by Annie O'Neil
Well.
She had her boy and she loved him to bits, so...not everything about her time with Lucas had turned out badly.
She forced herself back onto topic. ‘I think it’s fair to say being a patient doesn’t really suit him.’ Poor Drew had already suffered so much loss. If he was permanently disabled because of his leg injuries? Nightmare. She couldn’t imagine him living a sedentary life. Not happily anyway. The man was made of motion. Except for these past few months. Suffice it to say her bestie was going to have to pull some hardcore determination out of the bag if he wanted to stand at an operating table for eight-plus hours ever again.
Henry tapped Ellie on the knee, presumably having seen her drift off into A World Without Drew. ‘Ellie, love. I know you’ve been through a lot lately, but I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t the right thing to do. Think of all of those amazing vets I can send down here for internships.’
Ellie heaved a melodramatic sigh, hoping Henry knew she wasn’t actually angry, just...digesting things. ‘I know. I should be cracking open the champagne for you. I just... It’s one of those crossroads moments.’
‘One you, of all people, have the strength to get through.’
‘You think?’ The last thing she felt right now was strong. Terrified, shaky, anxious and defensive? Definitely. Able to hold her own against the man she’d once loved with every fibre of her being? Not so much.
‘You’re made of stronger stuff than you ever give yourself credit for,’ Henry said, scooching over to her side of the puppy pen and giving her a half-hug. ‘Who knows? Maybe it’ll be the best thing that ever happened.’
‘Ha!’ She crinkled her nose up. ‘Having the Uber-Vet here is not going to be the best thing that ever happened to me.’
‘No.’ Henry gave his beard a thoughtful stroke. ‘But having Lucas Williams here might be.’ Henry smiled as if he knew something she didn’t then left the room, Ellie’s jaw still hanging open in disbelief.
* * *
Lucas pulled off the main road, such as it was, and onto the long, wooded drive leading down to the clinic. Seeing the clinic sign and then glimpses of the cove peek through the woodland felt as familiar to him as if he’d done it a thousand times. In a way he had.
They’d talked about every detail of their ‘fantasy clinic’ a thousand times. More.
Back when this site had been private land, they couldn’t have dreamt of affording let alone building a state-of-the-art clinic on it. Dreaming the impossible was easy with Ellie. She was a woman who could look at anything and spot nothing but possibility. Nothing but hope. Which went a long way towards explaining why he’d fallen in love with her the instant she’d walked into that first day of veterinary college wearing a studious expression and a tiger onesie.
It surprised him how raw he felt, seeing their shared dream as a reality he wasn’t a part of.
Sure, he was proud of turning his father’s failing clinic into something extraordinary, too. It had saved his family from unimaginable problems, but...looking at Ellie’s clinic on the website before he’d come down here had stirred something in him he hadn’t been sure still existed. Hope. Hope that the two of them might be able to find a peace with their complicated past.
Most of the staff photos were action shots, unlike his well-lit posed one taken by the production photographer. There were loads of Drew, of course, but the pictures of Ellie were the ones that had punched him in the solar plexus. Ellie deep in concentration in surgery. Ellie playing with the pups she bred as service dogs from Esmerelda, the puppy he’d given to her with a diamond ring on her collar and a question on his lips.
Will you marry me?
If only—
He loosened his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel and continued to drive. If only a lot of things.
As he drove through the woodland, a broad expanse of lawn opened out before him and then the drive split—one lane signposted for the main clinic and community petting zoo and the other for the surgical ward. He let out a low whistle.
Ellie and Drew had clearly worked their socks off. He felt a burst of pride on their behalf and then, in its wake, an all too familiar stab of guilt.
He steered the car towards the main clinic. The car park was still relatively full, even though it was near the end of the day. The building was a glass, beam and wood-shingled number that oozed confidence and comfort. Exactly the type of place you’d want to bring your pet if they were hurt. Exactly the type of place he and Ellie had envisioned opening all those years ago. He huffed out a laugh. She’d really gone and done it. With her trusty childhood friend Drew, who she had no doubt fallen in love with by now. Had kids with. Pets of their own.
At least she’d kept Esmerelda.
A dog isn’t just for a proposal...
He imagined Drew slipping a ring on Ellie’s finger, felt a surge of something fiery and hot fill his chest, then checked himself. He had no rights in that area. And certainly no right to be jealous. Who Ellie loved or didn’t love was no longer his business. Helping her was.
He parked the car, clapped his hands together and gave them a rub. He’d waited a long time to make amends. Maybe too long. Tunnel vision had been the only thing that had kept him going as he’d dealt with the massive debt his father’s London-based veterinary clinic had accrued as Parkinson’s had begun to take its toll on his father’s health, then dementia and then, six months ago, his passing.
