The past few days had been rough. The cattle emergency had devastated me in ways I was still processing. Fifty-seven lives ended, watching that farmer apologize to each one. I’d needed to withdraw, to cocoon myself away from everything while I dealt with that trauma. Yeah, Sam had tried to talk to me, tried to tell me something important. But I hadn’t been ready. I’d needed those couple of days to pull myself back together.
Now I was back. And I was ready to deal with whatever the hell was going on.
Here I was in the produce section of Willowbrook General, buying groceries for tonight. It was Emma’s birthday today — both Sam and I had the afternoon off for her party. After the party, we’d come home, and I was going to sit Sam down and tell him exactly what I knew. The receipt. The overheard conversations about the proposal. The phone call at the restaurant. The cash withdrawal. The credit card charges to Millfield. All of it.
Then I’d let him explain.
I didn’t believe for one second that Sam was cheating on me. But something was happening, and it ended tonight. Tomorrow we could have a lazy day at home, just mooching around together, spending actual quality time like we used to. But first, we needed to clear the air.
“Dr. Parker!” Mrs. Williams waved at me from the dairy section, her cart loaded with enough groceries to feed a small army. “How are you, dear? You look well!”
“Thanks, Mrs. Williams! Just picking up some things for the weekend.” I moved toward her with a genuine smile.
“And how’s that handsome boyfriend of yours? I haven’t seen him at the farmer’s market lately. Sam never misses the fresh vegetables for the bar.”
“You know how it is this time of year — everyone’s busy,” I said. “But we’re both taking this afternoon off for Emma’s birthday party.”
“Oh, that’s lovely! Such a sweet little girl. Four already, can you believe it?” Mrs. Williams’s smile was warm. “Harper is around here somewhere with little Emma,” she said, looking around.
Harper and I had been playing phone tag for the past few days – between my late-night animal emergencies and her managing a preschooler’s schedule, we kept missing each other. It would be good to see her at the party today.
“I’ll keep an eye out for her,” I said.
I grabbed ingredients for a nice dinner — something quick we could make together after the party. I was adding a second bag of coffee to my cart when I heard Emma’s distinctive giggle from the next aisle over.
“Mama, can we get the cookies with the rainbow sprinkles?”
“We’ll see, sweetheart. Help Mama find the pasta sauce first.”
I rounded the corner with my cart, genuinely smiling. Emma spotted me immediately.
“Dr. Chloe! Dr. Chloe!” She skipped over to me, her pigtails flying. “We saw kitties yesterday! The orange ones! And today’s my birthday, and I’m FOUR!”
“Happy birthday, sweetheart!” I said, matching her enthusiasm. “Four years old! That’s so big!”
“We’re having a party,” Emma announced proudly. “Daddy’s doing the balloons!”
“I know! I can’t wait to see you in your birthday dress this afternoon,” I said. “I bet it’s beautiful.”
“This one’s so excited. I’m keeping her out of the house for a bit while Jack finishes setting up,” Harper said with a warm smile.
Emma tugged on my arm. “We saw kitties yesterday!”
“Did you now?” I crouched down to Emma’s level, letting her excitement wash over me. “What did the kitties say?”
“Mew mew mew!” Emma dissolved into giggles, and I found myself laughing too.
When I stood back up, Harper was studying my face. “How are you doing, Chloe? Really?”
“Life’s been hectic,” I said, keeping my tone light. “Spring animal emergencies, Sam’s been slammed at the bar. We’ve both been a little off our rhythm, you know? We just need some downtime together. A quiet night at home should help.”
Harper’s expression relaxed. “Good. You two need that. You’re coming this afternoon, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” I said with a genuine smile. “I’ve got Emma’s gift at home already wrapped,” I whispered.
“Perfect.” Harper squeezed my arm. “See you at three?”
“I’ll be there.”
