Call it fate, p.26
Call it Fate, page 26
Doc Harold had been popping by, and I knew he was itching to get back to work. But I no longer felt like he was checking on me because he didn’t trust me, but more because he wanted to spend time in his clinic, doing what he loved. In fact, he’d even arranged for me to spend some time with another vet who specialized in large animals. I brushed up on my skills of cows and horses and even learned a few things about llamas.
I was just getting ready to head to The Dogtrot at the end of the day when my cell rang. I recognized the Valley Animal Hospital number and answered with a clear voice, despite the sudden gut feeling that everything was about to change.
“Zach. How are you?” Doctor Anders’s voice rang with his usual cheery tone. “I hope everything is still going well?”
“I’m fine. Everything is great here. What can I do for you?”
“Well, I have some news I think you’ve been waiting on.”
The ticking bomb grew louder. “Oh?”
“I’m pleased to inform you that the board unanimously approved your application for the surgical internship. They were understandably impressed by not only your school records and patient comments, but by how well you adapt to situations, including the sudden move to Sterling Mill and how you made yourself invaluable to the community there. Even Harold wrote the strongest letter of recommendation that I’ve ever seen, and he’s an old fogey who doesn’t impress easily, as you know. I think they’re going to miss you there, but we’re very excited to have you back.”
Tick. Tick. Tick.
“Wow, that’s just…” I couldn’t quite bring myself to find the right words to match the conflicting feelings I was experiencing. I was excited and relieved to get it, but the breathing space I thought I had to convince Em and Iain to move had just been sucked away. “That’s incredible,” I finally choked out. “I’m truly honored, and I really appreciate the opportunity.”
“Well, you’ve earned it, that’s for sure.”
“When would I begin?”
“Well, normally there’s a transition period to allow you to find a place to live and become familiar with our clinic, but since you already have those things covered, we’d like to move up that date. How’s one week work for you?”
Kaboom.
“Are you sure Harold is ready to come back?”
“Wanda is going to scale back the hours, and you know she’ll be there by his side constantly.”
This was what I’d wanted, wasn’t it? “That’s fine, sir. Thank you so much. I’ll work hard, I promise.”
“Never doubted it. See you then.” He hung up with a click.
I didn’t know how long I sat at my—no, Harold’s—desk. Wasn’t it just a couple of months ago I thought this day would never happen? I hadn’t lied to Doctor Anders. I was excited about the opportunity. But even leaving Emalee and Iain for a short time left me feeling cold. The world I told her weeks ago that was finally spinning right had suddenly blown up.
I waited until Iain went to bed to tell her. That was going to be hard enough. Telling Iain was going to fucking suck.
“Okay, what’s up?”
I looked at the beautiful woman curled up in my arms as we watched a show on TV. Well, she watched it. I watched her, wondering how long it would be before I’d get to do this again.
“How do you know something’s up?”
“You’ve been quiet ever since you came home. I could tell you wanted to say something, but you keep stopping yourself. So, spill it.” She pulled herself from my lap and turned to face me, leaving my lap feeling cold and empty.
“I heard from Doctor Anders today.” I picked up her hand and watched as my thumb rubbed across the back of her hand. “I got the internship.”
“Oh, Zach! That’s amazing! I’m so proud of you. You definitely deserved it more than any of the other applicants.”
I laughed, marginally warmed by her belief in me. “You don’t even know them.”
“I know you, and that’s all I need to know.”
Oh, god. How could I leave her? Leave the one person who believed in me and didn’t care if I’d gotten it or not, she’d loved me the same either way.
“There’s more.”
She stilled at the melancholy that worked its way from my heart into my voice. “What?”
“He’s foregoing the usual transition time since I already work there. I report next week.”
“Next week.”
I nodded. “I have to leave in a few days.”
“A few days,” she parroted.
“Come with me.”
“Zach.”
“We’ll make it work, Em. I can’t not have you and Iain. I can enroll him in school or hire a tutor or—”
“Zach—”
I stood and paced across the room, unwilling to listen to anything she had to say unless it involved the word yes.
She followed me across the room, her cheeks already stained with a trail of tears.
“Don’t say it, Em. Don’t even say you can’t.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not saying never, I’m saying not right now. I still have too many responsibilities here at the moment. I can’t promise when we can come. But I’ll keep working on it. I promise.”
“I’ll pay whatever it takes to get someone good, someone that you trust.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that, Zach. This is my family’s legacy. I need to be available to train them, to finish all of the projects that have been started.” She dashed her hand across her cheeks. “I can’t give that up. Not yet.”
“And haven’t I given up enough already?” She flinched as I allowed my frustration to lash out at her. “Isn’t seven years enough of a sacrifice?”
She paled. “That’s a low blow.”
I bowed his head. “It was. I apologize.”
I looked at her, the agony we both felt reflected in her expression. I blew out a long breath, willing to bring this conversation back into control. After all, we weren’t talking about a permanent separation.
