I run a hand up and down her spine as she works out more mud. For all her big talk, she’s handling this well.
If this were Nancy, or any of the girls I dated in the past, they’d have lost their shit and dialed their freak-outs to eleven.
They wouldn’t have even humored staying here to get cleaned up. They’d be demanding to go home, and I probably wouldn’t hear from them for two weeks after.
But this is Lena Joly.
She’s more rattled by my stupidity than a dirty mishap. Even though she should be tossing my severed head into the stables, she’s giving this her best shot.
Once her clothes are clean enough to stop dripping mud, I wrap an arm around her waist and press a kiss to the side of her head.
“Come on,” I say. “Let’s go inside.”
I walk Lena in and show her to the bathroom so she can wash up better.
Later, we find Mom in Wendy’s living room, her hands wrapped around a mug of what smells like herbal tea.
Wendy bustles away to make us two coffees and give us a little space.
“So, Brady tells me you work at a veterinary clinic,” Mom says, smiling gently at Lena. I warned her before she arrived that she needed to be nice. No claws and zero venom.
“Yes, I’m a nurse there.” She looks at the sofa next to Mom. “I’d sit, but ... I really need a change of clothes.”
“Everyone loves her. Pets and humans,” I interject, stepping by her side and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
“Actually, pets love me more than people do. The clients can be rough.” Lena shuffles so her shoulder presses against mine. “Or maybe I’ve just never gotten over my soft spot for animals.”
“That’s understandable. People can be so difficult,” Mom says agreeably. “We always wanted a puppy or a nice cat when Brady was growing up. But Alec—my husband—he’s never been particularly fond of having animals in the house.”
Huge understatement. I don’t think there’s anything he likes less than the day he collapsed and he was put on oxygen.
Some people have a wake-up call with a health scare.
Not my father. If anything, the crisis only amplified his worst qualities.
“That’s a shame, but it’s not for everyone,” Lena says politely.
“How many pets did you have growing up?”
“Not a lot, exactly, but ...” She smiles, pursing her lips. “When I was growing up in my little house, there was this old stray cat who just sort of found us. He showed up one day when I was playing outside, and then he never left. And when I say old, I meanold. Only had oneeye, so many health problems. My parents warned me they didn’t have much money and we’d probably have to say goodbye anytime. We called him Ambrose.”
Hell yes, I’m smiling.
I can see it now, clear as day. Little Lena, caring for this ancient, ragged beast the rest of the world would’ve left for dead. Loving him despite the impossible.
This woman is a treasure, and I hate that her kindness ever allowed a fucking snake like Harry Jay to leave scars on her soul.
“We all thought every day was his last, but despite everything, he kept going. He was with us for five years, and they were so good.” Her smile drops a little. “There were a few times when Mom was sure it was the end of the road. She wanted to put him down and end his suffering, thinking he wouldn’t get any better. But he did every time I convinced her. In the end, he was comfortable and I—I loved Ambrose a lot.”
She’s a little choked up at the end.
I pull her in, kissing her head, not caring about a few specks of dirt that wind up on my lips.
“I bet.” Mom leans forward, her eyes bright, clearly touched by the story. “Animals are like that, always able to mean so much without saying a word. They get under your skin, and then you’d do anything for them.” She smiles at me fondly. “People are like that, too, of course, but they’re so much harder to find.”
“You talking about Dad or me?” I snort.
“Both, darling. Between the two of you, it’s remarkable I don’t have more grey hair and lines under my eyes.” She winks at Lena. “Not that I’d ever let them show. Aging gracefully isn’t one of my virtues. I plan to fight old age tooth and nail.”
