He stared at her. “You’re good.”
“I am. Now will you let me do this? I’ll train her and everything.”
His gut screamed at him not to. He liked the routine he had. He loved the ease with which Jessie and he worked together. They were the right combination of friends, and there was no difficulty or inappropriateness to prevent them from having a working relationship. He liked how she kept his office, his books, his supplies, his appointments, and his animals. He was used to Jessie and how she did things. He did not want a temporary replacement, or having to learn a new personality; especially one like Lindsey’s who appeared to not have an ounce of humor or kidding in her. Who was so serious and fragile, despite being heartbreakingly beautiful.
But… Jessie was first and foremost his damn friend. “Okay, Jessie, if you make sure she does things exactly like you do them, and like how we do things here. And you must also promise to come back after you have the baby.”
She smiled cheekily. “I have to come back. I have a lot of animals to pay for, remember? Besides, you said your sister would be happy to watch the baby for a few days a week.”
His sister was a stay-at-home mother of three and absolutely delighted at the prospect of adding Jessie’s baby to her days, never mind the extra money. She lived only a few miles from the vet clinic. “Yes, she is planning to watch your baby.”
They both heard Lindsey as her three-inch heels clicked on the vinyl floor. Jessie smiled at him and mouthed, thank you. He rolled his eyes, but smiled as he wasn’t really looking forward to being greeted each day by the glacial, timid air that seemed to hang around Lindsey.
****
“I can’t do this.”
“You can do this. Please. It will just be for few weeks, or until Noah can get a decent replacement. You must have noticed this isn’t exactly a buzzing metropolis, offering an abundant employee pool. I’m totally leaving him in the lurch. Unless you can help, that is.”
Lindsey took in a sharp breath. How could Jessie ask her to do that? Elliot would have an absolute heart attack if he found out she was playing secretary in a veterinary clinic, and working for a man. No. She could not take the chance. She shivered just thinking what Elliot would do. He would hate the idea. The remedial job was not one she could be caught doing. He expected much, so much more from her. And she was not allowed to work. She did not need to work. He supplied them with whatever they needed, so why would she take a job?
She shook her head. That was an Elliot sentence. Jessie was looking at her with big, brown, hopeful eyes. Crap. She came primarily to get away from Elliot. So it didn’t really matter what she did while being away. She just needed to be away. The last time he hurt her was a lot for her to deal with. It wasn’t like she planned to tell anyone, or leave him. She didn’t know the first step of how to do that. She did not know how to ruin a lifetime of projecting the image that was expected of her. But she required a rest before she literally succumbed to an emotional breakdown.
“And Noah knows?”
“Yes, he was quite happy with the suggestion.”
That seemed a stretch. She knew Noah tolerated her presence, as she was always tagging along with Jessie of late, but she sensed he found her far too timid. She thought she might even be annoying him. He often treated her like she was made of glass.
Perhaps she was.
“Okay, but only until someone else can be found.”
Jessie squealed with delight and threw her arms around Lindsey. Why did Jessie care so much that she take her job? It seemed an awfully big reaction to a rather minor favor. Her phone rang. Elliot. Crap, she forgot to call him at five. Patting Jessie’s back, she tried to discreetly pry herself from the embrace and dive for her phone. Elliot insisted that she answer every time he called. If she didn’t, it worried him, or so he claimed. And Elliot didn’t like worrying. And if she worried him too much, then, he patiently explained, she would have to go back home. At least, there, he knew she was safe. It made sense.
If you were five years old.
Chapter Six
Lindsey glanced up, biting her lip in concentration. What did Jessie say to do about this? Where was that form? How did Jessie enter this into the computer? She felt tears filling her eyes. The man before her tapped his foot and glared over his big-rimmed glasses. She couldn’t remember. She didn’t know. Maybe she never knew. She tapped at the computer, but the screen she wanted didn’t show up. She tried a different icon. Nope. Not it. Shit! Damn. Fuck. No, she didn’t talk like that. Where was that coming from? She hadn’t sworn in years and years. Well, except inside her head sometimes. Rarely. Just when Elliot was really bad.
