Page 76 of Sit, Stay, Love
‘I take it he doesn’t know Buffy has already been through her training?’
‘No, he does not, and we’re not going to tell him. He’s on top of the world right now.’
Carol raised her eyebrows. She was older than Sera by about ten years and had a way of chastising without saying a word. She usually saved that talent for Tia and Jackie, but not today.
‘Please don’t look at me like that. He needed a win, and this was a good win. It’ll give his confidence a boost. He needed it after Miss Francineand her damn teeth.’ Sera sighed and joined Carol at the reception desk. ‘What’s been happening here?’
‘Dr McManus came by. He dropped back the cat you left with him yesterday. It’s not cat flu, just conjunctivitis. He left some drops. I asked him to check the newborn kittens while he was here, and he’s taken one back to the surgery with him.’
‘The ginger tom?’ Carol nodded. ‘Damn.’
‘I also asked him to take Francine, to assess her around men. After that, we had a cup of tea and a nice chat.’
Sera leaned against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest. ‘What did you chat about?’
‘Mostly you, actually. He gushed about how much he admires you and what you’ve done here.’ Carol looked at her and smiled in a way that made Sera glance away and fidget with a pile of magazines. ‘He’s such a lovely man, isn’t he?’ Carol continued. ‘I hope my son turns out to be half the man Dr McManus is.’
Sera forced an awkward smile. ‘I better give him a ring.’
She lay on her bed with the curtains drawn, the lights off and her phone resting on her boobs. It wasn’t news that Toby admired the work she did at Rose’s Rescue – he’d told her often enough – so why did Toby talking to Carol about her throw her for a loop? Or rather, gushing to Carol. Carol had specifically said gushing. Toby didn’t gush. Not that he wasn’t capable of it, but his humour was so sharp, he was more likely to tease. Like her. That’s why they bounced off each other so well. They had the same sense of humour. So why was her heart being such a jerk, flittering and fluttering all over the place at the mention of his name? She’d tolerate it swelling a little when he was treating a kitten, or hitching when he was being adorable with Buffy, or even aching if he was sad. Friendship heart things. But racing like a bullet train, and skipping a beat? They were off the menu. They were the kind of heart things she should be reserving for Ethan. And the heat. The delicious pooling heat. That wasn’t a friendship thing either.
Her phone rang against her cleavage, and she leaped out of her skin,causing it to slip off her boobs, bounce on the mattress and drop to the floor with a thud. She leaned over, scrambling to grab it. She cursed silently when her heart hiccupped at the sight of Toby’s name.
Argh.She sucked in a slow breath and answered. ‘I was just about to call you.’ Did she sound flustered? She sounded flustered.
‘Did Carol tell you what’s going on?’
‘The ginger tom is in trouble.’
‘He’s on a drip. I’ll do what I can, but prepare yourself. He’s very young and very small.’
‘Thank you, Herriot. You must get so sick of me and my animals. Am I your problem client?’
He took a beat. ‘Is that what we are now? Vet and client?’
She squeezed her eyes shut.Nooo. What was happening to them? It seemed like every time they talked these days, they ended up bickering. ‘Don’t be so sensitive, Herriot.’
‘Sorry. I’m tired.’ He sighed heavily. ‘Did you work with James today?’
‘We took Buffy to training. They got a ribbon.’
‘Of course they did. That dog has had so much training she could probably train other dogs!’
‘But Ethan doesn’t know that.’
‘So you’re lying to him now?’
‘No… yes. But it’s a good lie.’
‘You must have learned that from him.’
She frowned and ignored his swipe. ‘You should have seen his face,’ she said brightly. ‘He was so proud of himself, couldn’t stop smiling. He needed that. Needed the confidence boost.’
He huffed. ‘He doesn’t strike me as someone who lacks confidence.’
‘Herriot.’ There was another long beat. ‘I heard you entertained Carol today,’ Sera said.
‘What did she tell you?’ he asked suspiciously.
