Love & Serenity

Chapter 2

"Vermont?"

Deidre nodded.

"You want me to go to Vermont, where I know absolutely no one."

Deidre frowned.
"Do you know anyone in Greece?"

Lillian blinked, once, twice.
"That's not the point."

"You made it the point."

"Greece is...Greece, you know everyone is there on vacation but Vermont, everyone knows...everyone. It's more like a community."

"Who gave you that idea?"

"Hallmark."

Deidre thought for a moment.
"Well, that's...accurate." She finally said. "But there's nothing wrong with that."

Lillian sighed.

"Just go there, see things for yourself and if after a week you don't like it, come back, we'll figure out our next location."

Lillian groaned.
"Ok, fine."

"Great." Deidre stood up happily. "You go home and pack, I'll get the keys and meet you at your place."

Lillian stared at her; brows raised.
"Now?" She asked. "You want me to leave now?"

"Do you have anything planned for today?"

"No, but..."

"And you would probably go back to your apartment and do nothing, so yes, now." She said. "There's no point in waiting."

"It's past ten, and it's probably like ten hours to Vermont, and let's not forget I might get lost."

"It's six hours to Burlington, take a few, and there's this thing called a GPS."

"It's not reliable."

"In some cases." She said. "But I've driven there once, remember? GPS is reliable in this case."

"What...?"

"Grab your bag."

Lillian picked up her bag as Deidre grabbed hers and pushed her out of her office with her following behind.

"I'll be back in time for my eleven o'clock," Deidre said as they walked past Maggie's desk.

"See you in your apartment in twenty minutes, make sure you're completely packed by then," Deidre said when they arrived at the car park.

Lillian sighed and got into her car.

Half an hour later, Lillian was in her car, with the coordinates for Deidre's aunt's house set into the GPS. She shook her head again, not believing that she agreed to this. She just hoped she got there before dark.

With her phone plugged in and alexrainbirdMusic's September playlist on, blasting on high through the speakers, she drove to Vermont vowing to leave what happened in New York behind, even if it was just a week.

Clean slate.
She told herself.

When she passed through Manchester, Vermont four hours later, she couldn't help but sigh in awe of the beauty of Vermont. Now, in fall, it had this warm welcoming feel to it. The colours, the air, the calmness, and the serenity she was looking for, was right in Vermont. She passed through Rutland and Middlebury before she finally arrived at Burlington two and a half hours later.

It was a few minutes after five in the evening and she had been driving on S Willard Street for a few minutes when she turned left on Pearl street as the GPS had said. She was tired and hungry and she was glad she was almost there. She drove ahead for a moment with Battery Park at the end of the road, she made a right turn when she got there, and just as she did, it happened so fast, she didn't have time to step on the brakes quickly. She felt her car make the hit before finally stopping.

She froze in her seat, an open-mouthed gasp escaping her mouth.
"Shh-it!"

Quickly, she put her car in park and got out making her way around to the front to see the poor thing that she had hit. The big brown and black dog lay there whimpering.

"Oh, dear!" Lillian said as she began panicking. "Are you hurt?"

She immediately went on her knees to inspect the dog but just as she reached out to touch it, it barked.
"I promise I'm not going to hurt you." She said but frowned. "Maybe I already have. Uhm."

She looked from the dog to her car and back.
"Let's get you inside, I've got to get you to a Vet."

She went around to open the back door and went back for the dog. She bent down to pick it up but it barked again.
"I'm not going to hurt you again, I promise." She reached out slowly and ran her hand down its side for a couple of times until she was sure the dog was comfortable with her, then she slid her hands beneath it and picked it up. "Oh, you're heavy."

The dog whined.

"Healthy, I mean." She said as she struggled with its weight as she walked to the back of her car and placed it inside gently. "And you're a boy."

She got inside the driver's seat and made a quick search on her phone for vet clinics near her and found one just on the next left turn.
"Oh, goodie."

She put her car to drive and drove down Park street, taking the second left towards the clinic and when she arrived, she parked her car just outside the clinic. Once she put her car in park and turned off the engine, and made a quick dash inside the clinic.

"I need help." She said as she burst through the door. She noticed the brown-haired man that stood in front of the counter with a file, whose attention she now had.

"I'm sorry, we're closed." He said.

She walked towards him.
"But the door was open."

"A simple mistake I can fix by locking it once you step outside."

"Please, I mistakenly hit him, he came out of nowhere just as I made the turn and I don't know what to do or where else to take him, I'm new in town..."

"Ok, calm down. Where's he?"

"In my car." She pointed out the door.

"Let's go."

The man followed closely behind as they both made their way to her car. The man picked him up and took him inside the clinic and to a room further inside.
"One second." He left as he placed the dog on the bed then came back a moment later wearing his coat and a few other things. "Let's check you out."

He looked at the dog then and stopped.
"Otto."

Lillian looked at the vet and to the dog and back.
"Otto?"