Page 53 of The Wedding Confession

“I’ll handle them.”

Maria’s eyebrows lift. “You will? You will voluntarily make some phone calls?”

I shrug. “I can do that.”

“Someone’s in a good mood.” She heads for the storage room. I wonder about this observation of hers. Iamin a better mood. No doubt this is because I have the receptionist position squared away, and I know it’s someone who is competent and not afraid of me.

A niggle of doubt in my belly reminds me that I find this new employee outrageously attractive, but I push it aside. I am a man of control. This will not be a problem. I’ve never consorted with my employees before.

But then, Ensley was never my employee. I’ve put myself to the ultimate test.

Nothing I can’t handle.

I set up the surgical area, and Maria arrives to assist. Ensley should be the next to come in, and I hear the jingle of the front door, which is likely her. Everyone else arrives through the back.

I glance up, and Maria catches my eye. “I’ll tell her. Park in the back, come in through the back.”

I nod, arranging the cleaning instruments and creating packets for each dog we will treat today.

Ensley and Maria talk amiably, their voices filtering down the hall. Soon, both of them are in the room. Ensley is dressed interestingly. Her black pants are faux leather, and her bright-orange shirt is topped with a shiny silver bolero jacket.

She’s definitely got a style of her own. As she walks past me, her pants fit precisely the way pants should, and my eyes can’t help but be drawn to the shimmer of the fitted jacket.

“I wonder if we shouldn’t put a lab coat over what you’re wearing,” Maria says. “I have a feeling that your shiny jacket might be extremely inviting to every cat with claws today.”

Ensley looks down at her outfit. “Oh! Sure.”

I shouldn’t have worried. Maria has everything well in hand. My attraction to Ensley might not even be a factor. If she’s good at her job, and she surely will be, she won’t require as much of my time as the previous receptionists. They always seemed to need one thing or another. The day goes smoothly, as far as I can tell. I have back-to-back dentals, so I don’t even lift my head until almost noon, with Maria at my side the whole time.

Todd goes in and out occasionally, handling specialty food purchases and managing two big deliveries.

Vera catches me between the cleanings to let me know about a few diagnostics.

Only when I’ve scrubbed myself out and I’m headed to my office to grab a quick lunch do I think to stop in the lobby and check on Ensley.

She’s tapping on the computer while eating a granola bar.

“Ensley?”

She about jumps out of her skin. “Drew!”

I glance around the lobby. There’s no one there. “It might be best if you call me Dr.Daniels around patients.”

“There’s no one here right now.”

“I’m aware. Just a reminder.”

She stares at me for a second, then seems to shake it off. “Sure. Fine. I was going through the invoices and matching them up with the paperwork. It might take me a while to sort it all out.”

“We’ve been through some chaos. I’m glad you’re here.”

“About that,” she says, but then the phone lights up. “Sorry.”

She answers the phone with the perfect voice, authoritative but friendly. I watch her listen to the caller, nodding as if they can see her, which makes me smile inside.

“And when was his last veterinary appointment?” she asks. She writes more things down. “Let me see what we have available.”

I realize she’s scheduling an appointment. I wait a second to make sure she knows how, but when she pulls up the application and scrolls through the empty squares with total competence, I step back into the hallway. I should let her do her job. She’s clearly just fine.

---