Her Veterinarian Hero, page 9
“Micah,” she said, turning her attention to her son. “I need to speak to Caroline for a minute. Meet me at the car, please.”
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
Micah now grappled for a response. “I’m sorry I smarted off at you. Thank you for the sandwiches. I really appreciate the fact that you bought them. What else do you want me to say?”
“I don’t want to talk about this here. I’ll meet you at the car.”
“Why? This is so unfair!”
“Car.” Olivia glared at her son from beneath hooded eyelids.
Micah screwed up his face, any number of angry retorts locked and loaded. Instead of answering, he stormed up the sidewalk. He had stormed away from her on occasion when he’d been a child, too, his stout little body trying to command the room the way he’d seen baseball pitchers command the pitching mound at games. It had been cute at five, funny because Micah had always been a sweet, even-tempered kid. But that was then and this was now, and there was nothing cute about this display.
Olivia’s eyes had already begun to fill with tears when Caroline took her by the shoulders.
“Good for you,” Caroline said. “You were very calm and firm. I’m proud of you.”
“Do you see what I was talking about earlier?”
“Honey, I do. His attitude came out of left field.”
“That’s how it always is. When I think I’m making conversation, he thinks I’m being nosy. The simplest question or comment makes him so defensive.”
“Hey, he’s a teenager.”
Olivia nodded in agreement as she wiped her eyes, but she didn’t entirely agree. “I guess...”
“He needs to go home and cool off,” Caroline said.
“Yeah. We both do.”
“That I’m not so sure about.”
“Huh?”
“You need to go somewhere else and cool off.”
“What? No. I need to go home and talk to Micah.”
Caroline dug through the sandwich bag and grabbed Micah’s sandwich, chips and soda.
“Nuh-uh. I’ll drive him back to the house. Hattie should be there, right?”
“Yeah, but—”
“You go to the game with Tyler. The evening is way too beautiful to be stuck home getting the silent treatment from your son. Besides, if no one goes to the game it’ll really hurt Gary’s feelings.”
“Caroline, no.” The thought of attending the baseball game now seemed ludicrous. For one thing, she didn’t think she deserved a fun evening out when her son would be stuck sulking at home, furious at her. For a second thing...
Olivia brought her hands to her cheeks. Going to a baseball game with a group of people, her son included, was one thing, but going with only Tyler now felt like crossing some sort of invisible line. It wasn’t a date, obviously, but still, her stomach tightened at the thought all the same.
“I know you want to be a good mother right now, but I think that means getting a breather before starting again. In the morning when you’ve both calmed down, you can talk to Micah about what happened here. I think he would be much more receptive. Don’t you think?”
“Caroline—”
“Tyler can have my meal.” Caroline handed the bag back to Olivia.
“But... I...”
Caroline smoothed the frazzled pieces of hair off Olivia’s forehead. “Don’t overthink it. Explain to Tyler what happened, have fun and call me tomorrow. Okay?”
Caroline smacked a kiss to Olivia’s cheek and scooted down the sidewalk. Olivia sank onto a chair in front of the shop and placed the bag of sandwiches on the table with a plop. This was a new line she hadn’t anticipated at all.
* * *
“OLIVIA?”
Olivia blinked up. Tyler’s broad frame stood between her and the sunshine, casting him in shadow. She’d been lost in thought, thinking about life before Jeb’s death and how parenting Micah had gotten so hard ever since. She’d also been wondering what on earth she was going to say to Tyler when he showed up and found only her waiting. She’d run out of time before she could come up with the right explanation.
“Tyler. Hi.” Olivia scrambled to her feet. He shifted a few steps to his side so she didn’t have to squint against the sun to see him.
“Hey. Where is everyone?”
“It’s only me. We don’t have to go to the game, though, if you don’t want to.”
Tyler gave her a puzzled look. “If I don’t want to.” He repeated her own words back to her so slowly she couldn’t help but explain in a rush.
“I think you originally agreed to go to support Micah. I really appreciate that, by the way. He needs some friends like you here in Roseley so he isn’t talking to just me all the time. I know he was looking forward to tonight, but he and I got into an argument, and he copped an attitude. It happens. Teenagers, right?”
Tyler continued to watch her silently. She wondered if a million thoughts were racing through his mind the way they were racing through hers.
“Anyway,” Olivia continued. “I thought it best to send him home. My mother always said parenting was a series of judgment calls and you don’t know if you made the right one until your baby has grown and flown the nest. I don’t know if sending him home was the right call, but there it is. Caroline drove him, and I realized I don’t have your cell phone number to text you that we were leaving, so I—”
“Olivia?” Tyler’s voice radiated with patience. “Are you okay?”
“Me?”
“You said you two had an argument. It must have been ugly if you sent him home. Do you want to talk about it?”
Olivia blinked with surprise. That was what he’d heard from her rambling? He actually cared how she felt about the argument with her son? Truth be told, it was still running wildly on a loop in her brain, and it hadn’t even been a bad fight.
