The Good Sister (7 page)

“I can’t do this.”

“You can do this. Please. It will just be for few weeks, or until Noah can get a decent replacement. You must have noticed this isn’t exactly a buzzing metropolis, offering an abundant employee pool. I’m totally leaving him in the lurch. Unless you can help, that is.”

Lindsey took in a sharp breath. How could Jessie ask her to do that? Elliot would have an absolute heart attack if he found out she was playing secretary in a veterinary clinic, and working for a man. No. She could not take the chance. She shivered just thinking what Elliot would do. He would hate the idea. The remedial job was not one she could be caught doing. He expected much, so much more from her. And she was not allowed to work. She did not need to work. He supplied them with whatever they needed, so why would she take a job?

She shook her head. That was an Elliot sentence. Jessie was looking at her with big, brown, hopeful eyes.
Crap.
She came primarily to get away from Elliot. So it didn’t really matter what she did while being away. She just needed to be away. The last time he hurt her was a lot for her to deal with. It wasn’t like she planned to tell anyone, or leave him. She didn’t know the first step of how to do that. She did not know how to ruin a lifetime of projecting the image  that was expected of her. But she required a rest before she literally succumbed to an emotional breakdown.

“And Noah knows?”

“Yes, he was quite happy with the suggestion.”

That seemed a stretch. She knew Noah tolerated her presence, as she was always tagging along with Jessie of late, but she sensed he found her far too timid. She thought she might even be annoying him. He often treated her like she was made of glass.

Perhaps she was.

“Okay, but only until someone else can be found.”

Jessie squealed with delight and threw her arms around Lindsey. Why did Jessie care so much that she take her job? It seemed an awfully big reaction to a rather minor favor. Her phone rang.
Elliot
. Crap, she forgot to call him at five. Patting Jessie’s back, she tried to discreetly pry herself from the embrace and dive for her phone.  Elliot insisted that she answer every time he called. If she didn’t, it worried him, or so he claimed. And Elliot didn’t like worrying. And if she worried him too much, then, he patiently explained, she would have to go back home. At least, there, he knew she was safe. It made sense.

If you were five years old.

Lindsey glanced up, biting her lip in concentration.
What did Jessie say to do about this? Where was that form? How did Jessie enter this into the computer?
She felt tears filling her eyes. The man before her tapped his foot and glared over his big-rimmed glasses. She couldn’t remember. She didn’t know. Maybe she never knew. She tapped at the computer, but the screen she wanted didn’t show up. She tried a different icon. Nope. Not it.
Shit! Damn. Fuck.
No, she didn’t talk like that. Where was that coming from? She hadn’t sworn in years and years. Well, except inside her head sometimes. Rarely. Just when Elliot was really bad.

“Come on, lady, hurry up, it’s not rocket science. Jesus, where is Jessie?”

Trying another click, she lost the entire program she wanted. Air filled up her head and made her dizzy. The words started to blur before her eyes. “Uh, Jessie is out on early maternity leave.”

“And where did they find you? At
Idiots ‘R’ Us?”

“I’m her sister.” Lindsey looked down in order to avoid the angry client’s rage. Even his cat roared at her from its small kennel. He was anxious to get the upset cat out of there, just as he stated when he rushed up to the front counter. But she couldn’t remember how to cash out his bill. Or even find his bill, which Noah would have inputted directly from the exam room. It was extremely high tech and far beyond what she dealt with anymore. Elliot never let her go online. She didn’t even have a computer at home. So, all of this was lost on her. She was lucky he let her have a phone. But it was only for his use and so he could keep in contact with her.

Maybe they did find her at Idiots ‘R’ Us.

A hand suddenly fell on her shoulder, and she jumped, cringing, before pulling away from the unexpected grasp. When she glanced up, she saw it was Noah. He respected her pulling away from him by throwing his hands up, as if in mock surrender. He smiled with patience before glancing over her head, and across the counter at the client.

“Mr. Reed. You have no reason to be so rude. Lindsey is brand new. It’s a tough system to learn and get used to. So, if you continue to find fault with her speed, then it is really on me, I guess, for not training her better. Therefore, I’m the idiot.”

The gentle, but stern rebuke from Noah Clark was like other men Lindsey knew who yelled and screamed. Noah was so commanding. His quiet, tall, presence drew any eye in the room to him, and it became very obvious that he was the intelligent leader in any and all situations.

“I, ah, gee, Dr. Clark. I didn’t mean to be such a cow’s ass. I just wanted to get Dalilah out of here. She hates it so much.”

“I understand. Why don’t you go, and we’ll just consider this visit on me?”

Lindsey shut her eyes in horror, realizing her incompetence led to this entire situation. It was all her fault.

