I should have never come back.
I should have just left well enough alone.
CHAPTER 19: Annabel
I didn’t have the luxury of calling in sick so I could hide out in my bed with the covers pulled up over my head, lamenting the fact that the only man I had ever truly loved had cheated on me yet again. I mean, I didn’t know what I had expected from Shane. It was not like we were a committed couple. Hell, I hadn’t seen him in over a decade and then I go and throw myself at him the first day he is at home?
Could I really blame Juju for doing the same?
Could I blame Shane for being receptive to what she was offering?
Of course, I could.
Shane Mavic was a cheating, lying piece of shit and he’d never convince me otherwise.
So, for the next three days I forced myself to get out of bed in the morning and go downstairs to the office and serve my patients well and drag my feet back up the stairs at night.
The pets of Gulf Breeze needed me.
I would not let them down, no matter how much I wanted to just crawl into a hole and die.
* * *
“’Who’s next?” I asked Wendy after coming out of exam room 3 where I’d just finished cleaning the anal glands of an obese Chihuahua named Nacho. I know. Gross. Most of my job is gross, but somebody’s got to do it.
Wendy handed the patient folder across the desk and nodded at exam room 2. “Juju Wheeler is here with Pumpkin. Annual shots.”
“Shit,” I said without thinking. I hadn’t told Wendy what had happened, but she knew Juju and I had a history and could tell something was up with me.
“Do you want me to have Juan do it?” she asked.
I took the folder and shook my head. “No. I’ve got this.”
I paused outside the door to take a deep breath, then opened the door and went inside. Juju was standing next to the exam table. Pumpkin, her toy poodle, was sitting on the table enjoying getting his ears scratched.
“How have you been, Annabel?” Juju asked tentatively. Her smile was shaky. The skin around her eyes was tight with tension. She was not her usual bubbly blonde, over-the-top self. To the contrary, she looked like a nervous wreck.
I tugged on a pair of latex gloves and glared at her. I was forcing myself not to cry. “Look, Juju, I will take care of your dog, but we’re not going to be friends. So, let me do what I need to do so you can leave.”
“I understand,” she said quietly. “I just want you to know that— “
I held up a hand to hush her. “Just… save it.”
I checked Pumpkin’s weight and vitals. She was young and healthy. No issues other than having an owner who was a cunt. I picked up the syringe and started to give Pumpkin her shots. The syringe was trembling in my hand.
“I can’t do this…” I said, shaking my head. “I’ll have Juan come in and do the shots.” I snapped off the gloves and reached for the door.
“Annabel, wait,” Juju said. “There’s something you should know.”
I shook my head at her. “I’m not interested in hearing anything you have to say, Juju. Please. Just don’t ever talk to me again.”
I opened the door and started to go through.
Juju raised her voice. “Annabel, stop! You’re going to want to hear this,” she said.
“Why would I give a shit about anything you have to say?” I asked.
“Because you are about to let a good man get away,” she said with a heavy sigh. “And I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell you the truth.”