Page 19 of Blindsided By Fake Love

Mr. Herbert places Sammy’s carrier on the exam table, and Sammy prances on in, purring the entire way.

“Well, he can come and visit anytime,” I tease, but I’m completely serious. Most animals don’t like coming to see me, so it’s nice to have ones that do. Genevieve is working with me on how to get my patients to love their visits, but it’s still a work in progress.

I can’t say I blame them. I do my best to speak cat and dog, but I am merely a human.

Walking to the front, I sit down and get Mr. Herbert checked out. He puts the carrier on the desk, and Sammy rubs his head against the gate. I reach in and pet him. “I look forward to your next visit too, handsome.”

“No offense, but I hope we don’t need to see you until next year,” Mr. Herbert jokes with a small smile.

“Agreed.” I stand up and move out from behind the desk. “Tell Mrs. Herbert I said hello. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her. Hope she’s okay.”

“She’s fantastic.” His eyes soften as he talks about his wife. “She had her knitting group today. You know how those ladies are.”

I giggle and he winks at me. “Oh I know! I’ve been to a few of their meetings.” The smile still lingers on his face as I walk them to the door and hold it open. “Have a great day! Bye, Sammy.”

A soft ‘meeow’ echoes, and Mr. Herbert waves as they walk down the stairs.

Closing the door, I head back to the front desk and quickly check the calendar to see what my afternoon schedule is. It’s pretty open, which is usually not ideal, but it coincidentally works perfectly since Beau and Jack are coming today.

A rush sparks, knowing I’ll see Beau in a couple of hours. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t started going on walks more frequently since I found out he lived around the corner. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do. Apparently I just needed some motivation to get it done.

Sadly, I haven’t ‘accidentally’ run into him on any of them.

A buzz from my phone grabs my attention, and I answer it without glancing at the number. “Starlight Vet Haven. How can I help you today?”

“Hello. My name is Paul Jeffries,” says a male voice I don’t recognize. “Is Christy Garrett available?”

“This is Dr. Christy Garrett.” I plaster a customer service smile on my face. Having a smile in your voice for potential new clients is a must. Or so I’ve been told.

“Hi, Christy. I’m Beau Matthews' attorney. Is now a good time to talk?” Immediately, the smile falls from my face at the realization he’s calling about the annulment. My reaction catches me off guard.

“Hi, Paul. Now is a great time.” Swallowing hard, I listen as he tells me he spoke with Beau and filed a petition with the court today.

“You’ll receive a copy of the petition, and the court will schedule a hearing date. The entire process should take anywhere from six weeks to a few months.” His voice is matter-of-fact and non-judgmental. “Do you have any questions about how it works?”

“Is there anything I need to do?” I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and fiddle with the stapler on my desk. I hear the jingling of the bells as the door to the clinic opens and I peek up to see Genevieve walking in.

“I’m on the phone.” I mouth just as she’s about to start talking. “Give me one sec.”

“You don’t,” Paul says. “The annulment can be granted with or without your participation. But if you do participate, it could potentially move things along faster. Potentially. No guarantees.”

“Great.” I force a cheerfulness I’m not feeling. Gen quirks an eyebrow and tilts her head, and I peer down at the desk and pick up a pencil. “Thank you so much for the update.”

“Of course. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask,” Paul tells me. “Beau said to ensure you know I’m here to assist you with any questions.”

“That was nice of him,” I force out, angry that he’s moving forward with this so quickly. It’s not rational, I know. Breathing in, I attempt to calm my racing pulse.

This is whatyouwant.It’s the smart thing to do.

So why does it suddenly feel wrong?

“Thank you again, Paul. I’ll call if I have any questions. Have a great day.”

“Sounds good. You too!”

I scowl as I put the phone on my desk.

“Paul?” Genevieve asks.

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