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  The Practice

  A Catlett’s Cove Novel

  Grant C. Holland

  Contents

  Copyright

  Prologue

  1. Thomas

  2. Hadley

  3. Hadley

  4. Thomas

  5. Hadley

  6. Thomas

  7. Hadley

  8. Thomas

  9. Hadley

  10. Thomas

  11. Hadley

  12. Hadley

  13. Thomas

  14. Thomas

  15. Hadley

  16. Thomas

  17. Hadley

  18. Thomas

  19. Thomas

  20. Hadley

  21. Thomas

  22. Hadley

  23. Thomas

  24. Hadley

  25. Thomas

  26. Hadley

  Epilogue

  Also by Grant C. Holland

  Pet Shop Charlie

  The Flawless Mr. Faraday

  Yukon Sam

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2017 by Grant C. Holland.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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  Prologue

  A sickening, other-worldly thud was followed by the sound of squealing brakes. Eight-year-old Thomas looked up from the soccer ball he was dribbling in figure eights around the front yard and froze in shock. He looked toward the street and saw Spark, his family’s golden retriever, lying still on his side at the end of the driveway. A man dressed in khakis and a pale blue dress shirt slammed the door of his sparkling white Ford Taurus and rushed to the dog’s side.

  “Hey, kid, is this your dog?”

  Thomas couldn’t speak. It was his dog, but he didn’t want it to be his dog. The only response he could give was a blink of his eyes as he watched the man run his hands over Spark’s side.

  The man said, “Kid, can’t you talk? I’m sorry. I didn’t see him coming. I didn’t mean to hurt him. Can you help me out here?”

  Thomas finally managed to say one word, and it tumbled from his mouth in a pained yelp, “Spark!” The one word tore Thomas free from his mental restraint. He could finally move his legs and he raced to the side of his family’s beloved dog.

  The man asked, “Aren’t you Sam Randall’s boy?”

  Thomas nodded.

  “I know your dad. We were fishing buddies growing up. Are you the only one home?”

  Thomas said, “Mom is over at Mrs. Saunders’ and Dad is still at work.”

  The man shook his head. “There’s not time to go get her. Help me get…what was his name?”

  “Spark,” said Thomas.

  “Help me get Spark into the car. He’s still breathing even though it’s a little shallow. We’ll see if Doc Benton can patch him up. You wanna ride along, or do you wanna go get your mom?”

  Thomas was unsure of what to do for a moment. He knew that he shouldn’t just get in the car with a total stranger, particularly one that had just run over his dog, but he couldn’t imagine Spark dying with none of the family around. He said, “Yeah. I’ll ride.”

  The man held out a hand. “I’m Jim Danton. You’re a good young man. Now, be really gentle and help me lift Spark.”

  They shook hands quickly and then Thomas supported Spark’s head as they lifted him and placed him in the back seat of the car. At Dr. Benton’s veterinary practice, just a mile down the road, the parking lot was nearly empty. Jim Danton rushed into the lobby, and minutes later he was helping Dr. Benton carry Spark into an examination room.

  The wounds were serious, and, without the prompt transit to the animal hospital, Spark would have been lost, but Thomas marveled when Dr. Benton patched up the dog and sent him home just three days later. From that day onward, young Thomas nurtured a dream to follow in Dr. Benton’s footsteps as Catlett’s Cove’s sole veterinarian.

  1

  Thomas

  “Now Entering Catlett’s Cove.” Twenty-five-year-old Thomas Randall inhaled deeply as he drove past the town limit sign trying to calm his nerves. The windows of his practical little Toyota Prius were rolled down. It was an unusually warm day for Michigan so early in the spring. He resisted the temptation to U-turn back in the direction from which he came. The taste of Alexander’s farewell kiss was still on his lips, and Thomas could still feel the lump that grew in his throat when he closed the door of his renovated warehouse loft apartment for the last time.

  The illustration on the sign depicted a sailboat floating serenely past the old woolen mill. The elders of Catlett’s Cove loved to present their home as a small waterfront town of endless charm. It wasn’t completely false advertising. Thomas enjoyed a solid, if slightly distant, upbringing by his parents, and the Catlett’s Cove educational system frequently ranked in the top tier in the state.

  Still, he passed the town limits sign upon his return with more than a hint of trepidation. Thomas was leaving a vibrant city life to return home in pursuit of a personal dream, maybe even two dreams, but there was no guarantee of success. “Guarantees,” as his father always said, “were for a previous generation.”

  Life in the city was good. It was comfortable, and Thomas quickly found himself surrounded by a solid set of friends. What he never did find was the one man to love for the rest of his life. For a few short weeks, he thought Alexander might be the one, but then the relationship, by mutual agreement, evolved into one of friends with benefits. Alexander was a perfect companion in the bedroom. His long, lanky body and endless appetite for exploration fulfilled one specific need in Thomas’ life, but Thomas dreamed of something more.

  He completed his veterinary degree and accepted a position as one of twelve doctors in a sprawling emergency care and research facility for animals located in an upscale suburb. It was interesting and challenging work, but almost daily Thomas dreamed of setting up his own practice.

