Page 96 of Redeeming Harmony

“Kurt,” Laila’s voice was kind but exasperated, “I appreciate that you’re trying to help, but that is not Lady Nakia.”

“It’s a cat,” the kid said. “Maybe Mrs. Rathbone will like this cat better. He’s real friendly.”

Harper swallowed her laughter when the tomcat chose that moment to reach through the bars and take a swipe at Kurt’s leg.

“Ow!” He glared at the cat before turning back to Laila. “Couldn’t you just see if Mrs. Rathbone wants him? He’s a stray and needs a home. Plus, I need the five hundred bucks. I’m saving up for a PS5.”

“That cat is not a stray,” Laila said. “You know as well as I do that he’s a barn cat who belongs to Tom and Ronnie. He’s their best mouser, and if you don’t return him, Tom’ll have your hide. Now, go on, Kurt. Return that cat to Tom and Ronnie, and then get yourself home before your mother starts worrying.”

Kurt’s face fell, but he nodded. “Yeah, okay. See ya, Ms. Greaves.”

He turned and trudged out. Harper watched as he carefully strapped the cat carrier to the back of his bike with a plethora of bungee cords before hopping on and pedaling away. She leaned against the counter and grinned at Laila. “Hey, Laila.”

“Hi, Harper. How’s it going?”

“Good. You?”

“Fine. Busy today. If you’re here to see your dad, he’s already left. He was meeting Briggs over at his new condo to talk paint and installing new kitchen cabinets.”

“Oh, okay, thanks.” Harper thought she did a fine job of sounding surprised even though she’d known her dad wouldn’t be at the clinic. She’d stopped in anyway because she had some time before she headed over to Kira and Connor’s, and she missed being in the clinic. It had nothing to do with hoping she might catch a glimpse of Nathan.

She certainly wasn’t hoping that he would ask if she wanted to get together later tonight if she did see him. Considering she would be the only single person at the dinner at Kira’s, skipping out early wouldn’t exactly be a hardship. She loved that her friends had all found their person, but it was also a harsh reminder that Harper hadn’t and probably never would. Not unless she got her shit together and her ass back into therapy.

The door leading to the back of the clinic opened, and the very guy she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about walked into the foyer. A wheaten terrier trotted after Nathan, and the woman sitting in the chairs jumped up, her bottom lip already starting to quiver.

Nathan handed her the leash as the dog stood up and rested his front paws on the woman’s shins. She crouched and, tears sliding down her cheeks, hugged the dog and let him lick her face before she straightened.

The phone started to ring, and with Fatima still helping a client and Brooklyn on the other line, Laila waved distractedly at her before answering the second line. Harper moved closer to Nathan and the woman, trying to look inconspicuous while simultaneously hoping she caught Nathan’s gaze. She stood in front of the dog food shelf, pretending to study the bags of food.

“Is he okay?” the woman asked.

“He is,” Nathan said. “The apomorphine made him vomit up the chocolate, and we also gave him some activated charcoal and kept him on IV fluids for the day. We’re sending you home with some gastro food that will be easier on his stomach. Feed him small frequent meals for the first few days and then slowly reintroduce his regular food and regular feeding schedule.”

“Oh my God, I just can’t believe it.” The woman threw her arms around Nathan and hugged him hard. He returned her hug, and the jealousy that immediately flooded through Harper was both unexpected and unwarranted. She and Nathan weren’t dating. If he wanted to hug a pretty woman, nothing said he couldn’t.

“You saved his life,” the woman said. “You saved my Petey’s life.”

“Getting him here as soon as you realized he’d eaten chocolate was the best thing you could do for him,” Nathan said. “But I’m glad we were here to help him, Carrie.”

Another zing of jealousy when Nathan said the woman’s name. This was getting ridiculous.Shewas being ridiculous.

“Me too.” Carrie squeezed Nathan’s hand. “I won’t forget this, Dr. Nathan. I don’t care what they’re saying around town. You’re an amazing vet, and I’ll make sure everyone knows that you saved Petey’s life.”

Nathan's smile slipped a fraction. “Well, I appreciate that, Carrie. Petey is ready to go, so you can head up to the receptionist's desk. Fatima will get you your food and go over the notes. We’ll get Petey back here in a couple of days for a recheck, all right?”

“Yes.” Carrie still clung to Nathan’s hand, and Harper was starting to get a bit irritated by it. She didn’t need to keep holding his hand, for God’s sake. They weren’t freaking engaged or something.

“Okay, well, bye.” Nathan gently extricated his hand from Carrie’s, and Harper quickly whipped around and stared at the dog food with studious concentration. Carrie walked by her, and then the familiar smell of Nathan’s aftershave washed over Harper.

Her body already tingling, she tamped down her stupid and ridiculous urge to slide her arm around Nathan’s waist in a ‘stay away from my man’ gesture.

“Harper, hey.”

She smiled up at Nathan, pretending to be surprised to see him. “Oh, hi. How are you?”

“Good. Your dad isn’t here. He left early today.”

“Did he?” she asked.

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