Page 83 of The Twelve Days of Christian
“Stand up, babe,” Christian whispers against my ear. “This moment’s all for you.” I gulp in air, summon a smile although I feel like I want to throw up, and wobble over on my heels, to where Bethany stands, with Loreena now also on her feet beside her.
“This is just from us darling, Loreena and I.” Bethany’s eyes, today a disconcerting shade of yellow like a predatory big cat, meet mine and now they glow golden. “You’re already doing such a great job working hard in the vet clinic, but we also know you want to do more. This is for you, sweetheart, to become the best you can be.”
The two women move to flank me, each laying an arm across my shoulder, and I feel their affection. Two people who were strangers a week ago, who believe in me. It’s humbling, and I mumble out words of thanks, but they’re awkward as swirling emotions takehold. I don’t even hear the hosts’ closing words, too overcome by the gesture, as the realisation hits me: I can go to vet school.
“You knew,” I say. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
The after-show party was a whirl of champagne and laughter, congratulations and good wishes, even from a few unexpected people like Lisa Mayberry. But now, here, in the silence of the limo, I have time to reflect. I’m not ungrateful for Bethany and Loreena’s generosity, but damn it, if the need to be independent isn’t whispering those same old snide suggestions inside my brain.
I’m a failure; I can’t stand on my own feet, always indebted to someone else; I live in my brother’s house; I’m in a job I worry I’d never have got on my own merits, sure one of my mother’s friends put in a good word for me before the interview.
“I didn’t know,” Christian says, and I believe him. I can trust him to be truthful. “I knew the two of them were up to something—Loreena was on her phone all afternoon, and shooting me smug looks.”
“Surely you must have been the reason for it? How else would they know?”
I lean against Christian’s shoulder, breathing in the spicy smell of cologne mingled with the fresh leather scent of the seat. Outside the black limousine, Christmas lights dazzle overhead, making little rainbows in the droplets on the window. Christian told the driver to take us the long route home. The central streets, Oxford and Regent,Carnaby and Bond, look like movie stars on the red carpet, each trying to outdo each other with the most ostentatious dress.
“You must have told them something.”
“Only Loreena,” he sighs. “But I swear, Haley, I didn’t even tell her you wanted to go to vet school. And certainly not that you couldn’t because of the money. I wouldn’t do that to you. That’s no one else’s business but yours. Yes, Ididtell Loreena in conversation I thought you’d make a great vet. You’ve seen what she’s like, a first class meddler whose brain shoots off in all directions without warning.”
I can’t help but laugh at the very accurate summing up of our friend.
“And the moment she and Bethany laid eyes on each other in the green room, they hit it off straight away. Insisted they both go to hair and make-up at the same time and spent the entire time chattering away. Look out world now those two have found each other.”
“Poor Tommy and Peter.”
“Are you going to do it?” he asks.
“Vet school? Wow, the fact I could hasn’t even sunk in yet. I don’t know. It’s so weird when something you always wanted so badly but thought you’d never have, just drops into your lap.”
“Don’t I know it,” he says, voice low, his blue eyes tender. “Happened to me twelve days ago, and my advice is, go for it. You won’t regret it.”
He presses his lips to mine and in that perfect moment, the passing lights rippling across us in colourful strands as if dancing in celebration, I know he’s right.
Chapter 39
Nine Days Later
Tully tumbles from thebackseat of the wagon, a whirling orange tornado of excited dog. I head for the other side of the car, where Mularkey’s blue eyes plead with me for freedom.
“Easy girl, I can’t get you out of here while you’re wiggling so much.” Mularkey tugs at the seat restraint while I fumble with the clip. The pressure of her struggles puts tension on the belt, making the task more difficult. The clip finally pops open and she’s off, a streak of silver and white. They both stop for a pee—they like to synchronise—then begin laps around the front garden of Ollie’s country house, before coming to a halt beneath one large tree, planting bottoms to the ground, heads raised and keen eyes scanning the branches.
“Oh, please, not squirrels. We’ll never get them in,” I sigh.
“Don’t worry, I’ll round them up.” Ollie strolls down the front steps towards us. “Remember, I’m their favourite uncle.” He’s right. The girls worship Ollie, probably because whenever he’s home, he ignores my instructions and feeds them treats from his plate.
“Good luck with that when squirrels are involved,” Sam laughs as she pops the rear hatch of her mother’s car, and starts to unload our cases. “Even their favourite aunt can’t convince them away from those tree-rats.”
Sam’s not a big fan of wildlife since a day in the park when, like most eight-year-olds, we ignored the ‘don’t feed the squirrels’ sign, and an overenthusiastic one climbed her leg and bit her hand.
“Yeah, if there’s a squirrel in that tree, I don’t like your chances, Ollie,” I call from where I’m head down in the centre of the back seat, unloosing the belt that’s kept Kona’s travel crate secure on the journey from London to Somerset.
“And so, this is the little guy.” Ollie smiles and steps forward to help me lift the carrier out. “Hey, there little man.” He peers through the mesh, then flips the latch and Kona prances out, pausing to lick at Ollie’s outstretched hand before racing across the driveway and diving onto the nearest piece of grass to squat. “Still peeing like a girl, I see. At what age do they stop that?” He grins at the caramel-coloured pup.
“Think about it Ollie.” I roll my eyes at my brother. Kona isnevergoing to be able to cock his back leg on lampposts like other male dogs, not when he only has one.
“Oh, yeah,” he says. “I forgot, three legs. You don’t notice it with the way he runsaround so fast.”