“Come on, lady, hurry up, it’s not rocket science. Jesus, where is Jessie?”
Trying another click, she lost the entire program she wanted. Air filled up her head and made her dizzy. The words started to blur before her eyes. “Uh, Jessie is out on early maternity leave.”
“And where did they find you? At Idiots ‘R’ Us?”
“I’m her sister.” Lindsey looked down in order to avoid the angry client’s rage. Even his cat roared at her from its small kennel. He was anxious to get the upset cat out of there, just as he stated when he rushed up to the front counter. But she couldn’t remember how to cash out his bill. Or even find his bill, which Noah would have inputted directly from the exam room. It was extremely high tech and far beyond what she dealt with anymore. Elliot never let her go online. She didn’t even have a computer at home. So, all of this was lost on her. She was lucky he let her have a phone. But it was only for his use and so he could keep in contact with her.
Maybe they did find her at Idiots ‘R’ Us.
A hand suddenly fell on her shoulder, and she jumped, cringing, before pulling away from the unexpected grasp. When she glanced up, she saw it was Noah. He respected her pulling away from him by throwing his hands up, as if in mock surrender. He smiled with patience before glancing over her head, and across the counter at the client.
“Mr. Reed. You have no reason to be so rude. Lindsey is brand new. It’s a tough system to learn and get used to. So, if you continue to find fault with her speed, then it is really on me, I guess, for not training her better. Therefore, I’m the idiot.”
The gentle, but stern rebuke from Noah Clark was like other men Lindsey knew who yelled and screamed. Noah was so commanding. His quiet, tall, presence drew any eye in the room to him, and it became very obvious that he was the intelligent leader in any and all situations.
“I, ah, gee, Dr. Clark. I didn’t mean to be such a cow’s ass. I just wanted to get Dalilah out of here. She hates it so much.”
“I understand. Why don’t you go, and we’ll just consider this visit on me?”
Lindsey shut her eyes in horror, realizing her incompetence led to this entire situation. It was all her fault.
Elliot would have no doubt taken her arm, and led her into the other room before smacking his hand forcibly into the back of her head. That was one of his favorite spots, as it didn’t leave any obvious bruise and really hurt.
But Noah? No, he’d never react like that. He was so freaking nice, it was almost painful to her because she failed him, when she so wanted to please him. Noah instantly had Mr. Reed hanging his head in shame at how small and petty he was. Regret flashed in his eyes as he shuffled his feet. Noah’s eyes were cool as his eyebrows arched.
“No, no, I can’t do that. I’ll wait.”
“How about I have Jessie send you the bill? I know you’re good for it. She still comes in once a week just to do the bills.”
Mr. Reed’s shoulders sagged in relief. He was visibly distressed after being so rude and having Noah put him in his place. “Okay, yup. That’ll work. All right then, I’ll go. Bye now.”
Noah stared after him, his eyes glinting. “Stupid old coot,” he mumbled before he turned back to Lindsey.
She raised her stricken eyes to his. “I’m so sorry. I caused that. I’m…”
Noah’s brow
wrinkled. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You simply didn’t know something. Big difference. He shouldn’t have been such an ass to you about it. You’re doing fine. Now take a deep breath.”
She did. She took a breath. In and out. After she calmed down, Noah simply stood beside her, patiently waiting for her to get another grip. She smiled a wan smile, a little embarrassed by how badly she reacted to that. It was her first day alone, or even working a job, in over five years. She was pretty awful at it too. Jessie spent three days showing her exactly what to do. It was something Jessie did with complete ease, speed, confidence and competence. Yeah, not exactly Lindsey’s performance on the job.
She stared at the cuff of the gray jacket she wore over a stylish blouse and scarf. “I doubt I can do this, Noah. It was a bad idea that Jessie had.”
