Summer with the Country Village Vet

by Zara Stoneley

  ‘I know. I was kidding, it’s very kind of you and I know she appreciates it.’

  ‘You can’t be out and out kind though, she’s a proud lady. Have to be a bit sneaky, devious like you said, and not give her any choice. I just tell her I do the garden so that we get a chance to regain that Best Village trophy.’ He winked. ‘She’s quite fond of you, love. I reckon you could get away with bossing her about a bit.’

  ‘Did you know she’d asked me to look after Molly?’

  ‘Oh aye, and I also know she asked you to have a pup and you declined.’ His grin broadened into a toothy smile. ‘She’s a very determined one, Elsie is. Kind but determined.’

  ‘Hmm.’ Lucy pulled a wry smile. ‘She said much the same about you and Timothy Parry.’

  Chapter 21

  Lucy put a hand out to open her front gate and was astonished to see she had a visitor. A tall, dark, ruggedly handsome kind of visitor. With steady hands and a steadier heart. The type of man you could have ideas about, if you were really stupid.

  The type of man who had a maybe-ex and a child.

  After a week of very successfully avoiding each other (which really was a miracle in this village), he was here. In the flesh. The very attractive flesh.

  Making light of it was the only way out. If whatever spark they had (well she had) had to be quashed she wanted to be a good friend. Well she wanted to at least know she’d tried. ‘Whatever it is, the answer is no.’

  Charlie was standing awkwardly on her doorstep, looking like a guilty dog that had stolen your steak out of the fridge but really did want you to forgive him. He looked up, startled.

  ‘So far today I’ve been persuaded to rewrite my life plan.’

  ‘Ouch, that must have been painful for you.’ He grimaced in sympathy. ‘I know how attached you are to that. How many new spreadsheets will be involved?’

  ‘Very painful. I might need therapy. And I seem to have agreed to set up a doggie hotel.’

  He raised an eyebrow, and Lucy realised she’d now run out of pleasantries (she just wasn’t good at small talk) and really didn’t know what to say. She was just shuffling about outside her home, looking at him, and he was looking back.

  She started to search through her bag for the key; it was easier than meeting those deep brown eyes. ‘I wasn’t expecting …’ To ever see you on the doorstep again. Ever.

  She’d only be seeing him when she took an animal into the surgery, or bumped into him in the village, or talked to him about Maisie. But not here. That had been the plan.

  He looked worried.

  ‘Is there something wrong with Maisie? She did seem fine at school today, I wouldn’t worry about her falling asleep.’

  ‘Not that I know of.’ A small frown creased his brow, fine lines between his eyebrows. ‘She fell asleep at school?’

  ‘Lots of kids her age do that. And I mean she was tired with all the excitement, and having to travel so far and…’

  ‘Oh. Fine.’ Awkward pause. Did she fill it in, or wait? Wait. Definitely wait. He stuck one hand in his pocket, ruffled the fingers of his other through his hair. Which wasn’t fair as it made him look far too huggable. Her best option would be to run off, but he was standing between her and her own front door. ‘I just wanted you to be the first to know, our, er arrangements have changed a bit and…’

  Running off would have been a better option.

  He was going to tell her he was moving back in with Josie. Or, more likely that Josie was moving in with him. Except he lived in the small flat adjoining the surgery didn’t he? The one that was really for nurses, in case they had a dog in overnight.

  It had surprised her to find out that apparently cats were fine being left overnight, but legally dogs weren’t. Since when had it been right to discriminate?

  ‘I would have thought it would be a bit cramped for you all to be in your flat.’ She shouldn’t have said that. It was unfair. But it had just spilled out before she could stop it. ‘Not that it’s any of my business. Fine, I mean, great, er.’

  He sighed and looked slightly perplexed. An injured, as well as innocent, dog.

  ‘It would be. That flat is hardly big enough for one, believe me.’

  ‘So?’ So what was he telling her here? That they’d bought a place together in the village? Josie had filled all the forms in with an out-of-village address, which was where little Maisie had told them she still lived. ‘I’ve got a new school but an old house, does that mean I get to keep all my old friends and have new friends?’ She’d asked when Lucy had managed to wake her up. And it had been like a heart-stopping thump to her chest. How on earth could she do anything but support Charlie in looking after this little girl? ‘I had to get up very, very early today. We had toast in the car. That’s why I fell asleep.’