Elliot would have no doubt taken her arm, and led her into the other room before smacking his hand forcibly into the back of her head. That was one of his favorite spots, as it didn’t leave any obvious bruise and really
hurt
.

But Noah? No, he’d never react like that. He was so freaking nice, it was almost painful to her because she failed him, when she so wanted to please him. Noah instantly had Mr. Reed hanging his head in shame at how small and petty he was. Regret flashed in his eyes as he shuffled his feet. Noah’s eyes were cool as his eyebrows arched.

“No, no, I can’t do that. I’ll wait.”

“How about I have Jessie send you the bill? I know you’re good for it. She still comes in once a week just to do the bills.”

Mr. Reed’s shoulders sagged in relief. He was visibly distressed after being so rude and having Noah put him in his place. “Okay, yup. That’ll work. All right then, I’ll go. Bye now.”

Noah stared after him, his eyes glinting. “Stupid old coot,” he mumbled before he turned back to Lindsey.

She raised her stricken eyes to his. “I’m so sorry. I caused that. I’m…”

Noah’s brow wrinkled. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You simply didn’t know something. Big difference. He shouldn’t have been such an ass to you about it. You’re doing fine. Now take a deep breath.”

She did. She took a breath. In and out. After she calmed down, Noah simply stood beside her, patiently waiting for her to get another grip. She smiled a wan smile, a little embarrassed by how badly she reacted to that. It was her first day alone, or even working a job, in over five years. She was pretty awful at it too. Jessie spent three days showing her exactly what to do. It was something Jessie did with complete ease, speed, confidence and competence. Yeah, not exactly Lindsey’s performance on the job.

She stared at the cuff of the gray jacket she wore over a stylish blouse and scarf. “I doubt I can do this, Noah. It was a bad idea that Jessie had.”

Noah was silent so she glanced up. He was staring at her. His expression somehow intense, and different than usual. “It wasn’t a bad idea at all. You
can
do this.”

He stepped closer, and she flinched unconsciously when the rim of his white lab coat grazed her arm. He was so close. Elliot would have had a cow. It was not okay that Noah Clark stood so close to her. Her stomach flopped at his proximity. She could feel his body heat.

He leaned over her and tapped the keyboard as her breath released. Heat filled her cheeks. He was simply bringing up the program she somehow lost. He wasn’t intimidating her, or coming on to her; he was merely fixing her mistake! She was such an idiot. Such an incompetent idiot.

“Now, let me show you how to do this.”

She glanced at his profile, so close to her, when he leaned down and tapped on the keyboard, indicating for her to take notes of what he did. She scrabbled to fill in extra instructions that she somehow missed from Jessie’s tutorial. While Noah was speaking, her phone chimed. She glanced at it, biting her lip. It rang again. She rubbed her suddenly sweaty palms on her slacks.
Elliot.
It had to be. But Noah was right in middle of speaking. It would be rude to interrupt him now of all times.

But! It was
Elliot.

“I’m sorry. I have to take this.” She jumped up out of the chair, and scrambled away from the small, enclosed area where she and Noah were working. She clicked her phone and answered with a breathless, “Hi Elliot.”

Shutting her eyes in relief as Elliot spoke, he thankfully sounded mollified when she answered. He was between meetings and wanted to make sure she was doing okay, although he didn’t ask much about her. He wasn’t really interested in how she was doing. He wanted to know
what
she was doing. He had to control every aspect of her life, even down to her hourly to-do list. That was why her escape here, visiting her sister, was so unprecedented. It was so rare that Elliot would let her go, but so liberating for her. She could just lie about what she did and avoid punishment for it! He insisted upon a detailed itinerary of what she did on a daily basis. Nothing new to her. She’d been doing that for years. If she forgot something, or wasn’t busy enough for him, he took issue with it and frequently disciplined her. Or he’d simply add on several more strange, futile chores for her to do. Now that she had to cover for the hours she spent working at the vet, she lay awake at night thinking about the details she needed to fill in for what she and Jessie did all day. They had to be believable; and not just a lot of “Jessie-care” in her reports back to Elliot.

She clicked her phone and turned back toward Noah. He straightened up beside her desk chair and she licked her lips. “I’m sorry. That was my husband. He worries so if I don’t answer.”

Noah’s brows relaxed. What did normal, well-adjusted, self confident Noah think of her now? She, who couldn’t even ring up the bill of one patient, although there was not another soul in the office or any phone calls coming in. What would happen if she needed to multi-task?

“Are you sure you want to do this? I know Jessie put you up to it. I can probably find someone else.”

