Page 44 of Redeeming Harmony

“Did you know that Tammy started a petition on Thursday to have me removed from the clinic?” Nathan asked.

“Uh… no?” Lucas said.

Nathan stared at him, and Lucas said, “Okay, yeah, I might have gotten one or two or a dozen emails asking me to sign it.”

“How many signatures did it have?”

“Not that many,” Lucas said.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Nathan said. “How many?”

“Three hundred.”

“Three… oh God,” Nathan groaned before pushing his plate of food away. “I’m going to fail. The clinic will go bankrupt in the first month, and I’ll be chased out of town like some horse killing pariah.”

“That’s not going to happen. People will forget this the second some other scandal hits the town. Which, if it’s anything like Willington, will happen roughly in the next few weeks. You’ll be old news, my friend.”

“Even a few weeks could be enough to kill the clinic,” Nathan said. “And if people don’t start coming back, I’ll have failed myself and - fuck, even worse - Warren. I’ll destroy the clinic he worked his entire life to build.”

“No, you won’t.” Lucas ate a bite of his pot pie. “Look, I get that this feels all very dramatic and end of the worldish, but I promise that it will blow over. You’re a great vet, and while you’re not as charming as me, you aren’t an asshole or anything. Use that bit of natural charm to win over the ladies like I do. Speaking of which…”

He grinned at Martha as she returned with a glass of soda and placed it in front of Lucas. “Here you go, hon.”

“Thanks, beautiful. It looks like you forgot Nathan’s, though,” Lucas said.

She scowled at Nathan. “Ayuh, looks like I did. I’ll be back.”

She stomped off without another word, and Lucas said, “You’re never getting that soda, dude.”

“Yeah.” Nathan stared at his plate as Lucas ate silently.

After a few minutes, Lucas said, “If you want to cancel our meeting with Emma and Jesse, we can.”

Nathan shook his head. “Nah, it’s fine. The tournament is next weekend, and it’s best to develop a solid plan of how we’ll work as a team, especially with you being new to the group. Emma’s intense when it comes to these tournaments.”

“I thought they were just for fun,” Lucas said.

“Oh, they are, but she’s super competitive. We all are to a point, but Emma has this weird rival thing happening with one of the New Cassel teams, and she hates when they kick our asses, which they do a lot. She’s determined to beat them at the tournament.”

“Right, okay. But we could meet later this week if that’s better for you?” Lucas said. “Especially since Wyatt can’t be here tonight.”

“It’s fine,” Nathan repeated. “I’ll give Wyatt a rundown of the meeting. Emma and Jesse will be here any minute and -”

“Hello, Emma. It’s good to see you again.” Lucas’s tone turned low and inviting as he stared up at the curvy dark-haired woman who had joined them at their booth.

He slid further into the booth and patted the space beside him. “Have a seat.”

“Hey,” Emma said to him before nudging Nathan. “Move over.”

Nathan slid over, and Emma sat down in the booth beside him. Her left side faced him, and he glanced at the large port wine birthmark that covered most of her left cheek and neck before turning his gaze to Lucas.

Lucas eyed Emma like she was a tasty snack, and despite his misery, Nathan couldn’t help but grin. He hadn’t known Emma very long, but he didn’t doubt that Lucas’s flirting would be met with silent disdain. She didn’t have a chip on her shoulder, but she did have a thick armour surrounding her that not even Lucas’s considerable charm could dent.

“How are you, gorgeous?” Lucas said.

She arched an eyebrow at him. “My name is Emma.”

“How are you, Emma?” Lucas said with a small smile.

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