Page 31

As spring brightens the days and the temperatures rise again, I get more and more settled into the town.

The quiet, slow way of life suits me.

The only thing that’s caused a ripple of gossip and concern was the break-ins.

The culprits were a couple of kids messing around, and as nothing was stolen, they got off with a warning and some community service.

A far cry from the city life I’d grown used to, where sirens were a regular sound.

It’s a relief to know it wasn’t someone living on the streets here in Calston Cove.

I’d like to think we’re good people and would help someone struggling.

Memories of Roddy come back to me, and with them, the guilt is creeping in.

How’s he doing in the cold winter?

The bell above the door rings. I look up and smile when Maeve walks in. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

She holds up a paper bag. “Your man had this ready for us. He says he’ll see you tonight.”

I look inside the bag. A bacon sandwich, thick doorstep soda bread and brown sauce oozing out of the sides. “That man is a genius. He truly makes the best food ever. What did you get?”

“The same as you. I can’t resist. Promise me you’ll never upset him.”

She grins and walks through the reception to the office.

It’s Saturday, so we’re only open until one o’clock, but the diary is full. Once Luke is here, we’ll open. For now, I’m going to sink my teeth into this sandwich and have the coffee that came with it.

My relative peace and quiet is disrupted by a commotion in the reception. Laughter and lots of voices, including a high-pitched child’s voice, filter in. I open the door and look out.

Luke is talking to Drew’s partner, Merrick, while Drew and their little girl—Willow, I think—show something to Maeve. They’re the last appointment of the morning and seem very excited.

As I approach, Drew straightens and smiles. “Sorry about the noise. Willow is very enthusiastic this morning.”

The little girl looks me up and down with a confidence way above her three or four years. She must find me worthy.

With a nod, she shows the object of everyone’s attention. A little puppy, a Border terrier at first glance. “Are you the vet man?”

she asks. “Because we have a puppy, and Daddy says she needs to be vaccimated by a vet.”

“Vaccinated, sweetheart,”

Drew corrects her gently.

“That’s what I said, vaccimated.”

I crouch and get a closer look at the dog. “I am the vet man. Would you like to come in? We can get your puppy all checked over. Does it have a name?”

“Fidget. Because she’s very wiggly, and that’s what fidgets do,”

she says seriously, brushing her blonde hair from her eyes. The vow I made myself years ago to never have any children waivers. If they’re all as cute as this one, I could be persuaded.

I break up the meet-and-greet and get all the relevant people and the puppy into the consultation room. Merrick shakes my hand. “It’s good to see you again, Jet.”

I run through the usual checks, explaining everything I’m doing to the interested child. I even let her try the stethoscope to hear the pup’s heartbeat. By the time I’ve finished with Fidget’s vaccinations, Willow is already planning her future career.

“Thanks for encouraging the most expensive university course there is,”

Drew grumbles, but the love he has for the bold, confident little girl shines in his eyes.

I don’t even bother to apologise. “You’re very welcome. I look forward to seeing you again, Miss Willow, and make sure you sign up for our puppy parties. Fidget will love them.”

“Does it have cake? All parties have cake.”

Willow’s eyes are bright with excitement.

“I’ll make sure it does, but only puppy-friendly cake. You have to be careful what she eats. No sugary things and no raisins or grapes.”

I open the door to let them all back into the reception. As they file past, Willow chattering away to Drew, Merrick pauses. “Oh, Jet, I’ve just remembered. Melanie said there was someone in the gallery asking about you. She didn’t give him any information, but you may want to talk to her and ask her. I don’t know anything more, sorry.”

Why would someone look for me in an art gallery? If they know me, they know I’m a vet, and it would make sense to come to the practice. “Weird, but okay, thanks. I’ll catch up with Mel.”

Once they’ve left, I lock the door. “That was a busy morning. Are you all sorted, Luke?”

“I’m updating the patient files, and I still need to send out some invoices, but that won’t take me too long. Are you in a hurry? I can lock up if you like.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m going to be in the office for the afternoon.”

I walk past the desk, then turn around. “Are you enjoying working here? Is it what you wanted?”

I should’ve asked him before now.

Luke looks surprised by my question. He widens his eyes as if I’ve said something dumb. “Jet, I love it here. It’s the best job I could wish for. I love all of it. Have I done something you don’t like?”

“No, of course not. You’ve taken to it like a duck to water. Your customer service is brilliant. You seem to get on with everyone. I’m very happy with you, but if you think there are courses you’d like to do, skills you’d like to learn, let me know.”

“Oh, thank you. There’s an AMTRA course I’d love to do. It would allow me to dispense worming and that sort of thing. It’s quite expensive, and I can’t afford it now, but if I save for it, I can do the next one.”

“You wouldn’t have to pay for it, Luke. It would benefit the practice, so I’ll cover all the fees. Bring me the details, and we can look into it together.”

His face lights up as he nods happily. “Thanks, that’s awesome.”

I walk into the office.

Maeve is on the phone but gives me a nod as I sit at my desk.

There’s a pile of bills and receipts to go through, and while Ben is busy at the café, I spend the time doing all the work that gets pushed aside during opening hours.

“I’m heading home. Will you be out tonight?”

Maeve stands up from her side of the desk.

“I’m not sure what we’ve got planned. I’ll see what Ben wants to do. We’ve been home boys lately, so a night out could be good for us.”

“Give me a ring later.”

She leaves.

The next time I look at the time, it’s close to five.

I’ve worked through the majority of the tedious paperwork.

The rest can wait.

It’s time to go.

It takes a couple of minutes to shut everything down. I whistle to Isla, who jumps up from her bed in the corner of the room. “Come on, girl, let’s go and stretch our legs. Beach time.”

She twists and turns around my legs, wagging her tail frantically. “I wonder if Hope wants to come. Shall we call Ben?”

When I exit the building, a familiar face with a happy smile spread wide greets me. “I was just about to call you,”

I say as he gets closer. “Do you want to take them to the beach?”

Hope and Isla bump noses, turning circles around each other. Hope still has a small limp, but it’s hardly noticeable while she’s this excited. Ben leans into me and places a soft kiss on my mouth.

“Sounds good. I need some fresh air. It’s been a crazy busy day. I think the sunshine brought everyone out.”

We head off towards the beach. “I saw Drew and his family today. The little girl is something else. They’ve bought a puppy, and Willow has decided to be a vet.”

Then I remember what Merrick said. “Merrick said someone was looking for me at the gallery. They spoke to Melanie, but Merrick didn’t have any other info about it. That’s a bit weird, right?”

Ben’s steps falter. Does he know something? “Did he say what the person looked like?”

“No. Like I said, it was Mel who told him. Do you know who this person is? Have they been into the café?”

“No, it’s news to me. Are you going to ask Mel?”

I shrug. “Probably not. I’m not hiding. They’ll find me soon enough.”