Page 17 of Wild About You

‘Of course.’ I picked up my notebook and my cup of tea. My stomach dived at the awkward look on his face as I followed him into the office.

‘Is everything alright?’ I said.

‘Yes.’ Callum was sitting up military straight, his hands folded on the desk in front of him. ‘Please, take a seat.’

I sat down and took a calming gulp of tea.

‘Right…’ Callum was looking as uncomfortable as he had when he interviewed me. ‘It’s just a small thing. Jamie’s asked that you report directly to me from now on, rather than him. I can pass on any headline points, but things should go through me.’

Right. Not a disaster, but perplexing. ‘That’s fine by me,’ I said. ‘But I thought rewilding was very much his project?’

Callum shifted in his seat. ‘It is, but he has lots to attend to at the moment. And as I said, I can pass on anything you need. He’ll read your strategy document when it’s ready, and feed back his thoughts to you.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Through me.’ He hazarded a slight smile. ‘Unless you find working with me objectionable?’

I tried to ignore the little flutter in my chest and laughed more loudly than I should have done. ‘Of course not!’

He smiled, and bit his lip. ‘Good. For the record, I’d prefer you to consider me a colleague, rather than a manager, even if I am a conduit for Jamie’s instructions.’

‘Will do,’ I said, answering his smile with my own.

He gave a sigh of relief. ‘Now that’s done, would you like a hot chocolate?’

‘I don’t think I’ve done anything to deserve it yet. I’ll make a start on the strategy right away. This afternoon we’re going to begin removing the top layer of soil at Belheddonbrae.’

‘By hand?’

I shrugged. ‘There’s no way of getting a digger safely in there. Don’t worry, I love doing this kind of thing. Oh, and I’ve already initiated contact with that charity I mentioned at interview – about reintroducing beavers.’

‘Grand. But don’t rush – we’re not on your London time here.’

I went back to my desk. Fi had arrived and was looking flustered. ‘You alright?’ I said to her.

‘Fine. You?’ She was distractedly putting lipstick on.

‘Yep. I’ll make you a cuppa,’ I said.

‘Are you obsessed with hot drinks?’ said Tally brightly.

‘Yes,’ I said, sweeping past her.

‘I’m surprised you’re still here,’ said Tally. ‘Jamie looked so grim this morning, I’d assumed you were for the chop, but I’m glad you’ve been given a second chance.’

‘Doesn’t he always look grim?’ I said, prodding Fi’s teabaginto life and trying to ignore the anxious lurch my stomach had taken at the idea I’d annoyed Jamie again.

As I carried the tea over, Tally lined her pencils up on her desk. ‘You could have made me another one.’

‘I’ll make you another one when you play nice,’ I said.

‘Oh shut up, the pair of you!’ Fi snapped. Her outburst was so surprising, both Tally and I did shut up. Each of us quietly turned to our computers and started work. Fi put her AirPods in and fixated on a budget spreadsheet.

The peace lasted all of two minutes. I was just opening a fresh Word document and typing the words ‘Stonemore Rewilding Strategy’ when I heard Tally give a piercing scream. I looked up to see a flash of white and tan as Hugo, ears flapping, sped past. Like a stealth raider, he had run silently across the carpeted floor and snatched something.

‘He’s got my cereal bar!’ squealed Tally. Fi shoved the door shut as Hugo made a bolt for it. He came to a halt and looked up at her, mouth full of a cereal bar still encased in its wrapping.

‘Give it back!’ said Tally.

‘I’m not sure he understands that particular command,’ I murmured.

But Hugo certainly knew what she meant when she approached him. His ears dropped, his eyes grew distinctly darker in expression, and he emitted a low growl from the depths of his throat. ‘Oh, you little shit,’ said Tally, in such a posh voice that I almost laughed out loud.

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