Chapter 21
21
Finn had gone to bed by the time Jade got home and she didn’t see him first thing in the morning either, which was a relief. But she knew she couldn’t avoid him forever.
Seeing Reg Arnold’s van pull through the gates just before lunch didn’t improve her mood. He was another person she’d have dearly liked to avoid. But it was too late to hide from her most impatient supplier. He’d already seen her and was striding up the yard.
‘Jade.’ His voice was ingratiating. ‘Long time no speak. I was just passing and as you never seem to return my phone calls, I thought I’d pop in and see how things were.’
Chase me up for payment, you mean, Jade thought with a surge of irritation. She couldn’t be more than a couple of days late. She paused from sweeping the yard and waited for him to reach her. He was a stringy, wiry, grey-haired little man who reminded Jade of a jockey.
He stopped in front of her, thrust his hands in his pockets and said, ‘This place is looking a bit more cared for than it used to. I heard you had some help. ’
‘That’s right.’ She glanced at Finn, who was just going past with a hammer in his hand. ‘I’ve got some temporary help.’ She waited for Reg to make some comment about being able to afford to hire people, but not to pay him on time, but it wasn’t forthcoming.
‘Mind if I take a look around? I’m thinking of getting a dog myself, actually.’
‘Help yourself.’ She leaned on the broom and watched him heading up towards the kennels. He was probably just being nosy; he didn’t strike her as the type who’d re-home from an animal rescue even if he did want a dog.
‘I’ll pop in and see you on my way out,’ he called over his shoulder. ‘You never know, I might see something I like.’
‘Not that I’d let him have one of my dogs,’ Jade told Finn in reception a few minutes later.
‘Why not? I’d have thought being a pet food supplier would have made him quite a good proposition,’ Finn said without looking up from the box of screws he was rummaging through. ‘At least it would never go hungry.’
‘He’s mean-spirited and I don’t like him,’ Jade said, surprising herself. She hadn’t realised she felt that strongly.
‘That doesn’t mean he won’t be able to offer a dog a good home. Some people are better at communicating with animals than they are with their own species.’ Now he did glance at her, raising his eyebrows and smiling slightly.
She flushed. ‘You are talking about Reg Arnold, I take it? Or was that a cheap dig at me?’
‘All I’m saying, Jade, is that for all you know he’d make a very good pet owner. Just because he’s a bit short on the charm side, you shouldn’t write him off. You were saying yesterday you could do with re-homing some dogs, so you ought to at least give him a chance.’ He stood up then, having presumably found what he wanted, grinned at her, and went out into the sunshine.
Jade frowned. Irritatingly, he was probably right. But it was all pure speculation and not worth getting wound up about. Reg Arnold might not even find a dog he liked. She didn’t want to admit that Finn’s little dig about people who communicated better with animals than humans had irked her. Sarah had said the same thing plenty of times, but it was different coming from Sarah. She was her closest friend. She snapped her thoughts away from Sarah, not wanting to think about yesterday and what was going to happen to their friendship now.
She’d almost forgotten about Reg Arnold when he came into reception about half an hour later, rested his hands on the desk in front of her and said, ‘I’ve found the perfect dog, Jade. Little lurcher bitch – got puppies with her.’
‘Candy.’ Jade looked at his lit-up face. She’d never seen him look so enthusiastic, with the possible exception of when he’d come in to collect a big payment. ‘It’ll be a while before she’s ready to go to a home.’
‘I can wait. I just had a chat with someone called Dawn. She said I could reserve her if I came and spoke to you.’
‘We’d need to do a home check first,’ Jade said, inwardly cursing Dawn.
‘Home check? But you know me, Jade.’
‘It’s just a formality. I have to check your fencing, things like that. And Candy will need to be spayed, or at least have the arrangements made. Give me a ring in a couple of weeks if you’re still keen. Then we can arrange a time for me to pop over and see you.’
‘Yes. All right, I suppose, if that’s what you have to do.’ He looked disappointed. Straightening up, he ran a hand through his wispy hair and said, ‘You know I really miss having a dog around the place. We had Jackdaw for nearly eighteen years.’
‘Jackdaw?’
‘He was a black Labrador. Had him from a scrap of a pup. Broke my heart when he went. Still, I suppose seventeen’s not bad for a Lab.’
‘No,’ Jade agreed, thinking that perhaps she had misjudged him. ‘Well, as I said, give me a ring when you’ve had a think.’
‘You’re the boss.’ He hesitated. ‘You’re doing a great job here, Jade. I’m impressed. Maybe we could leave the payment…’ He screwed up his face, as if he were having some internal battle with himself, and Jade held her breath. ‘Until you come and do the home visit. That would help you out a bit, wouldn’t it?’
‘That’s very thoughtful, Reg, thank you,’ she said, trying not to laugh at the magnanimous expression on his face.
