“With any luck, we’ll all be out of here before it starts coming down too hard,” Bailey said, and again, Gavin nodded. After several long, awkward moments, she stood up. “If there’s anything you need before you go, just let me know.” Walking over to Cooper’s bed, she crouched down and scratched his belly. “Who’s a good boy, huh? Who’s got a comfy new bed?”
Gavin watched in amusement as his dog simply basked in the attention. Cooper loved when anyone came over and loved on him. He especially loved a good belly rub—something Bailey always did for him. When she straightened, she turned and smiled at Gavin. “Have a good afternoon, Dr. Maguire. And don’t worry, I’ll take Cooper for a walk and feed him before sending him up to your place.”
“Thanks, Bailey.” He watched as she walked out the door.
The alarm on his phone went off reminding him that it was time to go. Standing, Gavin took off his lab coat and hung it up in his small closet, switching it out for his winter coat. Honestly, the weather in this town was downright brutal. And while he knew he had his pick of anywhere in the country to go and offer his services, there was something about this region that kept him here instead of somewhere sunny and tropical. Silver Bell Falls as a whole was not his ideal place to live, but the work he did while here was very satisfying.
If only he could convince them to tone down the holiday cheer.
Chapter Two
“THANKS, DR. GAVIN! You’re the best!”
Gavin ruffled the young boy’s head and gave him a small smile. “It’s my pleasure, Mikey. Just remember to let Mittens rest his paw for another day and then he should be fine.” Standing, he looked at the small line of people still waiting to see him. They all looked sad and weary, and Gavin’s heart went out to them.
Been there, he thought.
“Dr. Maguire, this is Daisy. She’s a five-year-old Calico and she got into a bit of a fight last night. She’s got several angry looking scratches that need to be cleaned up.”
Gavin smiled briefly at the shelter’s liaison. “Thanks, Matt.” Then he put all his attention on the cat and his owner. “Hi, I’m Dr. Maguire.” He held out his hand to the man standing before him who looked more than a little hesitant to engage in any kind of dialogue with him. “I’m the vet from the pet clinic over in Silver Bell Falls. And you are?”
“John,” the man replied quietly. He was older, possibly late-sixties, and he was—for lack of a better word—filthy. But then again, so were a lot of the people waiting to see him. Once a week, Gavin volunteered at this homeless shelter to help those in need take care of their pets so they hopefully wouldn’t have to give them away.
“It’s nice to meet you, John. Tell me about Daisy.” And for the next fifteen minutes, they talked as Gavin cleaned the cat’s wounds. By the time he was done, John looked a lot more relaxed and seemed very relieved that none of Daisy’s injuries were infected. He gave him some ointment samples and a fresh supply of wipes and bandages along with a week’s supply of cat food.
“Thank you,” John said gruffly, barely meeting Gavin’s eyes.
But Gavin wasn’t offended. He knew how hard it was to accept help from others and someone in John’s position struggled with his pride. Luckily, his love for his pet mattered more.
There were a lot more animals to see and treat and it was after eight by the time Gavin was packing up to leave. He looked around the shelter and let out a long breath. He wished there were more he could do, but he knew this contribution—this coming and caring for the pets whose owners just happened to fall on hard times—meant a lot to the people he saw.
“Thanks again, Gavin,” Matt said as he walked over. Like Gavin, he looked like he was ready to call it a day too. He was thirty—just like Gavin—and the two sometimes grabbed a bite to eat at the local diner before Gavin made the thirty-minute drive back to Silver Bell Falls. “Yesterday, we had a guy come in with a pregnant yellow lab. I told him you were coming today and that he should bring the dog in just to get her checked out, but...”
Yeah, that happened a lot too. Just like he had observed earlier with John, some people just didn’t want to accept the help—no matter how much they needed it. Just thinking about a pregnant dog giving birth on the streets had him wanting to go out and search for the guy. The pups wouldn’t have much of a chance with the snow and cold winter weather. “You have my number, Matt. If he comes back or if he needs help finding a home for the pups, let me know.”
“I will,” Matt said, yawning. “I was gonna ask if you wanted to go grab a burger, but with the snow coming this weekend, I want to do a quick run to the grocery store before all the shelves are empty.”
Gavin chuckled. “I should probably do the same thing.” Within minutes, Gavin was in his truck and heading back to town. As predicted, when he stopped at the grocery store, the shelves were practically empty. Luckily he was good about keeping his pantry stocked, but he managed to grab enough food to keep him well-fed through the weekend—including a couple of nice looking steaks and extra packages of his favorite cookies.
By the time he arrived home—which was the apartment over the clinic—he was exhausted. Once the groceries were away and he took Cooper out one last time, he changed into a pair of flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt before crawling into bed. With any luck, tomorrow would be a short day and with the predicted snow, the weekend would be quiet. He was on-call 24/7, but most people knew to keep their pets indoors when the weather was bad and it was rare for anyone to come in with an emergency.
Still, he was always prepared.
