Page 58 of Lee

When someone came in the front door, Lee stepped away from the desk so Rori could do her job. There were often a handful of people stopping by right before the clinic closed, after they’d finished their workday, to pick up food, treats, or other things the clinic kept stocked.

As he walked down the hallway, Alys stepped out of the room and gave him a sad smile, saying without words that it was over. He waited in the hallway with her until the family came out. He spoke to them briefly, then walked them to the front door, while Alys returned to the room to do what she needed to after appointments like that one.

Lee dragged a hand down his face and let out a long breath. Instead of returning to the back of the clinic, he went to the shelter side of the building.

Sometimes, after the passing of a pet, he liked to go visit the animals who had faced an uncertain future and ended up with them.

The sound of dogs barking greeted Lee as he walked through the door into the shelter.

Evan Johnson sat at the desk, ready to take over for the weekend. Lee wondered why the man was willing to devote so much time to the shelter by always taking over the night and weekend shifts. But Evan had a stoic nature that didn’t invite questions. He was always polite, but anything beyond surface conversation seemed to be a no-go zone.

Even Alys, with her smiles and chattiness, couldn’t break through the reserve of the man. From his appearance, Lee thought Evan was around his age, but he seemed much older in spirit.

Lee greeted him, then headed to where their newest arrivals were. A mom had been abandoned shortly after she gave birth, so now they had her and six puppies to hopefully find homes for.

He took the time to pet and cuddle with each puppy while checking them over. These puppies were three weeks old and full of energy.

As he watched them interact with each other and their mom, he thought of Carisa and her offer of a puppy. He wondered if he could convince anyone in the family to take one. Or maybe he should get another one.

“Everything’s set,” Alys said, interrupting his thoughts.

Lee turned to face her. “Thanks for always taking care of things.”

“I don’t mind. I feel it’s important to do it for the owners.”

“Will Rori send the pictures to you, so you can forward them on to the owners?”

Alys nodded. “I think it was a good idea—if I may say so—to have Rori take some pictures. The family seemed to appreciate it.”

Lee was glad to hear that, but he wasn’t sure it was good for Rori. Now that she’d done it once, she might decide she couldn’t handle it emotionally. And if that was the case, he’d support her if she didn’t want to do it anymore.

“Anyway, I’m off. Hope you have a good weekend.”

“You too.”

He looked back at the mother and puppies before following Alys out of the room. The clinic was officially closed, so the lights in the reception area were turned off, and everything was quiet as they walked toward the back of the clinic.

Alys gave him a quick wave before disappearing out the back door, apparently off to get ready for the date she’d told him about at lunch. It was the kick-off to her busy weekend.

“So have you decided?” Lee asked when he spotted Rori in the staff room with her backpack. “Are you going to grace us with your presence?”

“You make me sound like royalty.”

Lee chuckled. “Maybe you are.”

She rolled her eyes at him as she looped one strap of her backpack over her shoulder. “I guess I will.”

“Perfect. You can come straight over, or if you need to go home, just come over when you’re ready.”

“I think I’d like to swing by my place first,” she said.

Lee sent her a text with Charli’s address. “If you get lost, give me a call, and I’ll come get you.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“What type of pizza do you like?”

“I’m good with the usual ones. Cheese. Pepperoni. Any of them are fine, really.”

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