Grumpy as puck, p.15
Grumpy as Puck, page 15
“Yes, an extra dollar an hour would be nice.” I crumpled up the paper and threw it near the wastebin, and it bounced off the edge of the can and slid into the corner. There it would stay until, hopefully, a dog peed on it.
“But since I am a salaried employee, she only means I am making an extra dollar a year, not an hour.”
Diana’s eyes widened, but before she could say anything, the door to the clinic flew open, and Mr. Walsh came in out of breath.
I raced over to him as he clutched at his chest. “Are you alright? Should I call an ambulance?”
He shook his head but couldn’t speak. I led him over to one of the waiting room chairs. He sat down and mouthed the word “water.”
I glanced over at Diana, who was already rushing over with a water bottle.
After a few sips, Mr. Walsh spoke, “I am really out of shape.”
“Do you want me to call your doctor? Is your arm numb, or does it have shooting pains?” I might have been a veterinarian, but I knew enough about human medicine to help until the medics arrived.
“I’m not having a heart attack.” He looked at me as if I just threw the bottle of water in his face.
“That’s good.”
“I ran here from your apartment and realized I need to exercise again.”
“Why were you at my apartment?”
He gave me an exasperated look. “To take you to work? Sam’s waiting.”
“But I work here now. Remember?” I glanced over at Diana with worry. Was he having a stroke? “You were the one who negotiated my salary.”
I wasn’t about to tell him it was all for nothing since Angelica was reneging on the deal.
“If that’s what you want?” He stood, and I grabbed his arm to help. He waved me away but stumbled before righting himself.
“I guess we’ll just have to find someone else to help with all those homeless animals that are coming over from Big Mountain Animal Rescue.”
My god, he was having a stroke. That had already happened.
“Mr. Walsh… those animals came over two days ago, on Saturday, for the adopt-a-thon. It’s over.”
He shoved his hand on his hip. “I know all those animals were adopted. But the new ones they got yesterday and today will be showing up at the farm. The Big Mountain Animal Rescue building is closing up shop. Those animals have to go somewhere.”
I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. The rescue was closing? No…
“But why? Why are they closing?”
I must have asked the wrong question because Mr. Walsh was more annoyed with me than when I tried to help him out of the chair.
“You ask too many questions. Just come to the farm and find out for yourself. And since we are asking questions, why are you working here?”
I was completely confused. Nothing this man said made sense.
“Because Angelica asked me back.”
“But you had a great job that paid better than this.”
I couldn’t believe Cillian hadn’t told his father about what happened on Saturday with Shondra. Cillian had faults, but I never pegged him as a coward.
“I thought it best to come back here.”
His lips thinned. “No, you didn’t. You just didn’t want to see my son because he did some stupid things many years ago.”
I guess he had told his father.
“You’re right.” I let out a breath. “I’m just tired of working for liars.”
“Then I ask you again, why are working here?”
I ran my hand over my face. “Because there’s nothing else. I want to work with animals. I don’t want to be a barista or a receptionist or an accountant, which are all perfectly fine jobs for other people. Here, I get to work with animals. I get to care for them when they can’t care for themselves.”
He smiled. “Now was that so hard to admit?”
“No…” I said, very much confused by his line of questioning.
He waved me out the door. I told Diana I’d be back in a little while, and if it was an emergency, to tell the client to head to the farm.
It was a quick five-minute walk to my apartment building where Sam’s car waited. The men gave each other knowing looks. I tried to find out what was going on, but Mr. Walsh muttered about too many questions.
When we made it to the farm, I saw there were several cars parked out front. I got out and heard the bleat of a goat.
As we moved closer, I caught a whiff of something delicious. That was unusual for a farm, as it normally smelled of manure, animals, and hay.
“Am I imagining it, or is someone cooking?” I asked Mr. Walsh.
“Someone is cooking. It’s getting close to lunchtime, so I made sure there would be food.”
It wasn’t even ten in the morning. My eyes slid to Cillian’s father. No matter my feelings about Cillian, I was going to have to reach out to him and let him know I believed his father should see a doctor.
“Yes, lunchtime. Mmm.” I rubbed my belly.
Maybe he wanted to thank me for helping his son with the adopt-a-thon. I smiled. It was sweet of him to go to these lengths to thank me.
“Look, Mr. Walsh, if you just want to thank—” My words died on my lips when Cillian stepped out of the house with my brother behind him.
“What is going on?” I mumbled to myself.
Why was my brother grinning and throwing his arm around Cillian?
“Daisy. Great, you’re here,” Jackson called out and moved down the three steps from the farmhouse to the ground.
Cillian stayed at the front door. He knew enough to keep his distance.
“Why, Jackson? Can someone please tell me why I am here?”
Jackson glanced back at Cillian, who turned and went back inside. Run away, coward. Run away.
“Welcome to your new job.” Jackson waved his hands around the farm.
My brows shot up. “Has everyone gone mad? I don’t work for Cillian anymore. I work at the veterinarian clinic in Castle Ridge.”
“Walk with me, Sis.” Jackson put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me forward. I stumbled but didn’t fall.
