Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
In a high-necked silk blouse with an abstract design of blues and yellows, teamed with wide palazzo pants, Ella exuded sophistication. Bets could see that Devon couldn’t take his eyes off her as she floated around the gallery with Margery.
‘You look like you could burst with pride,’ she said to him in an undertone.
‘I could but it’s nothing to do with me – this is all her talent.
’ The vibrant paintings around the room were drawing lots of attention from the surprisingly large number of attendees, many of whom were dressed in definitely artsy, make-a-statement clothes.
‘I knew Margery had a reputation,’ said Devon, surveying the room, ‘but I had no idea she was so well connected. I heard someone say they were the art critic for The Times and I’m sure that woman over there is from that Artist of the Year TV series. ’
‘Oh, she knows everyone,’ said Jamie, materialising at Bets’ elbow. ‘How are you, Devon?’ They shook hands. ‘We need to arrange that interview. How are you fixed next week?’
‘Let me check the calendar.’
‘You’re off on Thursday,’ said Bets helpfully.
‘Am I?’ Devon nodded. ‘Thanks. Jamie, this is Bets, friend of mine and Ella’s. And also our top veterinary nurse, who keeps us all on the straight and narrow.’
Jamie turned to her. ‘We’ve met,’ The smile he shot her was very warm indeed. ‘Being a veterinary nurse must be interesting.’
Bets beamed. ‘It is. Every day is different and … I love it and … sorry, I could bore you for England.’
‘I don’t think anyone with a genuine passion for their job is ever boring.’ His eyes met hers with a very direct smile that made her pulse pick up. ‘Your glass is empty. Can I get you another drink?’
‘Er, um,’ Bets stuttered, unbalanced by his obvious interest. ‘Yes, that would be lovely.’
Devon shot her a quick look of amusement. He knew it wasn’t like her to be flummoxed.
‘I’ll just go and catch up with Ella, if you don’t mind. Drop me an email about Thursday.’ And before she could say anything, Devon tactfully abandoned them.
‘Subtle, not,’ said Bets with a rueful smile.
‘Man code,’ said Jamie with a wink. ‘Come with me and I’ll top you up. Champagne?’
‘Why not?’ said Bets. ‘One should always drink champagne on a Tuesday, don’t you think?’ She’d rarely drunk champagne in her life.
‘I think,’ he said, pausing with a mischievous grin, ‘you should always drink champagne when someone else is paying for it. Especially my aunt, who does like to do things properly. It’s the decent stuff.’
‘I wouldn’t know,’ said Bets, her natural honesty asserting itself. She felt a little out of her depth.
He leant towards her and whispered in her ear. ‘Neither would I. My first choice would always be a pint of real ale but don’t tell my aunt. She’ll have me thrown out.’
He deftly steered her over to the bar area and poured her a glass of champagne before leading her to a less busy spot.
‘So why are you meeting Devon? I thought you were a journalist.’
‘I am. I want to interview him. Country vet. I write a column in the paper each week looking at the pros and cons of living in the country versus the city.’
‘Oh,’ said Bets, ‘and which do you think is better?’
‘I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’m living in London at the moment but Margery has been doing her best to persuade me to move out this way and I’m seriously considering it’—his face fell—‘but there are other … complications.’ He made an obvious change of subject.
‘How would you convince me the country is better?’
Bets paused to think. ‘I’d take you for a long dog walk and finish up with Sunday roast in a local pub that serves very good local real ale from Tring Brewery.’
‘What are you doing next Sunday?’ asked Jamie.
‘You don’t waste any time,’ said Bets, impressed and slightly nervous at the same time.
Was he asking her out on a date? She was so out of practice with this sort of thing.
Who was she kidding? She’d never been in practice.
When she’d started going out with Jack, they’d snogged at the school disco and sat together on the school bus forever more and that was that. They were a couple.
Jamie lifted his shoulders. ‘What do you say?’
‘I might have a space in my diary.’
‘Do I need to find a dog?’
She laughed, enjoying the light flirtation between them and flattered by his attention. Actually gobsmacked would be a better way of describing it. Jamie was a proper grown-up. A man. Was he really interested in her? ‘No, I can supply one of those. I have one of my own.’
‘I’ll leave you to plan the walk and find a pub, if you don’t mind, as you’re local.’
‘No problem. We’ll probably start at Paul’s Knob and walk up to the Beacon and afterwards there’s a lovely pub in Ivinghoe that does a cracking roast.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Paul’s Knob? Are you winding me up?’
‘As if I would,’ said Bets with a teasing grin.
‘Ella is very talented,’ he observed twenty minutes later as they did a circuit of the gallery’s four rooms.
‘Yes, she is,’ said Bets, her heart sinking just a little. What talents did she have?
He leaned in closer and murmured in her ear, ‘Makes me feel quite inadequate. I just make up stuff and it ends up in the bottom of hamster cages.’
