‘They’re still at Willow Cottage.’
Loretta’s nostrils flared. She looked ready to explode. The last time Brogan had seen anyone look so annoyed it was Anoushka’s ex when he was being attacked by Jimby’s wayward cockerel, Reg. ‘They’re still at the place that flooded?’ Loretta asked, barely containing her anger.
‘Yes. Like I said, they looked pretty ruined to me. At the time, I didn’t think you’d want them back; couldn’t see you wearing them.’ His voice sounded weary.
Loretta nodded, pushing her lips into a pout. She was eyeing Nick like a cat ready to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse.
Brogan fought the urge to say something in his defence which wasn’t easy, but she didn’t want to run the risk of making things worse for him. From the look of things, it wouldn’t take much. But she really didn’t like the way this woman was speaking to him with such arrogant disdain. Had Nick really been engaged to such a cold, hard person? Brogan found it difficult to imagine them together, never mind committing to getting married. Sensing his discomfort, she said, ‘I’ll just go and check on the kennels.’
‘Yeah, okay. Thanks, Brogan.’ He gave a weak smile.
‘Ah, Brogan is it?’ the woman asked, placing her hand on her hip, as Brogan walked away. ‘Not your usual type, is she?’ she heard Loretta say, her sneering tone getting Brogan’s hackles up. A little thorn of hurt made itself known; she was only too aware she wouldn’t match up to someone like Loretta.
A few minutes later Nick appeared behind her. ‘I’m really sorry about Loretta, please ignore her. I don’t know what’s got into her, she never used to be like this.’ He pulled an apologetic face.
‘You’ve got no need to apologise,’ she said.
‘Not sure Loretta would agree with that. Anyway, I’m just going to nip over to Willow Cottage and get her shoes. Hopefully that should pacify her.’
‘Okay.’ Brogan nodded, noting the drained look in his usually happy eyes. A sudden thought hit her, making her stomach churn. ‘You’re not leaving her here are you?’
He gave a small laugh, touching her arm reassuringly. ‘No, don’t worry, she’s going to follow me then head home once she’s got her shoes. It shouldn’t take long; I’ll make sure I’m back for surgery this afternoon.’
‘Okay. Well, good luck, then.’ She pushed her mouth into a smile, hoping he didn’t detect the misgivings Loretta’s presence had created.
‘Thanks. I’ve got a feeling I’m going to need it.’ He puffed out his cheeks and headed through the door.
Brogan waited until she heard the sound of car engines driving off, before she headed back into the waiting room.
‘Well, whoever she was, she was a right hard-faced piece of work,’ said Mia, with a look of disgust.
‘Wasn’t she just?’ said Jo. ‘It was just as well we didn’t have any clients here to witness that. From what I’ve seen of Nick, I can’t imagine him marching up to her place of work and behaving like that. So unprofessional; she should’ve saved that for a private conversation. ’
‘Aye, you’re right there. I hope the bloody shoes are worth the fuss she was making. Flippin’ ’eck anyone would think they were gold-plated,’ said Mia.
‘Looked to me like she was on a power trip,’ said Jo.
‘Hmm.’ It had looked that way to Brogan too.
‘Daft moo. Anyroad, missus, you and Mr Sexy Vet seem to be getting along pretty well. Don’t suppose you can shed any light on what was going on with them two?’ Mia turned her attention to Brogan, her eyes glinting mischievously.
‘Me?’ Brogan asked, her eyebrows lifting.
‘Yep, you.’ An amused smile twitched at the corners of Mia’s mouth. ‘Jo and me have already spotted the chemistry sizzling between the pair of you and you haven’t even been here five minutes. Surely he’s shared some deets of his ex with you.’ Her smile became a full-on grin as she caught Jo’s eye.
Colour rose in Brogan’s face. ‘You’ve got the wrong impression; he really hasn’t said much about her.’ She was saved from any further interrogation when Chris bowled in on a blast of wintry air.
‘Brrr! It’s bloody parky out there. I’ll need to get some more grit on the path before it gets too slippery.’ He glanced around, looking puzzled. ‘Have I missed something?’
26
NICK
As he drove the icy roads to Arkleby, Nick felt a strange mix of stress and relief swirling around inside him. The stress, he knew, could be attributed to a variety of reasons. At the forefront of his mind was the thought of yet more verbal sparring with Loretta, never mind what she’d have to say when she saw the shoes. He knew from what he’d seen of them the previous night, there was no way she’d contemplate wearing them. In fact part of him was beginning to think her turning up like this was her way of exerting an element of control over him. He wondered if she’d soften at all if she knew what he’d been dealing with. Somehow, he doubted it.
As far as the relief was concerned, he knew without doubt that was creeping in courtesy of the prospect of finally handing Loretta her precious shoes, bringing an end to the stream of hostile texts and voicemails. He couldn’t wait to be free of them. Couldn’t wait to be able to look at his phone without the feeling of dread that had started to take hold of him whenever it pinged or rang.
Owing to the recent ploughing, snow was banked up in the verges making the road narrower. Nick slowed down as he carefully negotiated a sharp bend. He released a long sigh as the sign for Arkleby appeared, his eyes flicking to his rear view mirror catching a glimpse of Loretta’s car reflected back at him, her stern face in the windscreen. Dread pooled in his stomach. Facing Willow Cottage again and the prospect of how Loretta would react at seeing her shoes wasn’t an ideal combination. ‘Oh, bugger!’ he said under his breath.