Noah was silent so she glanced up. He was staring at her. His expression somehow intense, and different than usual. “It wasn’t a bad idea at all. You can do this.”
He stepped closer, and she flinched unconsciously when the rim of his white lab coat grazed her arm. He was so close. Elliot would have had a cow. It was not okay that Noah Clark stood so close to her. Her stomach flopped at his proximity. She could feel his body heat.
He leaned over her and tapped the keyboard as her breath released. Heat filled her cheeks. He was simply bringing up the program she somehow lost. He wasn’t intimidating her, or coming on to her; he was merely fixing her mistake! She was such an idiot. Such an incompetent idiot.
“Now, let me show you how to do this.”
She glanced at his profile, so close to her, when he leaned down and tapped on the keyboard, indicating for her to take notes of what he did. She scrabbled to fill in extra instructions that she somehow missed from Jessie’s tutorial. While Noah was speaking, her phone chimed. She glanced at it, biting her lip. It rang again. She rubbed her suddenly sweaty palms on her slacks. Elliot. It had to be. But Noah was right in middle of speaking. It would be rude to interrupt him now of all times.
But! It was Elliot.
“I’m sorry. I have to take this.” She jumped up out of the chair, and scrambled away from the small, enclosed area where she and Noah were working. She clicked her phone and answered with a breathless, “Hi Elliot.”
Shutting her eyes in relief as Elliot spoke, he thankfully sounded mollified when she answered. He was between meetings and wanted to make sure she was doing okay, although he didn’t ask much about her. He wasn’t really interested in how she was doing. He wanted to know what she was doing. He had to control every aspect of her life, even down to her hourly to-do list. That was why her escape here, visiting her sister, was so unprecedented. It was so rare that Elliot would let her go, but so liberating for her. She could just lie about what she did and avoid punishment for it! He insisted upon a detailed itinerary of what she did on a daily basis. Nothing new to her. She’d been doing that for years. If she forgot something, or wasn’t busy enough for him, he took issue with it and frequently disciplined her. Or he’d simply add on several more strange, futile chores for her to do. Now that she had to cover for the hours she spent working at the vet, she lay awake at night thinking about the details she needed to fill in for what she and Jessie did all day. They had to be believable; and not just a lot of “Jessie-care” in her reports back to Elliot.
She clicked her phone and turned back toward Noah. He straightened up beside her desk chair and she licked her lips. “I’m sorry. That was my husband. He worries so if I don’t answer.”
Noah’s brows relaxed. What did normal, well-adjusted, self confident Noah think of her now? She, who couldn’t even ring up the bill of one patient, although there was not another soul in the office or any phone calls coming in. What would happen if she needed to multi-task?
“Are you sure you want to do this? I know Jessie put you up to it. I can probably find someone else.”
Her stomach cramped. Of course, he wanted someone else. Someone more competent. Someone who didn’t flinch when the man simply tried to explain what she was screwing up. But the strange thing was, she did want to work. When Jessie was sitting next to her, showing her what to do, she liked how it felt. It was strange feeling to have a desk before her and work beside her. It empowered her somehow to have control over the phones and appointments. And though it didn’t appear like much to most people, it was the most trust and responsibility Lindsey was asked to do in years. And she wanted it so much, she was willing to lie to Elliot. Although no one else could understand the significance of that revelation, it was extremely significant. But first, she had to be careful not to totally blow it. It would only be for a handful of days or weeks at the most. But she wanted it more than anything.
“I want to do this. If you can tolerate my mistakes. I’m not very good at any of this.”
He regarded her over the counter before nodding. “Everyone has a learning curve. So, come, and let me finish showing you how the system works.”
