Chapter 25
Six weeks to go
Each time the phone rang in reception, or a notification pinged on his phone, Brodie tensed wondering if Lettie had changed her mind and needed him to do something for her. He looked at the sweet dog snoozing in a basket he had placed for him next to Bethan’s chair behind reception and didn’t relish the thought that he might not still be there at the end of the day. After his impromptu visit to Hollyhock Farm two weeks before and seeing Joe and Lettie so comfortable with each other it reminded him how awkward he sometimes felt in her company He really didn’t need his day to get any worse. Why had he thought it a good idea to go there in the first place?
‘Stop staring at him,’ Bethan whispered bending to feed a treat to Thistle. ‘I know you’re worried he’ll be claimed but I’ll check them out thoroughly before we return him. I won’t let this little guy go to just anyone.’
Brodie loved Bethan’s dedication to the animals that passed through the practice. ‘I know you won’t.’
‘And,’ she added looking up at him a serious expression on her face, ‘if his owners do come for him then we’ll just have to focus on the fact that he’s happy and has been reunited with them, won’t we?’
Brodie lowered his voice so none of the people waiting in front of reception could hear him. ‘I’m not sure why you’re talking to me like you’re my primary school teacher?’ He grinned to let her know he was only teasing, not that Bethan would be bothered either way.
She nudged him with her elbow. ‘We could always go for a drink later to take your mind of everything,’ she suggested giving him a cheeky wink.
Thrown by her suggestion, Brodie swallowed. ‘Um, er, right.’
‘Never mind that now,’ she said, beaming at him. ‘Mrs Bellows is here with Tigger.’ She gave him a pained look before turning her attention and addressing the woman on the other side of the reception desk with the pet carrier on her lap and a hissing tabby inside it. ‘Mrs Bellows, Brodie is free to see you now.’
He had been hoping to make himself a quick coffee before seeing the next patient and wondered why Bethan seemed to have forgotten he usually took a few minutes to have one to refresh himself each day at this time. Had she forgotten because she was thinking about their drink in the pub? The thought worried him.
‘If you’ll follow me please, Mrs Bellows.’ He held his left arm out in the direction of his surgery and waited for her to accompany him. He already knew from experience that Tigger was a vicious spit-cat, not that Mrs Bellows thought so. ‘Thanks, Bethan,’ he said, narrowing his eyes at her before giving Mrs Bellows his most charming smile. He closed the surgery door behind Mrs Bellows and waited for her to lift the carrier onto the examination table. ‘What’s the matter with Tigger today?’
‘Vicious, bloody cat,’ he grumbled, his mood not helped by the pain the animal had inflicted.
‘Come here and let me look at that,’ Bethan said opening an antiseptic wipe and carefully cleaning the deep scratch across the back of Brodie’s hand twenty minutes later. ‘I’ve been feeling guilty.’
‘What about?’ he asked, intrigued by her admission. Bethan always seemed very honest so it didn’t surprise him that she wanted to open up about something that was troubling her.
‘I saw your face when I mentioned going out for a drink.’ She looked into his eyes for a few seconds. ‘It was only a suggestion and I wouldn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.’
He liked Bethan but he had feelings for Lettie. Deep feelings. What right did he have to be put out about Lettie seeing Joe? he mused, still unable to get the image of the two of them holding hands from his mind. She was a free agent and hadn’t he made a promise to himself not to get involved with anyone who was a client? If anyone was in the wrong it was him. He had been the one to instigate their kiss when he knew there couldn’t be a future for them. At least while she ran the farm.
‘Brodie?’
Embarrassed to have been so rude, he gave Bethan an apologetic smile. What had she been saying? Recalling her comment and wanting to make things up to her he shrugged. ‘You couldn’t possibly make me feel uncomfortable, Bethan,’ he said hoping to reassure her.
‘So you want to go out for that drink then?’
‘Yes, of course I do.’ What was he thinking? If he had been unsure about Bethan’s feelings towards him before, he now suspected that she liked him. Would he be leading her on and giving her false expectations by going out with her? He hoped not, but didn’t think that now was the time to change his mind. Not without upsetting her. ‘Just let me know when you’re free and we can go one night after we close up here, if you like.’
Her smile told him all he needed to know and Brodie felt his guilt deepen. ‘Great. I’ll do that.’ He winced as the wipe stung his cut hand. ‘Sorry. I know this is a bit sore.’ She lifted his hand to get a closer look. ‘It does look rather deep,’ she said peering down at the long furrow through his skin. ‘Maybe Tigger picked up that you weren’t all that fond of him?’