Jeb had never had the patience to listen to her talk about much. Work was the most important thing to him so if she was willing to listen to him talk about his job, he was happy to talk to her all night. It wasn’t until home problems escalated enough to demand his attention that he mustered the focus to try to resolve them with her. In short, when he was on the road he didn’t want to be bothered with her problems. And when he was home, he didn’t want to be bothered with her problems.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Completely fine.” It was a lie she’d told so many times she sometimes believed it. It slipped off her lips easily.
“Yeah, I can see that.” Tyler sat and she followed. “I was a fourteen-year-old man once. Lay it on me.”
“A man...” Olivia said. “You’re right. He’s turning into one right before my eyes.”
“He’s probably trying to remind you of it every day.”
“Try every minute. This is the hard part people warned me about, I guess.” She opened the food bag. “I hope you like pastrami.”
Tyler unwrapped his sandwich and took a few bites.
“Perfect,” he said. “Now back to the argument. You talk and I’ll eat.”
“You don’t want to listen to me ramble on about my parenting woes.”
Tyler chewed, his gaze beckoning her to continue. She found in his expression that he didn’t seem overly curious like CeCe. Nor did he seem to judge her. His interest felt refreshing after years of Jeb tuning her out. At worst, he was keeping her company. At best, he genuinely cared.
“Well...” she said, opening her bottle of water. “Where to begin? He challenges me and when he isn’t doing that, he’s disengaged from life and everything else.”
“It sounds like you moved here to inspire Micah.”
“Since my husband, Jeb, died, Micah doesn’t want to play baseball. He used to live and breathe the sport but now he’s turned his enthusiasm toward working at the clinic. I’m happy he’s happy, but I still find it all so confusing.”
“That’s why you stopped by the clinic the other night. You were trying to get a better read on him?”
“Guilty. Anything you can think of to share?”
Tyler glanced down the street, a contemplative look on his face. “He briefly mentioned Dodger.”
“Our neighbor’s dog.”
“He wished he’d been there when it had been put to sleep.”
Olivia leaned away. “Really.”
“He didn’t seem to want to talk about it more than that. We were in the middle of something unrelated, so there also wasn’t time for him to elaborate. In general, he seems really happy.”
“Gee, I wish I could be around to see that. Were you a lot of trouble for your mom, too?” She wanted to know she wasn’t the only mother who struggled with her child.
Tyler shifted uncomfortably on his seat. “You met my stepmom.”
“Yes, but I didn’t know if your mom was still...” She didn’t know much about Tyler yet and hadn’t meant to tread into his history if it was painful for him. Caroline had mentioned that Tyler’s mother kept to herself, but as she watched him, she wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. “In the picture.”
“She lives in Roseley, yes.”
“Do you see her?”
“On occasion.”
“What does that mean?”
Tyler took a sip of water. “It means things are complicated.”
Olivia sighed. “That’s not how I want Micah to describe our relationship in fifteen years.”
“He won’t. Anyone can see you’re trying so hard. That’s ninety percent of it.”
“Didn’t your mom try?”
Tyler shrugged and reached across the table, stealing a couple of Olivia’s chips. “What position did you say Micah used to play?”
“Pitcher,” Olivia said, pretending not to notice that he’d intentionally changed the subject. “Jeb wanted him to follow in his footsteps. He thought it would one day make a great human-interest story if Micah went pro, too.”
Tyler frowned. “Pardon?”
“Pro, like Jeb...” Tyler’s face remained blank. “I assumed everyone in town knew,” she said, finding his ignorance refreshing. “Jeb played catcher in the major leagues.”
“You’re Jeb Howard’s wife?”
She laughed that he’d just put it together. “Surprised?”
Tyler studied her for a moment. “Very. No wonder you want Micah to play baseball again.”
“I don’t. At least not because of his father’s legacy.”
“No?”
“Heavens, no. I want him to play because he used to love it. He stopped cold turkey after Jeb died, and I can’t help but assume he feels some sort of survivor’s guilt.”
Tyler hesitated before asking, “Does he meet with a counselor?”
“He had a great counselor back home, but I have to convince him to give someone here a chance.”
Tyler took another bite of his sandwich and stole another chip. Olivia waited for him to ask about Jeb’s career or fawn over his baseball stats. Instead, Tyler chewed, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“You know,” she said. “Most men in this situation are falling over themselves to find out about Jeb’s career. That’s why I don’t usually mention it right away.”
“Most men? Have you dated a lot since he died?”
Olivia jerked back in shock. “Men in general,” she said. “People, really. People ask about him a lot.”
“Got it,” Tyler said, an embarrassed smile coming over him. “The way you said that it sounded like...”
“I’ve dated a lot in the past two years?” Olivia laughed uncomfortably at the thought. “No.”
Tyler cleared his throat, noticeably as apprehensive with their line of conversation as she was. His momentary awkwardness was short-lived, but it had made him seem all the more charming. “So,” he said, starting again. “You don’t date, you’re raising a teenager on your own and you spent your summers in Roseley. Gary said he remembers your mom.”
