Page 80 of The Vet's Unconditional Love
"I have another idea I want to run by you," Janey interrupted.
"Go ahead."
"Remember my friend, Hallie?She called me last night.She's back from Argentina and she was wondering if I knew of any openings."
Emmett's eyebrows drew together.
"I didn't say anything, but she's good, and you know her.If we wanted some temporary cover for a while..."
Emmett didn't know what to say to that.He didn't want temporary cover.He wanted to get back to work.But at the same time, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.
"Let me think about it," he told Janey as Blane came back in with the drinks.
~ ~ ~
Harper leaned back against the kitchen counter and waited for Alana to calm down.
"Why is it always the same place?Every single time I trip up on that one stupid line."Alana huffed out a big dramatic sigh and picked up her script from the table, glaring at it as if it were the paper's fault that she stumbled over the same line every time.
She'd asked Harper to run lines with her while Tanya was telling Emmett all about her visit to the MacFarland ranch where she'd been hanging out with Nat after school today.
"You'll get there," Harper told her."You still have time yet."
Alana sank down into one of the chairs at the kitchen table."There's not that long left, you know.We've been rehearsing for months, and there's only a few weeks until the show opens now."
"A few weeks is still plenty of time.You'll get it.I'll help."
"I just don't understand why I can't do it; I don't have any problem remembering all the songs.That's easy.In the first two acts, I don't have any problems at all, but this one place."She jabbed her finger at the script on the table.
"Maybe you need to relax about it," Harper suggested."I find sometimes that when I make a big deal about something I've done wrong, it just gets bigger and bigger."
She waited, hoping that she hadn't overstepped by giving unsolicited advice.
But Alana didn't even seem to have registered that she'd spoken.She looked up."I'm going to call Dakota.I need to talk to her about it."She picked up the script and headed upstairs.
Harper looked around the kitchen.There was nothing left to do in here.But she didn't want to go into the living room either.Tanya was chattering away to Emmett about her visit with Nat; she didn't want to intrude.
Instead, she sat down at the table.She'd been here for a few days now and she was enjoying it.Enjoying being part of the kind of family life she'd never known.But it was non-stop, too.Between all the cooking, making sure the girls were where they needed to be when they needed to be there, and keeping on top of the house, she hadn't had a minute to herself.She didn't mind.She enjoyed being around the three of them.But she'd been on her own for a lot of years.She wasn't used to having anyone in her space constantly.As much as she enjoyed it, it was more mentally tiring than physically.
She looked up when the living room went quiet.A moment later, Tanya came into the kitchen and jumped a little when she spotted her.
"Hey, Harper, I didn't know you were in here.You're very quiet.Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine.Are you okay?What do you need?"
"I was coming to get Dad a glass of water.Do you want one?"
"No, I'm good.Thanks, sweetie."
"You should come into the living room and sit with us.I was telling Dad about Nat.She's so cool."
"You'reso cool," said Harper with a smile.
"You just say that because you love me.I'm a big old dork, but Nat's like super cool.Did you know she went on the run from her foster home?She lived by herself at the airport and everything."
Harper nodded, not knowing what to say.She knew Nat's story and she could relate to it.She hoped that Tanya and Nat would be a good influence on each other, since Nat was kind of streetwise and cynical.Especially compared to Tanya's open-hearted innocence.
"She's happier now, though," Tanya continued, looking thoughtful."She said it was kind of scary, being by herself, too.And now she has a new family."She wrinkled her nose."Hunter's happy, too.They're like a real family now, even though Ford and Amelia aren't really their mom and dad."