With a loud yawn, he got comfortable and scratched Cooper on the head as the dog snuggled in beside him. It didn’t seem to matter how much money he spent on dog beds; most nights Cooper jumped up and made himself comfortable and Gavin never reprimanded him for it. And why should he? It wasn’t as if anyone else were in bed with him.
At that thought, the groan of frustration was out before he could stop it. Yeah, it had been a while since he’d shared a bed with anyone—even for a night. After buying the Silver Bell Falls Pet Clinic a little over a year ago, all of his time and energy was put into it. Having a practice of his own was a lifelong dream and there was no way he was going to give less than one hundred percent of himself to it.
By now, however, things were running smoothly and he was able to relax a bit more. Maybe it was time to look into...dating. Ugh...just the thought of it sounded ridiculous. He was a grown man and even thinking about having to go through all the work of trying to find a woman who he wanted to get involved with was a bit much.
Before moving to Silver Bell, he’d only dated casually—nothing long-term—but he had a feeling he wouldn’t find anyone interested in casual in this town. No, the people he met around here had commitment written all over them. Enough women had flirted with him and more than a few had even been bold and asked him out. He’d turned them all down because...well...he really couldn’t say. Sure he could blame it on his dedication to the clinic, but he knew that wasn’t completely true. It did take up a lot of his time and energy, but not to the point that he couldn’t spare a night or two here and there for at least a little bit of pleasure.
And now he couldn’t seem to think about anything else.
Beside him, Cooper snored and for the first time in a long time, Gavin wished it were someone else beside him.
And preferably not a snoring canine.
A face came to mind but he quickly pushed it aside.
Don’t go there.
It was late, he was tired, and as Gavin rolled onto his side, he focused on counting sheep and not letting his mind wander into dangerous territory.
“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?”
Bailey froze at the sound of Gavin’s roar. She knew this was coming—had even braced herself for it—and yet now that it was happening, she had no idea what she was going to do.
Slowly, she turned and faced him. “Good morning, Dr. Maguire. Amber has the surgical room ready and we’ve already checked Coco i
n.” She was proud of the fact that her voice was steady, but as he slowly walked toward her, some of her bravado began to fade.
“Would you care to explain why my clinic looks like a scene from the North Pole?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“Oh, um...after you left yesterday, we were cleaning out the back room and found all the old Christmas decorations and decided to put them up.”
Okay, that time, her voice totally shook a little.
“And I already told you I didn’t want the place decorated any more than it already was,” he stated firmly. “This is my business and I will decide how much or how little holiday decorations I want put out!”
Bailey looked over her shoulder and silently prayed that Amber or Hannah would step in and help her out, but they were both suspiciously absent.
Damn them.
“Bailey?” he snapped, and she quickly turned to look at him. “I want all of this taken down and put away by the time I’m out of surgery. Do you understand?”
Her heart was hammering in her chest and she knew what she should say and what she should do, but instead she said, “No.”
His dark eyes went wide. “No?”
Swallowing hard, Bailey replied, “No. I’m not taking anything down.” When Gavin took a menacing step toward her, she held up a hand to stop him. “Look, I understand that this is your clinic, but you have to understand that we work here too and...and...and...”
“And what?” he demanded.
“And it’s not fair that we’re the only business in town that isn’t decorated for Christmas!” she cried with frustration. “Our clients expect it and it’s not fair that you make us work in such a depressing environment! You can’t be that much of a grinch!”
At that moment, it would be hard to say who was more surprised by her outburst—Bailey or Gavin—but before she could say another word, Hannah walked out and Gavin quickly turned his argument toward her. It took all of thirty seconds of yelling for Bailey to step in and bring his attention back to her.
Because clearly she was a glutton for punishment.
“Hey! I was still talking!” she shouted and seemed to surprise them all. When Gavin faced her again, Bailey forgot to be nervous and simply voiced all of her grievances. “We all work very hard for you, Dr. Maguire, and I don’t think it’s too much to ask for the place to look a little festive for the holidays! Before you came along, we were one of the best places in town for people to come and enjoy the decorations! Dr. Benji loved it! All the patients loved it! And most of all, we all looked forward to coming to work every day because it was a joyous atmosphere! Ever since you took over, you have done everything possible to suck the joy out of this place and it has to stop!”
“Bailey,” Hannah murmured, but Bailey didn’t even hear her.
“I am the one out here at the front desk from seven in the morning until seven at night most days! Is it really too much to ask that I get to look at something pleasant while I’m here?”
“You’re not here for the scenery!” he argued. “You’re here to work, dammit! And I don’t know of any job where the requirements are that you have to have pleasant scenery!”
She rolled her eyes at his over-simplification of the situation. “I’m not saying it’s a requirement. It’s simply common courtesy! For crying out loud, no one’s asking you to look at it! You hardly even come out here! Most of the time you’re either in one of the exam rooms or in your office! This isn’t hurting anyone!” By this point, she was breathless and shaking and practically on the verge of tears.
