Page 13 of Lost in Love
Chapter 4
Katherine raked at the gravel on her drive, teasing the weeds away from their hold below. Although her gardeners would carry out the task if she asked, she found it very therapeutic. A few years ago, when things had been rough, Rebecca had advised her to work a three-day week to help reduce her stress levels, but Katherine hadn’t realised how bored she’d get with four days off a week, much less how being bored would increase her stress levels.
It was important for her to keep busy, whether it was reading a book, weeding, or just taking a walk, so long as it was calming.
Working on the drive afforded her a view of the high street and the entrance to the abbey, though this did make her feel like a busybody who moves into a village and immediately resorts to curtain twitching. She absolved herself with the thought that she was doing good work with the weeds, and if she could see Anna once a day, she would know she was all right.
Anna’s situation had been distracting Katherine all week. She’d been keeping an eye on the appointment list to check if she had booked a follow-up appointment, but a week later nothing had appeared for any of the doctors. Katherine hadn’t expected Anna to want to see her again — they seemed to clash no matter how she tried to contain the conversation — but she hoped Anna would see one of her colleagues.
Their last meeting had not gone as planned. She had hoped to clear the air, apply a little pressure to help Anna take stock of the situation, but after Anna showed signs of a mild panic attack, things had escalated and Katherine hadn’t had a chance to rein them in.
Katherine could understand Anna’s frustration; she’d told her she needed to slow down but in no way helped her find a way to do so. Anna was short-tempered for sure, no doubt due to whatever was also causing her panic attacks.
She’d been stunned into silence after Anna explained her daily routine, and had even felt the need to take a moment before her next patient. Just hearing Anna’s schedule had made her feel overwhelmed.
She had wanted to hug Anna and tell her everything would be okay, but she wasn’t sure it would be. Katherine had personal experience with this sort of situation, and if Anna didn’t resolve it herself, Katherine knew all too well that something else might. It had crossed her mind to share her past with Anna — surely it would make her rethink things — but Katherine didn’t feel ready to talk about that night, let alone with someone who really was just a stranger.
The sound of footsteps running on gravel drew her attention to the abbey drive. Anna was on time. She watched the woman as she sprinted down the path. At least she was getting plenty of exercise, especially with the ground she covered on the tour.
The problem was Anna didn’t feel like a stranger to Katherine. It had been a long time since she’d found anyone she’d like to be friends with, which hadn’t been helped by the year that she completely withdrew from society, but she felt Anna could be one.
Rebecca would be overjoyed if Katherine had a second friend; she regularly raised the subject with her and encouraged her to open herself to others again. If she was going to open herself back up to people, Anna would be a worthwhile candidate.
She resolved to take a new approach. If Anna wouldn’t come to the surgery, she would go to her. She knew her last tour finished at four o’clock, she’d read the abbey leaflet about ten times already, so she’d take a stroll around the grounds then. That would give her enough time to finish up in the garden and shower.
* * *
Katherine had just finished dressing when her phone vibrated and flashed Rebecca’s name. She grabbed at it and mashed the buttons to get the camera on.
“Hey, just letting you know that I’ve landed safely at Heathrow, you can stop fretting about my plane ditching into the Atlantic.” Rebecca’s face moved about on the screen.
“I’m sorry for worrying about you.” Katherine replied, with more than a hint of sarcasm.
Rebecca tilted her head, but the delay on the screen made her look robotic. “Well, I suppose it’s nice to have someone who worries about you.”
“You’re all I have left to worry about.”
“Not made any friends yet then… not even your damsel?”
Katherine frowned at the suggestion. “No.”
“Why are you so dressed up? You don’t work weekends. You going somewhere nice?” Rebecca’s face came close to the phone as if it would give her a better view.
Katherine adjusted her phone so Rebecca could only see her face.
“A girl can dress up at a weekend, can’t she?” Katherine replied defensively.
“She certainly can, but not without telling me why.”
Katherine tried to keep her voice as casual as possible. “I was just going for a stroll.”
“Making full use of the lifetime abbey pass then?”
Katherine rolled her eyes.
“I knew it.” Rebecca laughed.
“Right, I’m hanging up on you now.”