“I have my own legs and don’t need to be forced into walking.”
“Didn’t you always dream of having an animal sanctuary on a farm?”
“Yeah, but what does that… Wait a minute. Don’t tell me Cillian is giving me this farm out of pity?” I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled toward the farmhouse door, “Because I don’t accept pity gifts.”
Mr. Walsh strolled by, heading toward the farmhouse door. “It’s my farm, and I’m not selling it to anyone.”
Poor Sam was walking beside him and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, not knowing where to look. The boy was clearly uncomfortable.
“I’m not working for Cillian, if that’s why I’m here. And if Cillian wants to hire me, then why isn’t he out here talking to me?”
My brother said something, but I cut him off. I was fed up with the excuses men gave me for being selfish pricks.
“He’s not here because he’s a coward. He screwed up marrying someone and didn’t even try to find out what happened while he was in Vegas. I may not have ever been blackout drunk before, because I don’t think I physically can, but I’ve been with people who have. And they always ask what happened the next day. They want to know. Why didn’t he want to know, Jackson? Hmm? Answer me that.”
Again, Jackson talked, but I marched off toward the farmhouse door. I knew he was going to feed me another excuse that made no sense. It was time to find the truth from the man himself.
I slammed my feet on the white wooden steps that led to the door. Grabbing the red door, I pushed, and when I stepped inside, my mouth almost hit the floor.
Everyone I knew and most of the Devils were in the house. Even Sophia stood in the kitchen, cooking something. That was where the wonderful smells were coming from.
I craned my neck but didn’t see Cillian. There was food and some soft music playing in the background. This was obviously a celebration.
An arm slipped into mine, and I jerked back in surprise. I let out a sigh of relief when I realized it was Lydia. “Girl, you scared me.”
“Sorry. But I wanted to welcome you to your Dream Come True Party.”
“Why is there a party for me at Mr. Walsh’s farmhouse?” I held up my finger. “No excuses. Everyone I ask has given me the runaround. I need the truth.”
She gave me a soft smile. “The Big Mountain Animal Rescue has closed its doors.”
“I know, I heard. Isn’t it awful? And after they had such an amazing adoption rate with the adopt-a-thon.”
She shook her head. “No, they just closed their location. They will move here. And since you did such a wonderful job with the adopt-a-thon, they want to hire you as their animal medical director. I don’t know the specifics, but you’d work here with the animals. Oh, and Mr. Walsh is converting the barn into a veterinarian clinic. That way any procedures the animals need can be done right here.”
I glanced around, wondering if this was some sort of joke, as it seemed a little too perfect to be real.
“If they want me to have the job, why haven’t they offered it themselves? I would think they’d want to interview me.”
Lydia stepped back and tilted her head. “Are you serious? You just found out about your dream job coming true, and you don’t believe it? You’ve been volunteering there for years. They know you. They have everything they need to know about you. I’m sure if you ask, they can interview you.”
I folded my arms, still uneasy about all this. Why did Lydia know and not me?
“I didn’t get a call from them…”
She lifted something from her back pocket and held it in front of me. “You mean this phone? The one you left here after the adopt-a-thon? Mr. Walsh gave it to me because, when he showed up at your apartment yesterday, you weren’t there. I tried to find you too, but no Daisy.”
I chewed on my lower lip. “I hid out at the coffee shop all day. It’s where I go to drink my troubles away.”
She frowned. “With coffee?”
“Yes. I don’t recommend it. But that still doesn’t answer the question, why you know about the job and I don’t.”
“They called while I had the phone. I hoped it was you trying to locate your phone, but it was them. They explained they were informed that the farm location was up for rent, and they took it. They created a position that was part-veterinarian, part-coordinator, and they instantly thought of you for that position.”
“But I haven’t said yes to the job yet, and to be perfectly honest, if I have to work here, I don’t know if I will. It’s like moving from working under the roof of one person who hurt me to another. I just can’t do that. Even for a dream job.”
I let out a sigh and turned to make my way to door. That was when I ran into my brother.
“Daisy, you’re making a mistake.”
“No, Jackson. For the first time in my life, I’m standing up for my heart. It’s been bruised and battered too much, and it needs to heal. Even if that means working for those spoiled billionaires at The Blue Spot.”
Because I wasn’t even going back to the veterinarian clinic. Fuck Angelica and her dollar raise.
I pushed past Jackson. As I opened the door, I heard him say, “Cillian isn’t married. He’s divorced.”
Chapter twenty-four
Daisy
I turned back and closed the door. Moving back into the entranceway of the farmhouse, I asked, “What do you mean, he’s divorced?”
“Brian and Shondra set out to screw with Cillian. I think Shondra did it because she’s a bitch. I know something about exes being bitches, so I knew it the moment I met her.” Jackson chuckled.
“What about Brian? Isn’t that her fiancé and your team captain?”
“Ex-captain. I informed Coach yesterday exactly what Brian had pulled, and he was fired instantly. Brian said he didn’t care; that it was worth messing with Cillian. Apparently, Cillian made up a nickname for Brian back when he was drinking, and he found out about it. After that, Brian was hellbent on ruining Cillian.”
