Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
‘Come on,’ said Bets, in her best encouraging ‘this is going to be fun’ voice, rounding up the dog’s lead and stuffing a couple of poo bags in her pocket.
They’d already been out for a walk first thing, but Tiggy was now looking balefully at Bets from the comfort of her bed, snuggled into her tartan fleece blanket.
‘We’re going to work. Everyone is going to love you.
’ She looked at her watch. ‘But we need to go now.’ It was Tiggy’s maiden visit to the practice.
Bets had wanted her to get used to her new home first and had been popping back at regular intervals to check on her and take her for a quick walk.
Thank goodness for understanding bosses.
She clipped the lead onto Tiggy’s harness and gave her a gentle tug. The dog simply yawned, her pink tongue lolling out, and wriggled around in her bed, turning her back on Bets.
‘So that’s the way it is, is it?’ she said with an exasperated laugh at the little not-so-little dog. ‘Sorry, but we’ve got to go.’ She gave another tug on the lead. ‘Come on.’
Tiggy stretched her legs out with a contented, snuffly noise, all the while keeping her eyes fixed on Bets with a disdainful do-you-have-to-bother-me expression on her scrunched-up little face.
Bets looked at her watch again. She needed to show the dog who was boss but she didn’t want to drag her all the way down the street.
It wasn’t a good look for a member of staff at the vet’s.
She sighed and looked at the doors. Welcome to being a dog owner.
Making her mind up, she unclipped the lead and dragged the dog bed in to the hall and shut the doors into the kitchen and the lounge.
Placing the water bowl down beside the bed, she gave the area a quick review.
Tiggy would be safe in here, and if she did have an accident, there’d be no harm to the stone-flagged floor.
‘I’ll pop back and get you at eleven,’ she told the dog, slipping her trainers on and pulling on her jacket for the short walk to the surgery.
Looking in the mirror, she tightened her ponytail and for some reason reached for her lipstick, wrinkling her nose at herself in the mirror, realising that she’d be working with Jack today.
‘Bugger it – it’s not for him, it’s for me,’ she said uncapping the tube and swiping at her lips, at the same time checking that her make-up was of the barely-there variety.
She didn’t want Jack to think she was making an effort for him, because she certainly wasn’t.
If she wanted to feel better about herself and put on make-up, that was up to her.
With a defiant look at her reflection, she turned and grabbed the door handle.
The moment she opened it, the dog shot out of her basket like a rocket.
‘Oh, you want to come now, do you? Contrary Mary.’
With a smile, Bets gathered up the fleecy blanket and stuffed it into her tote bag and reclipped the lead to the dog.
Tiggy trotted up the path with her, pausing to sniff at the tree by the gate.
It was a glorious morning, with only a few wispy clouds skating along in the sky, thanks to a lively breeze that made Bets grateful for her denim jacket.
They walked along the narrow pavement and when a couple of cars passed them, Bets was relieved that Tiggy didn’t even give them a passing glance.
The dog continued to trot along at a sprightly pace, her bottom swaying with her bandy-legged gait.
Just as they came to the path by the village hall, Tiggy stopped and started to go backwards.
‘What?’ asked Bets.
The dog sat down and stared up at her sadly, making her feel horribly guilty even though there was nothing to feel guilty about.
‘Come on.’ She pulled at the harness but Tiggy pulled back and she was no lightweight. ‘Tiggy. We need to go.’ The dog gave her another impenetrable stare.
‘Having trouble?’ asked an amused voice.
‘Devon. Morning. Meet Tiggy.’
‘Hello, little lady. Aren’t you a cutie?’
‘Cute and contrary,’ Bets said with a sigh.
Devon bent down and scratched Tiggy’s ears. She immediately rose to her feet, nuzzling his hand and wagging her bottom enthusiastically.
‘Tart,’ said Bets with a smile, giving her a gentle tug. Without any more fuss, the dog fell into step next to the pair of them.
‘I have the magic touch,’ said Devon with a smirk.
‘Hmm,’ said Bets. ‘That Ashcroft charm.’
He grinned at her. He was quite different from his brother – a few years older, much more serious and occasionally intimidating.