“Oh?” She perked at the mention of her mother. Most people had adored her, so it made sense Gary might remember her, too. Olivia drummed her fingers on the table as Tyler stole another chip. She had to suppress a grin as she continued, “And you’re a veterinarian who runs a family clinic, has an extremely well-trained dog and steals potato chips.”
“Yes,” he said, feigning seriousness. “But only the kettle-cooked flavor.”
“I’m glad I stocked up.”
Tyler tipped a chip into the air in a toast of thanks.
“Anything else you’ve observed?” he said in a playful challenge. Olivia thought for a moment, hesitant to say what was really on her mind.
“You don’t like your stepmom.”
Tyler’s face fell. “Sadly accurate.”
“Family in general is a tender subject for you.” His eyes flashed as he crunched down hard on a chip. It spurred her to quickly smooth it over. “And you don’t get out much.”
He held out his arms, motioning to either side of the sidewalk. “What do you call this?”
“Um...a guy who needs to eat?” She grinned.
“Yes. Thanks for the sandwich, Olivia.”
She’d like to give him the entire sandwich shop if it led to him saying her name so sincerely again. “Any time,” she said.
The door to the sandwich shop swung open and CeCe emerged.
“Dr. Elderman,” she said, her eyes all aglow. “I didn’t see you come in.”
“CeCe, the pastrami was delicious.”
CeCe clasped her hands at her chest. “Thank you. We added it to the menu after my niece suggested it. You know, she’s been talking about moving here and helping us. I’m fit as a fiddle.” CeCe held up a hand and whispered, “But Angelo is slowing down. Don’t tell him I said so.”
“Where is your niece now?” Tyler asked.
“She took a job in Europe for the summer. Wonderful opportunity, but when she makes her way to Roseley you’ll have to meet her.”
“I look forward to it.”
“And I look forward to seeing you both here again.” CeCe turned to Olivia. “How about you? Did you like your sandwich?”
Tyler moved quickly to introductions. “This is my friend Olivia. Her son just started working at the clinic.”
“Oh, very good,” CeCe said. “Olivia, I hope you had a nice dinner. You deserve it after...earlier.”
Olivia had been sure CeCe had been sizing up her mothering skills during her confrontation with Micah. Her judgmental expression had made Olivia feel like she’d been failing in front of an audience. But now CeCe’s demeanor, which was almost supportive, surprised her.
“Thank you, CeCe. He’s at that age.”
“Oh, I know all about that age. My daughter, Tracy, went through it, too. We have got to keep on top of these young ones. From one mother to another, hang in there.”
CeCe gathered their trash and flashed a wink before heading back into the sandwich shop.
Olivia turned to Tyler. “I would have sworn that woman was mentally tearing me to shreds earlier.”
“She probably was. Old habits die hard. But I think she’s been trying to change.”
“Then I give her credit.”
“Give yourself some. Micah is a great kid,” Tyler said as he checked the time on his cell phone. “We should get going.”
“Do you have to get back to Ranger? I completely understand if you need to go home.”
There was humor in his eyes as he said, “Are you trying to cut out on me?”
“Of course not.” Truth be told, she was giving him an out.
“A friend of mine is hanging out with Ranger tonight. Come on. We want to get a good seat.”
“I can’t imagine the bleacher seats fill up that quickly.”
Tyler waggled his eyebrows. “But we don’t want just any old seats. I’ll drive.”
CHAPTER TEN
TYLER GLANCED AT Olivia riding in the truck beside him. When she hung her arm out the open truck window and momentarily closed her eyes in the slap of fresh air, he took a mental snapshot. He wanted to savor the moment with her, as if he shouldn’t take it for granted.
He’d felt that way since he’d first met her. Once the adrenaline had worn off, he’d spent every day since their meeting just hoping he’d bump into her again. He hadn’t been prepared for Micah volunteering at the clinic, but now that he was, he enjoyed working with the teen as much as he enjoyed the reality that Olivia could now drop in at any point.
Olivia pushed frazzled curls off her face, but it was as useful as building a sandcastle in high tide. He snatched his baseball cap off the back seat and handed it to her.
“Would this help?” he said.
“Couldn’t hurt.” She loosened the cap and eased it over her hair. He admired how good she looked wearing it.
“I can roll the window up if it’s bothering you.”
“No, it feels nice,” she said. “I should just pull my hair into a ponytail or something. I usually do that when I’m working.”
He wanted to tell her she looked perfect just as she was, but he restrained himself. A knot in his gut formed as he tried to keep his eyes focused on the road instead of on Olivia. There was something unnerving about how he felt when she was around—intrigued but cautious. He’d agreed to attend the baseball game when it had been a group venture, but now that the group was down to just him and Olivia, he felt he had to keep some of his guard up where she was concerned.
“What do you do?” he said, giving her a side-glance.
“Art therapy. Most people aren’t familiar with it. It’s different than being an artist.”
“But you’re obviously an artist, too.” Tyler motioned toward bits of paint still stuck to her fingernails.
Olivia held them up proudly. “Occupational hazard.”
“Hmm,” he said. “Orange, red, yellow...something autumn?”
Her mouth puckered to show she was impressed.