  Then word came from Dr. Benton that he was retiring from his Catlett’s Cove practice. He sent a handwritten letter to Thomas. It closed with the words, “I would be happy to discuss the future of the practice with you. No one else would be better prepared to take over from me. I hope that you will give this opportunity due consideration.”

  The letter touched Thomas deep inside. It could mean the fulfillment of a dream he held close since childhood. A weekend trip home, and a meeting over coffee with Dr. Benton, settled the matter. Thomas was offered the practice at a low cost unheard of for a veterinarian setting up their own office. Dr. Benton said that he was more interested in the practice passing into safe hands than making a profit from selling the business.

  Two months later Thomas found himself driving to Catlett’s Cove with his car trunk full of boxes and an apartment lease expiring in the city. It was a homecoming surrounded by lingering questions, but Thomas was determined to serve the community’s animals well.

  The pre-arranged meeting with Dr. Benton at the practice took place thirty minutes after closing. He greeted Thomas at the door with a warm hug. Although seventy-one years of age, Dr. Benton still sported an engaging smile and a twinkle in his blue eyes. His once bushy hair was thinning and white while a fine network of wrinkles add
ed character to his timeworn face.

  Dr. Benton said, “Thomas, I have to admit to a certain amount of bittersweet emotion today, but I know that I’m leaving everything in good hands. Ellen and I won’t be leaving town any time soon, so please contact me with any kind of questions you might have as you continue to settle in. You know that we will be right next door.”

  Thomas forced himself to set aside any of his own personal second thoughts and said, “It’s a dream come true, Dr. Benton. You can count on me.”

  So much of the practice looked familiar in the entrance and waiting room. The service desk was carved of heavy, dark wood, and silly cartoon figures of dog, cats and fish still decorated the walls in the waiting room. A collection of pamphlets populated a rack next to a large poster detailing a dog’s anatomy. Thomas wondered if the cockatiel in the cage in the corner was the same one from fifteen years ago.

  Dr. Benton said, “Come with me to the back. I want to show you some of our latest updates.”

  The equipment at the Catlett’s Cove practice was a poor match for what Thomas had at his disposal back at the emergency hospital in the suburbs, but he was impressed with the perfectly serviceable operating rooms and imaging equipment. He could easily provide quality service for the majority of issues that might pass through the door.

  Thomas said, “It all looks great. I’ll take outstanding care of the animals of Catlett’s Cove.”

  Dr. Benton beamed. “I’m certain you will Thomas. I have no concerns whatsoever. Then he held out his hand with a ring holding a small set of keys.

  Thomas took the ring. “And you are normally closed tomorrow which is a Sunday?”

  Dr. Benton said, “Yes, so it might be the perfect opportunity to look around and become familiar with everything. Bennett, my after hours and weekend animal care assistant, will be here, and he can help answer questions. As I said, anything big, just give me a call.”

  As Thomas looked around, he had no doubts about being happy with his daily work in Catlett’s Cove. Most of his work in the city involved animals in dire, even hopeless, circumstances and owners that were pursuing a final path in desperation to save their companion. Working in Catlett’s Cove would be very different. Thomas would have the opportunity to kindle a richer, ongoing relationship with his clients seeing them both when all was going well and in efforts to fight illness.

  It was the down time that was more concerning. At least Thomas knew that most of the Purple Pack, the informal name adopted by his circle of gay friends from high school, were still in town, so kicking off part of his Catlett’s Cove social life would be easy. Finding a date would be just a little more difficult.

  Dr. Benton asked, “Would you care to check out your apartment, Thomas? I know it’s not fancy, but it should meet your needs for now.”

  When they reached their agreement on the practice, Dr. Benton offered the old carriage house adjacent to his family’s old Victorian home on Sutherland Street as an apartment option as long as Thomas would need it. It was situated in the historical district of Catlett’s Cove perched on a bluff overlooking Summers Lake. The carriage house apartment was relatively large with two bedrooms, one and a half baths, and it came fully furnished.

  The gravel crunched beneath the tires of his Toyota as Thomas pulled into the driveway behind Dr. Benton. When they emerged from their cars, Dr. Benton said, “My niece Alice last lived in the apartment. She took very good care of things. Normally, I wouldn’t allow pets, but I can’t imagine preventing a veterinarian from having a pet of his own, so a cat or a small dog is acceptable.”

  Beneath the apartment, the carriage house still provided garage space. The apartment entrance was the kitchen door approached via a wooden staircase on the outside of the building. Dr. Benton said, “We tried to make the decorating a little less feminine. Feel free to paint if you wish, and we will pay for new window coverings if you want to change those.”

  Thomas was impressed by the tastefulness of the apartment’s decoration. The furniture was comfortable and showed few signs of wear. A few framed posters of tourist sites in and around Catlett’s Cove decorated the walls, but plenty of space remained for expressing personal tastes. “What do I owe for rent here?” asked Thomas. “I don’t think we ever explicitly discussed that.”