My eyes widened. “That’s terrible, but it doesn’t explain the divorce.”
“Yup, Cillian got married in Vegas. The reason he didn’t remember isn’t because he was drunk; it’s because Shondra spiked his drink.”
I took a step back. “Wait. I’m confused. How would anyone know that except for Shondra? You saw Cillian Saturday when she told him… He has no memory of the wedding. He would have had to get his blood tested to know. Two years is way too late to have your blood tested for being roofied or whatever she used on him.”
“Benzos. At least, that’s what she told me.” My brother’s lips curled into an evil grin. “The reason I know is because I got suspicious after what she said in the barn on Saturday. Having been married to Katie, I swear I can sniff out the gold-diggers.”
I sighed, but Jackson continued, “I played it up that I was on her side. She invited me over to dinner with herself and Brian. That’s when they let it all slip because they thought I hated Cillian. They told me how Shondra tricked him into marriage by spiking his drink. Then, when his mother died and he became boring—her words, not mine—she divorced him. She got him to sign the document by tricking him into thinking it was about a car loan. So they really did get divorced. But when she saw you in the restaurant and Brian found out, they decided to screw with Cillian one last time.”
“She lied. My god, she said those things just to hurt Cillian.” Sucking in a breath, I couldn’t believe what I had done. “And I ran away. He wasn’t the asshole… I was.”
My brother pulled me in for a hug. “It’s like you’ve finally accepted what I’ve been telling you all your life.”
I pulled away and gave him a playful shove as he chuckled.
“Where is he?”
He pointed up. I ran to the stairs and took them double-time. Walking into the room I assumed was once his—the one with those pictures in the closet—I found Cillian. He held a photograph in his hands but looked up when I stepped inside the room.
“I’m sorry,” I said, wrapping my arms around myself. “I know that isn’t enough, but I really am so sorry. I should have believed you. It’s just that—”
He took a few steps toward me, and I caught a whiff of his spicy cologne. My fingers itched to reach out to him. It had only been two days, but I missed him so much.
“Don’t apologize. You had every right to feel hurt. You thought I lied to you. How were you to know I was drugged or that Shondra was lying? Or that Brian was super crazy?”
“I know, right? What the hell was up with him? That’s psycho behavior.”
He nodded. “The coach informed Boston, and now he will not be on that team either. No hockey team wants him. And Jackson told me if I wanted to go to the police with what Shondra did, he’d back me up.” Cillian’s hand lifted, and he pushed a stray hair behind my ear. A shiver ran down my neck at his touch.
“Are you going to press charges?”
He took another step forward until I felt the heat of his body against mine. I leaned into him, resting my head on his chest. His hand came up, running his fingers through my hair.
All the stress from the past few days drifted away as I melted into his arms.
“You better believe I’m pressing charges. What she did was insane.”
I chuckled and slid my arms around Cillian. He let out a soft groan, and the rumble ran down to my core.
“Daisy, I need you to know something.” He stiffened. “I swear I had nothing to do with the job offer.”
I nodded, my forehead rubbing against his chest. “I know. Lydia explained everything.”
“I did, however, help my dad reach out to the Big Mountain Animal Rescue to let them know his property was available to rent at a much cheaper price than what they were paying.”
My arms tightened around his waist. “Thank you,” I whispered.
The Walshes were good men. Cillian helped with the adopt-a-thon by bringing the Devils in on it, and his father was renting his farm to the animal rescue. They seemed to put their money where their heart lay.
“Are you going to take the job?”
As I processed all that had happened, I let out a breath. “I would be stupid not to. It’s a dream come true.”
Cillian pulled back, holding me at arm’s length. “That’s the last thing you are… stupid. You’re the smartest, sweetest woman I know. Your gift is your heart. The care you put into what you do, for animals and for the people around you. But I understand if you don’t take the job, and I would never call you stupid for that decision.”
“Are you going to be here? I mean, when the Big Mountain Animal Rescue moves in.”
“I don’t live here, so no. And if you don’t want me to stop by ever, I won’t.”
“It’s your father’s home and the place where you grew up. I could never ask that of you.”
The corner of his mouth curved. “There you go again, being kind. Thinking only of another person’s comfort and not your own.”
I slid my finger down his chest. “I am being selfish. Working here would be a lot more enjoyable if you came to visit. Maybe we could take a stroll and go visit that fence we inspected several weeks ago.”
Cillian’s eyes rounded with hope as he cupped my face. “You don’t hate me anymore?”
“You may be grumpy at times, but I could never hate you. In fact… I love you.”
His eyes softened, and he leaned his head toward mine. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me, but he stopped right before his lips reached mine.
“Let’s make a promise. No matter what happens, we talk about it. Even if it’s a hard topic to discuss, we don’t run off or keep it buried inside.”
“That sounds like a wise idea. There’s something I would like to discuss right now.”
“Really? What?”
“Why are your lips not on mine? It has been days since they had a workout. I think they need their exercise.”
Cillian chuckled, but before I could continue my point, he captured my mouth with his. Tingles ran through my body, and I dug my fingers into his sides.
