Read Online It's a Vet's Life: by Cathy Woodman - Free Book Online Page B

gruffly.
    ‘Later,’ I agree. It’s no use asking when. Neither of us will know. ‘It would be good to catch up. We need to book the reception. For the wedding,’ I add, when Alex stands there, frowning.
    His face cracks into a smile. ‘Gotcha, Maz,’ he chuckles.
    I give him a dig in the ribs. ‘This is serious. The Barnscote might be booked up for Christmas. We’ve left it a bit late.’
    ‘Oh, don’t worry. The Dog and Duck will have room for us.’
    ‘The Dog and Duck. I hadn’t thought of that one. Yes, that could be perfect.’
    ‘But it’s such a dive,’ Alex says, incredulous.
    ‘Gotcha back,’ I say, laughing. The Dog and Duck is one of the local pubs where the clientele is as old and faded as the flocked wallpaper. ‘We’ll talk about it later.’
    ‘One last kiss then,’ Alex says.
    ‘One …’ I say, but when I get back to Otter House and check the time, I realise that it may have been four, or five. I see the next few appointments before catching up with Emma in the staffroom. Will is upstairs in the flat with his creepy-crawlies, Izzy is clearing up after the ops and Shannon has gone out to do some shopping. Frances remains on duty at Reception.
    Emma sits perched on a stool, sipping at some kind of herbal tea.
    ‘I couldn’t find anywhere else to sit,’ she says, grinning.
    Although Emma once decided that we wouldn’t have any practice animals, Tripod still lives here, keeping Emma’s Border terrier, Miff, who comes to work with her, in order. Miff belonged to Emma’s mum before she died. She’s middle-aged now, with a grizzled coat and growing grey at the muzzle. Emma treats her like a baby, buying her new collars and raincoats. She’s wearing a pink collar today, printed with red love hearts.
    As Emma anticipated, the animals have rather taken over. In fact, they’re lying on the sofa together.
    ‘Shuffle up,’ I tell them, but Tripod rolls over, showing his belly, and Miff opens one brown eye, giving me one of her looks that means, I’m not here. Really …
    I pick her up and shift her along so I can sit down. She wriggles up against my side, asking to be stroked.
    ‘You are so smarmy,’ I tell her, at which she wags her tail. We’re good friends now. I look after her when Emma and Ben go away. ‘How was your day?’ I ask Emma.
    ‘All right, once I’d got Will under way with his first bitch spay. I was going to leave him to it, but I stayed in the end. Izzy asked me to, on the quiet.’
    ‘She worries too much. She complained about the first few ops he did. The holes were too big, he put in too many stitches and used too many swabs.’
    ‘I think she described the first one as a chainsaw massacre,’ Emma chuckles.
    ‘I hope she was exaggerating.’
    ‘I asked Frances if the clients like him.’
    ‘What did she say?’
    ‘She said there’s been a mixed response. The older ladies think he’s charming. Aurora didn’t seem overly impressed, but you know what she’s like …’
    I recall catching her in the consulting room in a compromising position with Drew, the locum, examining a rash on her chest, or so he said.
    ‘I’ve had a look at the takings and they’ve gone up which is great now we have an extra member of staff to pay for.’ She pauses. ‘Talking of money, have you and Alex come up with a budget for the wedding yet? I want to know how much we have for the dress – I thought we’d hit the shops at the end of the week, if that’s all right with you. Will says he’s happy to hold the fort.’ Emma’s face lights up. ‘Do you realise that’s the first time since Drew left that we’ve been able to go out together?’
    I know what she means – we’ve met for dinner at each other’s houses, but we haven’t been able to go out and about as such because one or other of us has always had to be available for emergencies.
    ‘I could get used to this,’ Emma goes on. ‘I like having staff.’
     
    The following day, Lenny the delivery driver