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“Morning.”
“You had a good morning?” Andy asked.
“Yes.”
“What was the verdict?”
Aria stood up and hesitated as the pain rushed down her thighs, but she was more than fine. She loved the pain. The burn. Yay for weight loss.
The humiliation was over, seeing as Jase had weighed and measured every single part of her last night. He didn’t tell her the number on the tape and she hadn’t asked. What she had done, though, was go and buy some scales and read her starting weight.
“There is no verdict. The dogs are all in good health. Some are happier than others, but from what I can see, they run a tight ship.” Phil took his wife’s coffee and had a giant sip. “Love, you always do this too sweet.”
“I’ll go and make you some coffee.”
“Aria was telling me that they were not the cause of the dogfighting ring.”
“I can see that. They care too much. People who use the dogs in such a callous way don’t care how they’re doing.”
Andy nodded. Phil smiled.
Aria made her way into the staff room and made him a cup of coffee, minus the additional sugar his wife enjoyed. The sound of the bell alerted her to a customer.
“Don’t worry about it, Andy has taken care of Miss Philips and her cat,” Phil said as he stepped into the staff room.
“Ah, that’s good.” She had already arranged the filing for the customers that Phil and Andy preferred. She didn’t know if this was how all veterinary practices were handled, but it was their way.
“Don’t mind my wife prying. She wants us to stay here, and she likes to know as much as she can about a place.”
“You’ve moved around a lot?” she asked.
“Yes. We both love animals. The dogfighting ring has her unnerved. It destroys a part of us, you know, when we lose a patient, so knowing one was set up here has her a little skittish.”
“I don’t think it was something everyone knew about. I know I certainly didn’t.”
“My wife cares so much.” Phil sighed. “And the dogs we have seen do have considerable scars.”
“I know the MC club shut it down.”
“I hope so.” Phil raised his mug. “Thanks for this.”
He stepped out of the staff room and she went back to her desk to see there were already people waiting. She always liked to keep a fresh bowl of treats for the human and for the dog, so they could be put at ease on each trip. She let the clients know, and then got back to her morning’s work.
The phone kept ringing, and she continued to answer calls, dealing with stock supplies. Andy and Phil always left a list of items to order. She had to work through each order for them to finish it off at the end of the day. There was always a lot of work to do, which she preferred. She hated being idle.
By lunchtime, the aches in her body had faded, as she was learning to live with them, but she was also hungry. Andy and Phil were still busy, but she was told to head out for her lunch break.
She looked at her car and decided to walk the small journey into town. It took her fifteen minutes to get to the diner, which was already busy.
Beatrice, as ever, was welcoming with a smile. There were no booths, so she ordered her salad, minus the dressing and the meat, and was about to take a seat at the counter when someone called her name. She turned to see Grant in one of the booths. She also noticed the dog, Wanda, by his feet.
“Go, I’ll deliver your salad in a moment,” Beatrice said.
Walking over to Grant, she paused at his booth.
“Have a seat,” he said.
Aria slid into the booth opposite him. “Er, thank you.”
