Page 50 of Sit, Stay, Love
Sera slumped against the side of her van as he marched angrily towards the surgery. Her hands trembled and her stomach churned. She’d fucked up badly, and didn’t know how to fix it.
As he stepped back into the sunshine, she gave him a bright smile, but his mouth remained set in a hard line. He handed her a bag of cat food and she turned around and tossed it onto the front seat. Then, at the last second, she grabbed her wallet from her bag.
‘Let me fix you up for those,’ she said.
He stepped backwards, visibly flinching. ‘I don’t want your money.’
‘But I have money now, or at least I will soon.’
‘I don’t want your money, Sera. God.’
She quickly put her wallet away. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just you do so much, and I want to make it up to you.’
‘I don’t need you to make it up to me. I need you to stop treating me like I’ll always be here at your beck and call. Because one day, I won’t be.’
She gaped at him, tears stinging in the corners of her eyes. ‘Herriot.’
‘Just…’ He sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. ‘Just call me later and let me know how the kittens are going. If you think anything’s wrong, I’ll drop everything and come around.’
He went to say something else but stopped.
Sera had a feeling it was going to be, ‘Like I always do.’
She drove home on autopilot, tears rolling down her cheeks. She and Toby never fought. Ever. She couldn’t remember even having an argument with him in the two years they’d known each other. Unless it was over the remote, or what topping to have on a pizza. Stupid things. Nothing like what had just happened. The pain in her heart was so intense, it was making every part of her ache.
Her phone rang and without thinking, she answered. ‘Herriot?’
‘What’s wrong darling?’ her mother’s voice asked. ‘That sounded desperate.’
‘Mum, I don’t have time to talk. I’m driving.’
Her mother pressed on. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘I just had a weird fight with Toby. And we never fight.’
‘Oh sweetheart, what was it about?’
Sera was silent for a moment. It hadn’t been just because she blew him off for dinner. That would piss him off for sure, but not hurt him. And she had hurt him, she could see it in his eyes. Her throat tightened. ‘I think it was about me and Ethan.’
‘Has something happened between you?’
‘No. Nothing. It’s a work relationship, that’s all.’
‘Are you sure?’
She bit her lip. ‘No.’
‘Well, obviously Toby senses that and he’s jealous.’
‘But why? He’s still my friend. He’ll always be my friend. I’m not going anywhere.’
Her mother sighed heavily down the phone. ‘Oh, darling. You make me laugh. Just be patient with him, and be kind. He’s going through a lot.’
‘What do you mean, a lot?’
‘You two have been joined at the hip for the last couple of years. Then a new man comes on the scene, an extremely attractive man who is obviously interested in you. Of course Toby’s going to feel left behind.’
‘But I’m not leaving him behind. I’ll never do that.’
