Harlow smiled at Nick’s greeting. She quickly sat up in bed and ran her fingers across the screen to text him back.
Uh-oh. I guess I’ll be kissing a lot of animals at work today.
A few bubbles appeared on the screen and Harlow waited for Nick to respond. Seconds later his message popped up.Lucky them.??
Harlow responded with a blushing, smiley-faced emoji.
Have a good one! Hope to see you at Baxter’s.Harlow grinned at his text, then put the phone down as she stood up and began dressing for work. The casual dress code for veterinarians was a perk of the job, so she pulled on jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Once she was at Paws she would put on her navy lab coat before she met with any clients. Harlow dug into a quick breakfast of oatmeal, coffee, and a blueberry muffin, then stashed a bottle of water and an energy bar in her purse for a quick snack at work.
Gorgeous fall foliage greeted her the moment she stepped outside. Oranges. Reds. Yellow and brown leaves. With the shimmering lake waters as a backdrop, the view resembled a picturesque postcard. Maine at its most glorious. Maybe small towns weren’t as bad as she’d always imagined. With every passing day, Harlow was discovering that Mistletoe wasn’t Chestnut Ridge. She was being welcomed so heartily by the residents. Other than Gillian, her clients had been amazing. And her experience the other day at the farmers’ market had been incredible. She had visited enough of the United States to know that moments of true connection didn’t happen in most places. She’d been seen by Agatha and welcomed and treasured. Every time she thought about that experience, a chill raced through her.
What if the folks in Chestnut Ridge had extended that type of grace to her family instead of treating them like pariahs? Kindness would have made all the difference in the world.
She couldn’t be mad at this town for the things that had happened to her family in the past. So far Mistletoe was surprising her. There weren’t any bogeymen waiting in the shadows to torment her. They were only in her head, shadows from the past. Maybe being in Maine would finally allow her to extinguish them.
Harlow was excited about this morning’s meeting at Paws with Whitney. They would be discussing a rescue plan for dogs in need, which was near and dear to Harlow’s heart. She was heading in a half hour early to lay her plan out for Whitney. She hoped she would be on board with the project. When Harlow walked into Paws, she stopped at the front desk to chat with Jon before heading to Whitney’s office down the hall. Since no clients were in the waiting room, the clinic felt peaceful. The aroma of brewed coffee hung in the air, giving Harlow a pick-me-up without even having to drink a cup of java.
Harlow knocked on Whitney’s partially open door. She instantly heard her boss inviting her in and she walked inside the small area, admiring the beautiful flowers on her desk and the animal paintings on her wall. The vibe matched the woman herself. Upbeat and colorful. As far as bosses went, Whitney was among the best she’d ever had. She allowed Harlow to chart her own course and to treat animals without being micromanaged. That hadn’t always been the case with some of the practices where she had worked. Part of growing in her profession meant being able to work autonomously.
“Good morning, Harlow. Take a seat,” Whitney said, raising her coffee cup to her lips. “Do you need to go grab a coffee?”
“Nope. That’s how I started my morning. If I have another one I’ll be bouncing off the ceiling,” Harlow said with a laugh.
“Now, tell me about your dog rescue idea. I’ve been dying to hear all about it. It’s an area I want Paws to expand on.”
For the next fifteen minutes, Harlow laid out her idea of a dog rescue attached to Paws. She could hear the passion ringing out in her voice and she didn’t even try to dial it back. She had been wanting to do something like this ever since she was a teenager. Even if Whitney turned her down, she was determined to get one going. Supporting rescue dogs was important to her. Because Bear was a rescue dog, Harlow held a special place in her heart for animals who needed a forever home. Many times over the course of her career Harlow had tried to set up animal rescues, with no success. Having the time and money to support the project had always been cited by her employers. Over the past few years, she’d learned a lot about writing grant proposals and figuring out the specific requirements. She might not be in Mistletoe a year from now, but she could still do some good while she was here.