“We’ll make it work, Em. I’ll do all the traveling if I have to. But I’m not losing you. I’ll come back every weekend. And you and Iain can come whenever you want. Summer isn’t far away. In fact, it’s the perfect time to move. It will give us time to enroll Iain in school.”
She smiled sadly. “It sounds like a plan.”
It had to be. Fate would be a cruel bitch if she separated us after bringing us together.
Chapter 39
Zach
* * *
Party blowers sounded as I entered Valley Animal Hospital the following Monday.
“Doctor Abbott, we’re so glad to have you back.”
I smiled at the Welcome Back and Congratulations signs that were strung up in the lobby. I was greeted with hugs and handshakes, the most boisterous from Doctor Anders. “I can’t tell you how happy I was to see this happen for you. Ready to get started?”
I was. Anything to help soak up the time until I could be with Emalee and Iain again.
It had been painful to leave them back in Sterling Mill, but I at least took some good memories with me. Iain had given me a handful of drawings to put on my refrigerator, but they didn’t erase the look of dejection on his face. I think the only thing that made it better for him was my asking Emalee if she’d keep Milo. I knew she didn’t have a lot of room, but I needed to know there was a daily reminder of me there for her. I knew she wanted the same when she readily agreed, and Raelyn had even made a cushioned bed for Milo to go with the smaller one she’d made for Callie, the name Iain had given his kitten. Emalee had packed several frozen meals for me and promised there would be more when one of us next made the trip to see each other.
Even several other Sterling Mill residents came to see me off the day before I left. Harrison, Noreen, Lessa, and Sam had stopped by the clinic to thank me once again and gave me a loaf of homemade banana nut bread. I was thrilled to see Lessa had taken well to Sam, who, in turn, was doing everything he’d been trained to do perfectly. I was proud as I saw Harrison navigate his way out of the clinic with Sam’s help, and Lessa was no longer limping as she trotted faithfully alongside the pair.
The Ladies Auxiliary Guild gave me a quilt they’d put together, a beautiful star-type pattern made of blues and greens that would easily remind me of the mountains where it had been made. Megan brought me some sweet treats, and Cam and Chase gave me a beautifully framed picture of Em, Iain, and me.
I remembered the moment it was taken well. We’d been trying to capture a family photo, but one of Chase’s goats suddenly photo bombed us from behind. Em and Iain had their heads thrown back in pure joy as they laughed at the goat, but it was them I was watching with a huge smile. It was an honest, happy moment in time, even better than the more traditional picture we’d finally captured.
The daytime hours passed quickly while I worked alongside Dr. Anders. Because of his specialty, we received more complex cases than we had in Sterling Mill. I loved everything about my work…except going home where it was too quiet.
I usually caught up with Em and Iain shortly before Iain’s bedtime. He filled me in on everything he was doing, mostly talking about more outdoor playtime as the days grew warmer. I missed seeing him in action, missed seeing him race from one place to another unless it was to school.
Each night that passed, the black seed of anger that had been planted when I learned what my father had done grew. It fed on my grief of missing out on so many years and blossomed with my newfound loneliness until I couldn’t ignore it anymore. If my father hadn’t interfered when Emalee had approached him, if he had told me she was pregnant, we would have been together all this time. I was sure of it. It was his actions that sent Emalee packing to Sterling Mill permanently, his actions that kept us separated, and his fucking actions that made me miss out on six years of our son’s life.
It needed to be dealt with.
“Mr. Abbott, you can’t go in there!”
I ignored the frantic cry of my father’s secretary and strode right through his door like I owned the place. Ironic. There was a time I thought that would be the case. Now I was gladder than ever that I’d changed course. I wanted nothing to do with him ever again after this.
He was behind his desk, laughing at something someone was saying on the phone. As soon as he saw me, his face grew serious, and if I wasn’t mistaken, a flash of fear hastened through his eyes, though it was quickly hidden. He finished his phone call with a brusque, “I’ll call you back,” surprising me with his quick attention. Maybe he knew I wasn’t above creating a scene.
“The prodigal son has returned. What has you all ablaze?”
I walked right around his desk and grabbed him around the neck, hauling him out of his chair. “You bastard!” I yelled right before my fist knocked him back into his chair. I grabbed him again.
A gasp sounded from the doorway. His secretary stood with her hand across her chest. “I’m calling security.”
I shoved him away from me, and he stumbled a few feet. Then he rolled his shoulders and straightened his tie, never taking his eyes from mine. “Don’t bother, Elaine,” my father’s choked voice called.
She paused in her retreat and looked at him like he was crazy. “What?”
I was sure one look at my flaring nostrils and clenched fists might have made him think twice, but he gave her a curt nod as he stayed on the other side of the room from me. “Close the door, and see that I’m not disturbed.”
Her nod was hesitant, but she did as he requested. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if she had security on standby outside the door.
I whirled on him, pleased by the flinch he couldn’t hide. “You son of a bitch. How could you? How could you keep Emalee from me? Keep my son from me?”
