I climb in and he shuts the door, treating me as he always has, which I’m just now realizing is a lot like a girlfriend. We need to figure out this new normal between us.
Twenty minutes later, after a ride in a deadly silent truck, I’m dropped off at my house. I say goodbye, leaving them to do what people in love do. I guess I’ll be digging into my bottom drawer again to please myself.
I open the apartment door and find Kingston still in his shorts and T-shirt, playing his damn video game. He takes a quick glance over at me.
“I thought for sure you wouldn’t be home tonight…” His words trail off before he talks into the headset, flicking the buttons on the controller. “Damn it, Lou, cover me.”
I go to the fridge and grab a beer and a slice of pizza that Kingston must have ordered tonight.
“Shit. I died. You’re bad luck. Every time you walk into the room, I die.” He tosses his headset and controller on the couch. “How much do you love me?”
I sit in the chair by the couch. “Enough that I won’t tell anyone you willingly stayed home on a Saturday night by yourself.”
“I have this friend at a bar in Anchorage. I called, and he said as long as it’s during the week, you’re golden. He’s got a room in the back that can be sectioned off. And because you have an awesome brother, no charge. You can do your speed dating there, but I really think it should be blind speed dating.”
My eyes widen. “Shut up, really?”
“How much do you love me now?” he asks with a grin.
“You’re my favorite brother.”
“Haven’t I always been?”
I laugh. “Yeah. Of course.” I hand him my beer since I haven’t had any yet and go to get another one from the kitchen.
This is a lifesaver. For the first time in weeks, my body loses some of the tension it’s been carrying around.
“Hey, King,” I call.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks a lot.”
He’s silent for a moment. “That’s what family is for.”
I nod, my eyes watering. At least one thing tonight is heading in the right direction.
Eleven
Colton
When I arrive at the clinic on Monday, Brigette is sitting in the break room with her coffee, looking through her phone. She’s been quiet this weekend, but I’m ignoring it rather than poking the bear.
“Good morning,” I say.
“Good morning.” She doesn’t look up. “Dr. Murphy was looking for you earlier.”
“Thanks.” I change into my white coat and shut my locker. I’m about to leave the room, but I stop and put my hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”
She smiles at me and nods. “Yeah, why?”
“You’ve been quiet. Is it the wedding stress?”
She shakes her head. “No. You good?”
It’s odd that she’s asking me, but I smack on my smile. “Yeah.”
We both nod as if we’re the most agreeable people on the planet and I head toward Dr. Murphy’s office. His door is open, and Lori is sitting in the chair in front of him. She’s leaning forward and whispering, a telltale sign that she’s gossiping. Great.
“I took a screenshot,” she says, giving her phone to Dr. Murphy.
He looks at it, shakes his head, and hands it back to her.
I knock on the open door and they both look at me. Lori’s cherry-red cheeks say I’m the subject of said gossip. It wouldn’t take Einstein to figure out that I must’ve been in Buzz Wheel last night.
That damn thing. I didn’t check it on Saturday night nor last night, but I’m guessing from Dr. Murphy’s concerned glare, I should have.
“Come in, Colton.” Dr. Murphy waves me in.
He’s only here three days a week now, and last year he discussed with me about investing in the business until I could buy him out completely. But I know a little birdie named Lori keeps whispering in his ear that I’m too young and the clients don’t listen to me like they do him.
“Let me guess, I made Buzz Wheel?” I say just so Lori knows she doesn’t need to go behind my back.
“You didn’t see it?” She smiles sweetly at me. “That blog should be shut down. You can’t even trust the information.”
“Yet you take screenshots,” I deadpan.
Her friendly demeanor fades. “I just think that Dick should know what’s going on with his employees.”
My gaze shoots to Dr. Murphy, and he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Lori, please give us a minute.”
“Sure, I need to redo a file that got coffee spilled on it yesterday anyway.” She stands and shoots me an accusatory glare.
I don’t say so, but it was Brigette who spilled the coffee.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t mind forwarding that Buzz Wheel to me?” I ask.
Her hand pauses on the door, but she doesn’t turn around. “Of course, as soon as I get to my desk.”
“Thanks.”
She finally leaves and Dr. Murphy asks her to shut the door behind her, which means this is more serious than I thought.
“Colton, have a seat.” He gestures, and I sit in the chair in front of his desk. I have an office, but mine doesn’t have a window like his. I’ve mentally arranged my own furniture in this office many times. “I’m going to shoot straight, and I’d like you to be straight with me on a few things.”
“Okay.”
“I always thought of you as a Lake Starlight lifer. I started this practice five years after working in Anchorage for another veterinarian. You see the pictures on the wall. This place was small at first. One room, and now we have four rooms. It’s not only Lake Starlight I see, but all the neighboring communities.”
I lean back in the chair and rest my ankle on my knee. This is going to be a long conversation. I resist the urge to check my watch for fear of being rude. “Yes, you’ve done an amazing job.”
“And when you came to me and asked to be an apprentice, I
