Chapter Twenty-Four #2
‘It was hilarious,’ chipped in Devon. ‘Don’t mess with Ella. She really clouted him one with the painting.’
‘I was just so mad at him.’ She turned to Geoffrey. ‘I don’t normally do things like that.’ Quickly she explained the full story.
‘Good for you, dear. It sounds as if he probably deserved it.’
Ella pulled a face as she sank back into the sofa and took a sip of her drink. The generous measure of gin almost took her head off but after the day she’d had, it was rather welcome. Absently she reached down to rub Tess’s head and reassure her that she was there.
‘And you, Devon. How was James?’
‘Good, he’s very happy. Enjoying married life.’
‘And did he make you an offer?’ Geoffrey’s voice, although bland, held a note of expectation.
‘Yes, but I’m not interested.’ Devon’s tone was clipped and Ella wondered at the undertone.
‘I don’t mind, you know.’
‘Don’t mind what?’ Devon scowled and took great interest in Dexter’s jaws.
‘I don’t mind if you decide you want to go off and do your own thing. Go and work in another practice.’
‘I don’t want to go and work in James’s practice. It’s another City practice. I’ve realised recently I want to work with large animals.’
Devon’s dad didn’t look convinced and Ella could tell that there was some hidden tension between them.
‘So where did you take Tess and Dex this afternoon? They both look shattered.’
‘Just around the reservoir.’ Geoffrey gave her a candid stare.
Devon smiled, the quirky twisted smile that made Ella’s heart pick up a pace. ‘At what speed?’
The older man responded to his grin. ‘Set a cracking pace. I’m definitely on the mend.’
‘Great, Dad. You might be well on the road to recovery but what if you’d given Ella’s dog a heart attack?’
Geoffrey looked a tad nonplussed, as if the thought had never occurred to him. Devon shook his head. ‘Sorry, Ella, my dad’s warped sense of humour. He likes to run, so he took the dogs with him.’
Ella looked down at Tess, who she had to say was looking a lot slimmer than she had a couple of weeks ago. ‘I guess she’d have voted with her feet if she wasn’t happy. She’s a lot fitter than when I got her.’
‘Rescue?’ asked Geoffrey.
‘What?’ Ella looked up. Was this some secret dog code?
‘Is your dog a rescue dog?’
‘No, I think she’s just a normal regular sort of dog. A Labrador.’
Devon sniggered and Ella looked up.
‘What?’
‘Dad meant, did you get her from a rescue shelter?’
‘Oh? No, I didn’t. She came with the house. She’s Magda’s dog.’
Geoffrey let out a riotous shout of laughter.
‘What?’ Ella couldn’t understand what he found so funny.
Geoffrey carried on laughing, his eyes shining with tears. ‘Magda!’ He sniggered some more. ‘A dog.’ He burst into peals of laughter.
Ella felt the familiar sensation of being the odd one out and the last to know anything, but where once she would have retreated into herself, she nudged Devon.
‘Spill. What’s the joke?’
Geoffrey immediately stopped laughing, as Devon shook his head, equally bemused.
‘Ella, I do apologise. Tess is a lovely dog. However, Magda didn’t do dogs. She refused to have anything to do with them. Said she’d been bitten as a child and wanted to keep out of their way.’
Ella frowned. ‘Then whose dog is she?’
That didn’t make sense. She thought back, going over the scene of her arrival in her head. Now that she thought about it with a bit of distance, her parents never actually said that Tess was Magda’s dog, just that she needed to look after it while Magda was away.
‘I assumed she was Magda’s, too,’ said Devon. ‘Now some of Bets’ comments make sense.’
‘I must have misunderstood,’ she said, remembering her parents’ sheepish looks. She gave a sudden grin. ‘I think my parents have got a bit of explaining to do.’
Geoffrey shook his head. ‘I’m starting to feel quite sorry for them. There’s a definite look of mischief on your face, my dear.’
‘After all I’ve been through with this damn dog,’ she paused. She stroked Tess’s ears. ‘You’re lovely now, but you’ve had your moments.’
‘Haven’t we all,’ chipped in Devon with a wry twist to his mouth. ‘Thank God she’s not howling the place down. It’s nice getting some sleep.’
Geoffrey did a discreet double-take.
Ella laughed. ‘When I first arrived, Tess cried all night. I thought she was ill, so I phoned Devon. He wasn’t very impressed.’
Geoffrey frowned.
Devon poked her in the ribs. ‘Er, you haven’t mentioned what time you called. Four o’clock, wasn’t it?’
Geoffrey laughed. ‘I don’t miss those calls.
In fact, I’m rather enjoying my semi-retirement.
’ He looked thoughtful for a minute as if weighing up his next words carefully.
It gave Ella the impression that her presence created a handy shield.
‘I’m thinking of training to do the London Marathon next year. ’
‘Good for you, Dad. I think that’s absolutely brilliant.’
‘Yes.’ Geoffrey paused. ‘Putting in the mileage is going to take a lot of time. A lot of time. Hour and hours. But I’m serious about this. I’m not aiming for any records. Not at my age.’
Next to her, Ella felt Devon tense, his legs uncrossing as he planted them firmly on the floor. There was a definite subtext she wasn’t party to here. Devon didn’t say anything, his mouth firmed in an implacable line.
‘Let’s talk about this later, Dad.’ His low voice sounded taut with tension. ‘It’s been a long day. Ella, shall I walk you home?’
The grim expression on his face suggested it would be best not to argue with him.
