“Nick. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” She shrugged. “After all, I got the ball rolling by being negative about someone I interacted with only one time. That’s on me. And I do plan to apologize in person to Doc Harlow. It’s the least I can do.”
“Harlow would love to talk to you any time you feel like reaching out. I may just take you up on that offer if you’re serious about helping.” An idea was forming in his mind, one that might just help restore Harlow’s professional reputation in town. With Gillian’s help, this whole mess might just blow over like a Maine nor’easter.
Chapter Twenty-One
Keep your head up.” Malcolm’s parting words served as Harlow’s mantra the moment she walked into Paws. She was going to keep it together no matter what went down today. Even if she didn’t have a single client on her schedule, she wasn’t going to wallow in feelings of not being good enough. She was determined to hold her head high.
Jon greeted her effusively at the front desk. Harlow sensed he was trying to cheer her up. On impulse she leaned down and pressed a kiss on his cheek. He was a good egg.
“I’ve got something that might make you smile,” Jon said, beaming at her.
“Do tell. I’ll take all the smiles I can get.”
Jon handed her the day’s client list. Harlow couldn’t believe her eyes. Ten clients. Ten actual people who’d made appointments with her.
“Oh, this is a beautiful sight to behold,” she said, tears pricking her eyes. She had honestly feared the worst today—zero clients. But she actually had a full day of appointments. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she saw one name in particular. Gillian Robinson.
“Go check out your office.” Jon was definitely smirking at her now.
As she made the walk down the hall, Jon, quickly followed by Whitney, trailed behind her. Not knowing what to expect, Harlow slowly turned the knob of her office door, then pushed it wide open. She let out a gasp as she looked around her. Flowers. Gifts. Cakes. Pies. Her office was overflowing with things.
Flabbergasted, she turned toward Jon and Whitney. “What is all this…stuff? What’s going on?” She let out a nervous laugh. “It’s not my birthday or anything.”
Whitney raised a hand in the air in a celebratory gesture. “If I had to guess, I’d say you have a lot of great friends here in Mistletoe who want to see you soar. Harlow, never forget that you’re very much wanted and needed in this town. Having you here has made all the difference at this practice.”
She placed her hand above her rapidly beating heart. “I nearly passed out when I saw Gillian’s name on my docket. She’s bringing Elvis in for a checkup. How did that happen?”
“I think Nick Keegan could explain it better than we can. He’s been working overtime on all of this,” Jon said, wiggling his eyebrows. “I’m calling dibs on those Godiva chocolates over there.”
Whitney and Jon disappeared, leaving Harlow alone with her thoughts. She cast another look around her office, finally noticing the cards and drawings. She picked up a colorful picture of a poodle and a brown-skinned little boy. The wordsThanks, Doc Harlowhad been scrawled at the bottom, along with Jimmy’s name.
“Oh my heart,” Harlow said out loud. This was the first time she knew with a deep certainty that her vet services had impacted people in Mistletoe. And it felt amazing. Even though she had told Nick she wanted to leave Mistletoe, she hadn’t really meant it. She’d spoken out of anger and frustration. Now, more than ever, she felt conflicted about her future plans. If nothing else, Harlow now believed this town was different than Chestnut Ridge.
The day went by at a spectacularly fast speed with almost all of her clients taking time to let her know how valued she was as their pet’s vet. Tess and her mother even popped in to bring Harlow lemon bars, which were her favorite. Elvis’s appointment was a surprise. She and Gillian had ended up having a heart-to-heart talk.
“Like I told Nick,” Gillian said, “I’m really sorry about my part in the rumors.” Gillian’s expression was sheepish. “The truth is, I felt foolish about allowing Elvis to eat the chocolate. Instead of admitting that during our visit I sort of acted indifferent. You were only trying to educate me, but I ended up feeling judged.”
Harlow let out a tutting sound. “Never in a million years would I ever want a client to feel that way. And I’m sorry if I made you feel bad. There’s a fine line between preaching and educating. I may have blurred the lines. And for that I’m sorry too.”
“Well, thanks for taking such good care of Elvis,” Gillian said. “I know you must be a special person because Nick cares about you a lot. And, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, he’s a keeper.”
With a wave, Gillian and Elvis sailed out the door, leaving Harlow astounded by the turn of events. If anyone had told her this reconciliation with Gillian was even a remote possibility, she would have laughed in their face.
At noon a text from Nick reminded her of Mistletoe’s town event, the fiftieth annual lobster boil—the same event Agatha had raved about at the farmers’ market.
Welcome back! I’m aiming to be at the beach by 7. Make sure to bring a warm coat.
Of course, with everything going on in her world, she’d completely forgotten about the lobster boil at Blackberry Beach. A few weeks ago when Nick had invited her, she’d been excited to attend. According to Nick and Agatha, the event was highly anticipated by the residents. To Harlow it seemed a bit odd to hold the event at the beach in November. But who was she to buck town tradition? And lobster was always an incentive.
She should be more excited about attending tonight and seeing Nick, but all she felt was this pressure resting against her chest. Harlow still had moments when she felt breathless and out of sorts. Progress had been made today at Paws, but she knew all too well the power that rumors held. Even if you could convince 50 percent of people not to believe them, you still had half who did.
Before leaving Paws that evening, Harlow took a long look at the myriad of offerings that graced her office. If she lived to be 105, she would never forget these beautiful gestures. She’d received them all with a grateful heart. Sometimes a person thought they knew just how things were, only to find out they were wrong. Was that going to be her Mistletoe story? She had brought all of her biases with her when she’d come to Maine, but now they were being struck down, brick by brick.
Everything was falling into place, butshe couldn’t completely settle into that knowledge. Her stomach still twisted with tension. She knew what this feeling was as someone who had experienced childhood trauma. It was almost as if she was waiting for catastrophe to strike.
The wind kicked up the moment she landed on the beach. Thankfully, torches had been set up, so she wasn’t fumbling around in the dark. After a few minutes of searching, Harlow spotted Nick standing by the edge of the water.
“Nick!” she called out as she quickly strode toward him. Although she hadn’t felt as if he’d listened to her the night of their ill-fated movie date, clearly he was responsible for the outpouring of love from the community. Not to mention that she knew he’d been behind Gillian’s sudden change of heart.
