by Alexis Davie
At least I’m getting my exercise, she thought.
Mia glanced at her watch and sighed. It was almost noon, which meant she had just enough time to grab a quick sandwich or a slice of pizza and head to work to start her shift at twelve-thirty. Oh, the fun never ended.
She finally got to work, finishing off her slice of pizza as she walked through the door. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, she glanced up at the clock on the wall. She was five minutes early. That was cutting things a bit closer than usual. It wasn’t like she would have been in trouble or anything if she had been a few minutes late—it had happened before, and it most likely would again.
Her boss, Dr. Vogel, was fantastic. Mia had known her since she was seven years old, when her family had to bring her cat Mikey in to be checked out after he was attacked by a raccoon. It was probably then, watching Dr. Vogel care for Mikey, that Mia had first realized that she wanted a career that helped animals.
During her high school years, she’d worked as a weekend receptionist for the vet. Eventually, she’d been promoted to a vet tech, which gave her some practical on-the-job training while she was in college. However, she still did some receptionist work and bookkeeping when Dr. Vogel needed extra help.
“Nice timing,” Marcy Robbins said as Mia walked into the back office. She crammed her backpack into her little locker and shot Marcy a questioning look.
Marcy had worked for Dr. Vogel for almost ten years. She was in her thirties, very attractive and sweet, but too sarcastic for her own good. She had self-confidence that seemed to attract a lot of men, but they never stuck around very long. Probably because they wanted something that Marcy wasn’t giving up easily.
Mia hated to say it, but sometimes she really did think that men were dogs. Any guy worth a grain of salt would have stuck to Marcy like glue. She would make the right guy very happy.
Of course, Mia really wasn’t one to judge or give advice in regards to love. She had gone out with a lot of men, but she’d only ever had two serious boyfriends, and the last one had turned out to be a psycho who would not stop harassing her.
Just when she thought she was free from his grasp, Aaron Bishop would show up out of nowhere and poke into her life once again. Mia had gone to the cops several times, but Aaron hadn’t broken any laws. He’d never threatened her, he’d never damaged her property, and he’d never trespassed. He was just a nuisance. Apparently being a first-class jerk, and a total pain in the ass, wasn’t against the law.
Mia often wondered if or when Aaron would stop being a nuisance and become a legitimate threat. She tried not to think about it, but the way he acted sometimes really scared her.
It was like he wasn’t in control of himself at times, like he was about to go over the edge at any given moment. He’d be screaming one minute, then beg for her to get back together with him the next.
Mia went into the bathroom and quickly changed into her scrubs. Stepping out in full uniform, she automatically felt better. It was like a switch flipped in her head to get her into work mode. She loved being in work mode. It made her feel important, it helped her see the value in her college studies, and it gave her a glimpse of what her day-to-day life as a vet would be like someday.
She’d been very lucky to have secured employment in her chosen field at such a young age. As much information as they crammed into her head in school, it was no match for the education she received at her job.
Mia sat down at her desk and checked her messages, emails, and looked at the charts of what was on the schedule for the day. The charts were mostly her territory, since they involved scheduled boosters and meds, along with the occasional blood sample and stool sample. It wasn’t all glamorous, but it was definitely worth it.
“I swear to God, if Mrs. Harper brings that dog in here again today for no reason, I’m going to let her have it,” Marcy said, sitting down beside her and opening a small bag of chips.
Mia groaned. She knew exactly what Marcy was talking about.
“She came in again yesterday? How many times is that this week?” Mia asked.
“It’s been eight straight days. She calls in and swears that her dog can’t breathe and needs some emergency care. She won’t listen to reason, and Vogel always gives in to her and makes us squeeze out a slot on the schedule.”
Mia laughed. No profession that dealt with customers was ever without some crazies. But the high-maintenance clients did make for great entertainment sometimes. Of course, it wouldn’t be funny if the animal in question was actually sick, but Mrs. Harper’s dog was in perfect health.
“The dog is a pug. All of them make weird noises when they breathe—especially if they are excited,” Mia said.
Marcy sighed. “Don’t think I haven’t tried to explain that to her a zillion times already. You’re lucky that you usually aren’t here to deal with her.”
Mia laughed.
The rest of the day moved along at a routine pace. Mia went about her duties, getting patients cleared off the charts and assisting Dr. Vogel when needed. There were even a few slow periods where she was able to get some of her reading done for her classes.
She was eyeing the clock as they approached closing time when a customer walked into the office. At first Mia barely registered the guy who was striding up to the counter holding a small dachshund in his arms. She had been busy doing some inventory on office supplies, which was usually Marcy’s job, but Marcy had been out sick earlier that week and fallen behind. Mia wanted to help her get caught up.
“Holy…”
Mia heard Marcy muttering under her breath, followed by a few strange muffled hoots that she’d never heard from her before. She couldn’t blame her for the reaction though; the guy who was now standing in front of them could have been Brad Pitt’s much younger and better-looking brother.