****
Lindsey soon learned that the entire town of Ellensburg practically revered Jessie. The myriad pet owners who came into the clinic were visibly disappointed when Lindsey greeted them. Their smiles dropped and their eyes turned cool with disappointment. She was not Jessie. She certainly had that drilled into her more times than she could count. She wasn’t as fast as Jessie, and found it challenging to deal with one pet owner asking a question, while another waited for the bill, and a third wanted to check in, just as the phone rang with another line already on hold. Nor did she ever emerge from behind the reception desk to stroke their pets and bask in the unique wonder of each pet the way Jessie did. Apparently, Jessie managed all this without breaking a sweat. Lindsey, however, literally pitted out her blouses in nervous perspiration.
Noah, more often than not, had to help by running interference. Several times a day, Noah used his gentle, stern, and calm tone that somehow exuded the same authority another man might feel the need to bully or yell about. She was amazed by how quickly he could defuse anyone’s anger or impatience, by making them realize how small and petty they sounded, so they instantly quit being impolite or rude to her. After any conflicts, he unwearyingly turned to her and showed her whatever needed to be done. Often, he simply did it himself. But most times, he took the extra time to help her acclimate and understand the procedures.
Little did Noah realize Lindsey was trying her very best to get all the information and training. It had just been so long since she worked outside of the home, or even ventured out into the business world. It wasn’t so much the tasks involved, but the debilitating fear that gripped her mind and insisted she’d do it wrong every time. That crippling fear stopped her cold.
She soon learned that Noah had several vet technicians who worked at the clinic throughout the week, as well as a partner who cared for most of the large animals. She soon discovered he was often out in the field, at various farms and ranches in the area, attending the livestock and herds. Noah handled all of the overflow and, consequently, the entire clinic caseload.
Lindsey never owned a pet in her whole life. The general disdained them. So when Jessie showed up suddenly, and appeared to love animals, it came as a shock to everyone. Lindsey simply had no experience. She was leery of the big dogs, and avoided the hissing cats.
She also found it entirely weird, and again, very liberating, that on her lunch hour she could sneak onto the internet, and no one noticed or cared. She read the news on the internet every day, and browsed the gossip sites as well as the shopping sites. She mindlessly clicked from one link to the next with no real purpose or goal. It felt so unnatural to have the luxury of being able to enjoy it. She relished the absence of stress too, whenever she heard a noise and reflexively froze in fear of being backhanded for disobeying one of Elliot’s rules.
She remained unsure of every little thing she did. How could she explain her hesitance to Noah? As she browsed the internet, she had to continually give herself pep talks that it was okay to click on this or that
link, subjects she knew that Elliot would not like her reading about. She even got a chance to check out the few times they were in the media. That was also strange. She’d never seen one of the articles or pictures that featured them out and about in Washington D.C.
Noah always encouraged her to take the initiative on things. She sensed he often wondered why she didn’t just do so on her own. She couldn’t explain to him how unsure she was at attempting anything. Literally anything. When she first noticed the empty coffee pot that Noah kept filled for his clients, she just stared at it, wondering if she should make more. Then she didn’t know which coffee to use, since he had two different kinds. What if one cost more than the other? She debated it for an hour before he noticed the empty pot and asked her to make more, reminding her to make sure not to let the coffee or hot water run empty again.
Lindsey lacked the confidence to make even that small of a decision anymore.
So it was much more taxing on her than most new hires to work in an environment where she needed some degree of competence. It became very obvious to her that Jessie went above and beyond the necessary tasks. Her reliability must have had everyone staring at Lindsey, wondering why didn’t she just do it?
Because she didn’t remember how to do anything. Not without Elliot’s permission. She often caught Noah looking at her with an expression of pity. As if he were sorry she was acting so stupid. But instead of ridiculing her, as Elliot would have, Noah simply tried to be more thorough in his requests and detailed in his instructions. Lindsey suspected he addressed her in the way he might a person with special needs.
“So, who are you?”
Lindsey glanced up at the woman’s voice, which startled her out of her intense concentration. She was trying to catalogue and supply a recent shipment of vaccines.
The Good Sister (Sister Series, #2) Page 7