Chapter Fourteen
Since returning from the school, I’ve seen two dogs and a cranky Siamese cat called Treasure, but now, besides me and Keith Urban, the waiting room is empty. Keith, lying flat on the tiles to keep cool, lifts his head when someone raps on the door.
‘Come in!’
The woman, well dressed in a smart linen dress, is well in her sixties. Intelligent. Reserved. Grey hair pulled into a bun.
‘Miss Winters.’ I stand back. ‘Come in.’
‘I thought you might not recognise me after all these years.’
I might not have recognised her so quickly if Bronte and Charlie hadn’t mentioned her this morning, but in sixteen years, she’s changed very little.
‘My appearance would have altered more than yours.’
‘When Bronte told me she’d met a pretty vet that used to attend Summerfield Primary, I hoped it would be you.’ She sits on a chair in the waiting room and I sit too. ‘You’re taller of course and …’ She smiles uncertainly.
‘Things turned out okay with my eyes.’
‘You should never have been moved to the senior classes.’ She folds her hands. ‘That has always sat uneasily with me.’
‘There were a lot of factors at play. Anyway, I survived.’
‘You were not only clever, but resilient.’
‘I liked being in your class.’
‘I did some online research, Amelie. You have outstanding credentials.’
‘Working with domestic and farm animals in Summerfield is different from what I usually do, but I’ve enjoyed it.’
A small smile. ‘Caesar is as thick as a plank and a devil to catch.’
‘I couldn’t have treated him without Cameron’s help.’
‘Now that you are adults, you can work with Cameron rather than against him. Intelligence and decency. You had far more in common than either of you recognised.’
‘We were in the same classes, not much else.’
‘I don’t believe that was Cameron’s experience.’ She sits forward in her chair. ‘He was not only older, he was mature for his age. He was concerned about you.’
‘People thought we competed, but I don’t know that we did.’
‘It’s not in your nature. Either of you.’
‘I must have known, deep down, that he’d been kind. It’s why I was hurt when I thought he’d let me down.’
‘He always wanted you to be safe.’
In the same way I would have done in Miss Winters’ class, I link my hands in my lap. My hand isn’t tingling now, but it tingled when I touched Cameron’s hand this morning.
‘I misjudged him.’
Standing stiffly, Miss Winters puts a hand on my arm. ‘Christmas is getting close. Do you have plans?’
‘I don’t do much at Christmas.’
‘I assist Audrey at the community centre on Christmas Day. Would you care to join us?’
Does she still see me as vulnerable?
‘Thank you, but Keith Urban and I are planning a quiet day at home.’