Page 9 of Moore to Love

“An hour or two,” I mumbled.

“Then I’m sure they won’t mind if you call back to let them know you found another solution that doesn’t require you and the kids to sit around waiting for them.”

“Probably not,” I reluctantly agreed, twisting in my seat to look at my children. “Okay, kiddos. Dr. Moore is going to help me drop you two off at school, and then I should be fine to pick you up at the end of the day. Get unbuckled and grab your backpacks while I load your car seats into his SUV.”

Benjamin and Madison happily went along with the plan, chattering about visiting me at work so they could play with the animals before getting ice cream. It made me realize that seeing where I worked was probably a good idea since I’d always been home with them until now. Hopefully, I could put them off for a little bit while I adjusted to my new role, even if only until next week.

The drive to their school went by quickly, with Finn waiting in his SUV while I walked them inside since they were late. Luckily, the clinic was only another few minutes away since I felt awkward when it was just the two of us in his vehicle.

“Thank you so much for coming to rescue us,” I murmured as he pulled out of the school parking lot.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Thinking about how Thad handled my call, I disagreed, “No, it really was.”

Catching his sideways glance out of the corner of my eye, I turned to look out the window. The last thing I wanted to do at the moment was explain how much of a jerk my ex was to my new hot boss. Luckily, Finn was insightful enough to catch my hint and remained quiet for the rest of the drive. Oddly enough, the silence was less awkward. Almost comfortable in a way.

When we got to the clinic, two cars were in the back of the lot near where Finn parked his SUV. Meghan was probably in back cleaning the kennels and taking care of the animals who’d been boarded overnight, but Joshua was waiting behind the reception desk when Finn opened the door and gestured for me to go ahead of him.

“Hey, boss.” He lifted a sticky note. “Thanks for the heads-up that you ran out to help Ellie. I would’ve wondered why the front door was unlocked with no sign of you inside.”

Finn moved past me to head toward his office as he explained, “I figured you couldn’t miss my note if I stuck it to the door.”

“Good call.” Joshua’s gaze slid to me. “Everything okay with your car?”

I wasn’t going to start my first day by complaining about the things that were wrong with my car, especially not with how my morning had gone so far. “Yeah, I just had a flat tire. Finn said we’d head back during lunch so he could swap it out for the spare, and then I’ll be able to drive my car to the auto shop.”

“I’m not surprised Finn rescued you.” Joshua beamed an approving smile at Finn’s retreating back. “He really is the best boss ever.”

For a moment, I had let myself believe that I hadn’t been imagining the flirtatious vibe from Finn. That he’d come searching for me because he saw me as something more than just his new employee. But Joshua’s words were the splash of cold water I needed to get my head straight again.

Finn Moore was a handsome, single veterinarian from the town’s founding family. I wouldn’t be surprised to discover women in Mooreville got pets just to have an excuse to come see him. He could have anyone he wanted. There was no way he was interested in me, a recently divorced mom with two young children who was still trying to pull her life together.

Finn was my boss and nothing more. I needed to remember that.

5

FINN

One of the best perks of living in your hometown was that it was never difficult to get a home-cooked meal you didn’t have to make yourself. My mom loved feeding her boys just as much now as she had when we were teenagers, but it was unusual for all three of us to be at her table these days since Logan was away for college.

He’d decided to come home this weekend, so our grandparents joined us for dinner this Friday night. They’d been here last week and normally only came once a month since they also did family dinners with my aunts and uncles, plus hosted everyone. But they hadn’t seen Logan since he left for his senior year, so they’d tweaked their calendar.

Our mom had gone all out, making all of my baby brother’s favorite dishes. My stomach was full of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas, and yeast rolls by the time I leaned back in my chair. “You outdid yourself, Mom.”

“Mmm, so good,” Logan mumbled before shoving another forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.

Catching Rigden’s gaze across the table, I rolled my eyes and shook my head. The kid was eating as though he hadn’t gotten a decent meal in a long time. Since he was the best cook out of the three of us and had a full kitchen at his off-campus apartment, I knew he wasn’t starving. There was also the fact that he’d bulked up a ton since I last saw him only a couple of months ago.

“I thought college students were supposed to gain fifteen pounds at the start of their freshman year, not their last?” my older brother teased.

Logan shrugged. “Been hitting the gym more.”

“Leave your brother alone,” Mom chided. “He’s still a growing boy, and I think he looks great.”

“Of course you do.” I elbowed Logan in the side. “He’s your favorite.”

She wagged her finger at me. “You know darn well that I don’t have favorites. I love all of my boys equally.”

---