dog that kept throwing up. As usual, Alys was a huge help as she did her job as a vet tech. For all that she seemed flighty at times, when it came to her position in the clinic, she was very focused.

He didn’t get a chance to talk to Rori at all, which was disappointing, but he did see her a few times. She looked tired, but still had a smile for him.

When the family came in with their elderly, cancer-ridden cat, Lee let Alys take the lead with them. She offered Rori’s services to photograph their beloved pet, and they took her up on that without hesitation.

Lee stood just outside the door, listening to the soft music that played along with the murmured conversation. Rori wasn’t saying anything, but Alys could be heard helping with the posing.

Rori looked sad, but dry-eyed when she came out of the room a short time later, clutching her camera. He wanted to talk with her so that he could make sure she was okay, but first, he had to focus on the family and their pet.

He spoke quietly with them, explaining the process and answering any questions they had. When he gave them the choice of him or Alys being in the room, or being alone, they chose to be alone.

It was a relief that they chose that because he struggled to be in the room during such a difficult event. It was part of the job, however, and he would do it if required, because he wanted to make the whole process as soothing as possible for the grieving owners.

The clinic he’d worked in previously had had far more situations like this than they did in Serenity, for which Lee was grateful. That clinic also hadn’t done as much for the pet owners. He much preferred how they did things in Serenity.

Once everything was underway, Alys lingered by the closed door to the room in case the family needed anything, while Lee went to the front to check on Rori.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he approached the reception desk.

When she looked up, her gaze still held sadness, but thankfully, she wasn’t crying. “I don’t know if I should get a cat.”

“Death is an unfortunate part of pet ownership. It’s almost a guarantee that we’ll have to say goodbye to them before we’re ready.” Lee leaned against the raised part of the desk, resting his arm on the smooth surface as he faced Rori. “The reality of life is that none of us—animal or human—are promised tomorrow. But that shouldn’t stop us from loving and caring for others, even pets.”

“But it’s so sad,” Rori said, blinking rapidly.

“It is,” Lee agreed. “And they’ll be sad for awhile. But eventually, the good memories of their pet will become stronger than the grief. I doubt they’d ever say that because of the pain of losing their pet that they wished they’d never had them.”

Rori sat with her shoulders slumped, her hands clenched in her lap. She tipped her head to look up at him. “Do you get lots of situations like this?”

“No, not lots, but it is part of what we do here, so we deal with it as best as we can.”

“I hope the pictures I took will help them in some way.”

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