Legally Wed by Rick R. Reed

Author:Rick R. Reed [Reed, Rick R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter 11

“WE HAVE to charge you the extra money. Think of it as combat pay.” Marilyn faced the perfectly coiffed, dressed, and made-up African-American woman who hugged her Persian cat, Matilda, to her chest protectively.

“Combat pay? How dare you! For this little darling?” Dravus Bell scratched the cat behind its ears. It growled. “Shhh, sweetie, I know. Did these people give you a hard time?”

“Anyway,” Marilyn continued. “It’s ten dollars extra when we have to do a toenail trim on a fractious cat.”

“Fractious?”

“Fractious. As in Miss Matilda here left claw marks on our vet tech that will probably require stitches. I’m sorry if you don’t understand the policy. Would you like me to speak to one of the doctors or the clinic administrator? Perhaps we can get them to waive the extra fee for this little sweetheart here.” Marilyn, unwisely, reached out to pat the cat’s head and was rewarded with a lightning-swift claw to her wrist. In spite of just having her claws trimmed, Matilda still managed to leave a bright red line on Marilyn’s forearm. As Marilyn looked down in horror, the blood started beading up.

Dravus Bell smiled and Marilyn felt like she could see pent-up laughter behind the smile. Sometimes, Marilyn hated her job at the vet clinic. And right now, she hated this woman, but being a professional “client specialist,” she simply smiled back, as if clueless that the woman was amused that her cat had just scratched Marilyn.

“She doesn’t like strangers,” Dravus explained, as if that excused Matilda’s aggression.

“I’ll be right back.” Marilyn went in the back, washed the scratch with Hibiclens, and applied a smear of Polysporin. She counted to ten and returned to the front desk.

“We’ll just charge you the usual for the toenail trim,” Marilyn said, staring at the computer screen, typing as she adjusted the woman’s bill. “But next time, there will be the surcharge.” She looked into Dravus Bell’s amber-colored eyes. “I’m just noting that we had this little talk here in your record, so we don’t forget next time Miss Matilda comes in.”

“Thank you,” Dravus Bell said, producing an American Express card from her Ferragamo handbag.

Marilyn took care of the payment, smiled at her latest clients, and gave them their receipt.

“Have a nice day!” she called brightly as they waltzed out the door, the woman kissing the top of the cat’s head. “Bitch,” she whispered under her breath once the door had closed behind them.

Marilyn shook her head. “Who can I help next?”

It had been one of those days, the clinic so busy Marilyn hardly had time to think. Her former best friend, Hannah, had quit the week before to move to St. Paul with her new husband and that only made things worse. Even though the friendship wasn’t the same between the women since Hannah had found herself a man, she was a great team member and really helped out at the front desk. Today, Marilyn was stuck with Chanel Keiger, a pretty young thing who was as dumb as a box of rocks, except when it came to craftily avoiding work of any kind.

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