  She fought the urge to rush past Charlie, bury her head in schoolwork and leave him to whatever his issues with his new life were. ‘You’d better come in.’ She hadn’t meant to say that. ‘But I do have a lot of work to do.’ She swung the rucksack off her shoulders pointedly.

  ‘Sure. I won’t keep you.’ He sounded put out, and didn’t move from the doorstep. ‘I just wanted you to know…’

  ‘Okay. So where are Josie and Maisie living? Has she bought a place?’ It hurt to say the words, but the more times she said them the easier it would get. A bit like a blister when you kept giving it a gentle prod to see if it was getting more bearable. The pain would wear off. That was a known fact, wasn’t it? Or it would burst out, like a blister, and be even more of a mess. Take even longer to heal.

  ‘That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. It isn’t that simple.’

  No it wouldn’t be, would it? Nor was the fact that she’d just agreed to stay on in Langtry Meadows and watch Charlie and Josie make up in front of her eyes. They’d hold hands at parents’ evenings, stand together as Maisie danced round the maypole next spring. She’d look at those broad shoulders as he swung Maisie up on them, and remember what it had been like to rest her head on them.

  She was mad. It had been one night. Not even a full night. They’d not even had breakfast. Josie had put paid to that. Who could enjoy bacon and eggs when you’d just had that kind of interruption?

  ‘And anyway,’ she frowned at him as a thought struck her, ‘is this really fair on Maisie? You’re just a locum, like me,’ like I was, she’d come back to that later, ‘you said you’d be moving on soon. Australia?’ She hadn’t forgotten Australia, and that look in his eye when he’d said it. Before he’d kissed her, and tangled her feet up in his and…

  ‘I know.’ His hand was working overtime so that bits of his hair were stuck up and her hand was twitching to smooth them down. ‘I’ve er, well Eric asked if I’d support him for a bit once he was back on his feet. He reckons he’ll have trouble handling the full job at first and it could be months before he was back to full strength. I told Josie I’d probably be around for the next twelve months, but beyond that…’

  ‘Great.’ Impossible to be enthusiastic. ‘So you can all—’

  ‘Josie said she might rent a place in the village, so we can share custody.’ He paused. ‘Don’t look at me like that! It’s for her and Maisie, but she wanted to be sure I was happy with it—’

  ‘And not sleeping with her teacher or any other village slapper.’

  ‘Lucy! Look, I told her I’d see who I wanted, but I know how to be a responsible father without her telling me. I mean, what does she think I am?’ He sounded very frustrated now, and his hair was suffering.

  ‘You’ll be bald if you carry on.’ Lucy couldn’t help the smile, even if this was about to turn into a crap day.

  ‘What? Oh. Yeah.’ He shoved his hand in his pocket. ‘Will you let me finish? This is hard enough… she wanted to be sure I’d be happy with seeing Maisie again.’

  ‘And of course you would.’

  ‘I would.’ His voice dropped to little more than a whisper, a cracked whisper. ‘I’d give anything to see her again
.’

  ‘But why didn’t Josie just ask you to go back there, to where you used to live? Why all the uprooting?’

  ‘I did ask that. She said she couldn’t manage the practice on her own. She’s sold up and is looking for something more meaningful to do with her life.’

  ‘Meaningful? Like looking after orphan puppies? Rescuing homeless kittens? Sorry, that sounds mean.’

  ‘Like rescues,’ he gave a wry smile, ‘supporting things like that. I don’t know, I really don’t care. But,’ he took a deep breath, ‘I said it was good if they were here, that I’d see who I wanted. She gave up the right to tell me what I could do with my life when she walked out, and that I’d be here at least another 12 months, but she really had to give Maisie stability not just move around.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘She just said thank you.’

  ‘Thank you?’

  ‘Yep. And went.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘With the old Josie I wouldn’t have questioned it, but I just wonder if she’s got an agenda.’

