Chapter 16
June
‘You’ll never guess who I saw coming out of the veterinary practice this morning when I went to collect your father’s suit from the dry cleaner’s,’ Lindy Torel said as she carried it and two bags of shopping past Lettie towards the house.
‘Who?’ Lettie asked immediately wishing she hadn’t sounded quite so interested when her mother raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing smile. ‘And you can stop that nonsense. I’m only interested because I still haven’t got round to speaking to someone about working there.’
‘I’ve no idea what you’re on about. Anyway, I was talking about that teacher of yours. You know the one, she taught you French in Year 2, or was it Year 3?’
‘Mum, please get to the point, I have animals to look after.’
‘Fine. Well, she was saying that they have a new receptionist in there. And you’ll never guess who it is?’
Lettie wished her mother would stop with all the intrigue. ‘Are you going to tell me, or is this a twenty questions kind of conversation? Because if it is, I really don’t have time to indulge you.’
‘Hark at you?’
‘Mum!’
‘Oh, all right then, it’s Tina.’
‘Tina?’ How had that happened? she wondered, feeling guilty for not having passed on Tina’s details as she had offered to do. ‘She has a job there?’
‘That’s what your old teacher said.’ Her mother pushed open the front door and hung the hanger over one of the coat hooks in the hallway before turning back to Lettie. ‘What was her name now? I know, it was Miss Bastian. That’s right, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, Mum, that is right. But please can you tell me what she said about Tina?’
‘Nothing much. She said she was very good and helped her settle the invoice for her little terrier dog she had taken to be checked with the vet. She was mostly excited about passing on a little news more than anything, I think.’
‘I’m pleased. I know Tina’s been wanting to do something a little different since Noah turned two, but the virtual assistant work hadn’t taken off as she hoped it would, and she and Kyle could definitely do with the money. I’m glad Brodie asked her.’
‘You knew about this?’
‘Sort of. Right, can I get on with my work now? I don’t want Dad getting upset because I haven’t finished all the jobs he wants me to do.’
‘Sorry. I’ll leave you be.’
She watched her mother disappear into the house and turned to go to the barn. Brodie must have taken it upon himself to track Tina down, she mused. Although he could have always sought her out to ask for Tina’s number. It would have been the perfect excuse to do so if he was interested in her. Clearly he couldn’t be, she decided.
Lettie was disappointed for a while, but focused all her attention onto her work. She had far more important things to be focusing on now than to let a man distract her attention from the farm, especially one who had already shown that he couldn’t be relied upon.
Later, as she finished packing that day’s collection of eggs, it occurred to Lettie that it was probably just as well that Brodie wasn’t interested in her. If he had been then he might kiss her at some point and be reminded of that first kiss they’d shared and how dreadful it must have been for him not to bother even talking to her again. She shuddered at the thought.
Later, having fed the livestock, Lettie sat down in the shade, leaning back against the wall with a cool glass of water when she felt her phone vibrating in her jeans pocket. She took it out and looked at the screen, answering immediately when she saw Tina’s name.
‘Hi, Tina, how’s the new job going?’ she asked, excited to hear how her friend was getting on working away from home for the first time in over two years.
‘Sorry, Lettie,’ she said her voice tense.
‘What’s the matter?’ Lettie sat upright.
‘I’m at work and there’s an emergency. I need to fetch Noah but can’t get hold of Kyle to collect him. I hate to ask you when you’re so busy, but would you be able to get him today?’
‘No problem at all. Shall I take him home, or to your mum’s?’
‘She’s out shopping somewhere. Could you bring him to the practice please. Hopefully I’ll be able to leave by then, but they’re going to need me for a bit longer and I can’t leave Noah waiting for me.’
‘Don’t be silly. That’s no problem at all.’
‘Thank you, that’s such a relief. I’ll message the nursery now and let them know to expect you.’
Lettie ended the call, wondering what could have happened at the practice to cause such alarm. She noticed how grubby her clothes were and ran into the house for a speedy shower. Tying her hair back and without wasting time to dry herself properly, she pulled on a clean pair of shorts and a T-shirt and ran out to her mother’s car.
She was relieved to notice that there were two other children waiting with Noah and his teacher at the nursery school. They knew her there mostly because she had attended the same school as several of the teachers, or had been taught by others, so most of the staff knew she and Tina had been best friends since they had started school.
‘Hello.’ She smiled at the teacher as she ruffled Noah’s thick hair. ‘Tina’s been delayed at work and was going to message you to say she had asked me to pick up Noah today. Is that all right?’
‘We received her message, so it’s fine.’ Miss Collier had been in the year above Lettie and Tina, and neither of them had been surprised when she had trained to be a teacher. The children loved her – well, Noah and the two other pupils standing with her seemed very calm in her presence and not at all fazed that their parents hadn’t arrived at the school yet.
