Chapter 17
Brodie stopped to let a vehicle out of the car park and spotted Lettie walking along the pavement away from the practice. If only he hadn’t been stuck behind two tractors on the way back from the stables he might have been back in time to speak to her.
He parked the car and wondered why she had called in. Remembering Tina was working on reception, he grabbed his case and hurried inside. He opened his mouth to apologise to the waiting people who had brought in their pets when something slammed into his legs. Reaching down to catch whatever it was, Brodie laughed when he recognised the little boy of about two years old with a mop of dark wavy hair who had been in the pushchair when he helped Tina with her shopping.
‘Noah, be careful. I’m so sorry,’ Tina said hurrying out from behind the reception desk. ‘He can be a little whirlwind sometimes.’
‘It’s fine. I hope he hasn’t been waiting too long.’ He looked at the other people and gave an apologetic smile. ‘I hope none of you have been here for too long and I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. I’ll just go through to my surgery and then Tina can start sending you in. If any of you would rather come back another day, we can arrange an alternative appointment with you.’
He turned to her and lowered his voice. ‘Bethan is on her way back now too, so shouldn’t be very long.’
‘That’s fine,’ she said glancing at Noah. ‘Come and sit with Mummy please.’
‘Don’t worry about him,’ Brodie soothed, wanting to calm her. ‘He’s been very good to have to spend time here when I’m sure both of you would have rather be at home by now.’
‘It’s fine,’ Tina said.
Brodie couldn’t imagine that was the case but thought it kind of her to try and reassure him. ‘Give me two minutes then send in the first person, please.’
‘Will do.’
Half an hour later, the second client was shown in by Bethan. ‘Ah, you’re back. Has Tina left yet?’
‘She has. I thanked her for both of us. She did a great job today.’
‘I thought so too.’ He smiled at the elderly man holding a pet carrier and went to take it from him. ‘Good afternoon, Mr Billings. How’s Smudge this week?’
By the end of the day, Brodie was tired and looking forward to an hour’s surfing but when he got down to the beach he was disappointed to see there was little surf. Instead of returning to his cottage behind the surgery he decided to leave his board and go for a quick swim instead.
This is the life, he thought, as he waded out in the shallow waters before reaching waist-deep and submersing himself into the chilly but calm sea. Once completely wet, he lay on his back and floated on the small rolling waves, staring up at the azure blue sky with only the hint of the odd wispy cloud. He thought back to when he was eighteen and desperate to leave the island for some excitement. Now, here he was years later ecstatic to be home again. He had loved the nightlife in England and being able to take a train to the next town to concerts or the theatre if nothing much was happening where he lived. Taking flights direct to holiday destinations without having to take one first from the island to connect to Heathrow or Gatwick was another plus, but the novelty had worn off and, after the end of his relationship with Tiffany, all he had wanted to do was get back to the relative peace of island life.
He was glad he had made the decision, grateful his change in lifestyle had come at the same time as Old Man Winter’s retirement. Fate had stepped in and been very generous to him.
He had hoped to enjoy running the practice but even he was surprised at how perfect his life seemed now. Well, almost perfect. He missed having a group of friends to meet up with for meals or a few drinks but was slowly getting to know others. This was a new stage in his life and realising his ambition of having his own business made everything worthwhile. Hopefully things could carry on this way and maybe then in a few years he might be able to afford to refurnish the cottage and buy it outright. The lease was for twenty-five years but ideally he was hoping to find a way to own the place himself.
Slow down, he thought, turning over and starting to swim. There was enough time for all these ambitions to happen. He needed to take things one stage at a time and not overdo it and end up losing everything, which was what Tiffany had insinuated might happen when she decided that living on an island must be the most boring thing in the world. Not that he had ever asked her to join him. Typical Tiffany to offer an unwelcome opinion the one time he bumped into her after their split.
Back at his Land Rover, Brodie shook water from his hair and checked his phone. A message from his mother.
You’ve avoided us long enough. Supper at home tonight if you can make it, which I truly hope you can. Mumx
Not wishing to offend his lovely mum and aware he had been neglectful of his family since taking over the practice and being so busy, Brodie texted her back confirming he looked forward to seeing them all later and enjoying some of her delicious cooking.
He drove back to his cottage feeling revitalised and relaxed. He would certainly sleep well tonight. He realised that despite worrying about taking on this new business his sleep had been much better since returning to Jersey. He thought back to what one of his uni friends had always said, ‘You can take the boy from the island but not the island from the boy.’ Or something like that.
He realised for the first time how very truthful that sentiment was and it certainly suited him. Maybe that had something to do with why Lettie Torel was so insistent on working back here. Her brother had told him about her fun and exciting life in London and although he’d barely seen her in much other than jeans or messy dungarees, Brodie could imagine her in a smart outfit looking glamorous. Lettie. She really was an enigma to him and very different to any other woman he had ever been attracted to before.
Brodie thought of his ex, Tiffany, and how much in love with her he had thought himself to be. She was intense and a brilliant lawyer. At the time he had thought their relationship passionate, and it hadn’t occurred to him that maybe they weren’t as suited to each other as he had imagined. He recalled how much she loved to debate. Although those debates, as she called them, seemed more like arguments to him and often left him feeling attacked and hurt. Lettie seemed independent and determined but he doubted she could be unkind simply to make a point.
His relationship with Tiffany wasn’t all bad though, Brodie mused. He had enjoyed their lengthy chats planning their futures, thinking they had much to look forward to, when in fact all it had taken for their relationship to fall apart was him mentioning his wish to take over The Village Practice. He still felt betrayed when Greg, a close friend of theirs, had suggested that Brodie valued his career more than her. Tiffany had believed him, despite Brodie’s assurances to the contrary, and ended their relationship abruptly, which made him wonder if she had been looking for a way out that she could blame on him.
Thinking about how much he loved being back on the island and how difficult it probably would have been for Tiffany to settle somewhere this small, he now realised that it had all worked out for the best. Brodie pictured the last time he had seen Tiffany when he had gone back to their flat to return his key and how it had stung to find Greg looking very much at home there. He wondered briefly if the two of them were still an item, then pushed the thought away. Tiffany was none of his business any longer.