Page 6 of Lee

Considering why she’d come to the clinic, he wasn’t sure she’d be a good fit. Not that the receptionist position required a vast knowledge of veterinary medicine, but it helped if the person actually liked animals. Lee wasn’t sure that was the case with Queen Charlotte’s sitter.

“What did Cheryl tell her?”

“Well, if the woman had asked a couple of weeks ago, she might have gotten a different answer. But Cheryl has already hired her replacement, and she’s going to start training her next week, I think.”

“How many weeks does she have left?”

“She still has eight weeks, but Cheryl wants everything settled well before then. That way, if she goes into labor early, she doesn’t leave the clinic in a lurch.”

It didn’t surprise Lee that Cheryl felt that way. Since she was the daughter of Dr. Carl, the owner of the clinic, it made sense that she was going to make sure that her departure from the clinic would go smoothly.

As if hearing her name, Cheryl came through the doorway into the room. She moved slowly that day, but still had a smile on her face as she joined them at the table with her lunch.

“Oof.” She let out a sigh as she sat back in her chair. “I can’t believe I still have two more months left.”

Between bites of her salad, Alys asked, “What were your other pregnancies like?”

Cheryl rubbed a hand over her stomach as she took a drink from the large water bottle that she carried with her everywhere. “Easier than this one, but I have a feeling that’s because I was eight years younger. I don’t think age makes pregnancy any easier on the body.”

“Did you stay home with your other kids?” Alys asked.

“Yep, and even though this pregnancy was a surprise, I’ll be staying home with this baby, too.”

“That’s why you have been so focused on your replacement,” Alys commented.

Cheryl nodded as she unwrapped her sandwich. “Yep, and thankfully, that’s been resolved.”

Hearing Cheryl talk about her soon-to-be-born baby, Lee’s thoughts went to the newest member of the Halverson clan. About a month before he’d returned to Serenity, quite out of the blue, Charli and Blake had adopted a baby girl. That had followed their crazy fast wedding at the beginning of the year.

Baby Shiloh was the cutest little thing, with big light brown eyes and wisps of dark hair. She had two older sisters who absolutely doted on her. In fact, everyone doted on the little baby.

Being around the next generation of the family was one of the positives of being back in Serenity. He was sure his mom hoped that he’d be more open to a relationship after being around his married siblings, but that wasn’t likely to happen just yet.

Not that he was opposed to a relationship, per se. In fact, he hoped to get married and have a family one day. However, his last long-term relationship had left him feeling wounded and needing time to learn about his past before he would be open to another relationship.

For the time being, he was back in Serenity. How long that would be depended on how these first three months went. He was on trial at the clinic, and while he didn’t plan to do anything that would jeopardize his position, Lee knew nothing was guaranteed.

After he finished his lunch, he headed to the other side of the building. Sounds of laughter greeted him as he stepped through the connecting door.

“Hi, Lee,” an older woman said as he approached the large, curved desk that faced the front doors. There were two other people with the woman. A middle-aged man and a teenage girl.

After greeting the man, Lee said, “I thought I’d come take a look at that new litter of kittens.”

“They are so cute!” Rachel exclaimed, giving him a big smile. She was a home-schooled teen who volunteered at the animal shelter several times a week. In fact, it was a rare day he didn’t see her there helping with the animals.

“Did you ask your mom if you could take one?” Carmen asked, the playful twinkle in her faded blue eyes saying she already knew the answer.

“I sure did, but she said not a chance.” The teen’s heavy exhalation made Lee think of his youngest sister Skylar, who, even though college was done for the year, was still not home for the summer.

“Don’t you need a cat, Lee?” Cap asked with a grin. His sparse snow-white hair capped a thin and friendly face.

“I think Charli would have something to say about that. I was lucky everyone agreed to Elsa moving in with me.” His nieces—Charli’s daughters—Layla and Amelia had been helpful in convincing the rest of the household that Lee’s Cocker Spaniel was essential to their future happiness.

It had also been a help that Elsa was well-trained. In the year and a half that he’d had her, she’d had very few accidents, and none at all in the last six months.

“A dog and a baby are probably all the household can handle at the moment.”

“That’s understandable,” Carmen said. “We didn’t get our first dog until our youngest was two years old, and that little puppy added a ton of excitement to the house.”

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