‘Thank you.’ She smiled at Noah. ‘Shall we go and see how Mummy’s getting on at her new job?’
Noah’s smile widened. ‘Yeth pleath, Auntie Letts.’
She reached out her hand, a warm feeling sweeping through her when his little hand took it. ‘Let’s go then, shall we?’
‘Yay. We’re going to my mummy’s work,’ he bellowed over his shoulder to the other two children and Mrs Collier.
The short walk to the practice was filled with Noah’s excited chatter, which didn’t stop until they reached the entrance. Lettie led him up to the door, hoping there weren’t going to be any shocks to greet him but trusting that if that had been the case then Tina would be looking out for them to arrive and would no doubt come outside to warn her.
‘Mummy!’ he shrieked, running into her open arms.
‘Shush, Noah,’ Tina whispered. ‘There are sick animals waiting to see the vet.’
He covered his mouth with his hand and gazed around the room at the three clients waiting, one with a dog on a lead and two with cats in pet carriers.
‘Do you want to come and say hello to Monty?’ the lady with a Labrador puppy asked. ‘He’s very friendly.’
‘Can I, Mummy?’
‘Yes, but be gentle with him. You don’t want to frighten him just before he has his injections.’
‘No, I don’t.’
Lettie and Tina watched Noah, and Lettie couldn’t help asking what the drama was about.
‘A mare at the stables down the road has given birth.’
‘Was it all right?’ Lettie asked.
‘Yes, but the owner discovered there was another still to be born.’
‘Twins?’
The people all looked up at Lettie and Tina motioned for her to lower her voice. ‘Yes. Brodie had to rush off and called after him for Bethan to follow. He didn’t like to let the other patients or their owners down by rescheduling their appointments, so asked me to stay behind and keep them updated until they returned and he could see them.’ She lowered her voice further. ‘I gather Brodie had offered to do a scan but the woman didn’t think it necessary because none of her mares had ever given birth to twins before.’
‘I bet she wished she had listened to him now.’
Tina nodded. ‘Bethan suspects it’s because he’s new here and so much younger than the previous vet, so some clients are finding it difficult to trust his diagnoses and think they know better.’
Lettie couldn’t help thinking how silly that was. Much as she found being in Brodie’s company a little disconcerting, as far as she was concerned the fact that he had only a few of years before qualified as a vet meant to her that he had been trained with the latest equipment and knowledge. Surely that was something to inspire confidence, rather than the opposite?
‘He raced off and Bethan followed as soon as I arrived and she had handed over to me. He’s incredibly dedicated.’ She smiled. ‘But I sense you’ve already noticed that about him. I can see that Bethan clearly has.’
What was that supposed to mean? Lettie wondered, not missing her friend’s innuendo. ‘I’ve noticed he’s a trustworthy vet, if that’s what you’re insinuating.’
She wasn’t surprised though. She might not know him very well but everything she had discovered about Brodie since meeting him again had shown her how caring he was to others, especially the animals he looked after. How could she not have a soft spot for someone who loved animals?
‘Hey.’
She realised Tina was trying to get her attention.
‘Sorry, I was thinking.’
‘About my dishy boss, no doubt.’ Tina raised an eyebrow, lowering it when Lettie glowered at her.
Tina knew her far too well to be fobbed off with a fib. ‘Maybe.’
Tina sighed as another client entered the reception. ‘I’d better get on. Thanks for collecting Noah.’
‘I can take him with me back to the farm if you’re going to be a while. You or Kyle could always fetch him on your way home from work.’
‘He’ll be fine. He loves animals and we have snacks here he can eat if I’m longer than I expect.’
‘Well, if you’re sure. Do call me if you change your mind. I’m only five minutes away.’
‘Thanks, Lettie.’ Tina kissed her on the cheek. ‘Noah, say goodbye to Lettie.’
Lettie bent to give the little boy a hug and left Tina to attend to the new client who had just arrived, relieved her friend’s attention had been distracted just when things were getting tricky. As she walked to the car, Lettie mused about Tina’s notion that Bethan seemed to like him confirmed what she had thought seeing Bethan’s reaction to Brodie that night in the pub. Lettie knew it shouldn’t bother her, but the pang in her heart told her otherwise. It was no business of hers if Bethan and Brodie became close. They worked together for long hours and were both single, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that they might become close. It wasn’t as if she was looking for a relationship with him, not when she had so much responsibility weighing on her for at least the next three months.
She pushed thoughts of Brodie aside, irritated with herself for daydreaming about him and silly what-might-have-beens. She needed to focus on the task ahead of her if she was going to succeed in looking after the farm while her parents were away, and the only way to do that was to ensure she had no distractions, real or fantasy, to take her attention from her farm work.