‘Up until that moment I was starting to think he was a decent human being,’ she told Dawn that afternoon as they walked dogs in the field. ‘A few weeks’ extra credit, whoopee do – he looked so pleased with himself.’
‘I thought you were looking stressed,’ Dawn remarked. ‘Are you sure it’s just Reg Arnold? Or is there anything else on your mind?’
They paused in the corner of the field to let a dog walker with a greyhound go by and Jade noticed a broken fence post by the road and made a mental note to tell Finn about it. There was a lot on her mind, but most of it was classified, she thought with a surge of weariness, aware that Dawn was waiting for her answer.
She shook her head. The older woman was kind and discreet and could be relied on to keep quiet, but none of what was on her mind was hers to share.
They’d reached the end of the field and paused to let the dogs sniff a patch of grass, before turning to retrace their steps. Then, before either of them could say anything else, a rabbit shot past them with the greyhound, minus its walker, in hot pursuit. The terriers started to dance and bark on the ends of their leads and, despite the fact they were only small dogs, Jade felt the sudden wrench on her shoulders, which until then had been healing nicely.
The rabbit reached the fencing and shot through the gap by the broken post. The greyhound, unable to stop, crashed into the wire and yelped, then withdrew, limping and holding one dark paw in the air. The dog walker was running down the path towards them.
‘Sorry,’ she panted. ‘Took me by surprise and I couldn’t hold him.’
‘Don’t worry.’ Jade knelt by the dog, trying not to wince at the re-awakened pain in her shoulder. ‘He’s probably just twisted it. No damage as far as I can see. Your rabbit-chasing days are over,’ she said to the greyhound, who blinked his liquid brown eyes and licked her hand.
‘He looked like he could still win a few races to me,’ Dawn remarked.
‘Yes.’ Jade returned to the greyhound to his walker, glad the moment for confessions had passed.
She was about to shut the main gate that evening when Aiden’s jeep drew up outside. He slid down the window and beckoned her across .
‘You’re late tonight. I was just locking up.’
‘Sorry. I had an urgent call last thing.’ He looked tired and there were lines of stress around his dark eyes.
‘You don’t have to come every night, you know,’ she said gently. ‘You should have left it. I can cope with Fang.’
He brushed a hand through his hair, a curious gesture of vulnerability that touched her. ‘I’m all right. Long day, that’s all. Have you eaten, Jade, only I was wondering if you’d like to come for a bit of dinner?’ He reddened a little, his dark eyes even more intense than usual.
Jade hesitated. She was still aching like mad from her fall and all she really wanted to do was to lie in a bath and let the water soothe her wrenched muscles. Yet she didn’t want to turn him down flat. Not after what Mike had told her.
‘Not tonight, Aiden.’ She kept her voice gentle. ‘I need an early night. I’m really tired.’
He looked so defeated that she heard herself adding, ‘I’d love to come another time, though.’
His face brightened and before she could qualify this by suggesting they go to Mike’s one evening, he said, ‘How about next Saturday? I could book somewhere. Do you like Italian?’
‘Yes, why not.’ She wondered if the same restaurant would let him book another table. ‘But you’ll be in before then to see Fang?’
‘Of course. I could go up there now if you like?’
‘I’ve just locked up. You’ll disturb the others.’ As she spoke, Finn came up the yard, heading towards the cottage, and she saw Aiden’s cheekbones tense.
‘I’ll see you tomorrow, then.’ He leaned out and touched her arm and Jade had the horrible feeling it wasn’t for her benefit, but some signal of possession to Finn.
She stepped away. ‘See you tomorrow.’
He gave her a quick smile and pulled out of the yard. She watched him go with mixed feelings.
Dusk was already creeping through the air, bringing a chill dampness with it that promised yet more rain.
‘Going to stand there all night, or are you coming in?’ Finn’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
‘I’m coming now.’
‘Are you OK? You look shattered.’
Shattered just about summed it up – if she hadn’t been so tired and distracted, she was sure she wouldn’t have agreed to go out with Aiden. She glanced at Finn, longing for the easy rapport that had built up between them before Sarah had dropped her bombshell, but afraid to relax her guard. She wasn’t like Sarah. She couldn’t act as if nothing had happened. There was no way she could laugh and joke with Finn while she was also lying to him. She’d have been hard pushed to do it with a stranger, let alone someone she liked and trusted.
‘I am tired,’ she said, jolting away from him as they took their coats off in the hallway and their arms brushed accidentally.
‘And jumpy,’ he added quietly. ‘What’s on your mind, Jade?’
‘Nothing.’ She spoke too quickly, too sharply, and she saw his face tighten even in the dim light of the hall. ‘What I mean is that…’
‘You don’t need to explain. I think I can guess,’ he murmured.
God, she hoped not. Then it struck her he might think she was judging him for having a one-night stand with her closest friend. Every instinct she had urged her to tell him she wasn’t.
But she didn’t dare open that can of worms. She couldn’t afford to let down her guard around him, not for a second. Not until Sarah had told him the truth.