And I collected eggs and helped at the market and thought I understood how it all fit together.
“How long has Walt been gone?” Abby asked.
“A week.” Just one week of breaking things, panicking, fixing them badly, panicking more. “He walked me through everything before he left, but?—”
Emily snorted. “Walt's run that farm for forty years. You can't expect to remember it all.”
“I know. I just...” I took a breath. “I don't want to call him.”
Both of them looked at me, surprised.
“Why not?” Abby's brow furrowed. “I'm sure he'd want to help.”
“Because he's finally found someone.” Something warm settled in my chest as I said it. “Barbara. They've been video chatting for months, and he'ssmitten. Like, schoolboy-crush smitten.”
Emily's expression softened. “That's sweet.”
“It is sweet.” I smiled, soft and genuine. “He deserves this. After all those years alone on the farm, he finally gets a chance at something good. I'm not going to ruin it by calling him every five minutes because I can't figure it out.”
Abby reached across the table, covering my hand with hers. “I can't really help with the farm part since I know exactly nothing about goats and chickens. But if you need to talk anything out, or just need a break from the chaos, we'll be here. “
“Thanks.” I squeezed her hand back. “That means a lot.”
And it did. More than I could articulate without getting embarrassing about it.
This was what I needed. Not someone to fix everything or tell me I was doing it all wrong. Just... people who cared enough to show up. To sit with me on a Tuesday evening and remind me I wasn't completely alone in this mess.
“Okay.” Emily clapped her hands together, breaking the moment before it could get too heavy. “Important question. Do we want nachos? Because I'm starving.”
“Yes. Absolutely yes.” I straightened, feeling lighter than I had in hours. “I could eat an entire mountain of nachos right now.”
Emily flagged down the server again while Abby launched into a story about getting lost while hiking last week because Evan insisted he knew a shortcut.
I let the conversation wash over me—the easy banter, the shared laughter, the way they included me without making it feel like charity. This wasn't pity. This was friendship, simple and uncomplicated.
Emily's laugh rang out across the patio as Abby did an impression of Evan. I found myself laughing, too, genuine and unguarded.
I didn't need to have all the answers right now. I just needed to keep showing up. Keep trying.
And maybe, justmaybe, stop picking fights with grumpy vets who were probably just as tired and overwhelmed as I was.
Tomorrow I'd worry about goats and irrigation and chickens with missing feathers.
Tonight, I was exactly where I needed to be.
ChapterSix
Callum
I had a plan.It was a good plan.
Grab my toolbox and old hinges I'd salvaged from the clinic barn. Drive out to Sullivan Farm. Fix that chicken coop door I'd noticed hanging crooked during Buddy's checkup. Leave a brief note apologizing for being an idiot. Be back at the clinic before eight.
Simple. Helpful. No conversation required.
I'd had plenty of time to work out the details while not sleeping, monitoring Pudding's recovery. The puppy was doing well, eating, alert, and showing no signs of infection. Safe to leave him for an hour.
Which gave me exactly enough time to fix a chicken coop door and avoid human interaction.
