Page 22 of Home to the Hollow

“Welcome to Cantwell Farms. I’m Agatha Harper Claiborne. May I have your name so I can coordinate with our interview schedule?”

Her tone is polite, but the sweep of her glittering black eyes and sneer on her wine-colored lips says otherwise. Long coffin tipped nails tap on the desk as she waits for my response, and I see right through her façade. I don’t know what Agatha wants from life with a glance, but I can guess, and I’m not going to get her closer to a rich, founding family husband, so I must be ‘staff’. I’ve had a rough week, and I decide that fucking with her is good amusement while I wait for my ‘date’.

“I don’t have an appointment,” I say, smiling in the true saccharine way they teach in cotillion classes.

Despite Edgar and his cronies ruining the event, I took every class required and strived for excellence to make my mother happy. I can lay it on as well as any bitch in this town, and offering her as little information as possible will set off the ‘rude’ alarm.

“Tsk,” she murmurs, her eyes narrowing with delight. “We don’t take walk-ins at Cantwell Farms,ma’am.”

The stress on the word ma’am tells me she’s emphasizing our age difference in the nastiest way she can without being straight up impolite. Too bad for her—I passionately believe that age is a human construct, and I couldn’t care less if she’s younger than me. “I’m not a walk-in, but thank you for yourkindness.”

Agatha’s eyes widen with the return volley, sensing that she won’t get rid of me easily, nor will she be able to intimidate me with her typical mean girl act. “Ma’am, Cantwell Farms has a security checkpoint at the gate. Did you check-in and state your business when you entered? I will need that information to process your visitor’s badge if you’re here for a tour.”

There’s that word again.

She’s fishing for who let me in without her permission, and I’ll be damned if I get a gate guard in trouble. Word of my arrival has spread around town, and I assume cute vet told them to expect me. I gave my name, and the attendant waved me to the employee entrance without a pause. This bitch will get him fired for subverting what must be the only authority she has in life at this desk.

So I smile again, walking over to a set of overstuffed chairs across from her dominion. “That’s no trouble. I’ll wait here until my appointment is available. I’m sure they’ll come looking for me soon enough.”

A surge of energy crackles through the air as she stands, putting her hand on a cocked, shapely hip. Her lips curve and she bats her lashes slowly, watching me with an intensity that’s borderline creepy. “You’ll tell me who you’re meeting, and I’ll give you your badge.”

The door alarms buzzes, interrupting our standoff, and I see Hottie McBabyVet coming bustling through with a picnic basket, a blanket, and a bright grin. His eyes light on me and he makes a beeline for where I’m seated.

“Jolene!” He chuckles as he approaches, shaking his head. “It must have been a trial growing up with that name, huh? Every single time I hear it, I want to sing a little ditty from the Tennessee Titan herself.”

Laughing, I shrug. “No harder than Wolfgang, I’d imagine.”

An annoyed harrumph comes from the desk, and I notice the Vamp Tramp—I mean, Agatha—is coming around the desk towards Wolfie. She looks hungry as a crocodile, and I’ve been near one or two in Egypt. Every single ounce of her being is oozing sexuality as she approaches him, batting his shoulder with a limp hand. Her glare turns to a pout, and her lashes start up again.

“Oh, Wolfie, darling! You know you’re supposed to let me know if you do interviews for the clinic cleaning crew. I must know about all visitors on the property for Mr. Cantwell’s records. You don’t want to get me in trouble, do you?”

Wincing, the adorable genius backs up from the Vamp Tramp with a gentle smile. “Now, Agatha. I registered her with security and the gate guards myself. She’s not on your schedule for staffing because she’s both my personal guest and Eliot’s. The Cantwell’s don’t register theirpersonalguests with you, do they?”

Her eyes widen and her head whips around to give me a look that would have killed lesser women. Fortunately for me, I’ve gotten it from mistresses of princes, CEOs, fashion moguls, and various entertainment figures—this small-town tyrant doesn’t scare me a whit. Once she sees the satisfaction in my expression as I stare back at her, she turns back to her target with another pout. “I thoughtwewould have lunch together again today.”

“Sorry, Aggie. Dr. Wolfie and I made this date earlier in the week. I got all gussied up for him and everything, so we’ll be on our way. Catch ya on the flip side!”

My ‘date’ muffles a chuckle with his hand, nodding at the gaping woman in front of him. When he has it under wraps, he gives her a shrug. “She’s right. I’m told she has some companions I need to look at, we have to eat, and then we’re touring the stables for her commitment to Eliot. We really must get going. Have a lovely day, Agatha!” Grabbing my hand, he gives me a look that says, ‘don’t you dare pull away’ and leads me to the door.

We walk outside and Jekyll and Hyde bound up to us with huge cat grins. I take my hand back, wiping the sudden dampness on my palms on my breeches and clear my throat. “Uh, yeah, sorry about that. No, wait.” I frown. “I’m not sorry about her attitude. Why didn’t you warn me there was a viper in the waiting room? This isyourfault, buster.”

Rubbing the back of his head, he blushes—I shit you not—and shrugs. “I try to interact with Agatha as little as possible. She’s had this… thing… for me since high school, and it makes everything awkward. Sometimes, I have to be pretty sneaky to get past without getting cornered.”

Something in my stomach clenches, and my eyes darken. “That’s sexual harassment, and you need to tell HR. Or, since you’re close enough to Eliot to call him that, talk to him.”

A dour look comes over his face. “He knows. He can’t do anything about it because of her family’s legacy. They’re new for the Hollow in terms of founding families, but their wealth and influence in the racing industry is unparalleled. His parents guaranteed the children job exchanges here to learn the business.”

That spot inside clenches again, and I feel rage sparkle through my veins. My work in Europe caused me to be privy to this kind of bullshit in all areas of the ivory tower society, and it made me as angry there as it does here. Business, politics, and even the arts are interwoven with the ‘people as commodities’ ideology so tightly that anyone who lives that life growing up tends to simply accept it as a fact of their existence. I’ve gotten myself—and Saoirse—in trouble because of it many times.

That’s how Thailand started, in fact.

“That sucks giant goat balls, and I’m sorry you have to deal with her. She didn’t bother me because I’ve dealt with bitchy womenwayabove her pay grade for years. She’d have to add quite a few zeroes to her net worth to compete.”

His blue eyes sparkle with mirth, and he practically beams at me. “You know, darlin’, I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”

“Mow!”

The indignant sound breaks us out of the heated gaze we’re locked in, and I look down at Jekyll. The serval gives me a hopeful look, clearly believing he’s done his duty in saving me from doing something stupid. Which I might have if he hadn’t spoken up, to be honest. This sexy ass vet might be younger than anyone I’ve taken for a spin in the past, but his appeal is undeniable. I can feel the attraction in my bones, and I cannotrepeat the mistakes of earlier in the week.

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