Eleven
It had been a difficult two days for Rachel, the house unusually quiet without Molly, despite the presence of her B&B guests each morning for breakfast. But finally, Wednesday was here, and she could call the vet clinic to find out if she was able to pick up her little dog and bring her home. She suppressed the thought that she would also have the opportunity to see Luke again, and the butterflies in her stomach that accompanied it. She was too old to allow such thoughts to take root.
Once her guests had gone out for the day, the teenagers seeming to take for ever to get themselves organised, Rachel washed up then took her own breakfast out to the courtyard along with her phone. She forced herself to eat a slice of toast spread with avocado and cottage cheese, and to drink half her cup of lemon and ginger tea, before deciding it wasn’t too early to call the vet.
To Rachel’s disappointment, it was Wendy who answered – she didn’t know why she’d expected it to be Luke. But, after the usual pleasantries about the weather, the other woman said, ‘You need to speak to Luke. He won’t be a moment.’
It seemed like a lot more than a moment, as Rachel listened to the recorded message giving the clinic hours and advice on the importance of worming your pet, but eventually, Luke’s warm voice said, ‘Hello, Red.’
Rachel’s heart lurched, drawn back to her fourteen-year-old self at the sound of her old nickname. ‘Molly, how is she?’
‘Molly’s doing very well. I’d like to keep her here this morning, but if you can drop in around four, you can take her home.’
‘Oh, thank you!’ Rachel could have kissed Luke. It was just as well he was on the other end of the phone. But it wasn’t such an unusual response. Bob had once told her that many of his clients hugged him when their pets recovered, so grateful for his assistance though he protested he was just doing his job. She suspected the same happened to Luke.
Picking Molly up at four would work out perfectly for Rachel. Today was her lunch meeting again, their Christmas lunch at Liz’s, and the evening before, she had wrapped her gift for the Secret Santa. It was a beautiful Koh tealight candle holder in an Aboriginal design which she’d discovered on a trip to the Ginger Factory with the twins earlier in the year and purchased for just such an occasion. She had fond memories of that trip, of their ride on the ginger train, joining the gingerbread man on his adventure on the boat trip as he evaded the hungry chefs, having fun on the bee jumping castle and the kids’ playground, the day finishing with ice cream for the twins, and tea with a ginger scone for her. It had been exhausting, but lovely to see Gemma and Indie enjoying themselves so much.
*
Rachel was first to arrive at her friend’s and, after greeting her with a hug, Liz poured her a glass of wine. Before Rachel could open her mouth, Liz began to speak. ‘You wouldn’t believe the week I’ve had,’ she said. ‘We’ve been short-staffed at the medical centre. I’ve had to stand in for one of the receptionists and it looked as if I might have had to work today.’
‘I’m glad you didn’t,’ Rachel said, hoping to calm Liz down. ‘Did something else happen?’ she asked, seeing her friend still appeared distraught.
‘Yes…’ But before she could continue, there was a knock at the door. ‘Later,’ she said, heading off to answer it.
When she returned, she was accompanied by Poppy and Gill who had arrived together. For the next few minutes, she was busy pouring wine for them, then ushering all three women out on to the balcony which, as usual, was filled with a collection of plants. Liz loved to tell people how she was inspired by Indira Naidoo’s book, The Edible Balcony , to create a garden on her balcony containing a variety of vegetables and herbs, plus a few pots of flowering plants. Rachel was going to have to wait till later to discover what Liz had been going to tell her.
At first, the conversation centred around their Christmas plans. This year, all four were going to have a family Christmas, and they had fun sharing how they intended to spend the day. For Gill, this would be the first year for some time that she’d have her daughter with her, along with Joe. She beamed as she described how they were going to have breakfast on the beach followed by lunch at Crossings .
Poppy smiled at the news. Her family Christmas was an evening event, after the busy Christmas lunch in Crossings , the restaurant she owned and managed. ‘But at least I don’t have to cook,’ she said with a grin. ‘We get all the leftovers from the restaurant. And this year, there will be four grandchildren to cater for. I can scarcely believe it. It’s been so much fun choosing presents.’
‘I totally know what you mean,’ Rachel said. She still had to finish her Christmas shopping for the twins and Emily, though she’d already bought gifts for the grownups, plus a baby gift for Steph and Chloe in anticipation of the news Steph was pregnant. As always, Alexander had been the most difficult to buy for. What did you buy your twenty-eight-year-old son who lived overseas and would have to take it home on a plane? She’d settled for a voucher for Iconic, one of his favourite stores, even though she always felt this sort of gift was a copout.
Liz smiled. This Christmas was going to be special for her too, the first with the daughter and granddaughter she’d only recently been reunited with. ‘I can’t wait,’ she said. ‘And Mandy’s baby’s due soon too. That’s what I was about to tell you, Rach. Now I can tell you all. We had a scare on Monday evening when Mandy thought she was in labour. We all rushed to the hospital, but it was a false alarm. Good preparation for the real thing, I suppose.’
They all smiled, and Rachel said, ‘Looks like you might be getting a very special Christmas present, Liz.’
‘I’ll drink to that.’ Liz raised her glass. ‘I can’t survive any more false alarms. Now, I hope you’re all hungry.’
They all nodded, and Rachel realised she couldn’t smell roast turkey, and this was their Christmas celebration. There had been no mention of the Secret Santa either, and she wondered if Liz had forgotten. She should have known better.
After a delicious meal of prawns and lobster, accompanied by salads and followed by a chocolate cheesecake, Liz said, ‘Time for Secret Santa.’
They all dropped their gifts into a bag Liz provided, and, eyes closed, took turns in picking one out. To her delight, Rachel picked out a long, beaded necklace, while Poppy got the candle holder, Liz a pair of earrings, and Gill a book which she said she’d been longing to read.
They were enjoying coffee with a final glass of champagne when Liz said, ‘I hear there’s a new vet in town while Bob’s overseas. Have any of you met him yet?’ She stared around at her three friends.
Rachel felt herself redden, sure her meeting with Luke was obvious from her expression. ‘I have,’ she said. ‘Molly picked up a tick on Monday. She’s been in the vet hospital for the past two days.’
‘Oh, no!’ Poppy said, her expression mirroring her concern. ‘How is she?’
‘She’s fine now, coming home later today. But it was a worry at the time.’
‘It must have been. I must keep an eye on Angus,’ she said, referring to her own West Highland Terrier.
‘So, what’s he like?’ Liz asked, refusing to be deterred.
‘He seems nice, competent, a bit older than Bob.’
‘Nice, competent… That doesn’t tell us much. You’re the only one of us still single.’ Liz pointed at Rachel. ‘Is he hot?’
‘Liz!’ It was Poppy who spoke first, while Rachel was trying to figure out how to respond. Liz did have a habit of making outrageous remarks – she’d only given up briefly when she was herself at the start of a relationship with their local newspaper editor – but this was too much, even for Liz.
‘I’m quite happy as I am, thank you,’ Rachel said, finally finding her voice. ‘Not everyone needs a man to fill her life.’ But even as she spoke Rachel knew it to be a lie. Hadn’t she spent the past two days thinking about Luke… and wishing…?