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‘She’s improving. She’ll talk to you about it.’

‘Is Dr Brown an alcoholic? Is that why he’s in hospital?’

‘Liver failure—he’s going into palliative care next week.’

‘He mustn’t have been coping; that’s why the place was a mess.’

‘We knew he drank, but didn’t know how bad it had got. He was a good vet and until a few months ago, he ran a good practice. Julia wanted to tell you but …’

‘I’m only here short term.’ I bring my knees to my chest. ‘It wasn’t my business.’

He frowns again. ‘What can I do, Amelie?’

‘Before you ask, it’s not endometriosis. It’s not serious and I’m lucky.’

‘I wouldn’t have asked.’ His hair isn’t blond, but it isn’t brown either. A bit of both. He hasn’t shaved for a couple of days and his stubble is dark. There’s concern in his gaze. ‘You get this every month?’

‘Strictly speaking, every twenty-eight days. A bath can help, or heat packs.’

‘I can get you a heat pack. There’s a bath at my house.’

‘It’s much better now.’

‘Can I get you something to eat, to drink?’

‘I’m okay. I think I’ll have a sleep.’

When he stands, I miss his worried face, his green eyes, his scruffy hair.

‘We can talk about the roundabout if you want.’

‘Not now,’ he says quietly. ‘You should rest.’ Footsteps to the bench then he’s crouching again, holding my phone to my face till the screen lights up. He dials a number on my phone and his phone rings. He adds the numbers to contacts on both phones then looks at his watch.

‘If I don’t hear from you beforehand, I’ll be back at four.’

‘It’s your cabin.’ A yawn. ‘I can’t stop you.’

‘I won’t come if you say no.’

‘Honestly?’

‘I’ll send Anna.’

‘Was she angry I stood Julia up?’

‘You care what people think, don’t you?’

‘Don’t you?’

‘Not always.’

‘You didn’t answer my question about Anna.’

When he tucks the phone into the sheet, our hands touch. If I reallydidhate him, I wouldn’t want him to touch me. As it is … A shaky breath.

‘She thought you would have asked the client, or Julia, to change the time,’ he says quietly. ‘Anna knew it would be out of character, which is why she called me.’

I yawn again, press my face into the pillow. ‘Oh.’