  Dr. Benton said, “I’ve decided to include the first six months in the cost of your purchase of the practice. That should give you ample time to decide if this is what you really want for the future, and you might want to move out to something more spacious in town by then anyway.”

  Thomas blushed. “Dr. Benton, you’ve been more than generous. Are you sure I can’t pay my fair share of rent each month?”

  Dr. Benton smiled a warm, friendly smile. He said, “Just knowing that the practice is in good hands is more than payment enough. I do have a request, though. If you could join Ellen and I for dinner on occasion and share how things are going for your homecoming to Catlett’s Cove, that would be much appreciated. ”

  Thomas gave Dr. Benton’s shoulder a squeeze. “I think I could certainly manage that. If you need any other help around the house, just let me know. I’ll look forward to meeting Mrs. Benton again. It has been years.”

  “Do you need any help carrying things inside? Or do you still need to ship things down here?” asked Dr. Benton.

  Thomas hedged in his answer to the question. The honest truth was that he left the bulk of his belongings in storage back in the city. He thought about packing it all up in a truck to move to Catlett’s Cove, but then questions about the move began nagging at him. Thomas told Dr. Benton, “I just have a few boxes in the trunk of my car. I like to live lightly on the earth. I can carry them in later.”

  Dr. Benton flashed a kind smile. “Then as you wish, Thomas. Welcome back again to Catlett’s Cove, and I will let you have some time to yourself now. I’m certain Ellen is already wondering when I’m going to get home. Sometimes she can start to worry.”

  Thomas said, “Thank you for everything you’ve done. You’re an inspiration. I’ll see both you and Mrs. Benton very soon.”

  It took only four trips to carry all of the boxes from the trunk of the car. Thomas made a small fort out of them in the middle of the living room floor. Before heading south in the car, he decided that he would try and deal with one box a day while moving in. That would take care of everything in less than two weeks without feeling like an arduous chore.

  He opened the first box at random and found lying on top just inside the box a framed photo of the Purple pack. Thomas smiled and pointed in turn at some of the best friends he had ever known.

  To the right stood Derek, tall, handsome, staring intently at the camera. His family was always driving him to achieve, accepting nothing but perfect grades. Derek was always hard on himself, but he dropped everything to do anything if one of his friends was in need.

  Next was Emma and her girlfriend Jane. According to them, they fell in love on the kindergarten playground. They were like two peas in a pod, but they were the only peas of their type at Catlett’s Cove High.

  Thomas stood in the center of the group. His dark, deep-set eyes were in contrast with a broad smile caught in the midst of laughter. Someone had likely poked him or told an off-color joke to tease him out of a serious mood.

  To Thomas’ left stood Yale. Too many people in the world saw big, muscular, friendly Yale as mentally slow. Thomas knew that wasn’t the truth. He did have issues with focus sometimes, but too many intellectual conversations with Yale had passed by through the years to consider him less than intelligent.

  Finally on the far left, tall, skinny Aaron stood slightly off from the others. His clothes were a size too big and hung loosely from his broad, bony shoulders. Still, Aaron was good-looking in his own way, and he obsessed his way into proper dress and manners. Whether it was deliberate or not, Aaron always acted to keep the Purple Pack on the positive side.

  A few other friends clustered in the rear of the photo, but they were th
e ones who, like Thomas, left Catlett’s Cove following graduation. As far as Thomas knew, none of them returned.

  He gripped the photo in his right hand and lowered himself to the tasteful brown leather sofa. Thomas stared into the faces of his young friends and smiled thinking about the reunion just around the corner.

  2

  Hadley

  It was finally Friday, and Hadley Rogers drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of his extended cab pickup while inching forward impatiently in the long line of employees leaving the factory parking lot. It was the weekend, but that didn’t automatically mean rest and relaxation.

  Hadley’s Great Aunt Mae was slowing down. At age eighty the decline was inevitable, but Hadley sensed there might be something more than natural aging afoot. Convincing Aunt Mae of that fact was not the easiest task. She blamed any difficulties on her arthritis or the fact that she was an old woman, but Hadley knew that arthritis wasn’t a disease of the mind, and he caught Aunt Mae making shortcuts in the kitchen she would never have allowed in years gone by.

  Hadley’s parents perished in a four-car traffic accident just five miles from Catlett’s Cove only three months after Hadley’s high school graduation. Then less than two years later Aunt Mae’s husband Uncle Ed died after a sudden heart attack. twenty-three-year-old Hadley wasn’t ready to lose any more close relatives.

  Tired and hungry, Hadley planned to make his first Friday evening stop at Aunt Mae’s. He needed to check up on her, and he knew she would have a dinner ready even if it was something simply like a crockpot roast or chicken with rice.

  Spring was on its way, and her yard would need attention over the weekend. The past week was unusually warm and wet. That woke the grass from its long winter slumber. Aunt Mae insisted that she could hire one of the neighbor boys, but Hadley knew that Aunt Mae could not afford to toss money around for the sake of simple convenience.