She laughed.
‘At least you have a proper job,’ he said.
Five minutes later, a whisper of wind fluttered at her back as a latecomer came through the door.
Even though he barely stepped into her peripheral vision, she knew instantly it was Jack.
Her heart responded with that involuntary bunny-hop.
Could she never flipping escape him? And when would her body stop reacting to him?
Oblivious to how unwelcome he was, Jack zeroed in on her. ‘Hey, Bets. This is quite the shindig. I can’t see Devon or Ella anywhere.’
‘Jack,’ she acknowledged him. ‘They’re over there somewhere.
’ She pointed to the archway leading to the room opposite but he didn’t take the hint.
Instead he snagged a glass of champagne from a waiter who’d veered their way having spotted his entrance.
Now she felt she had to introduce him to Jamie.
‘This is Jack, he’s Devon’s brother.’ As soon as she said the words, she wondered if Jack ever felt in his brother’s shadow. Like she’d become Jack’s girlfriend, did he chafe at being Devon’s brother?
‘Hi, nice to meet you,’ said Jamie. ‘You’ve evened out the numbers a bit. I swear my aunt has invited the whole of the WI.’
‘Oh, I think you’ll find that was my mother, Audrey.’
‘Ah, I’ve met the indomitable Audrey,’ said Jamie and then looked appalled. ‘Sorry, your mother, you said.’
Jack grinned at him. ‘Don’t worry, she has that effect on everyone. She’s terrifying. Isn’t she, Bets?’
‘No…’ Bets said, before adding, ‘Well, not completely. Put it this way, you don’t say no to her. But not’—she gave Jack a severe look—‘because she’s terrifying. She’s forthright and often there isn’t a good reason to say no to her.’
‘Or time to think of one,’ interjected Jack.
‘Sounds a bit like my Aunt Margery,’ said Jamie, giving Jack a sympathetic nod. ‘Formidable women.’
‘Like Bets,’ said Jack with a teasing grin.
‘Me?’ she said. ‘I’m not formidable.’
‘She is,’ insisted Jack with a smirk.
Jamie raised an eyebrow.
‘At school she organised us all. Like a sheepdog rounding us up.’
‘Only because you were all so hopeless,’ she retorted.
‘We were teenage boys, of course we were hopeless,’ said Jack. ‘And I liked being bossed about by you. It was cute.’ He winked at Jamie.
‘You two have been friends for a long time,’ observed Jamie, looking from one to the other. ‘I haven’t kept in touch with anyone from school.’
‘It’s impossible not to, round here,’ said Bets, shooting Jack a warning glare, wishing he would take himself off. Having him here, all bright-eyed and friendly was putting her on edge.
‘Another side to life in the country,’ said Jamie, and Bets could almost see his newsgathering antennae go up. ‘Is that a positive or a negative, do you think?’
Jack tilted his head to one side as if giving the question serious thought and then, to Bets’ surprise, instead of giving a flippant answer, he frowned. ‘I really don’t know. I used to think it was a negative. Everyone knowing your business and poking their noses in … but now I’m not so sure.’
‘I am,’ said Bets, thinking of Doris, who hadn’t given up trying to persuade her to go on a date, and Diana, who was making life difficult for Jack at the surgery. ‘It’s very difficult to avoid people that you really don’t want to see.’ She gave Jack a pointed look but he ignored it.
‘What’s made you change your mind?’ asked Jamie, clearly interested.
‘Oh, this and that,’ said Jack evasively.
Bets narrowed her eyes at him. Was he serious? And what had changed his mind?
‘Most of the time people are actually looking out for you. Wanting the best for you. And because they’ve known you for ever, they think they have the right to interfere.
And … sometimes, it turns out that they know you better than you know yourself.
’ This time Jack gave her a very direct look, his lips curving in a secretive smile, and her stupid pulse missed a beat. What was he playing at? And why now?
‘That all sounds very profound,’ replied Jamie, thankfully oblivious to the undercurrent swirling between Jack and Bets. ‘Can I quote you on that?’
‘What?’ Jack looked a little surprised until Jamie explained his regular column.
The two men started a serious discussion about community values. Flipping heck. She didn’t ruddy believe it. Jack had completely hijacked her evening.
‘Sorry,’ Jamie suddenly said to Bets. ‘I get carried away with shop talk. Shall we take a look at these paintings? Excuse us, Jack.’
He placed a hand on her arm and gently steered her away. When she glanced back, she saw Jack staring after them, a confused frown creasing his forehead.
‘So you have to tell me which one you like best and why,’ said Jamie leaning into her and speaking the words softly for her attention alone.
She turned her back on Jack and focused on Jamie, the warmth in his eyes making her feel …
she couldn’t quite put a finger on the exact sensation but he made her feel seen, like she was female.
Attractive. Not like she was a three-day-old pair of socks.