Page 19 of Lee

The man showed a gentle side when dealing with the pets and owners who came to the clinic. In the conversations she heard him have, he always spoke respectfully, never swearing.

And it was so endearing to listen to him share stories about his siblings and nieces and nephews. It was clear that he loved them very much.

Rori had never been around a man her age like him, which made her admiration of the man grow and fueled her crush. The crush that was starting to feel more serious than any crush in her past had.

However, regardless of how she felt, Rori had tried her best to keep those feelings hidden when she was at work. Thankfully, it wasn’t too hard because Lee didn’t spend a ton of time around her.

And that morning wasn’t any different. With a tip of his head, Lee turned and headed down the hallway to his small office.

Rori watched him until he disappeared, then sighed and went into the staff room. After putting her lunch in the fridge, she carried her backpack and water bottle to the reception desk.

“Morning, Rori,” Cheryl said with a smile from where she sat relaxed back in her chair, her hands resting on her rounded stomach.

“Good morning.” Rori sat down on her chair and put the backpack into the drawer Cheryl had said was hers when she’d first started.

Lee was there, leaning against the elevated desk as he sipped from his mug. This was often how the day started. He usually hung around chatting with Cheryl, Alys, and sometimes Carmen or Cap. Rori rarely participated, but she always listened, eager to learn about the new people in her life.

“Do you have Instagram, Rori?” Alys asked after she’d joined them.

“Yes.”

Alys waggled her phone at her. “What is it?”

After a brief hesitation, Rori gave her the username for her account. It was a public account, but it was a side of herself she hadn’t shared with anyone at the clinic yet.

“Wow, Rori,” Alys exclaimed. “You’re a photographer?”

“Not a professional one. I just enjoy taking pictures.”

“These are beautiful.”

“Let me see,” Cheryl said, wiggling her fingers at Alys.

As Alys handed her phone to Cheryl, she said, “Did you take those on your phone?”

“No. I have a DSLR camera for my photography.”

“What’s DSLR?” Alys asked.

“It’s a digital camera that I can swap lenses on.”

“These are lovely, Rori,” Cheryl said. “Do you ever photograph people?”

“Or animals?” Alys tacked on.

“No.” Rori shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with the attention on something no one else in her life knew about. “My focus has always been on land and cityscape.”

“If Rachel finds out that you’re a photographer, she’s going to push harder for us to set up a social media account for the shelter.”

Cheryl sighed. “I should probably just agree, huh?”

Alys grinned at her. “Yep.”

“And you’re going to tell Rachel about this, aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Brat.”

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