Page 80 of Wild About You

I lay there, watching the usual scenes of doom and destruction on the news, glancing back at Sean’s message. There was a time when the thought of seeing him would have pushed out every other thought, every other hope and expectation. It seemed ridiculous, a little sad, to me now, how much emphasis I had placed on our relationship. It had been the foundation of all my hopes. I think he sensed that, too. Which is why, when the news came that we would never have our own children, it had all been too much for him to bear.

Perfect, his message said. I turned off the news and stared at the ceiling. But was it, though? Was it, really? I closed my eyes against the word that appeared in my head.

No.

CHAPTER 24

I was up early, but Jamie was even earlier. I found him making tea in the kitchen, dressed in black jeans and his copper-coloured sweater. He waved his phone at me and I caught a glimpse of a disconsolate Hugo staring out.

‘He ate one of my hiking boots,’ he said. ‘Or a bit of it, at least. Callum is taking him to the vet.’

‘Oh, poor Hugo,’ I said, taking the phone and staring at the large-eyed,I’m sorrylook that was emanating from the screen. ‘I hope he’s alright.’

‘Apparently he’s wagging his tail and barking for his breakfast,’ said Jamie. ‘I’m told this picture captures his entire millisecond of remorse.’

‘Love it,’ I said.

‘Ready for our meetings?’

I poured milk into my coffee. ‘Born ready.’

‘Roshni says only city wankers say things like that.’

I snorted into my mug as I headed back to my room. ‘And she’s absolutely right.’

My corporate persona clicked back into place as easily as it had left me. I took extra time over my hair and make-up (war paint was important), re-ironed my navy peplum dress, and painted my nails a classic taupe that indicated I meant business. I saw Jamie take a breath when I emerged from my room. ‘I feel underdressed,’ he said, but the content of his look made excitement bubble in my chest.

‘You’re an earl,’ I said. ‘As a rule, you don’t need to dress up.’

‘So you’ve learned posh people’s rules now, have you?’ he said.

‘If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,’ I said.

We stared at each other for a dangerously long minute. I wanted to kiss him so much I could hardly breathe. Luckily, this was the moment that Fi crashed out of her bedroom door.

‘Sorry I’m late,’ she said brightly. ‘I was just chatting to Richard. He said he might pop down this evening.’

‘Pop down?’ I said. ‘It’s a seven-hour drive.’

‘Mm,’ she said. ‘Any coffee in that pot?’

‘My friend Mike says beavers are destructive,’ said the man who had looked me up and down when he walked into the room and was still periodically glancing in the direction of my breasts. ‘What next, wolves? Lions?’

‘I’d be on board with wolves,’ I said, raising an eyebrow. ‘But to address your first point – or should I say,Mike’spoint – beavers are a keystone species in our isles. They engineer their surroundings, certainly, but only in positive ways. Their dams increase wildlife diversity, improve the water, and act to prevent flooding.’

He curled his lip and folded his arms across his chest. I offered to show him the film of our beavers taken by the local wildlife trust, but he cut me off.

Jamie sat forward and fixed him with his coldest gaze. ‘It’s clear you’re not listening to my colleague,’ he said, in a rough voice. ‘Perhaps you’d clear the slot for someone who’s serious about conservation.’

The man scrambled to his feet and exited so quickly, I thought he was going to trip over his feet.

Meanwhile, I fought the urge to fan myself.

‘Well, he was a waste of time,’ said Jamie.

‘We never had a chance,’ I said. ‘His board has told him to come and meet us because they’re upping their green credentials, but he’s a dinosaur. He’ll just go back and say we’re certified tree huggers, or something similar.’

Luckily, the next three meetings went well, and one possible sponsor lit up when Jamie incidentally mentioned the beagle sanctuary. ‘My son loves Snoopy,’ she said. ‘He’s into retro cartoons.’

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