Her Veterinarian Hero, page 19
“How does she stay in business?”
Caroline opened her arms in a ta-da movement. “Yours truly.”
“All the more reason to strike out on your own.”
“In this town? As much as I can’t stand Sheila, I wouldn’t want to hurt her or her business by competing.”
“She can do the weddings since we know how you feel about them.” Caroline made a fake gag to agree. “You can specialize in big things like...what did you call them?”
“Galas.”
“Right, galas. There’s room in town for you both.”
Caroline shrugged. “Yeah, maybe.”
“Yeah, yes. If you’re working this booth next fall for Sheila, I am going to shake you silly.”
“Speaking of silly,” Caroline said, shifting her eyes toward the clinic’s booth before landing back on Olivia again. “What’s going on with you and Ty? We’ve been over here all morning and he hasn’t looked at you once.”
“No?” Olivia plucked a candy out of her bag and unwrapped it. She’d noticed that, too, but it was because she couldn’t stop stealing glances at him. “We decided to be just friends.”
“You both decided?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Impossible. If a couple decides to be just friends, there’s always one person who wants to be friends and another person who wants to be more. Which one are you?”
Olivia bit the inside of her cheek as she recalled just how nice Tyler had been during their talk. So nice. Too nice. He hadn’t seemed distraught at all. In contrast, she hadn’t been able to sleep from tossing and turning and thinking about how much she already missed him.
If Caroline was right, Tyler must have been the one who had really wanted to be friends all along. She was the one who initiated the conversation, true, but that didn’t stop her from longing for a time when they could be more.
“It’s not a good time for us,” Olivia said, popping the candy in her mouth. “I’m getting Micah adjusted and I need to focus on him. That’s what I came to Roseley for and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Caroline squinted in confusion and pointed a finger toward the crowd. “Isn’t that Micah, now?”
Micah was drinking a lemonade and laughing with Gary. “What’s your point?” Olivia asked.
“He seems like he’s adjusting just fine.”
“It seems that way on the surface,” Olivia said. “But back at the cottage he won’t talk. He gets cross with me, and he retreats to his fort every chance he gets.” Olivia bit down hard on her candy, remembering how many sleepless nights she’d spent worrying about Micah and praying she was parenting him well. As a single mom the last couple years, she hadn’t had anyone around as a daily witness to how hard things had been, and that loneliness had only added to her worry and uncertainty. “Right now, the laughing is the exception. Grumpy, irritable, hiding-his-feelings Micah is the rule.”
“What about his counseling?”
“He said his first session went fine.”
Dr. Scott had been lovely. She hadn’t shared much about her first session with Micah, except to explain that it took time to build trust and rapport with a new client. Micah, as usual, hadn’t shared any details except to say that Dr. Scott had really cool throw pillows on her chairs.
“What about your counseling?”
Olivia stiffened. “I’ll book something soon.”
Caroline clicked her tongue in disapproval.
“I will,” Olivia said. “Now that Micah’s sessions are scheduled, I’ll schedule mine next.”
“How is tutoring with Maggie Joyce going?”
“They hit it off.” Olivia was grateful that at least Micah wasn’t falling behind in school.
“Okay...”
“What?”
Caroline scooted closer to her friend. “Micah has a job, but you don’t yet. Micah is seeing his counselor, but you haven’t scheduled your appointment. Micah is doing his schoolwork, but you don’t know what to do in Roseley aside from help him. Do you see a pattern?”
Olivia fumbled for the chocolates, furiously unwrapping another one as she explained. “I’ve been the common denominator for his success,” Olivia said, her voice breaking. “That’s what a mother does. She takes care of things.”
“And you’ve done a great job, Liv.” Caroline laid a hand over Olivia’s fidgety fingers. “Look at your boy.”
Olivia watched Micah stroll off through the crowd with Tyler, the two most likely going to look at all the other booths. She wanted to be the one Micah turned to and spent time with, but she felt grateful that he had at least found a friend in Tyler.
