Chapter 28
The following morning Felicity felt weirdly awkward about going back into work.
She encountered Andrea in the puppy room, where she was busying herself with the very important work of cuddling three puppies at once.
‘I was just about to feed them,’ she said almost guiltily as Felicity entered the room.
‘You’re the boss, do what you want,’ Felicity replied with a shrug. ‘Oh, that’s right, you did.’
‘I have no idea what you are trying to say.’
‘Really? So, you think having sex with my long-lost father is perfectly acceptable, do you?’
Andrea just laughed. ‘Don’t mince your words, Felicity. Don’t sugar the pill.’
‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to say it quite like that.’
‘Yes, you did.’ Andrea popped the little gaggle of puppies back in the box and turned to prepare their milk.
‘I just don’t get why it has to be him, that’s all. You know what he did to me. You knew what this might do to me. You must have.’
Andrea’s face grew serious.
‘I’d end it right now if that was what you wanted, Felicity.’
‘Oh yeah, right.’
‘I would. I mean it. Just say the word. You are…’ Her voice tailed off.
‘I am, what?’ said Felicity, an edge to her voice she didn’t seem to be able to stop.
‘You’re like my daughter,’ said Andrea.
‘Oh my God.’
‘No, no, shit, I didn’t mean because I’m… seeing your dad.’ Andrea’s face was ashen. ‘Damn, I’m making this so much worse.’
Felicity was practically snarling by now, she was so cross.
‘Hear me out, okay?’ said Andrea. ‘I meant you… you’re the closest thing I have to a family. You feel like my daughter. And so you come first. If you want me to finish it with Harry, I’ll do it.’
Felicity only stared at her.
‘I’ll do it right now if you want,’ Andrea went on, picking up her phone.
Felicity took it out of her hands.
‘Don’t be daft. I don’t expect you to do that.’
Andrea’s shoulders dropped two inches. ‘Really?’
‘Yes, of course,’ said Felicity with a sigh. ‘I just wish you’d asked me first.’
‘I meant to. I should have. It just…’
‘Happened?’ finished Felicity. ‘Sure it did.’
‘Honestly. I wasn’t expecting it at all. But you’re right, I should have asked.’
‘Or ideally just not kissed my long-lost father in the first place.’
‘That too.’
There was a pause.
‘So what’s the gossip then?’ said Felicity, with a wry grin.
Andrea let out a little laugh, visibly relieved. ‘Do you want… details?’
‘God, no. Heaven forbid.’
‘Because I’m happy to share…’
Felicity shrieked in horror. ‘No. For the love of all that is good and holy, please. No details. I just meant, you know, is it serious? Because he’s still married and he’s a big fat cheater. You know that, right?’
Both Felicity’s parents had had serious issues with fidelity, she had found out recently. She’d always assumed it was just Harry, but no, Jocelyn had also been at it with the local reporter when Felicity and her brother were only a few years old. Unbelievably, it had all gone downhill from there.
‘I mean, you don’t talk about it much, but I’d gathered something like that had gone on,’ said Andrea, passing her a puppy and a tiny syringe of milk, Felicity avoiding her eye as she took the little bundle into her arms.
‘It wasn’t great. So just watch yourself, okay? Because I don’t want to be mopping you off the floor.’
‘I can handle myself,’ said Andrea, tossing her head and picking up a puppy of her own. ‘If he cheats, he dies.’
‘Woah. I mean that might be a bit extreme.’
‘Okay, fine. For you I won’t kill him but I’ll definitely be rather cross.’
‘Fair enough.’
They were just about to move on to the last two puppies when the doorbell rang.
‘I’ll get it,’ said Felicity.
‘Thanks, I’ll finish up here.’
‘And stop daydreaming about my dad,’ Felicity threw over her shoulder as she headed for the front door.
‘But he’s hot,’ Andrea threw back.
‘Ew.’
Felicity threw open the heavy front door to see a broad woman in an RSPCA uniform standing before her.
Saskia was the local Animal Collection Officer and was always turning up with some animal or other that needed their care.
Felicity had always suspected she was secretly in love with Andrea. But then, who wasn’t?
‘Saskia. What can we do for you this fine day?’
Saskia made a face. She had dyed deep-purple hair cut into a very cool pixie cut and tattoos on both hands. Felicity wondered, not for the first time, where she got her hair cut.
‘I’m so sorry not to call. I just took an emergency case on my way home and thought it would be right up your Stra?e, if you know what I mean.’
Saskia also liked to throw foreign words into every other sentence. Felicity had no idea why.
‘Go on then, give us a look,’ said Felicity with a grin.
As everyone in the animal rescue world knew, “looking” was always code for “taking home and snuggling”. At least she hadn’t broken the number one cardinal rule and told Felicity its name. Once an animal had a cute name there was definitely no going back.
Saskia went to her van and produced a cage from the back.
Inside was the scrawniest-looking excuse for a cat Felicity had ever seen.
It was covered in tufts of ginger hair between raw pink bald patches, a couple of nasty-looking scratches, and on its head was a large sore that appeared to have been treated with a topical cream.
‘He’s been to the vets already,’ said Saskia as if reading Felicity’s mind. ‘They said he should be fine with some decent food and love, but you just need to keep an eye on that nasty thing on his head.’
Felicity put a finger through the bar. The little cat immediately started rubbing his head against her hand. His purr was deep and rumbling.
‘What happened to him?’ she said in a low voice.
Saskia shrugged. ‘Who really knows? He’s super old and he was wandering round this estate on the other side of town.
The person who reported him reckoned he did have an owner but they must have died or left as he’s been on his own for a few weeks at least. The kids on the estate kept chasing him, poor boy. ’
Felicity’s stomach dropped at the thought.
‘Does he have a name?’ she said, tentatively. The little cat was lying on the floor of the cage now, his head resting on her hand.
‘You’ve got a job for life there,’ said Saskia, with a nod. ‘They didn’t mention one. Call him what you like. Think he’s ginger somewhere under all that filth.’
‘Maybe we should call him What-A-Mess. Remember that book?’
Saskia looked blank.
‘Never mind.’
‘Hey, Saskia,’ said Andrea, coming out of the door to meet them.
Felicity didn’t miss the slight flush that rose into the animal collection officer’s cheeks.
How does she do it?
‘Good to see you, Andrea.’
‘How have you been?’ said Andrea.
‘Tres bon, merci ma chérie,’ said Saskia with a grin. ‘Brought you a little something.’
‘I can see that,’ said Andrea.
‘Got room for a little one?’
‘Do we?’ said Felicity, turning to Andrea, her eyes wide.
Andrea didn’t hesitate for even a moment.
‘Course we do. Come on, Sas, let’s go sort the paperwork. Felicity, I think there’s a spare cage in the cat room for our new little friend.’
‘How about Marmaduke?’ said Felicity, lifting the cage and peering in. She could see the little cat’s bones through his skin and he was crawling with lice. What on earth were they going to do if they couldn’t save this place?
‘Perfetto,’ said Saskia.