“Thanks for the invite, Dixon,” she said.“But I think it’s probably best if you go on your own.It’s your first chance to start to get to know your son, and your family has missed you.They won’t want to share your attention with me.”
“Oh, yeah.I guess you’re right.”But damn, when I pictured showing up with her next to me, I envisioned good vibes and a successful dinner.And when I thought about showing up alone, my mind ran wild with the unknown.
“Raincheck?”she said, and I nodded once and closed my door.
“Good to meet you,”a tall man with a wonky accent said when I arrived at All Animals Veterinary Clinic the next morning.
We shook hands.“I’m Doc V and this is Dr.Masterson.”He motioned to the far side of the surgery prep room, where a woman wrestled with a young Dalmatian.The dog wiggled and fought, tossing his head this way and that, trying to get free from the leash she’d just managed to secure around his neck.
“Hi,” she called over her shoulder.“I’m so sorry.I hate to do this to you on your first day, but can you take this dog, please?I have surgery scheduled in five minutes, and I can’t get him calmed down.”
This was the exact reason I’d applied for the part-time job when I saw a notice about it on a bulletin board in the local coffee shop.The ad had called the position “Animal tech and wrangler.”I wasn’t sure about the tech part, but I had the wrangler part down pat.
“No worries.”I crossed the room and took the thin rope leash from her hand.
“Thank you,” she breathed, exasperated.“I’m Oly.I go by Dr.Masterson with the clients, but we’re pretty laid back behind the scenes.”
She seemed familiar to me.I probably went to school with her, but she was a few years older than me, and it wasn’t like my memory of those years was crystal sharp.
I nodded and stepped closer to the pup, my eyes on his and my posture relaxed but commanding.Raising my hand in the air, I gave him the non-verbal command to sit that I’d learned from the Coulters in California.The dog didn’t know the commands, but he recognized my firm direction, and he sat.
“Whoa.How’d you do that?”Dr.Masterson asked.“I’ve been tryin’ to get him to do that for thirty minutes!”
Doc V approached us with his hands on his hips.“I think Mr.Lee must be one of those, em, what do you call them… dog talkers?”
“It’s just Dixon,” I mumbled.Being called Mr.Lee, even though technically and legally it was my name, raised the hair on the nape of my neck.
“Dogwhisperer,” Dr.Masterson said.“And yeah, I think you’re right.Oh my God, I’m so glad you’re here.Okay, Luuk will walk you through what we need you to do.I have one spay before Beanie’s surgery in an hour.If you could have him calm and cool by then, I’d be in your debt, and I’ll buy you lunch.”
“You don’t have to do that.I love dogs.It’s no problem, really.”
“No, no,” she said.“Lunch is on me.It’s your first day.It’s an All Animals tradition.”
“Come with me.”Doc V clapped me on the shoulder, then led Beanie and me through a door at the back of the room which opened up to long rows of various sized kennels.“Our office manager isn’t here today.It’s her birthday, so she took the day off.She’ll go over all of this with you next Saturday, but I’ll get you started.”
“Thanks.”
“Where are you from?I know a few Lees; we go out to Spitfire Ranch to treat their cows and occasionally a lamb or a horse.You’re not one of those Lees, are you?”
“I am.”
“Oh, wonderful.So you know animals.”
“Yeah.I haven’t worked a ranch in a long time though.”
Doc V waved away my comment.“You never forget this stuff.I grew up on a dairy farm in the Netherlands, but I hadn’t been around cows for many years when I was going through vet school, but the information came ruching back at me when I needed it.”
“Rushingback at you?”
“Isn’t that what I said?”
I shook my head, trying not to laugh.The dude was a hoot.
He chuckled at his mistake.“Rush-ing.Got it.”He tapped his temple and smiled, and then he began to tell me the day’s schedule and what he would be needing from me.
On the off chance shemight be up, I texted AJ late that night while I lay in bednotsleeping.
Did you know that some dogs are left-handed?Or I guess I should say left-pawed
