“Why are they firing you?Wait ...there’s only four of you vets at your clinic.You, Ned Nickerson—”
“John Nickerson, but yes, Nancy Drew, continue on,” Fang said, curling one side of his mouth up in a way that made me want to kiss him all over his delightful face.
“—Dr.Monica, and Hamish,” I finished.“Oh man, poor Hamish!He just got hired, too.I hope he isn’t going to blame your mentorship for this.”
“I don’t think he will, not that one thing is related to the other.”He ran a hand over his face, and I felt another slop of the wet, clammy feeling in my stomach.“And because I know you’re going to ask, no, no one did anything wrong.There were no complaints, no problem with clients, nothing but one corporation deciding to buy out a competitor, then eliminate the latter.”
“Someone bought out Fangs, Fur, and Wings?”I asked, naming the small company that owned a scattering of vet clinics around the west of England.“And fired the vets who make the company work?”
“The owners sold the company to Veterinary Excellence, yes,” he said.
I flinched at the name of the mega-company that owned vet clinics all over the UK and western Europe.They were known for their high prices, upsell tactics, and control of vet drug research.“That absolutely blows.Are they going to close the FFW clinics?”
“Nickerson said they will consolidate clinics, but fill them with VE people.”He sighed and gave me a smile so filled with rue, it made me want to hold him tight against the ills of the world.“The partners will remain, but those of us who are average, run-of-the-mill vets are off with a month’s severance.”
I curled into him, feeling him so warm and solid and wonderfully Fang that it brought tears to my eyes.“It’ll be OK.Everyone says vets are in short supply.You’ll find another place, one that won’t sell you to the highest bidder.”
“With eleven other vets hitting the market at the same time?”It took him a few seconds, but he shook his head.“There’s only so many vets needed.Hamish said he was thinking about going back to Canada, since the need demand outstrips supply.But I won’t borrow trouble, as my mother used to say.Besides, there’s no reason to be doom and gloom about an impoverished future when you are being wooed by prestigious software companies.How did the interview go?”
I stared at him for a moment, my stomach now evidently filled with lumpy, cold porridge.Spoiled cold porridge.“It went well.The CFO said I could have the job if I wanted.”
Fang watched me closely, his expression going from hopeful and proud to clouded.“Did you take it?”
I shook my head, swallowing hard.“They said I’d have to commute once a month for a couple of days in order to use their proprietary equipment.I told them flying from England to California every month wasn’t going to work for us.Oh, god, Fang.What are we going to do?We can’t both be out of a job at the same time.We have animals to support!And Mrs.Fliss depends on our rent.The Eltons depend on her.We can’t ruin everyone’s lives just because the world suddenly decided we should be jobless!”
Fang must have heard the crack in my voice, because he tugged me tighter against him, and rubbed my back in the best “vet calming a startled animal” manner.“It’s all right, Em.It may seem like we’re under a dark cloud right now, but it’s not permanent.We’ll get through this like we have everything else.”
I looked up at him, sniffling a little.“With grace and aplomb?”
“With a good deal of sweaty bunny-lovin’ sex,” he said.
“You smooth talker, you!”I said, pulling his T-shirt off over his head.
With a manly chuckle, he reciprocated by peeling various garments off me, and scattered them hither and yon as we made our way to the bedroom.
My parents called the next day just before lunch.
“Emily, your father has something to say to you,” Mom announced in her best community theater voice, the one clearly audible not only in the back of the auditorium but out in the parking lot, and sometimes, when she was particularly focused, all the way to the drive-thru of a nearby fast-food place.“Something impactful.I want you to weigh his words well, and not be swayed by either the bonds of paternal affection that you may hold for him or your love of all things mystery.Brother?You know what to do.”
There was the rustling sound of someone handing her phone to my father, followed by muffled footsteps retreating and the overly loud slamming of a door.
“Someone’s in trouble with Mom,” I told Brother, idly watching Mrs.Fliss as she hobbled around her minuscule front garden.“What did you do now?”
“Exist?”he asked, sotto voce.
Evidently, it wasn’t assottoas he hoped, because, “TELL HER!”could be heard even through the closed door.
I giggled.
“You may well laugh, but it’s you that has me in this situation,” Brother said, breathing heavily through his nose for a few minutes before his leather chair made farting noises as he sat down.“And much though I’d like to demand you accommodate me, your mother has a point.You are my youngest child.You are being married.I, as your doting, if not uncritical, paternal figure, should be there.”
“What’s this?Why are you making a big deal about being at the wedding?I told you I don’t mind if you aren’t around the whole time.”I scooted the cat out of my seat and plopped down, only to immediately have a dog curl up on my feet, and Tristan, with a little side stink eye at me usurping the comfy chair, settled himself on my lap.“It’s all copacetic, Brother.”
“No, it’s not.”He breathed heavily for another few seconds before adding, “The schedule for the tour just came in.The tour of Conan Doyle’s house is the same day as your wedding.The tea with the relative will take up that afternoon.As your mother said, I know my duty.”
“Wait a second,” I said, absently petting the cat and wiggling my toes where Chloe dug her elbow into them.
“I’m not going to say I haven’t thought of canceling the whole tour,” Brother continued, martyrdom leaching from his words.“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event, but so is a daughter getting married.Except you could marry again, and I doubt if the Conan Doyle relative has many teas with historians, but still, that’s life.”