He didn’t even have the grace to look ashamed as he stood and moved toward the sitting area in his oversized office.
“You knew she was pregnant with my child.”
“Did you really think Julio wouldn’t report back to me that you wanted to use him to track down some nobody? That’s right. Julio looked into her all right, but for me, not for you.” He snorted. “Grow up, Zach. That’s what real power is.”
He was full of shit. “How could you? You knew she was important to me. Me. Your own son! You betrayed me!”
“Because you betrayed me!” His voice boomed throughout the office. “You were supposed to stand by my side. Abbott and Abbott. Instead, a quick shake in the sack and you’re hooked on to something different. Changing your mind about your future, turning down internships, and running around for a year. I thought you simply had wanderlust. I could forgive that, but then you inform me that you’re changing career paths.”
Like a sparkler, my anger flamed and then sizzled. Instead, a deep sorrow filled my bones to the marrow. “So you stole my son from me as punishment,” I whispered hoarsely.
He reached for something inside his desk drawer, then moved to a set of chairs off to the side. He gestured for me to sit, but I didn’t want to oblige him. I crossed my arms and didn’t move, so he shrugged and threw something on the table. He sat, crossing one ankle across the opposite knee and folded his hands in his lap, and stared at me. It was a pose I’d seen hundreds of times when he was in business meetings, his posture giving nothing away other than a sense of authority.
“So, she had the baby,” he finally said in a flat voice.
Was he for real? “She didn’t have just any baby. She had my son. Did you think she wouldn’t?”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “I wasn’t sure. A girl her age, her finances…one wouldn’t really blame her if she made a different decision.”
I knew my father could be cold, but I couldn’t believe he was so heartless about this. “Well, Dad,” I said, using the informal term he hated so much, “I certainly can blame you. You knew and kept it a secret from me. And because of that, I’ve missed out on over six years of my son’s life.” I scoffed. “But I guess you wouldn’t care about that, would you, since you’ve never been involved in mine?”
My father lost some of his composure. “Of course, I have! I’ve given you the best of everything, the best schools, the best opportunities. But you threw it all away for some…some hussy who had your dick wrapped around her little finger.” He turned up his nose. “She must be some kind of good lay,” he muttered.
I reared at my father, who shrank back into his chair. “Call her that again and your secretary will need to call an ambulance rather than security,” I growled, taking great satisfaction in seeing him cower. So much for his “real power.”
I smoothed my hands down my shirt. “We’re done. Don’t ever contact me again. Don’t contact Emalee or anything associated with her. And if you happen to see me out in town, I suggest you run the other way.”
I was halfway to the door when he called to me. “Before you go, look at this. If you still think your precious little Emalee is so great, then it’s on you. But you should know everything before you make that final determination.”
“I already know everything about her.”
“Are you so sure, Zachary?” He gestured to the file he’d thrown onto the coffee table earlier. “Go on. Have a look at your precious Emalee.”
A sick feeling grew in my stomach. “What’s that?” I looked at it like it was a trap because that’s exactly what I was afraid of.
“Just some information I’ve put together. Regardless of your feelings, I’ve looked out for you.”
I snatched it up. Inside were papers with briefings on Emalee, her mother, and The Dogtrot B&B. There was a brief bio of each and some income to debt ratios on the inn. I raised an eyebrow at my father. “You have a fucking file on her? This is just sick. Come near us again and I’ll file a complaint with the state Committee of Legal Ethics.”
I stormed out of the office, pushing past the guy in a uniform. Just as I stepped into the elevator, I heard my father call out from his office door.
“How much is your son worth to you? I know exactly how much he is to your slut.”
He was lucky the elevator doors shut. Not even that security guard could have saved him.
Chapter 40
Zach
* * *
I sat on my back patio, hoping the night air would cool my anger. If it didn’t, then maybe the bourbon in my glass would.
I knew my father wanted me to follow in his footsteps and join his firm.
I knew it had upset him when I told him I was changing my graduate school plans and transferring.
I knew he could be ruthless.
I didn’t know he would go to such lengths to punish me.
And in punishing me, he’d also hurt Emalee and Iain. That was unforgivable. And now, he seemed to think he’d done the right thing, the evidence in the folder my father had given me. It sat on the table next to me like a snake coiled and ready to strike.
I hadn’t called Emalee at our usual time. I didn’t want her or Iain to see how upset I was. I’d received several texts, but I’d let them all go unread.
The folder continued to taunt me by its mere presence. I knew I should just shove it into a drawer and forget about it, but that would never happen. Maybe it was best to see what was in there so it could be put in the past permanently. I couldn’t imagine Em was keeping any more secrets, not after the last revelation.
Still, a sense of doubt niggled at me. Em had kept the secret about my father. She tried to justify it, but she still hadn’t been up front about it. Could there be something else? Something she thought she was protecting me from? If so, how could it be more damning than what I found out about my father?
