Page 16 of Animal Instincts
Ah…Oliver gave himself a mental kick up the arse. Joss thought it would mean another bill, and one he could ill-afford at the moment. Why hadn’t he thought before he’d opened his mouth?
“It’s aftercare.”
“Aftercare?” Joss pushed his hair out of his eyes, tilting his head as he looked down at Oliver.
“Yes, it’s nothing additional. In fact, I—I…” Oliver stumbled over his words, his mind going blank as he met Joss’ gaze. He swallowed down the hard lump in his throat as he scrambled to recall what it was he’d meant to say. “I wanted to have a word with you, to let you know I’m waiving the fee because of your help with the paperwork.”
Joss’ mouth formed a perfectOof surprise at the same time he shook his head.
“That’s really kind of you, but no, I insist on paying you. I mean, you’re a vet not an animal charity. All those bandages and wipes and everything else have to be bought and paid for. Well, paid for eventually.”
Oliver allowed himself a moment’s embarrassment before he shrugged and smiled.
“Yes, there were rather a lot of red notices… I’m really not on what you might call first name terms with keeping my paperwork up to date. You did me a huge favour and took a lot of stress off my shoulders, so don’t even try and pay me because I won’t take it.”
“I—are you sure? I mean, what you did for Bingo—”
“You’d already done the lion’s share of the work, I was just mopping up. Bingo’s your dog, so you know him well, but I was impressed with how you handled him and kept him calm.”
The words tumbled from Oliver. Everything he said, which was far more than he’d meant to, was true. He’d dealt with more cut and mangled paws than he could ever have hot dinners, but almost without exception it had been the fraught owners who’d needed calming and sedation. But not Joss. He’d been concerned for his pet, but cool and in control.
Joss smiled, looking both embarrassed and pleased by the praise which, as far as Oliver was concerned, was no more than the bald truth. Still, the little smile that hovered over Joss’ lips set off a soft and long absent flutter deep in Oliver’s chest.
“I did what I could, but knew it wasn’t enough.” Joss shrugged as though it was of small consequence, but Oliver knew that was never the case with one’s own pet. “As for helping with your pile of admin, it was all straightforward and easy stuff — you ought to see my gran’s paperwork, it’d send your hair as green as one of her rinses that’s gone wrong. Not that they go wrong, that is. Or not much,” Joss added quickly. “I quite like doing it. Not what I’d want to do all day, but…”
“What would you like to do all day?”
Something else Oliver hadn’t meant to ask, but he was curious. This young man, in turns confident and gauche, all long, lean arms and legs, and big green-gold eyes, made him curious when he hadn’t been curious about another man for a long time. Deep in Oliver’s chest, something twisted, turned, and shifted.
Joss didn’t say anything for a moment, as he bit down on his pillowy lower lip some more.
“Ideally, I want to work with animals. Small domestic animals. Pets, in other words.”
“You mean you want to train to become a vet?”
“No, not a vet. No way could I do all those years of study. An animal care assistant. It’s great to help an animal overcome an injury or sickness, but it’s also about looking after the owners, too. They need as much care as their pet, if not more. The two go hand in hand as far as I can see.”
Joss’ words about caring for the owners as well as the pet were true. Yet it was a truth Oliver had sometimes lost sight of.
In his London practice, some owners had got in the way of him giving the help where it was truly needed — to the pet. He had little time or patience for theatrical tears or wails of horror or grief from the rich and pampered who saw their animals as being little more than fashion accessories.Thoseowners he’d treated with no or little regard, and had left his former friend and business partner to smooth any ruffled feathers. Had he been treating the pet owners of Love’s Harbour in the same way? A knot of concern tightened in his stomach.
“Joss?”
Declan called from the counter, where a large queue had formed.
“Whoops, been caught chatting for too long,” Joss said with a small laugh. “I’d better go.”
“Bring Bingo round to the surgery tomorrow evening and I’ll check all is as it should be.”
Which it will be, because there’s nothing wrong with the dog…Oliver twitched and he looked over his shoulder. It was as though somebody had leaned in and whispered in his ear. If Joss noticed, he didn’t show it.
“Only if you’re sure?”
Oliver nodded. “Yes, of course—”
“Joss!”
“Got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow evening, then,” Joss said, giving Oliver a pink-cheeked smile before he went back to work.