It had taken a while for Bets to get to know him when she’d first started going out with Jack, although once she’d started working at the surgery with him, it had been obvious that his no-nonsense persona hid the softest heart, especially when it came to animals and wounded souls.
Although the gruff exterior had mellowed in recent months, since he’d fallen in love with Ella.
‘How’s she settling in?’ he asked.
‘So far so good. She’s very quiet. No barking.’ Bets laughed. ‘She has this funny little squeak when she wants something. And my goodness, does she wolf her food down. She inhales it. I’m worried she’ll get indigestion.’
‘As a welcome gift, you can have one of the slow feeder bowls we sell at the surgery,’ said Devon.
‘Thanks, Devon.’ She shot him a chirpy grin.
‘And I walked right into that one, didn’t I?’
‘You can afford it, you’re the big vet. I’m just a lowly vet nurse.’
Devon snorted. ‘There’s nothing lowly about you.’
She beamed at him. It was nice of him to say so but they both knew it wasn’t true.
* * *
‘Rough night?’ asked Bets a couple of hours later when Jack stomped into the consulting room, where she was holding an angry tabby who didn’t want to be anaesthetised or have his bits chopped off, although if he knew what was coming up, he’d probably be a lot more angry.
‘Rough morning and very little sleep. Plus considerable aggravation.’ He narrowed his eyes at her and then asked, ‘Are you assisting me this morning?’
‘Yes, Diane’s at the dentist, so she asked me to do the pre?op checks and the anaesthetics.’ To date, the scheduling had ensured that Bets assisted Devon and Geoffrey rather than Jack.
The cat yowled and Bets tightened her hold on him, murmuring. ‘It’s okay, Paddy. It’s okay,’ before responding to Jack.
‘Did you know Doris has broken her leg?’ asked Jack, as he pulled on his rubber gloves and picked up the needle laid out on the sterilised tray in readiness. Bets had set the room up because Diane was busy dealing with an unhappy dog who hadn’t reacted well to anaesthetic.
‘Yes. I’m popping round to see her at lunchtime. Taking her some soup. Your mum’s got a rota organised.’
‘Of course she has,’ he said, as he deftly inserted a needle into the cat’s leg.
The frightened tabby protested a little and Bets soothed him and gave him a cuddle.
‘It’s okay,’ she murmured. Then she turned to Jack and said, ‘I don’t know what you’re sounding so grumpy about.
I’m the ruddy highlight of the rota. Your mum’s got me down every sodding day. ’
Jack gave her a sympathetic grimace. ‘Bad luck.’
‘It’s all your fault,’ she said with sudden bitterness, scowling at him.
How dare he look so flipping fine about everything?
He’d swanned back to the village and to a job, and it was all easy for him.
Although she had some breathing space, she needed to look for somewhere else to live.
She had her pride and it looked weak if she carried on living in what was Jack’s inheritance.
‘How is it my fault?’
‘Because it is.’ Bets realised she’d said too much. The whole village had decided to be her guardian angels – undeniably nice – but equally undeniably meddling in her business when she wanted to be left alone to lick her wounds.
‘Seriously, how can it possibly be my fault that my mother has volunteered you? Maybe you should learn to say no.’
Bets felt as if she’d taken a punch to the gut.
‘Do you know what?’ she snarled. ‘Yeah, I wish I’d learned that a long time ago, instead of wasting my time dancing to your tune.
’ In her head she replayed some of the phone calls they’d had over the last twelve months.
‘Bets, would you come to Bristol this weekend? I’ve had a crazy week.
’ ‘Bets, would you mind if you came on Saturday instead of Friday?’ ‘Bets, would you mind if we gave this weekend a miss? I’m behind on work. ’
Jack took a step back under the ferocity of her glare, which gave her a definite tingle of satisfaction.
He pursed his mouth as the cat relaxed in her arms. She laid the unconscious animal gently on the table and glared at Jack. As the operation proceeded, she only spoke to him when she absolutely had to. When it was over, Bets took the cat to the recovery room and wrote up her notes.
She went back to the operating room to tidy up.