‘Very funny. Damned cat.’ He wished the morning’s surgery was over, but had noticed there were still three people and their pets waiting to see him. ‘Is it going to be like this all day?’
Bethan nodded. ‘It is. Though I’m not sure all of the pets have much wrong with them.’
He struggled to understand what she meant. ‘Then why would they bring them in here and waste their time and money seeing me?’
Bethan stopped what she was doing and looked at him. ‘And here was me thinking you were a man of the world, Brodie Murray.’
Insulted to think that she assumed he wasn’t, he frowned. ‘I am.’
She took a plaster and stuck it onto his cleaned cut. ‘They’ll stop soon enough, I’m sure.’
He didn’t like the idea of not having any patients and said so.
‘Oh, I’m sure you’ll still have enough work to keep you going,’ she assured him. ‘Just that you’ll have patients needing treatment, that’s all.’
‘That’s a relief.’ He looked at his hand. ‘You’ve done a good job, thank you, Nurse.’
‘My pleasure.’ She gave him a lingering smile and Brodie was sure she was trying to send him some sort of message.
‘Thanks, Bethan.’
‘How about tomorrow night for our drink?’
‘That would be nice.’
‘Right, I’ll tidy this lot up and go and make us both a coffee. I’ll bring yours in after your next patient has left.’ She raised a finger. ‘I almost forgot. I have to pop out for a doctor’s appointment. Nothing worrying,’ she added. ‘Just an annual check so that I can have a repeat prescription.’
‘That’s a relief. Will Tina be coming to stand in for you?’ he asked hopefully. He had spent a week soon after his arrival covering both the reception and his surgery when Bethan had been on holiday and didn’t fancy repeating the experience any time soon.
‘She will.’
Typical Bethan to be so efficient. ‘Thank you.’
Later that afternoon, Brodie saw the final patient out into the reception when Bethan returned.
‘You’ll never guess who I’ve just seen coming out of Hollyhock Farm,’ she said quietly over the reception desk so that only Brodie and Tina could hear her.
‘Who?’ Tina asked, eyes wide.
‘That delicious firefighter Joe. I wonder what he was doing there?’
‘I don’t think it’s any of our business,’ Brodie said feeling as if he’d been punched in his gut. Didn’t the man have a job to go to? He knew Lettie would have been busy, so maybe Joe was helping her. He imagined he would be and was glad to think Lettie had extra help with her work but wished he could be the one helping her.
He turned to Tina. ‘Thanks for covering Bethan today,’ he said grateful for her understanding.
‘It was no problem at all. I appreciate the extra money.’ Tina pointed the biro she was holding in Thistle’s direction. ‘I’m happy to see this adorable dog is still here. He seems very much at home now.’
‘Lettie was the one to rescue him,’ Brodie said. ‘I was happy to take him in.’ He remembered the posts Lettie was going to ask Tina to arrange for his details to be posted on social media and asked Tina if she had spoken to her.
‘No yet,’ Tina said, thoughtfully. ‘But she’s probably forgotten with all that she has to do now that her parents have gone away.’
‘Of course. I’m just eager to try and put something out so that the owners don’t worry unnecessarily about him.’
‘I thought as much. Bethan and I had a chat and I’ve now set something in place.’ Tina indicated the computer screen. ‘I’ve taken a photo of him.’ She turned the screen so Brodie could get a better look.
Seeing the photos reminded him that Lettie had also taken photos but must have forgotten about them with all she had to focus on at the farm.
‘And I’ve posted it up on various local platforms, so it shouldn’t be too long until someone recognises him and alerts either us or his owners where Thistle is being kept.’
‘Right. Thank you.’ As much as Brodie hated to think of Thistle’s owners worrying about him, he wasn’t looking forward to giving him back, but knew that was very selfish of him.
He said goodnight to Tina who had agreed to lock up for him and leave the key through his cottage letter box. He walked with Thistle back to the cottage and changed into his shorts to go surfing. His eyesight was lousy without his glasses but he never wore them surfing, so placed them on his bookcase. He realised he would be hungry after spending a couple of hours in the sea and needed something for supper. Brodie was tempted to take a chance on the village shop still being open when he finished, but decided not to risk it. He was always forgetting the time when he was on his board and was already slightly hungry and knew he had nothing in the house to feed either himself or the dog.
He walked to the shop, quickly choosing something, before hurrying home to pop it in the fridge and fetch his surfboard, eager to get down to the beach while the surf was good.