  ‘Hasn’t everybody? Sorry, that came out wrong, I’ve had a long day.’

  ‘We’re not getting back together, Lucy.’ His voice was soft, and he was looking at her in that earnest, disturbing way. ‘Me and Josie were never really right, I couldn’t let go of work, she couldn’t let go of the need to party. She’s got restless feet, she needs to be doing something, thinking about new things all the time, whereas I,’ he did that cute, lost smile thing, ‘I’m just a boring old vet who is quite happy doing what I do.’

  ‘I wouldn’t say you were boring.’ Their gazes locked and she wished she hadn’t said that.

  ‘No?’

  ‘No.’ She swallowed. She’d never classify their night together as boring, in fact that bit where they’d nearly shot off the bed had opened her eyes to a whole new experience. ‘You, er, you’re very good with the animals, and their, er owners, and at the May Day you…’

  ‘I think you better stop there. You’re making me sound even worse.’ But his eyes had a hint of that light in them that she loved.

  ‘So, Maisie’s been enrolled…’ Better to get back to the reason he was here.

  ‘She has.’ Lucy wished he’d stop looking at her in that intent way. ‘I know you won’t be her teacher forever but…’

  ‘Well, I’ve got some news of my own actually.’

  He stared back at her.

  ‘The change to my life-plan bit, I’ve been offered a permanent position at the school.’

  ‘Oh.’ A mass of conflicting expressions flitted across his face. ‘And, you…?’

  ‘I accepted it.’

  ‘But I thought you didn’t like it here. I thought there was a risk the school would close and…’

  Okay so he’d been only too keen to see the back of her. But she wasn’t going. She wasn’t going to make it easy for him, or for the people who wanted to see the school shut down for good.

  ‘I know. But I’ve decided I do like it here, and I think our school,’ she realised as the words came out that she’d called it ‘our school’, it was hers now, not just the village’s, ‘is as good, better than a lot round here. Maybe one day there will be a big academy and they’ll all change, but until then I think we should fight to keep the school open.’

  ‘Good.’

  ‘Good?’ Had she heard him right?

  ‘Good for you. I’m pleased.’

  ‘Oh.’ She frowned. ‘You’re pleased?’

  ‘Why shouldn’t I be pleased?’ He was frowning too now.

  ‘Well I thought you’d be glad to see the back of me, I mean Josie doesn’t exactly like…’

  ‘I told you, I don’t give a damn what Josie does and doesn’t like, and I haven’t a clue why you think I’d want to see the back of you.’

  ‘Well Josie said…’

  ‘Lucy, stop talking about Josie, I can’t let Josie run my life anymore.’

  ‘But that’s why you left… I mean you wouldn’t even talk to me. You said—’

  ‘I didn’t not talk to you.’

  ‘Oh yes you did.’

  ‘That was because you were snogging Matt bloody Harwood.’

  ‘I was not.’ Okay, she had a feeling she’d stamped her foot then. ‘I was hugging Matt bloody Harwood, not snogging. There is a difference.’

  ‘Not from where I’m standing.’

  ‘Well move then.’

  ‘This is getting stupid.’

  ‘Charlie, he hugged me partly because I was upset about what Jim had said.’

  ‘Jim?’

  ‘About the school being in danger of closure still.’

  ‘And the other bit of partly?’

  ‘Well that was your fault of course.’ He stared at her uncomprehendingly. ‘Josie? Your ex? Arriving while I was still half asleep after…’

  He grinned.

  ‘And I looked a mess.’ She stared back, cross that he thought it was funny.

  ‘You looked gorgeous.’

  ‘Oh yeah, so gorgeous you high tailed it off to have a chat with her, then wouldn’t even listen to me.’

  ‘I’d come back to talk to you, and found you in a clinch. A man has the right to be jealous now and again.’

  Had he just said jealous? Didn’t jealous mean he hadn’t entirely had it down as a drunken shag, no strings attached?

