Page 61 of Vetted for Vengeance
“I don't see what this has to do with you?” Henry's tone instantly turns the moment he doesn't get what he wants.
“It has nothing to do with me. I'm just telling you the facts. You are not staying with Noah.”
“We…”
“Are just leaving. I suggest you find somewhere in town, or go home.”
“You can't just push us out. Noah is taking us to dinner.”
Another arrangement I'm sure he does not know of. I forced a smile, wishing I could remove these people from his life personally. He doesn't need them now; he has me. But that side of my life has no place here.
“This is a workplace, and I have been very accommodating by allowing you in here, but now it's time for you to leave. Whatever you have arranged with Noah after his shift is none of my business, but until he clocks out, he has work to do.”
“We won't get in anyone's way,” Elizabeth protests, a sickly sweet smile on her face.
“Absolutely, plenty of space in the car park,” I agree.
“We're not leaving,” Henry folds his arms, standing firm.
“Dr Calder…” Noah calls nervously as he slides closer.
“This is private property. You have overstayed your welcome in a theatre. I will ask you one more time to leave. After that, I stop asking.”
Chapter thirty
Noah
My parents leave after Rhys threatened to call the police. I'm ashamed it got that far. At work. To come to my workplace and refuse to leave is so unprofessional. They just want the attention. And they’ve ruined everything.
Tree's hand reaches across and rests on my arm.
“Breathe, it's over.”
“I can't believe they did that.” I breathe slowly, forcing my lungs to behave.
“You handled it very well. If I ever doubted you performing under pressure, you've proven yourself today.”
My hands unclenched a little as I let her reassurance wash over me. The clinic noise is returning to normal again; phones ringing, kennels rattling, someone laughing in the staffroom. Just an ordinary day in a veterinary practice.
Except my parents just staged a scene in the middle of it.
Rhys walks back in, looking angrier than I feel. His jaw is tight in a way I’m starting to recognize.
“They're sitting in the car park,” he says. “I told them you wouldn't be finished for several hours. I know you need to check Figgy and the pups.”
“Actually,” I decide, surprising myself. “I'll check in on them now, but Chloe can handle it. We can go home.”
Calling his place home makes him smile, and he agrees immediately.
I slip into the night nurse's room to check on Chloe. Figgy is still panting softly on the bed, Chloe beside her like a devoted midwife.
“You've got this,” I tell her quietly.
Figgy lifts her head and thumps her tail once. Chloe nods, focused and calm. The pups are warm and quiet.
For the first time in years, I walk away from a whelping bitch without the constant fear that something will go wrong the moment I leave.
Closing the door is still harder than I expected.