“Hi,” the man said. His voice was low and thick, but with a pleasant and friendly tone. The way he delivered the greeting with a boyish smile and the flicker in his bright blue eyes was enchanting. Mia allowed her eyes to scan over every crevice and nuance of his flawless face and his wavy black hair, blocking out the rest of the world.
She wasn’t aware that she was staring and in a total daze until the man cleared his throat and smiled wider.
“Oh, hi,” Mia said nervously. She was suddenly aware of every single one of her movements, and her brain made insipid micro-adjustments in the hopes that any gesture she made would not appear silly or unnecessary. She had to get it together.
“My name is Jack Forney,” said the man. “I have an appointment to get Buster here his booster shots.”
Mia cleared her throat and tried to focus on the task at hand.
“Okay, let me see,” she said, pulling up the dog’s charts in the computer. Buster was scheduled for his parvo and distemper boosters. “There you are. I can take you right back and get this done for you.”
“All right,” Jack said.
Mia’s legs felt unsteady as she stood up and led Jack down the hallway towards the exam room. Looking back at Marcy, she could her laughing and winking at Mia.
She’s so bad, Mia thought.
She excused herself briefly while she went into the lab to grab a syringe and put together the right vaccines.
Jack lifted Buster up on the table, and Mia petted the dog to create a bit of rapport. He wasn’t going to be too happy with her in a minute. She wanted to tell him that she hated shots, too.
“So, has Buster had any issues with his first round of vaccines? Have you noticed him being lethargic or acting out of character at all?” Mia asked.
She was trying to stay on task, but every time she looked at Jack, her mind became a bit fuzzy. God, this guy was so freaking good looking. He had to be a model or something. Mia had to consciously force herself not to stare at him in an obvious fashion. It may have been one of the hardest things she’d ever done.
“No, he was fine when he got the last round of shots. This little guy runs me ragged sometimes just keeping u
p with him.” Jack scratched Buster behind the ears and held his head while Mia gave the dog his vaccines.
She could never know for sure how a dog was going to react when she performed the procedure because they were all so different. Most acted uncomfortable, and a bit scared. Some even tried to thrash around until their owners had to hold them down so that Mia could make sure the needle didn’t hurt the dog. Others would tense up and become very quiet or whimper slightly.
Buster did none of this. As Mia was in the middle of giving Buster the second shot, she noticed the dog’s tail wagging back and forth, like he was about to get a treat. She’d been giving shots and taking blood samples for a while now, and she had never seen that type of reaction.
Confused, Mia looked up at Jack, who was staring deeply into his dog’s eyes with an odd smile on his face. The more she watched them, the more it seemed as if the dog and Jack were communicating on some other level, almost by telepathy. Buster didn’t seem to notice that his skin was being penetrated by a needle at that moment. He was totally at peace.
Mia finished giving Buster his shots, and she disposed of the medical waste.
“Wow, I’ve never seen a dog who loves getting shots,” she joked. “I wish all of the animals acted that way; it would make this job so much easier sometimes.”
Jack laughed. “Well, maybe you just have a magic touch.”
Mia blushed, though she tried to hide it by smiling in gratitude.
“You know,” Jack continued, “I’ve been bringing Buster in here for a while, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you. And trust me, I would remember you.”
Was he flirting with her?
No way! Mia thought. There’s no way…
She tried to fight the increasing blush sweeping over her reddening face. Her cheeks felt hot, though, and she knew it was obvious. Oh, why?
“Well, maybe you haven’t been looking hard enough,” Mia replied.
Where the hell had that come from? She had never blatantly flirted like that with a guy before. Mia braced herself for humiliation.
Jack smiled again. “Well, shame on me, then. I need to become more aware of my surroundings.”
She let out a small sigh of relief.
“So, what do you do when you aren’t saving animals?”
“Well, Dr. Vogel does all of the saving,” said Mia. “I’m just a tech.”
“Don’t do that,” Jack said, his face growing serious. “You have an important job and you do save animals. Don’t ever discredit yourself like that.”
Mia smiled a little nervously; his seriousness had caught her by surprise. “Okay, I won’t. But to answer your question, I’m in school to become a veterinarian.”
“I could’ve guessed. You have a way with animals. Little Buster here doesn’t shine up to just anybody.”
As if on cue, Buster began to lick Mia’s face. She wasn’t even aware her face was that close to his, but there he was, standing up on the examination table on his hind legs, nuzzling up to her. She couldn’t help laughing as she gave the little dog a hug and kissed him on the forehead.
“Well, tell him the feeling is mutual,” she said.
“Wow, a kiss,” Jack said with a small laugh. “I’m jealous now.”
Mia giggled almost uncontrollably for a moment before she caught herself and tried to regain control of her emotions.
Jack picked up Buster and followed Mia back to the front counter, where she rang him up and took his payment. She was sad to see Jack and Buster go, but hopefully she would be seeing them again. Then her hopefulness was replaced by guilt: if they came back to the vet anytime soon, it would probably be for a very bad reason.
“Well, thanks for the excellent care,” Jack said as he secured Buster on his leash.
“Thanks for stopping in,” Mia said.