“Ultimately this will be a good way to support rescue animals and connect them with their forever families. I know it’s not an easy undertaking, but we could get resources from the state. For me, veterinary medicine isn’t just about seeing clients. It’s also about helping defenseless animals who don’t have homes through no fault of their own.”
Whitney had been listening intently and nodding throughout the presentation, which Harlow hoped was a good sign. “I love the idea of setting up a rescue, but I’m a bit confused, since you’re only in Mistletoe for a year. Unless, of course, you’ve decided to stick around because you love us so much.”
Harlow battled feelings of regret. She would love to see the dog rescue program flourish, but it just wasn’t possible. “I know that I won’t be here to run the program, but I’d still love to set it up for success and do something positive while I’m here. I’m enjoying Mistletoe way more than I imagined, but I still plan to go back to Seattle. I’m a city girl at heart,” Harlow confessed. Now when she said those words Harlow didn’t feel as convinced about her future plans.
Whitney’s face revealed her surprise. “Really? You seem to have settled here in town like a natural.”
Harlow didn’t know how to respond to Whitney’s comment. The truth was, she was way more invested in Mistletoe than she’d ever imagined. The town—and its residents—had grown on her in a way she’d never expected.
“Well, even though I won’t be here to help out with the rescue program long-term, I can still set it up and get the ball rolling. With a grant for the program you can hire someone to run it.”
Her boss nodded as she listened to what Harlow had to say. “I really want to make Paws more philanthropic and we’ve dabbled a bit in pet rescues, but I’d like you to write up a proposal so I can make a decision. We have some additional space to house the dogs in the building out back, but we’d need to make renovations. As you said, it won’t be easy.”
“I’ll get right on it and explore some grant opportunities as well,” Harlow said, as excitement bubbled up inside of her. Whitney sounded intrigued by the idea of the dog shelter; Harlow could work with that.
Whitney let out a beleaguered sigh. “On another note, something has come up. I don’t want you to worry, but I need to tell you that some rumors are swirling about the practice.” Whitney’s brow was furrowed and tiny lines surrounded her eyes. Harlow knew Whitney had just said not to worry, but she seemed concerned.
“What’s going on?” she asked. Harlow had a niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach she couldn’t ignore. Feeling ill at ease in certain situations was an unfortunate by-product of a tumultuous childhood. A part of her was always ready for something bad to happen. Even as an adult, it was terrible grappling with such anxiety.
“I don’t know any specifics,” Whitney said, “but our town gossip, Patsy Sampson, called the office earlier and canceled her appointment. She said she’d heard that one of our pets didn’t get the best care here.” Whitney made a loud tutting sound.
Harlow shook her head. “That doesn’t sound right.” She was racking her brain trying to remember if anything alarming had taken place. A surgery with bad results? A canceled appointment? “Do you think it has anything to do with me?” Since Harlow was relatively new at the practice, she couldn’t help but worry she was somehow involved.
“Not at all. I completely trust your professionalism. I really wanted to give you a heads-up just in case you heard something or in the off chance this turns into something. I’m not taking it seriously, especially since no details were given.”
For the rest of the day, Harlow couldn’t stop thinking about Patsy Sampson canceling her appointment. Harlow had heard all about Patsy and her tendency to spread gossip all over town. Did the woman realize that she was potentially affecting their place of business and the reputations of the staff? It was reckless behavior that could hurt people.
Shake it off. It’s probably nothing to worry about. Whitney was only giving her a FYI about a cranky client. Patsy was known for talking out of turn.
After getting off work, Harlow headed over to Baxter’s pub. Stella had invited her to join a few friends at the establishment for a happy hour. Her friend had made a point to let her know that Nick would be there this evening. So far, she hadn’t been out in a group setting in Mistletoe. She was looking forward to the social scene in town. Although she had never been one to stay out until the wee hours in Seattle, she loved the energy of people gathering for conversation, music, and fellowship. And with every new person she met in Mistletoe, Harlow began to feel more at home in her new surroundings.
