Page 24

‘Really? There’s cake you wouldn’t eat?’

‘Not a big fan of carrot. The whole vegetable masquerading as dessert is just a bit wrong to me. And don’t even get me started on beetroot or, worse, courgette in cakes.’

‘Relax, it’s Brockle cake.’

‘And what’s that?’

‘A local speciality the Brockle’s Paws café is famous for. It’s chocolate and vanilla sponges, with a cherry jam, on a sort of pastry, shortbread base.’

‘Sounds delicious.’ He took the box happily and scooped out a chunk of the cake. ‘Oh wow, that is delicious.’

‘And probably like a thousand calories in every bite.’ Yvette clipped into the too-tiny office, looking as made-up and glamorous as she did in the videos Angela tended to scroll past. From the high heels to the silky-looking dress and bright pink fur coat — which had blooming well better be fake! — Angela wasn’t sure she’d ever seen anyone so dressed up, even at a party. She looked down at her tie-dye hoodie, slightly fuzzy after the attentions of the new baby badger who had come in — far too small to survive winter and in need of lots of feeding. It really was a different world she inhabited.

‘Yvette, what are you doing here?’ Rick had frozen, his cake halfway between box and mouth.

‘I’ve come to see you, Ricky baby.’ Angela had never actually seen someone pout and bat their eyelashes in real life. ‘You did say I should come to this little place and meet some of the animals.’

‘Did you, indeed?’ She could feel her hackles rising. If she’d been a dog, her lip would be curled in warning. While she opened to members of the public to raise funds, she wasn’t happy that Rick was issuing invites like he owned the place.

‘Yvette was upset about how much time I’m spending here, and I thought if she could see some of the amazing work you do, she might be a bit happier,’ he explained to Angela with an apologetic shrug. ‘But that was last week.’ He turned back to Yvette. ‘And I didn’t think you were interested. You did say no.’

‘Of course I’m interested in your work, baby.’ She purred the words and strutted over to wrap herself around Rick, climbing into his lap. ‘And I wanted to meet this Anthea woman you’re spending so much time with.’

‘It’s Angela.’ She honestly didn’t know why she bothered. She didn’t really want to be forced out of her own office, but she’d already had enough. It was very clear to her that Yvette had wanted to check “Ricky baby” was behaving himself. Honestly, she couldn’t have been any more obvious than if she’d peed or pooped in front of Angela, marking Rick as “hers” like Ruby would have.

‘Look, apart from the guineas,’ Angela added, ‘none of my animals are pets. If you try to stroke them, they may well bite. That’s the only warning you’re getting.’

‘Oh, I’m sure Ricky will protect me,’ she simpered as Angela hopped off as quickly as her crutches allowed. If she didn’t get away from them she was in danger of regurgitating her lunch.

* * *

‘I thought you said there were lots of cute animals.’ Yvette pouted and stomped her foot. ‘All the ones you’ve shown me smell.’

‘They were only cleaned a couple of hours ago.’

‘Well they still smell!’

‘They’re animals. What did you expect?’

‘Can’t you, like, spray them with something? They make doggy deodorant and breath mints. Can’t you give them some of them.’

As much as Rick thought Ernie and his jennets might like some mints, the thought of making such a suggestion to Angela terrified him. ‘I’m not sure Angela would like that.’

‘I’m not sure it should be up to Anthea.’ Rick rolled his eyes, ignoring Yvette’s comment. He didn’t like her when she got catty. ‘Anyway, where are all the cute animals? Like the puppies and kittens.’

‘It’s not really that type of rescue centre,’ he tried to explain. ‘It’s a wildlife rescue. Angela only takes in cats and dogs when there’s no other option.’

‘Well where are all the baby animals? The sweet little chicks and bunnies and things?’

‘Most birds have finished nesting and are fully feathered and flown off by now, and the bunnies are fully grown rabbits. We have some hedgehogs who are a bit small.’

‘But you can’t really snuggle a hedgehog.’

Rick bit back a sigh, starting to feel a bit frustrated with her unannounced visit. But he knew arguing, or logic, rarely worked with Yvette — she’d spent too much of her life doing what she wanted, when she wanted, and being spoiled by everyone around her. He had to admire her confidence, but if he was honest with himself . . . it could get a bit grating at times.

‘What about Ernie? You’ve not met him yet.’

‘The funny donkey who got you all the views? Yay!’ She did a happy dance, clapping her hands together like a little girl, skipping along as he led her through the courtyard. He couldn’t be sure, but for a moment he thought he heard Angela snort with laughter. But by the time he turned to look at her, she was busy feeding the guineas, stooping over their “garden”.