“Maybe it’s time to start taking care of things for yourself,” Caroline pressed.
“I am. I’m here, aren’t I?”
“True...” Caroline said, stealing a candy from Olivia’s bag. “But I think there’s someone else you’d like to have here with you.”
* * *
TYLER WANDERED AROUND the festival booths with Micah, giving as much focus to the different displays as he could muster. No matter where they walked, he always felt painfully aware of where Olivia was in proximity to him. If she wanted space from him, from what had been developing between them, then he’d respect that. He figured space was a good thing before they tried their hand at being friends again.
After their kiss, his favorite kiss on record, his mind had been whirling. Yet at the same time, he reminded himself that their conversation had been for the best. It was always best to get out before anyone, especially him, got hurt. In the past, whenever he’d tried to lean on his mother or stepmother, they’d dropped him cold and made him feel like the rejection had been his fault. Plus, losing his dad, the one person Tyler thought would always be there, was enough to make anyone trigger-shy about love. Olivia had at least been kind and straightforward about rejecting him. Plus, she wasn’t dropping him completely. She wanted to stay in his life—sort of.
The sun was making its descent, cuing an afternoon of contests, giveaways, music and dancing. From the gazebo, the Hometown Jamboree had struck up their first set. Their star fiddler player wailed on the strings, making everyone within a block radius stop and take notice. Children skipped around the small dance area and adults lounged on the grass watching them. Tyler sat down on a patch of grass near the gazebo as Micah devoured a hot dog.
“Are you eating your way through the festival?” Tyler asked.
Micah puffed out his chest. “Sure, why not? I’m going to try the deep-fried Twinkies next.”
Tyler laughed. “When I was a kid, my friends and I waited all year to binge on deep-fried Twinkies. My dad would give me money to buy them for all my friends.”
Micah’s brow creased. “Didn’t your dad die when you were my age?”
“He got sick when I was your age. I used to ride my bike all over town because I didn’t like being at home.”
“Before my dad died, I thought about mowing lawns to make money so I could buy a new bike,” Micah said.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. He used to have a fifty-four-inch zero-turn riding mower with smart speed. It was like riding on a cloud.”
Tyler could only guess how many times Micah had heard his dad list off the lawn mower’s description to still remember it years later. He smiled fondly at the satisfied look on Micah’s face to talk about it now.
“My dad used to pull me on his lap when he cut the grass, too,” Tyler said, the familiarity of their exchange bringing up memories with his own dad... As he admired Micah, a boy on the cusp of adulthood, he wondered if the nostalgic sentiments he felt now were the same ones his dad had felt when he’d been Micah’s age. For the first time he began to see his memories with his dad from a new perspective. While he’d only had the recollections of a kid looking up to his dad, now he looked back and saw his innocence and inexperience through an adult lens, the way his dad must have viewed him all along.
“Oh, no,” Micah huffed. “He never did that, at least not that I remember. My dad wanted me to drive it.”
“On your own?” Tyler chuckled in disbelief.
He’d never met Jeb. He wasn’t about to pass judgment on someone he didn’t know, especially when he’d never had to parent a child himself. But what Micah said didn’t sound right. If Jeb died two years ago when Micah was twelve, anyone that age or younger seemed way too young to have full control of such a powerful machine. It sounded irresponsible, at least in his opinion.
“Yep,” Micah said. “He and my mom used to fight about it. He said he did way more dangerous stuff at my age, so sometimes when she wasn’t home, he’d let me take it for a spin.”
“Is that right?”
“Just as long as I made nice, clean swipes in the grass.”
Tyler rasped a hand over his chin. He was beginning to get a better idea of Jeb and the dynamic between him and Olivia. Before he could ask Micah what other things Jeb let him do, Micah continued, “What happened with your mom? Did you fix that faucet yet?”
“This morning.”