‘Are you going to speak to me now?’ asked Jack, amusement touching his mouth as if she was being childish, which she knew she was, which made her even madder. ‘It’s not very professional in front of a client.’
‘The cat was out cold,’ she snarled. ‘He didn’t mind.’ Why did he have to be so flaming superior? ‘So it doesn’t count. And no, I’m not speaking to you.’ Bets turned on her heel and walked out of the room. ‘There, I’m learning to say no,’ she yelled through the door.
When he called her name with indignant outrage, she kept walking and took the stairs up to the kitchen two at a time. She laid a burning cheek against the cold fridge door, embarrassed that she’d let him get to her.
‘Everything all right?’ asked Geoffrey’s mild voice from the doorway.
She looked up to see Jack’s father standing there, a look of gentle enquiry on his face.
Shit.
‘Yes, sorry. I … er, um. Bit stressed. With Doris, you know. I’m worried about her.’
‘Is Auds taking advantage?’ he asked with one of his gentle smiles.
‘Something like that. It feels like everyone is.’ She sighed. Geoffrey was not the person she should be unloading to. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she couldn’t be professional at work with Jack.
‘Do you want me to have a word?’
She glanced up sharply. Did he mean with his wife or son? She had feeling it might be the latter.
‘No, it’s all fine. I feel like I’m being pulled in all directions at the moment and everyone is watching me the whole time. Although, they’d say they were watching out for me.’
‘I know the feeling well. When I had my heart attack, I couldn’t take a step anywhere without people checking I wasn’t overdoing it, or should I be doing this or that.
Luckily I was able to take refuge in my study with my books, but I’m not sure you’re a retreater. You prefer to face things head-on.’
Bets leaned back against the fridge door.
‘How do I convince everyone that I’m me and I’m dealing with things my way, and I want to be left alone to work things out?
I’ve got Doris threatening to sign me up to a dating app, George wanting me to run the village shop, and Audrey putting me on meals on wheels duty. ’
‘Perhaps you have to show them that you are your own person.’
With that he gave another of his gentle smiles and began making himself a pot of coffee.
Own person, Bets mused. Who was that? Jack’s ex-girlfriend?
The surgery’s chirpy veterinary nurse? Annoying friend?
Ella certainly wouldn’t have chosen to be friends with Bets if she hadn’t badgered her.
Impatient, disappointing daughter? Her mother thought she should be living at home and contributing to the household income rather than being so selfish.
Some days, Bets had no idea who she really was anymore. She’d been Jack’s girlfriend for so long. That was who everyone in the village knew. And now she was poor Bets, the girl who should have known better, who’d been dumped by the golden boy. She didn’t want their pity.
‘Are you okay with working with Jack? It’s going to be unavoidable sometimes.’ Geoffrey stirred his coffee, studying her face. ‘How are you coping?’
‘It’s fine,’ she said. ‘Absolutely fine. Like I said, I’m worrying about Doris.
’ She couldn’t tell Geoffrey that Jack being here and seeing him every sodding day was actually pure torture.
She’d thought she could do it, but day after day the ache in her heart refused to go away.
The easy familiarity between them was just out of reach, although Jack pretended nothing had changed.
She missed the time when she could touch him without thinking.
Tease him about something private. There were so many silly little things she almost started to do, only to pull herself up short.
This morning it had been an urge to push back the curl of dirty blond hair that had dropped over his eyes.
‘I’m a big girl, Geoffrey,’ she said. ‘I need to introduce you to the new addition to my household.’
‘I’ve met her. Friendly little thing.’
‘She is.’
‘And very well behaved.’ Geoffrey laughed. ‘You’d think she owned the place already. She’s already usurped Dexter’s spot under Margaret’s desk.’
‘Has she?’ said Bets, hoping that wouldn’t cause any trouble.
‘Yes, and Dexter is studying her as if he doesn’t know what to make of her. It’s quite amusing. I think she’s going to fit in fine.’ He patted Bets on the shoulder. ‘It’s important we all rub along together.’
Her heart did a little nosedive because she knew he wasn’t talking about the dogs. If she wanted to keep her job, she was going to have to work harder to keep her cool around Jack.