door. She followed on wooden legs and watched as he backed out of the parking lot and pulled onto the street, quickly disappearing into the distance.
What just happened? What the hell just happened?
Standing outside the clinic, she continued to stare as though that would bring him back. Robertson’s Veterinary Clinic was not located on the main road that ran north and south through the Eastern Shore but was on a side road. The location was still easy to find while offering the animals that had to be boarded overnight due to surgeries a quiet place for their runs in the back. Tom had taken over the clinic from an elderly veterinarian in the area who’d retired years before. He’d built the practice and spent money improving the clinic. While the surgical area might not be considered state-of-the-art, it was more than adequate for what they needed. The office manager and receptionist, Annette, ordered supplies, handled the schedules, and kept things running. There was one vet assistant and one vet tech. Tom had wanted to hire another veterinarian but found it difficult to find someone willing to move to the Eastern Shore, so he’d been working on securing a vet intern.
She tilted her head back, letting the early morning sun land on her, trying to warm the cold, heavy weight of responsibility that had settled inside. With Tom gone, she knew her days off were gone as well. The clinic was closed on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, but as the only veterinarian in the area, she could get called in at any time. When that had happened in the past on weekends, Tom had given her a day off during the week. Now, it looks like I’ll be working seven days a week. Great. Just fuckin’ great.
Another car pulled into the parking lot, and she watched silently as Annette alighted from her vehicle. One look at Annette’s face and she could tell the intrepid office manager was already aware of what was happening. Not giving Annette a chance to greet her, she glared, her fists firmly planted on her hips again. “You knew. You knew and said nothing to me!”
Annette rushed over, her hands up in a placating gesture. “Sam, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know anything for sure until yesterday evening. Tom had been talking all week about not knowing what to do, but he swore me to secrecy.”
“Secrecy!” She reared back, deciding to give way to the anger. “He’s gone. Gone, Annette. I had no warning, no chance to prepare. Now, this whole business has settled onto my shoulders.”
“We’ll all help, Sam. No one else knows but me. We’ll tell Susan and Tonya today when they get in. “
“When are we going to figure out how to make this work with just one veterinarian?”
“I took our schedule home last night, and I’ve been working on it—”
A growl erupted from deep within Samantha as she thought of Tom confiding his troubles to Annette and not her. She couldn’t decide if she was more hurt or pissed. She had wondered if Tom and Annette had more than a professional relationship, but that was only from a few glances she’d witnessed between them. In her late-thirties, Annette had been with the clinic for years. Tall and thin, she was attractive, and it had crossed Samantha’s mind that the two of them would make a good couple. That thought now made her wonder how Annette was handling Tom’s departure.
Annette threw her hands up and plowed on. “I know you’re upset, but I didn’t know what else to do. I worked on the schedule, and the new vet intern will start on Monday. I looked over the résumé that Tom gave me, and Brentley should be a good fit. Native Virginian. From Virginia Beach originally. He’s one semester away from graduating. He can do some of the minor surgeries like spays and neuters without your supervision. That’ll keep things going until you can hire him or a new veterinarian.”
Sam dropped her chin and stared at her sneakers, her head shaking back and forth slowly. With her eyes squeezed tightly shut, she wished she could turn back the clock to the previous hour when she was just waking, happy, satisfied, and at peace.
“Sam.”
Annette’s voice brought her back to the present, and she lifted her head, resignation settling heavy across her shoulders.
“Sam, honey, I promise, it’ll be okay. Susan and Tonya are coming in this morning, and I shifted our morning appointments so that we’ll have