As he ushered her out of the front door, a figure came bustling up the path.
‘Ah, Devon. How was your day in London? How was James?’
At the sight of Audrey, Ella fought a cowardly urge to duck behind Devon. She really was in tune with the local gossip. She seemed to know rather a lot about Devon’s movements.
‘And I’ve missed you tonight. Honestly, I think I see less of you now than when you lived in London.
’ Audrey shook her head with an affectionate smile and then patted Dexter’s head.
‘I do get to see a lot of this lovely boy, though. I hope your father’s cleaned up all the muddy paw prints from the laundry room. ’
‘If he knows what’s good for him.’ Devon’s teeth flashed white in the dark, lit by the lamp above the door. ‘And I’ve seen you plenty. You had me rebuilding the Splat the Rat this week.’
‘Yes, and you’ve done a great job. It really was looking a bit sad.
I just hope Doris comes up trumps with a new rat.
I’m glad I’ve seen you. Both of you actually because I need you to take all the bottles over to Ella’s for the tombola box.
’ Audrey turned to Ella. ‘Hello, dear. When would be a good time for me to drop everything round? I’ve got raffle tickets for you.
Sellotape. All the bottles. So all you need to do is stick all the tickets on the bottles.
Nice and easy. Are you around on Thursday? ’
Ella nodded, struck dumb by the sudden realisation that Audrey was Devon’s mother.
‘Right you are. I’ll see you then. About ten o’clock?’
Ella nodded again.
‘Toodle pip.’ She kissed Devon on the cheek and disappeared through the front door, calling, ‘Geoffrey, Geoffrey! I’m home.’
‘Audrey’s your mother?’ Ella blushed. ‘I didn’t mean to be . . . ’
Devon smiled. ‘Don’t worry, I know what my mother’s like.’
They walked along the lane towards the green.
‘Now you know why I live on the other side of the courtyard. As it is I get roped into most things, but this year I managed to get out of being Santa, the Easter Bunny and Captain America and I’m only judging one dog competition at the Spring Fayre.’
‘It seems impossible to avoid being roped in around here,’ Ella observed as they turned left to cross the green. ‘And I thought I’d be bored.’
‘And I thought once Dad was back on his feet I could leave.’ Devon frowned and sighed heavily. ‘He’s muttering about retirement, but it’s only because he thinks he’s helping me out.’
Ella nudged him. ‘It’s not that bad here, is it?’ She laughed. ‘And I never thought I’d say that.’
‘It’s not bad here at all. But I’m a grown-up. I don’t need my dad giving up his livelihood for me.’ His mouth curved with a derisive twist.
The gate squeaked and Ella glanced over at George’s house as they walked up the flagstone path, pleased to see that the lights were on.
‘George is back.’ She craned her neck to see if there were any sign of him through the windows. ‘He said they were discharging him this week.’ She ought to pop around and check he was OK and had everything he needed. ‘I know just what he needs,’ she added with a broad smile.
‘What’s that, then?’ asked Devon, his blue eyes dancing with amusement.
‘One of my special cappuccinos with chocolate sprinkles. I’m going to make a stencil so I can put a G on the top in chocolate.’
‘I’m sure he’d appreciate that, although I suspect he just likes the company of a gorgeous young woman now and then.’
Ella’s step faltered and she shot him a look, just in time to see a deliberately bland expression slip into place. A little glow lit up in her chest as Devon suddenly found the front door incredibly interesting.
He waited for her to open the door and Tess darted inside.
Turning to face him, Ella put her hands in her pockets and stood on the doorstep, shifting her weight from foot to foot, looking at the neckline of his cherry-red wool sweater.
‘Thanks for today.’ She took her hands out of her pockets, feeling them hang limply at her sides.
‘For rescuing me.’ She rubbed the seams of her jeans.
‘Again.’ She managed to raise her eyeline to look at his face, feeling a funny swirling sensation in her stomach.
‘No problem,’ he said gravely, making no move to leave. The expression of gentle amusement and warmth in his eyes as he gazed down at her stopped her heart. Without thinking, she bobbed up to brush her lips along his jawline. ‘You were brilliant today.’
He caught her chin in his hand with a featherlight touch, which sent tingles racing across her skin.
Their eyes held each other’s. Ella’s breath hitched. The moment shimmered between them. He lowered his head. Her heart somersaulted.
And Tess nudged her in the back of her knees, pitching her forward to headbutt Devon right on the nose.
‘Oh no, I’m sorry! Are you OK?’
With a rueful smile, Devon rubbed his nose and said with a muffled voice, ‘Yes, dime fine.’ Or something like that. ‘Died bedder go.’
‘Yes, well . . . er, thanks again.’
He turned to leave, and stopped.
‘Erm, would you . . . ’
Just as she said. ‘Would you like . . . ?’
‘Ladies first.’
‘Well . . . you’ve been . . . so . . . I just wondered if you’d like to come here for a meal. To say thank you. For today. Make up for your bruschetta. Nothing special. I’m not a great cook. Well, not any kind of cook at all but . . . ’
‘That would be great.’
‘Oh.’ The air whooshed out of her lungs in relief. Which was a bit crazy because she was only asking him for dinner. To say thank you. That was all.
‘Right. Monday night?’
‘Sounds perfect. See you then.’
She managed to keep a straight face as she watched him walk down the path; it was only when she closed the door and leaned against it that a silly smile decided to take over her entire face.
Tess gave a little yip and a bounce.
‘It’s just dinner, Tess. Don’t go getting any ideas.’