Her stomach cramped. Of course, he wanted someone else. Someone more competent. Someone who didn’t flinch when the man simply tried to explain what she was screwing up. But the strange thing was, she did want to work. When Jessie was sitting next to her, showing her what to do, she liked how it felt. It was strange feeling to have a desk before her and work beside her. It empowered her somehow to have control over the phones and appointments. And though it didn’t appear like much to most people, it was the most trust and responsibility Lindsey was asked to do in years. And she wanted it so much, she was willing to lie to Elliot. Although no one else could understand the significance of that revelation, it was extremely significant. But first, she had to be careful not to totally blow it. It would only be for a handful of days or weeks at the most. But she wanted it more than anything.

“I want to do this. If you can tolerate my mistakes. I’m not very good at any of this.”

He regarded her over the counter before nodding. “Everyone has a learning curve. So, come, and let me finish showing you how the system works.”

Lindsey soon learned that the entire town of Ellensburg practically revered Jessie. The myriad pet owners who came into the clinic were visibly disappointed when Lindsey greeted them. Their smiles dropped and their eyes turned cool with disappointment. She was not Jessie. She certainly had that drilled into her more times than she could count. She wasn’t as fast as Jessie, and found it challenging to deal with one pet owner asking a question, while another waited for the bill, and a third wanted to check in, just as the phone rang with another line already on hold. Nor did she ever emerge from behind the reception desk to stroke their pets and bask in the unique wonder of each pet the way Jessie did. Apparently, Jessie managed all this without breaking a sweat. Lindsey, however, literally pitted out her blouses in nervous perspiration.

Noah, more often than not, had to help by running interference. Several times a day, Noah used his gentle, stern, and calm tone that somehow exuded the same authority another man might feel the need to bully or yell about. She was amazed by how quickly he could defuse anyone’s anger or impatience, by making them realize how small and petty they sounded, so they instantly quit being impolite or rude to her. After any conflicts, he unwearyingly turned to her and showed her whatever needed to be done. Often, he simply did it himself. But most times, he took the extra time to help her acclimate and understand the procedures.

Little did Noah realize Lindsey was trying her very best to get all the information and training. It had just been so long since she worked outside of the home, or even ventured out into the business world. It wasn’t so much the tasks involved, but the debilitating fear that gripped her mind and insisted she’d do it wrong every time. That crippling fear stopped her cold.

She
soon learned that Noah had several vet technicians who worked at the clinic throughout the week, as well as a partner who cared for most of the large animals. She soon discovered he was often out in the field, at various farms and ranches in the area, attending the livestock and herds. Noah handled all of the overflow and, consequently, the entire clinic caseload.

Lindsey never owned a pet in her whole life. The general disdained them. So when Jessie showed up suddenly, and appeared to love animals, it came as a shock to everyone. Lindsey simply had no experience. She was leery of the big dogs, and avoided the hissing cats.

She also found it entirely weird, and again, very liberating, that on her lunch hour she could sneak onto the internet, and no one noticed or cared. She read the news on the internet every day, and browsed the gossip sites as well as the shopping sites. She mindlessly clicked from one link to the next with no real purpose or goal. It felt so unnatural to have the luxury of being able to enjoy it. She relished the absence of stress too, whenever she heard a noise and reflexively froze in fear of being backhanded for disobeying one of Elliot’s rules.

She remained unsure of every little thing she did. How could she explain her hesitance to Noah? As she browsed the internet, she had to continually give herself pep talks that it was okay to click on this or that link, subjects she knew that Elliot would not like her reading about. She even got a chance to check out the few times they were in the media. That was also strange. She’d never seen one of the articles or pictures that featured them out and about in Washington D.C.

Noah always encouraged her to take the initiative on things. She sensed he often wondered why she didn’t just do so on her own. She couldn’t explain to him how unsure she was at attempting anything. Literally
anything
. When she first noticed the empty coffee pot that Noah kept filled for his clients, she just stared at it, wondering if she should make more. Then she didn’t know which coffee to use, since he had two different kinds. What if one cost more than the other? She debated it for an hour before he noticed the empty pot and asked her to make more, reminding her to make sure not to let the coffee or hot water run empty again.

Lindsey lacked the confidence to make even that small of a decision anymore.

So it was much more taxing on her than most new hires to work in an environment where she needed some degree of competence. It became very obvious to her that Jessie went above and beyond the necessary tasks. Her reliability must have had everyone staring at Lindsey, wondering why didn’t she just do it?

Because she didn’t remember how to do anything. Not without Elliot’s permission.
She often caught Noah looking at her with an expression of pity. As if he were sorry she was acting so stupid. But instead of ridiculing her, as Elliot would have, Noah simply tried to be more thorough in his requests and detailed in his instructions. Lindsey suspected he addressed her in the way he might a person with special needs.

“So, who are you?”

Lindsey glanced up at the woman’s voice, which startled her out of her intense concentration. She was trying to catalogue and supply a recent shipment of vaccines.

“Pardon me?”

