Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
She presses at my chest, and I break the contact immediately. I feel a little more than disappointed when she lifts her hand and wipes at her mouth with the back of it, glaring at me like I'm the biggest asshole she's ever met, and honestly, I just might be.
"What the fuck are you doing?" she growls, and I do my best not to smile. Seriously, the filthy words coming from her mouth might just possibly be my downfall.
"I was... I mean, I thought—"
"You thought what, Walker?" she snaps, but she continues speaking before I can formulate an answer that doesn't make me a douchebag. "That the solution to any problem a woman is having is solved with your mouth on them?"
I'm in no position to argue semantics with her so I don't tell her that she's the only woman I've imagined kissing for a very long time. I don't think it would be received in the way I'd like it to, so I do the smart thing and keep my mouth shut.
"Don't try that shit again," she hisses before shoving me out of the way and leaving the office.
I feel the softness of her lips on mine long after I hear the front door of the bar slam closed behind her.
Chapter 10
Claire
"Your momma will be back before you know it," I tell Fifi, the most psycho Pomeranian I've ever met.
She answers me by trying to chew her way out of the metal cage.
"Feisty one," Kristina says.
"She's a hateful little thing," I tell her, pointing to the hole the dog bit in my uniform when she was dropped off fifteen minutes ago. "If only having them spayed actually changed their demeanor. That one could use an attitude adjustment."
"Good thing Corbin pays for the uniforms," Kristina mutters as she scratches the head of a beagle I've yet to meet.
"Exactly, " I agree, making a mental note to introduce myself to the dog before he leaves today.
Kristina has actual training as a vet nurse, whereas I'm sure I got this job because someone in town felt sorry for me. I help bathe the animals, trim nails, check patients in, and, more often than not, I get to be the lucky person petting their heads when they wake from anesthesia.
I've always loved animals, so it's no hardship to spend my days helping them. Dr. McBride is a passionate doctor who never refuses service to anyone even when they may not have the immediate funds to pay. He'll never let an animal suffer while haggling over prices, and I think that makes him an incredible human being.
I don't have animals, and there are no plans in the future to get one. At the same time, Larkin isn't at that age where she really remembers it a day later when she requests a furry companion. Right now, she's a hundred percent satisfied with her books, trolls, and the unlimited amount of toys the Kennedys buy for her, even when they insist on leaving them at their house as if they're afraid I'd try to sell them or something. Nora is the same with the clothes. If she sends Larkin home in the clothing she purchased, she fully expects those items washed and returned with the next visit. I don't have a problem returning the woman's things, but it's the expectation that I go home and do a load of laundry when I may not have enough dirty clothes with it to make a full load. The duplex that I live in has a small laundry room for tenants to share, but the washing machine has been leaving a stench in clothes for months. Larkin and I spend several hours every Sunday at Get The Funk Out of Here, the local laundromat. I'll be damned if I'm going to go and spend three dollars on one single outfit. It's also why I started sending Larkin with a full change of clothes in that cloth bag Nora seems to hate so much.
"Claire?"
I raise my eyebrows, unsure of how long I've been standing there forcing clients to watch me battle make-believe fights with Nora Kennedy.
"Sorry," I tell Madison when I see her looking at me. "What's wrong with Nanuk?"
I look down at the Husky who I can see doesn't feel well, even when his furry tail swishes back and forth some.
"He's got terrible diarrhea," she says, whispering the last word as if it would be a disgrace to have someone else hear her say it. "I don't know if it's something he ate. The boys are terrified."
"Let's get him checked in," I tell her and circle around the counter to the computer.
I pull up her information, smiling when I see the notes written on the computer. I remember Nanuk very well. The poor thing was found on the highway, and he was nothing but skin and bones before Dr. McBride got him here. The dog has a certain charm and it usually comes out in the form of a screaming howl when he's excited. Chase, Madison's fiancé, ended up with him, but I really think that was a bait-and-switch situation where the dog just got dropped off at Chase's house while Dr. McBride left, hoping he wouldn't be demanded to come and pick him back up.