Tyler had felt grateful Sandy hadn’t been home when he’d dropped by with the replacement parts. He wondered if she’d be disappointed to learn he’d fixed the faucet while she was away, because after he’d finished and left her house, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed himself. As lovely as it was to work in peace, he’d also felt working without her there had been something of a missed opportunity. He could always predict how their interactions would go, but it didn’t keep him from hoping, at least secretly, that they could be better. They didn’t have the kind of mother-son relationship he wanted, but he didn’t know what to do to change that. At best he tried to be cordial and help her whenever she asked.
“That’s good,” Micah said. “But I could tell you wanted out of there the other day.”
“It’s probably hard for you to understand since your mom is so great.”
Micah nodded. “She’s a good mom most of the time.”
“And the other times?”
Micah tipped back a swig of soda. “For starters she still thinks I’m a little kid. My dad had me doing stuff at twelve that some adults don’t know how to do. He wasn’t around a lot, but when he was, he made sure I knew how to do stuff.”
Tyler leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, curious. “Like what?”
“Well, not babysitting puppies.” Micah’s sarcasm dripped as heavy as maple syrup and Tyler could tell he was trying for a laugh.
“Are you trying to start something?” Tyler said, grabbing Micah around the neck in a headlock. The teen flailed against him, but Tyler had already dug a grip into his rib cage and tickled hard the way his own dad had done to him numerous times. The scuffle only lasted a few seconds, as Tyler didn’t want to embarrass him, but when Micah caught his breath, he didn’t seem like he cared about that. “I thought you liked watching the puppies.”
“I did. I’m kidding about that, but I can do more at the clinic, too, you know,” Micah said.
“Yeah?” Tyler said, laughing. “Should I put you on surgery rotation?”
Micah smirked. “I could probably figure it out.”
Hattie Pike strolled over. She stopped shortly in front of them and placed her hands proudly on her hips.
“Well, boys,” she said. “What do you think of my festival?”
“You’d better not say that too loudly,” Tyler said. “CeCe will have your head.”
“Eh, it’s our festival—the lot of us. The dance floor was my idea, though.” She pulled Micah to his feet. “You should go ask someone to dance.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Micah said, as if the suggestion was more appalling than scrubbing out the long row of porta potties.
“Someday you might want to, kid,” Tyler said.
“Guys don’t ask girls to dance anymore. It’s old-fashioned,” the teen insisted.
“Dancing is never old-fashioned,” Hattie said. She swayed her hips back and forth, letting the loose material of her long, red paisley skirt move freely around her ankles. Her bangle bracelets jingled, her eyes twinkled and everything about her signaled her readiness to join in. “Micah, would you do me the honor?”
“No way.” Micah backed away from her. “I’m getting another hot dog.”
“Oh, you’re no fun!” Hattie called as he raced off through the crowd. Hattie puckered her bottom lip in a pout. “I’ve been working on this festival for months and now I’m ready to cut loose.”
Tyler scrambled to his feet and held out the crook of his elbow. A woman like Hattie didn’t belong on the sidelines. “Let’s show them how to do it,” he said.
Hattie’s face brightened before looping her arm in his. “I knew I liked you, Dr. Elderman.”
Tyler led Hattie to the dance floor. Within seconds, his dance partner was clapping and moving to the beat. He wasn’t usually one to dance; in fact he couldn’t remember the last time he had, but Hattie’s energy rubbed off on him.
Hattie looped her arm in Tyler’s again and swung them in a full circle before stopping and reversing direction. After they had made a beautiful spectacle of themselves, Hattie pulled Tyler close and whispered in his ear. “Let’s get this party started, love. On the count of three, go grab another partner.”
Over the music, Tyler had barely heard her. But before he could clarify what she had meant, Hattie had abandoned him to drag Chief Marley off his seat and onto the dance floor. The police chief was dressed in plain clothes and had been enjoying a drink with his wife, but that hadn’t stopped Hattie. She had him to his feet while his wife laughed and egged him on.