She saw a smiling, tall woman standing in the supply closet where Lindsey was working. Clients weren’t allowed back there.
Who was she?
She had black, wavy hair and a warm smile.

“I’m Penny, Noah’s sister. He and I are meeting for dinner. I heard Jessie was off on bed rest. I can’t imagine her resting anywhere near a bed, but then, hopefully, she’s not stubborn enough to be so careless. Anyway… who are you?”

“I’m Lindsey, Jessie’s sister.”

“Her sister! She talks about you all the time. Don’t tell me: you live on the East Coast and are always attending those White House shindigs? I can’t imagine that! I can’t imagine ever putting on more than a pair of jeans. I swear to God, the last dress I wore was my wedding dress. You are so lucky! But what are you doing back here stocking shelves?” Penny’s eyes rounded in horror, as if Lindsey were some kind of royal guest being sent out to work as a servant. Little could Penny understand how unlucky Lindsey really was, or how working here was harder than all the years she served her country.

“Yes, that’s me. But it’s not all that glamorous. There is a lot of boredom in it. And I’m stocking shelves because I’m filling in for Jessie. ”

“Boredom? Until, you’ve spent an entire day with three kids from age five down to six months, and the highlight of your day is when your favorite couple on a soap opera get together, then yeah, it’s glamorous being you.”

Lindsey bit her tongue, and a smile hovered on her lips. “I don’t have any kids.”

Penny grinned. “Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m glad I do. But, geez, there’re no White House dinners on my itinerary! No, beautiful clothes either. Look at your outfit, it’s just lovely.”

Lindsey glanced down at the slimming pencil skirt that grazed her knees and her matching wrap-style shirt. She had on low heels and pantyhose, as Elliot always required she wear pantyhose. No exposed, slutty, crass, bare legs for her. His choice of words, not hers. She wasn’t allowed jeans, sweat pants or anything more casual than dress slacks. Ever.

“Pen, why do you have Lindsey cornered in here?”

Penny turned toward Noah who unexpectedly appeared in the doorway, and Lindsey raised her eyes to his before dropping them again after he flashed her a casual smile. He looked so tall and so imposing in the small space. His eyes sparkled blue and his slow, easy smile made her knees feel unstable.

“Well, I had to see who you’ve been hiding from me.”

Noah shook his head, giving Penny a look.
What was that look?
He must’ve been telling his sister something, and she had a feeling it was probably about her.

“Come on, let’s get going before your children let all the animals out.”

Lindsey followed Penny as she chattered happily with Noah. Upon entering the main area of the clinic, sure enough, two kids ran around the room with the third strapped securely in a stroller.

Noah grabbed one dark-haired boy as he ran past, putting him over his shoulder as the boy laughed and pleaded for release. Noah, grinning widely, shook his cargo up and down until the kid begged for mercy between giggles.

Lindsey stood back, holding her breath. They were so… normal. Watching this family, as Noah frolicked with his nephews and Penny chatted happily beside him, intermittently calling out to the kids, Lindsey’s heart was virtually sliced by a rush of pain. She’d never known this in her family. She’d never even seen it. Her father was never affectionate, or did anything bordering on fun. He was demanding, tough, and exacting. He was the reason why she made it her childhood goal to measure up. There was never random fun or joking or horseplay at the Bains household. Never. Not even when their mother was still alive.

Witnessing it now, squeezed Lindsey’s heart with longing. Noah was unlike any man who was part of her life or childhood. Growing up around her father and his friends, who were for the most part, exactly like him, Lindsey knew only strict, stern, and respected men. She never experienced teasing, fun, or affectionate men. Until Noah. She glanced away, embarrassed by her level of envy to possess Noah’s natural, easy going, and kind ways, whether he was dealing with clients, family, or strangers.

“We’re off to dinner. Would you like to come, Lindsey?”

She jerked her head back in surprise. No one had ever casually invited her anywhere. At home, she only received formal invitations to luncheons and events. Never a casual dinner with three little kids.

Before she could answer, Noah said, “Leave her alone, Penny. She’s probably had enough by now. Don’t worry about finishing up. You can do it tomorrow. We’ll just lock up and leave it for tonight.”

She nodded, but turned her face from him so he couldn’t see the disappointment that flashed through her.
Yes, she did want to go.
And no, she had not had nearly enough of experiencing normal, nice, everyday human relationships and interactions.

“Okay then, Noah, I’ll see you tomorrow. Again, I’m sorry I knocked all the vaccines everywhere.” She dropped the entire box, which spilled and rolled, even breaking some of the containers.

He smiled and waved his hand. “It’s done. Forget it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She stared a moment longer than necessary before turning on her heel. She quickly left the clinic, at his quiet, polite dismissal while trying to blink back the tears it instigated.