Page 89

Chapter Thirteen

‘I’m sure Miss Whiskers will be glad to be home too.’ Jake held the door open from his examination room with one hand for an older woman, holding a cat box in the other. ‘Kiran will ring your bill up, and book your follow-up appointment.’ He placed the cat box on the receptionist’s desk before turning to Ryan, where he sat in the patient waiting area. ‘Two visits in one day. Is everything all right? No ill effects?’ He grinned when Mallow stuck her head above Jake’s coat, whistling and blowing kisses. ‘No, I’ll not be fooled by you and that beak again, thank you. It’s a bit too quick and sharp for my poor fingers.’

‘She’s fine.’ Ryan smiled, still glad beyond relief to have her back. ‘She’s flying as well now. As of today. Bit of a surprise. I know you’re probably busy, but I was hoping for a couple more minutes of your time. I can wait, or come back?’

‘I’m just about to head out to Western Farm. If you can talk while I pack my bag, I’ve got a few minutes now.’

‘That works.’ Ryan nodded and followed the vet into his office. ‘It won’t take long. I want Angela’s bill.’

‘How do you mean?’

‘You said this morning about adding Mallow to Angela’s account for Bill’s. I assume that means she’s got an outstanding balance with you.’

‘I’m not going to discuss another client’s accounts with you. It’s privileged information.’

‘I don’t want to see the detail. I don’t need it. Just the total.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Listen, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that I didn’t sleep much last night. I started off worrying about Mallow, then thinking about everything that happened with Yvette — but mostly I thought about Angela, and all the ways I screwed up with her. And I realised that there’s nothing I can do to make up for what I’ve done. I’m pretty sure the day I chose Yvette over her that I broke her trust and destroyed — decimated — something really special. Am I about right?’

Jake folded his arms across his chest and stared at Ryan. Even Mallow stayed quiet while he thought.

‘I’m not asking you to betray her trust, Jake. I just . . . I’m really hoping that you’re going to tell me I’m wrong, and that I haven’t screwed up as badly as I think I have. But I am asking if it’s as bad as I think.’

‘Like I told you earlier, Angela will be OK. She’s got good friends and family around her, and her animals. She’s pretty resilient.’

‘And fierce, determined, driven and passionate. And utterly wonderful in so many ways,’ Ryan added. ‘And she deserves way, way better than me. I can’t undo what I did, Jake. I wish I could, but I can’t. But I can help her, and Bill’s residents, if you’ll let me.’

‘Is this some attempt to win her back?’

‘No. I don’t expect it to change anything between me and Angela, but it might help her. And I want to do that. Besides, if she hadn’t been hurt by another moment of my dumb-arse selfishness, then she’d have been running more fundraising activities. So I feel like I owe her this anyway.’

‘You know it’s pretty high? The sanctuary’s bill.’

‘I figured. But I’d still like to do it.’

‘OK. I’ll have Kiran pull it together.’

‘Thanks. And Jake? Could you maybe not tell her I’ve done this?’

‘You know I’m going to ask why.’ The vet kept his arms folded and stared.

‘It’s hard to explain, but . . . this isn’t really about me doing something nice for Angela to get the credit for having done something nice. It’s about doing something to help Angela, just to help Angela. It’s about her, not me. Does that make sense?’

‘Yeah.’ Jake smiled properly for the first time since they’d entered his office. ‘It really does. So what do you want me to tell her?’

‘Anonymous benefactor?’ he asked hopefully, even as Jake pulled a face. ‘I know I’ll probably have to tell her eventually, but I also want to make sure that when, and if, I do, it’s all done. All paid for. Because I don’t want her to refuse something that will help her — and Bill’s — just because I’ve been an idiot. Please?’

‘OK,’ Jake nodded. ‘And I’ll see if I can’t think of something a bit better than that.’

‘Thanks. Let me know when it’s ready, and give me your bank details.’

‘You’re sure about this?’

‘Yeah.’ Ryan grinned, feeling more like himself than he had all week. He was surer about this than he had been about anything in quite some time. And now he’d started thinking about it, he realised there was a lot more he needed to do. ‘And, actually, there’s a couple of other things I’d like to talk to you about, if you can spare me some more time later . . .’

‘I reckon I can manage that.’ Jake grinned at him again. ‘You know, you’re a lot more interesting than I first thought, Rick.’

‘Thanks. I think. Oh, and by the way, my name is actually Ryan.’

* * *