Gavin’s mouth opened and closed several times, but no words came out. He glared hard at Bailey and then at Hannah before letting out a growl of frustration. “I want this place back the way it looked yesterday by the time I’m out of surgery or you can both find new jobs!” And with that, he stormed off to his office.
Bailey didn’t breathe easily until she heard his door slam shut.
“Now what?” Hannah asked quietly.
“I’m not doing it. I refuse to take down the decorations. He wants them down so badly, he can do it himself.” Then she stomped over to the front desk and began doing her work. It took a minute for her to realize Hannah was still standing in the middle of the waiting room. “Are you going to take them down?”
“I...um...” She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Still shaking, Bailey angrily typed up the care instructions Coco was going to need for later. “I refuse,” she said out loud, even as her eyes never left the computer screen. “He wants to fire me over this, then fine. I’ll deal with it. There are plenty of places where I can find a job and once word gets out about why he fired me, we’ll see how many people come back here.” She shook her head. “Maybe I’ll head over to the clinic in St. Lawrence and see if they’re looking for help. I bet I could get a job there.”
“It’s practically an hour away, Bailey,” Hannah said with a sigh, walking behind the front desk. “Maybe we should just do it. Is it really worth losing our jobs over?”
“Oh, please. Do you really think he’d fire you or Amber? If anyone’s going to go over this, it’s me.” And the thought of it was growing scarier by the minute. For all her brave claims of it being no big deal, it was. She loved her job and loved working in Silver Bell Falls. It was him she hated and even more, she hated how he was putting her in this position.
“That’s not fair, Bailey. It was mine and Amber’s idea and we sort of talked you into it. We both know you’d never rebel like this. It’s just not in your nature.” She paused. “Come on, we’ll clean the place up and...I don’t know...we’ll just deal with the lack of holiday spirit here. It’s not like we can’t walk out the door and be embraced by it in less than a minute. The whole town has more than enough of it and it’s only for another week. What do you say?”
Her shoulders sagged and tears burned her eyes. “I can’t. I just can’t, Hannah. We can’t let him win on this. It’s not fair.”
“But Bailey...”
“If we cave on this, what’s next? Will we no longer be able to play music up front? Will we have to limit our conversations with the patients? Wear drab uniforms?”
“We already wear scrubs. It’s not like we’re glamorous now...”
“But for now we can wear bright and colorful scrubs. Who's to say that he won’t suddenly say that we can’t? I’m telling you, someone has to stand up to him!”
For a minute they stood and stared at each other until Hannah finally took a step away. “I know what you’re saying, Bailey, and part of me knows you’re right.”
“But?”
“But...I need this job and if taking down the decorations means I can keep it, then...that’s what I have to do.”
It would be pointless to argue so all she could do was nod.
“I’ll take care of it all,” Hannah quickly explained. “You don’t have to help.”
Another nod.
And sadly, as she watched the room transform back into its dull and dreary self, Bailey knew this would be the last day she’d look at it. Once her shift was over, she’d clear out her locker, hand in her keys, and say goodbye.
It was better that way.
Chapter Three
THE CLINIC LOOKED EXACTLY the way he wanted.
All the pets had been discharged and were on their way home.
And Bailey Walsh’s letter of resignation sat on his desk.
Gavin mentally cursed as he raked a hand through his hair. For the life of him, he couldn’t believe someone would actually quit their job over a lack of Christmas decorations! It was insane! Just beyond his office door, he could hear Bailey, Hannah, and Amber finishing up their work for the day. The snow was just beginning to fall and, no doubt, they were all anxious to leave.
Some more than others, apparently.
There was no way he could let things go like this. Bailey was a good employee—even if she was overzealous about all the holiday hoopla and her exuberance at getting to know every single pers
on who came to the clinic—and Gavin knew he had to at least try to make her see reason.
Rising from his desk, he walked to the door and opened it. With a steadying breath, he called out, “Bailey? May I speak to you before you leave?”
Off in the distance, he could hear the whispers and really wondered if these women ever stopped to consider how their indoor voices weren’t particularly quiet. After a long moment and several queries of “Do you want us to stay?” Bailey finally called out that she’d be right in.
Rather than going back into his office and sitting down, Gavin waited at the door for her. Cooper came prancing down the hallway toward him and went right over to his bed and got comfortable. It wasn’t unusual for his dog to go and sit out by the front desk with Bailey during working hours so there wasn’t a doubt in Gavin’s mind that was where he was coming from. He was tempted to call him a traitor, but Bailey was walking toward him and he decided to keep that thought to himself.
Motioning for her to go in and take a seat, Gavin called out to his other assistants to drive safely and lock up behind themselves. After a minute, he heard the front door to the clinic lock and then he went to his desk and sat down. Picking up the letter Bailey left there earlier, he said, “I think we need to talk about this.”
She sat there looking prim and proper—her spine as stiff as can be and her expression cool and detached. “I think it’s fairly self-explanatory.”
He sighed and leaned back in his seat, letting the paper fall back on the desk. “Yes, it is very clear,” he began, “however, I don’t think it needs to come to this.”
“You were the one who mentioned me having to find a new job...”
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