She wished she could have come up with something wittier to say, something clever, or maybe even something flirty to match the way Jack had been talking to her. But she was simply not good at this, and so she had nothing else to add.
“Wow! He is definitely our hottest client!” Marcy remarked after Jack and Buster had left.
“You can say that again,” Mia replied. “I know it’s weird, but I swear he was flirting with me.” She turned to her coworker. “I’m crazy, right? No way a man like that was flirting with me, unless he’s just naturally that way with everyone.”
“Why do you do that?” Marcy asked.
Mia stared at her. “What?”
“You are one of the smartest and most beautiful girls I know, but you always act like a guy is doing you a huge favor when he talks to you,” Marcy answered with a small frown. “I’ve seen other guys come in here and hit on you, but you seem oblivious to it. You need to realize that you have got it going on.”
Mia laughed. “Thanks for the pep talk, but I think you’re delusional. Guys do not hit on me.”
Marcy shook her head. “Believe me or don’t, that’s fine, but that guy is definitely interested.”
“He said he’s come in here a lot before,” Mia said, remembering what Jack had told her. “Does he usually come earlier?”
Marcy gave her a confused look and then let out a pensive hum. “I don’t think I've ever seen him before.”
“That’s strange,” Mia said, glancing at the door. “Very strange.”
2
Mia locked the door behind her and stepped out into the cold, dark night. It had been a busy day, and her evening plans were not looking any different. She had a big exam coming up that she wasn’t ready for, and that same professor loved to throw out random pop quizzes that could really sink your grade. She was looking down the barrel of an all-nighter, for sure.
She was usually the last to leave the office. After Dr. Vogel left and the others cleared out, Mia checked the inventory lists quickly, and then made sure all the other end-of-day duties were performed.
They all had their own lists to check off before they left, but she’d learned a long time ago that it was best to just check everything herself if she wanted to make sure it was all done right. Dr. Vogel agreed, which was why she had given Mia the keys to lock up and set the security alarm. She had even increased Mia’s pay because she showed such dedication to the job.
The night was still relatively warm, but Mia could feel the last remnants of winter in the air. Still, the smell of spring was quickly approaching, and that was something she looked forward to every single year. Not that the winters in Arizona were bad. They were pretty mild in the southern part of the state, but the blazing heat of summer always made Mia feel alive. All of the Arizona natives complained, but a mid-western girl like her thrived on it.
She made it to her car and slung her book bag inside. The parking lot was dark and mostly empty. No businesses were on that side of the street, and the whole block looked dead to her at this time of night.
It was a bit creepy, and every night, Mia nervously glanced around, wondering when she was going to remember to grab a can of pepper spray and start carrying it. This was a safe part of town, but in a place as large as Peoria, there really wasn’t any part of town that was completely safe at night.
Mia closed the back door of the building and climbed into the front seat of her car, putting her keys in the ignition. A noise startled her, and she didn’t even have a chance to register the fact that a hand reached into her car and pulled the keys out of the ignition. Still frozen in shock, she found herself looking into the eyes of the last person she ever wanted to see.
Aaron Bishop stood there, now leaning against the side of her car with a wide cocky grin on his face. He appeared to have cleaned himself up a bit since the last time Mia had seen him: his shaggy hair was slicked back with gel, and his face was shaven clean. His clothes were tight and ripped in only strategic places, so he looked stylish rather than disheveled. The scent of his cologne wafted away from him in just the right amount. He almost resembled the guy Mia had first met, the one she had fallen in love with. But all of that wa
s ancient history. That man was dead to her now.
“What the hell?” Mia snapped. “You scared me to death!”
Aaron just laughed confidently. “Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie. I didn’t mean to do that.”
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“Well, I came to see you, of course. You know how I love to surprise my girl.”
Mia glared at him. “I haven’t been your girl for a very long time. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, but it’s over between us.”
Aaron smiled. “You keep saying that, but I’m still here, baby doll.”
“Stop calling me that!” she exclaimed. “I hated it when we were together and I hate it now.”
“What’s wrong, baby doll? Did you have a bad day?” Aaron teased.
“My day is none of your business. Hell, my life is none of your business! I swear if you don’t leave me alone, I’m going to call the cops,” Mia threatened.
“Yeah, that worked out so well for you last time,” Aaron replied.
Mia clenched her teeth. This jerk knew too much about her. She couldn’t even threaten him effectively. When she had ended things between them, she’d been so relieved; finally, the train wreck that Aaron had become would no longer pull her down with him.
But it wasn’t over. Aaron’s behavior started to get bizarre. He started stalking her, sending her weird messages, showing up at her work and to her classes, and just trying to annoy her enough so she would give in and get back together with him. She never understood his logic, but when his original tactics didn’t work, his actions became more sinister.
One day, she had fallen asleep in the library at school. She had woken up to find him standing over her with a wicked grin on his face, stroking her hair. She had yelled at him and chased him away, and he had taken his sweet time before leaving her alone.
That was when she’d called the cops, but he hadn’t broken any laws. Nothing he did was actually threatening. It was as if he knew exactly what he could and couldn’t do in order to stay out of any legal trouble. The whole situation was maddening.