Tanner had dropped me off at the clinic with a kiss and a promise of a surprise when I got home. Excited nerves flittered through me when I tried and failed to figure out what he was up to. He looked far too pleased with himself.
I knew everything was on target with the renovations. He’d finished the big jobs and was down to decorating, with minor fixes still needing to be done, so that definitely wasn’t it.
“Penny for them.” Lauren interrupted my thoughts.
“Hey.” I turned and gave her a smile. “I haven’t seen you all morning.” To my surprise, her face heated and she looked away from me. This was not the cocksure woman I knew. “What’s wrong?”
She cleared her throat uncomfortably. “So,” she dragged out, “have you checked your email this morning?”
Understanding clicked. I had. I’d received the internal email from Denver announcing Scott’s leave of absence. I’d also received a personal one from Denver regarding a call he’d received from the Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, asking for us to arrange a time for a sit-down. I had yet to respond. I still had to get my head around the whole Scott situation and work out exactly what I wanted to do.
I still had no idea who’d filed a complaint in the first place. Admittedly, not knowing was bugging the heck out of me, but I’d deliberately put it to the back of my mind so it wouldn’t drive me insane. With Lauren’s question, though, an idea sparked.
“Yes,” I answered with a nod, my brows dipping as my brain kicked into gear. “It was you.” It had to have been. There was no question, no accusation, though.
She stepped further into the room. “Yes. I’m so sorry I never spoke to you before, but fuck, I couldn’t sit on all that bullshit. And I’m not sorry I contacted the board.”
My face softened, my heart expanding. “Thank you.” I reached out and pulled her into a hug. Her tiny frame latched on to me, her fingers gripping my white coat.
“You’re not pissed?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m grateful I have you in my corner.” I pulled away and kissed her cheek and then grunted when she punched my arm. “Ouch. What the heck?” I held on to my arm. For a small thing, the woman could pack a punch.
“That’s for not fessing up to me. Why the hell didn’t you tell me yourself what was going on, how bad it was?”
I had the good grace to look sheepish. “I didn’t want to rock the boat, and just thought it would all smooth out, you know? And it’s not like it was that b—”
Lauren cleared her throat and folded her arms across her chest, then gave a noncommittal grunt. “Well, it was stupid. Nobody should have to put up with that BS. Nobody. And obviously I made the right move by going straight to the board and not you.”
I opened my mouth to speak but was promptly cut off.
“Nuh-uh, you still would have done nothing, even with my badassery backing you up.”
“How did you know I was struggling?”
She sighed as if I was an idiot. Apparently I was. “I’m not blind, or stupid. I heard enough and saw enough. Plus you weren’t exactly yourself. Him being pulled up for harassment will make it stop. Well definitely now he’s handed in his resignation.”
“Resignation?” That wasn’t what the email had said. A pang of discomfort brewed in my stomach. While he said he’d be leaving soon, I didn’t expect him to go through with it. “I didn’t want him to do that.”
She shook her head. “Apparently, he tried to resign but Denver has refused to accept it.” While on her face sat a look of disgust, my heartbeat settled a little as relief swept through me. “Denver’s given him some unpaid leave while this”—she waved her hand in my general direction—“is all happening. After that, no doubt they’ll make a decision of some sort.”
I stared at her wide-eyed.
“Yes, yes, I know I’m fabulous and manage to get all the gossip no other sucker in this place knows. It’s one of my many charms.” She threw me a wink. “While I’m not exactly thrilled about his resignation being rejected, at least he found one decent bone in his body and tried to step down, knowing what he did was unforgi—”
“Lauren, seriously, he made a mistake.” She frowned at me and made to speak. “Okay,” I held my hands out to placate her, “a pretty horrendous mistake, but that he resigned shows there’s something more to him. I think everyone’s redeemable.”
She snorted. “Everyone?”
“Okay, maybe not everyone, but Scott may just be yet.” There was no way I’d be sharing Scott’s secret with her. I hoped one day, for his sake, he’d be comfortable and at peace with who he really was, but I knew no one could force the issue.
“Time will tell I suppose.”
My lips twitched, but I dared not laugh. It was funny how so much—perspective, life, love—could change in such a short time. If it wasn’t for her whistle-blowing, the chat with Scott could have gone differently in the alleyway. He may never have come out. But the latter was certainly not my news to share. I’d been outed myself as a kid, and there was no way on earth I would wish the same on anyone else, even Scott.
“Well, I thank your badassery.” I grinned. “Seriously, I feel as though I can breathe again.”
She squinted at me, hard, assessing, then raised a finger and waved it in my direction. “Something’s different. What’s happened? Changed?”