Tyler scanned the crowd, searching for a partner. His instinct was to find Olivia, if only for an excuse to hold her again. But as hard as he tried, he couldn’t see her anywhere. Because he’d known exactly where she was only moments before, the irony jabbed.
He did, however, spot former Falcon High alums Emily Peaches and Samantha McTully whispering and making eyes at him. Emily was adorable with strawberry blond hair and the prettiest rosy cheeks. But Samantha was like an injection of loud, bold fun. He needed a partner who was more than willing to join him and then keep the dance partner swap going. That meant Samantha.
“Come on, Sam!” Tyler called above the music. “I know you’ve got the moves!”
Samantha dramatically fluffed her hair and sprang onto the dance floor to join him, making Emily hoot encouragements from the sidelines.
“You haven’t lost your touch, Doc,” she said before he spun her around. After a minute, Hattie danced by with Uncle Gary while Chief Marley danced with Dolores Mitchell, the owner of The Cutest Little Tea Shop. Her violet-gray perm was difficult to miss.
The dance floor had quickly begun filling up, but Tyler’s mind was on something else. If both he and Gary were on the dance floor, who on earth was running their booth?
When Samantha pulled Dash Callahan onto the dance floor and into her arms, Tyler darted off to find out. Zipping in and out between folks, he finally felt the crowd part so he could see his booth, and Olivia standing behind it.
“Hey,” he said, jogging up. He didn’t know if they could find the easiness they’d shared not two days ago. At the very least he was grateful for an excuse to talk to her when all he’d been doing all day was thinking about her. He grabbed the back of his neck and tried for casual. “Did Gary rope you into this?”
“I offered.”
He waited for more of an explanation, but when she rifled into her candy bag, he knew he’d have to settle for a chocolate instead. She handed him one.
“Thanks. Your aunt sure is persuasive.”
“You should have seen the look on Gary’s face. He didn’t need much persuading.” She smiled, then looked around. “Where’s my son? Isn’t he supposed to be helping you?”
“Hot dog run. How’s Caroline’s booth doing?”
“Lots of interest. Many folks are planning weddings for next summer.”
“I always liked outdoor summer weddings.” The words were out of his mouth in such a flash, he felt compelled to clarify. “As a guest.”
“Really?” she said. “Have you given a lot of thought to them?”
He figured she really wanted to know whether he had given thought to marriage. He had, in fact, and had decided many years ago that it wasn’t for him. After watching how unhappy his dad had been with Sandy and then again with Robin, he had decided he didn’t want to walk down any aisle.
Tyler shrugged. “Did you and Jeb have a summer wedding?”
“Yes,” she said wistfully. “It was like something out of a fairy tale.”
He tried to picture Olivia as a blushing bride. Had her hair been pinned up or had it spiraled down around her shoulders? Had she worn a veil to hide those mystical eyes, or had she donned a tiara? She deserved the fairy tale, even if he couldn’t be the one to provide it for her.
Olivia wavered on her feet, as if deciding what to do next. He wanted to pull her into his arms and onto the dance floor. He wanted to tell her that just being friends was the stupidest thing he’d ever agreed to, but he didn’t. Instead, he stole another chocolate from her candy bag.
“They’re not bad,” he said.
“It’s no Bazooka bubblegum,” she said with a hint of a smile. “But I’m good at sharing.”
“Friends are always good at sharing.”
“Yeah,” she said, softly. She stared at him, but her mind looked like it had drifted a thousand miles away. “Friends.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
THE AFTERNOON HAD inched closer to sunset and the large crowd from earlier was slowly dwindling as Tyler and Gary worked to disassemble their booth. They had cut Micah loose a couple hours earlier, encouraging him to explore the festival with Ricky Murdock Jr., who was slightly younger but fast on his feet. Once Tyler had paid Micah for his help with working the festival, the two boys had run to blow the money on games and festival food, including a mixture of ten different slushy flavors they proudly dubbed “the cannonball.”
