Page 17 of Moore to Love

“Even though our education was good enough to earn both of us a college scholarship, my ex convinced me the schools in Mooreville were better.” How I wished that I’d questioned his logic back then instead of just accepting his explanation while thinking how wonderful it was that he was so concerned about Benjamin’s and Madison’s education when they weren’t even old enough to go to school yet.

“Why do I feel as though there was a ‘but’ in there?”

I heaved a deep sigh. “But…it turns out that Thad didn’t want me back in Stuart because he worried I’d hear the gossip more easily. He figured if we lived thirty minutes away, there was less risk of me finding out what he was up to when I thought he was networking to build his half of his dad’s practice.”

“Ouch.” Meghan cringed. “I take it that was just an excuse.”

“Apparently, when I couldn’t come back with him for a visit to look at houses because Madison had an ear infection, his dad asked him to sit in on the interview with their new dental hygienist. It was more of a formality since she was the daughter of their closest friends, but Thad didn’t know her well since she’s seven years younger than him, so his dad wanted to make sure they got along before he hired her.”

“Oh crap,” she breathed, a knowing look in her eyes.

“Yeah, they got along a little too well.” The knot in my belly was all about his betrayal. What little love I’d still had for Thad after finding out he’d cheated on me had died with his disregard for our children in the aftermath. “And she wasn’t thrilled with the idea of me popping in to bring him lunch since they liked to use that time for an afternoon quickie. Yet another reason my darling husband didn’t want me to live in Stuart.”

Her head jerked back in shock. “Yikes. He wasn’t worried about his dad finding out? I mean, he was married with kids, and she’s the daughter of a friend of the family, younger than him, and technically his employee too, right?”

“You’d think that would’ve bothered him, but nope.” I shook my head. “And it turned out that he hadn’t needed to be afraid of what his dad would do once he discovered what had been going on right under his nose. He loved the idea of them being a couple.”

“But…but…you’re the mother of his grandchildren,” she sputtered, her eyes widening. “And it’s not as if he didn’t know you. You and your ex were high school sweethearts, right?”

“Yup.” I let the P pop at the end as I considered the real reason I was so hesitant to act on my attraction to Finn. “I thought I knew Thad so well, but he left me hesitant to trust my judgment when it comes to guys because I couldn’t have been more wrong about him if I tried. And his parents' support of his awful decisions gave me another reason to question people’s motives. They’ve known me since I was fifteen, supported our decision to get married when we found out I was pregnant with Benjamin, and were friends with my parents for years. But none of that mattered when they found out that they could have Penny for a daughter-in-law instead. Not even how badly their grandchildren were hurt by the entire mess.”

“I’m not one to swear while I’m at work.” She leaned forward and hissed, “But fuck them.”

Her instantaneous defense of me was such a relief that I felt tears sting my eyes. Since I’d only moved to Stuart the summer before my freshman year and started dating Thad a month after school started, I didn’t have much time to make close friends before I graduated. And dropping out of college during my third year hadn’t helped me develop long-lasting relationships with any of the girls I’d hung out with there either. “That’s nothing I haven’t thought to myself hundreds of times in the past couple of years.”

She shook her head. “If Tony pulled something like that, I’d slap him upside the head and invite his poor wife and kids into our home.”

“Your son is only in first grade. You have a long way to go before you need to worry about your daughter-in-law’s well-being.” I laughed, picturing her cute little boy who her husband had brought in after school to bring her flowers last week.

“Yeah, but you know what I mean.”

Finn’s next client knocked on the glass door as her dog lifted his leg to pee on the curb. As I walked over, I agreed, “I do.”

Before I let them in, Meghan added, “Don’t forget that you were still a kid yourself when you fell for your ex. You’re older and wiser now. Give yourself some grace for choosing wrong when you were a teenager. And if you can’t do that, trust my instincts. I have excellent taste in men, and I say that you couldn’t do much better than Finn Moore.”

She’d definitely given me something to think about.

9

FINN

After hiring Ellie, I’d learned something new about myself…I was apparently a glutton for punishment. Every single morning since she’d started, I found myself waiting for the moment she walked through the door just so I could see what outfit she’d chosen to torture me with that day.

I’d finally broken down yesterday and reminded her that our dress code was informal, but she still showed up today in a skirt that hugged her perfect curves. Following her into the break room, I couldn’t stop staring at her ass as she bent over to put her adorable dinosaur lunch box in the fridge.

She straightened, and I took a step toward her.

“Hey, boss.” Meghan grabbed my arm to pull me toward my office. “I have a question for you.”

Tearing my gaze away from Ellie, I mumbled, “Okay.”

When she had me out of earshot, she hissed, “You weren’t going to tell her again that she could dress down at work, right?”

I’d assumed she wanted to talk about one of the rescues or a patient who was coming in today, so it took me a moment to understand what she said. “Maybe?”

“You can’t do that. No dress code doesn’t mean that we all have to wear scrubs or jeans. You and I do because it makes sense since we’re taking care of animals all day. Joshua does it because he likes being casual, and it makes sense anyway because he’ll be working with us in the back soon enough, once he gets far enough into his training.” She jerked her chin toward the break room. “But Ellie spends her time here at the front desk. If she wants to dress up a little, it does no harm. And you harping on her about it will only hurt.”

“Hurt?” I echoed softly, not liking the possibility of making Ellie feel bad when I brought the dress code up yesterday.

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