  ‘Oh Lucy.’ The sigh seemed to come straight from his heart and headed straight for hers. Then he closed the distance between them, and tentatively leaned forward, arms out, as though he wasn’t sure he should be doing whatever he was doing. ‘Oh sod it.’ The arms came round her, wrapping her up in a warm, secure blanket, pulling her in close against a chest that felt like home. His breath was warm against her neck, his words soft in her ear. ‘Oh Lucy, what are we going to do?’ The touch of his hand, stroking her hair gently sent a tingle down her spine. This was bad.

  ‘Going inside might be an idea, you never know where Elsie might have her spies.’

  He kicked the door shut behind them, held her tight, his chin on her head.

  ‘I needed to hold you. Talk to you. You’re not going to put me on the naughty step, are you?’

  ‘You said something funny!’ Lucy tried to look shocked, but instead giggled. Charlie normally just did serious, deep, sincere… oh God this wasn’t good. She wriggled free under the pretext of another laugh. ‘Pizza and wine?’ It was safer to keep it this way. She had to help him work out things with Maisie. With Josie. She couldn’t let herself just crumble. And anyway, crumbling was pretty pathetic for an independent woman.

  He didn’t comment about her pulling away. ‘Is that all you ever eat, pizza?’

  ‘Or chips. Or both. Take it or leave it?’ She might be good at nurturing minds, but as far as feeding the body went…

  ‘Pizza sounds fine, but, look I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but…’

  ‘Maybe not as much wine?’ He nodded. ‘I understand, Charlie. Honest.’

  ‘I know.’ He kissed her. It was gentle, it was sweet, it brought tears to her eyes and made her insides tremble in a way that hadn’t even happened when they’d been in bed together. ‘Shit. I didn’t mean for that to happen. It isn’t fair on either of us. Maybe I should go.’

  ‘Stay.’ She put a hand on his arm. ‘I’ll get fat if I eat the whole pizza. Stay, on humanitarian grounds.’

  ***

  Lucy sat up in bed, feeling slightly wobbly. Luckily, Charlie had drunk most of the wine last night, but all they’d had to eat was a shared pizza. She’d be regretting this in a couple of hours’ time when her class was bouncing about full of life. She groaned and put her hands over her eyes. And after school when she was trying to catch up on the work she’d not done yesterday evening. She’d never, ever not done her work.

  There was something not ringing true about the whole Charlie and his ex-situation though. He was genuinely hurt, distraught; she’d never seen so many emotions playing across somebody’s face. So she believed what he’d told her.
But what kind of woman dragged a young child from her friends, her home, on the off chance that her ex would be happy to see them?

  Josie had seemed nice, warm. Sensible. Not like some evil, cheating wife who couldn’t care less about her child. Well warm until she’d discovered the pair of them in a post-coital warm fuzz. She felt herself go all hot and bothered just at the thought.

  She pulled her knees up to her chest.

  Charlie had said it was over between them. But maybe Josie still hoped they’d get back together. Maybe in the heat of the moment Josie had pushed Charlie away, but realised now that it wasn’t the right thing to do. Otherwise it seemed a bit extreme, a bit stalker-ish, to move to Langtry Meadows.

  She sighed and rolled out of bed, too many maybe’s were making her head bang. What did she know?

  It did seem a bit extreme for Charlie to hide himself in the outback too, although it looked like now Maisie was back in his life, he’d abandoned that idea. Although that was more or less what she’d been doing. Except her outback had been concrete.

  This time though she wasn’t running away. Neither of them were.

  Chapter 22

  ‘Miss Jacobs?’ Lucy looked at Josie warily. She really could do without being accosted in the playground right now. She’d actually told Jill that she’d do the meeting and greeting, and Jill could prepare the classroom. It had seemed a good idea at the time, to get some fresh air. Now all she wanted was a strong cup of coffee and a lie down though.

  How could the woman even know she’d shared a pizza with Charlie and they’d got drunk again together? She felt like blurting out, ‘It was only a kiss, no sex involved. No nakedness.’ But she didn’t. She smiled.

  ‘Hi. How can I help?’

  ‘I want to apologise.’

  That stopped her in her tracks. ‘Oh, er, there’s no need.’

  ‘No really, I was so rude to you the other day, and it’s really none of my business what Charlie does.’