Page 55 of Untamed

“I need your help,” Evie says, popping her head out of the exam room. “Stop smiling like a lovesick puppy, and come help me, please.”

I laugh and shove my phone back into my pocket. I really want to tell Evie as well, hoping that maybe she’d want to work with me at the new business instead. Probably something I’d have to talk to Dr. Martinez about first, but Evie is always talking about how this job isn’t where she wants to be for the rest of her life. So maybe running that new business with me is something that would interest her.

“So, what was all that about?” she asks once we’re alone. She has the dog on the grooming table, but the poor thing is too fat to hold her back end up, making it impossible for Evie to get her back feet.

“Oh, nothing.” I am a bad liar. “She was just telling me about some ideas she has.”

“Alright, alright. Keep your secrets.” Evie smiles up at me, not fazed at all that I haven’t confided in her. “Hold her up for me, please?”

I nod and cradle the poor pup’s hips.

River has the biggest smile on her face when she walks into the main house after she gets off work. Everyone is in the kitchen, and I meet her at the door as she kicks off her shoes.

“What’s the big news, then, darlin’?” I ask as I lean in and kiss her on the cheek.

“Dr. Martinez wants to build on to the business,” she tells me, the words rolling out of her in an excited tumble. She goes on to tell me all about their meeting and how the vet is interested in having River run the new business, coming with a big pay bump and better hours.

This is huge. I’ve been a little worried in the back of my mind lately, wondering if she was going to be happy here with working the jobs she has now. I knew she loved working at the vet’s office, but with having to help her mom and support herself, she had to get a second job at the bar. And that was obviously never her end goal in life.

“So, you said yes, right?”

“She told me to take some time to think about it.” She holds out a few sheets of paper, and I take them. “This is all the information on it. I guess it’s the business proposal she took to the bank, explaining what she wants to do. And then on the back page,” she says, flipping through the sheets, “that’s the salary offer.”

“Once again,” I say, smiling at her, “you said yes, right? Because that’s a damn good offer, baby.”

“I have tomorrow off, and then I plan to talk to her on Monday. I mean, I should say yes, right? It would be stupid to turn that down!” Her eyes are bright with excitement. “I would get to spend my whole day with animals and have far better hours than I do now. And with that salary, I could stop working at the bar. No more late nights coming home smelling like booze and cigarettes.”

“And I won’t have to come to the bar every night to watch all those men fawn over you.”

“No one asked you to do that.” She smirks and walks past me. “In fact, I think I remember telling you that I get better tips when you aren’t there.”

“He scaring away all the good tippers?” Momma asks when she sees River walking into the kitchen. She and Poppy are working on finishing up the chicken, which smells fucking heavenly, and River fits right in between them.

“He is. I should have Bill ban him.” She winks at me over her shoulder. “Now, what can I do to help you ladies?”

Dinner is delicious, and having River sit next to me the entire time, laughing and joking around with everyone like old times, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I can’t stop watching her. I can barely keep up with what they’re all talking about because all I do is listen to her laughter and watch the way her eyes sparkle.

She used to come over to dinners all the time when we were younger, choosing to eat with us instead of fending for herself at her own house. Janie was always gone, so River was here, eating and laughing with us every night. Back then, I think I was so caught up in how my family treated her like a daughter and a sister that I also just couldn’t see her as anything else.

But seeing her fit in with us now, making conversation and giving to both Rhett and Wells just as good as she gets, I realize she was always meant to be here. River was always meant to be a sister to them, another daughter to my parents, and perfect for me. She could be all the things I saw her as when we were growing up together and still be something more to me today.

“Earth to Hayes,” Wells says, snapping his fingers at me from across the table. “Did you hear a lick of what we said?”

“What’s up?” I look around the table and throw my arm on the back of River’s chair. “What’d I miss?”

“Too busy ogling River,” Poppy mumbles to Rhett.

“Heard that.” I narrow my eyes at her, and she just laughs.

“I was telling them about the job offer, which led to me talking about the bar…” River looks nervous.

“And how you get to quit?” I wink at her.

“And how I got you a spot to perform on Thursday nights.”

“What?” I look over at her, and her cheeks are turning the cutest shade of pink.

“Bill said you can have Thursday nights, and if you draw in a big enough crowd, he’ll give you some time slots on the weekends.” She shrugs, not meeting my eyes. “He actually sounded kind of put out that you had never asked him before.”

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