There were countless other threads to his family’s complicated story, and making sure Ellie wasn’t mired down with them had made breaking things off seem like the only option. Now, with Henry taking over the reins of the show he’d created to save his family from financial ruin, he felt as if he was breathing freely for the first time in years.
A bell tinkled above his head as he entered the bright, welcoming atrium-style reception area. At its heart stood a small oak tree. The tree, a couple of metres in height, was planted in the centre of a wraparound bench seat where patients and their owners sat waiting for their appointments.
The sight threw him back in time, feeling his hand close over Ellie’s smaller, more delicate hand as he’d passed the acorn from his to her palm when they’d decided this was the perfect spot to build their clinic.
From the tiny acorn...
He gave his head a shake. It was probably a fake. Who planted an oak tree in their atrium lobby?
Ellie Stone, that’s who.
He scrubbed a hand through his hair and made himself examine the place with a more practised eye. This was, after all, to be his workplace for the next few weeks. If Ellie didn’t chuck him out on his ear.
Pushing her reaction to the side, he scanned the atrium. The interior, whilst modern and clearly designed for animals, was as warm and welcoming as a classic country hotel. A huge stone and wood reception desk stood a few metres back from the door. In lieu of the near obligatory plastic chairs or benches most vet surgeries had, the Dolphin Cove Veterinary Clinic had inviting sofas and window seats built into the multi-angled reception area in addition to the bench seat round the tree. There was a floor-to-ceiling cat scratch and even a little cave off in a corner with a sign on it reading ‘For pooches who prefer a quiet space.’
Behind the reception desk, a young woman who would’ve looked more at home on the back of a horse at an elite show jumping event was tapping something into the computer. She looked up when he approached. ‘Hello, may I—? Oh, my gawd! Are you...?’ She waved at the other two people sitting in the reception area. An elderly woman with a cat in a soft carrying case and a stylish young man with a tiny Pekingese on his lap. ‘It’s the Uber-Vet!’
Lucas shook his head. Fame and recognition were his least favourite aspects of his job. That and the non-stop rumours about his imaginary engagements. He’d barely had time for dating let alone having enough head space to think about falling in love. And that was the thi
ng, wasn’t it? You didn’t think about falling in love. You just did it. Precisely as he’d done with Ellie.
‘Don’t move!’ The girl scuttled round the desk with her phone pinched between her immaculately manicured nails, ‘Can we do a selfie?’
Check that. Selfies were his least favourite part of being the Uber-Vet.
‘I’m getting a selfie with the Uber-Vet!’ The girl sing-songed at the two pet owners as Lucas resisted a sigh and put on an obliging smile.
The flash on her phone went off, and then, as she took a couple more, she launched into a monologue. ‘I’m Tegan. I work here. Obvs. This is Mrs Cartwright and her very well-loved Siamese cat, Tabatha.’ She stage-whispered, ‘Bit of a hypochondriac but we love her.’ She raised her voice. ‘Mrs Cartwright? Would you and Tabatha like your photo taken with the Uber-Vet?’
‘Who?’ Mrs Cartwright, an immaculately turned-out, birdlike woman, peered at him with bright blue eyes. ‘Oh, no,’ she said, after she’d given him a quick once over. ‘No, thank you. I’ll wait for Ellie. As you know, I’d far rather Tabatha saw Drew as he is very familiar with her ailments, but...’ She heaved a weary sigh. ‘My poor, poor Tabatha.’
Tegan dropped to her knees in front of Tabatha and began making meow noises.
‘I’d like a photo,’ the young man holding the Pekingese said. The dog’s immaculately groomed coat flowed over his arms as he swept her up and alongside Lucas. ‘Here...’ He handed him his phone. ‘Can you take it? Your arms are longer. And stronger. My boyfriend would be so totally jel if he knew I was cuddling up to you. Teegs! Come over and get in the photo with us.’
Tegan obliged, happily squishing Lucas into the centre of a Tegan and Pekingese sandwich.
Lucas grinned and bore it. Nearly six years on Britain’s television screens had kept his father’s clinic from closing and miring his family in debt, so...he held up the phone. ‘Ready? Smile!’
When the flash went off, he saw stars for a moment. When they cleared his heart smashed against his chest. There she was.
Ellie Stone. Even more beautiful than he’d remembered her. Wild golden red curls. Her lean, athletic body wearing scrubs as if they’d been handmade for her every curve. A pair of trendy trainers on her feet. No surprise there. Shoes had always been her weakness. Green eyes, as pure and welcoming as the sea beyond the clinic. They flashed brightly then narrowed.
Maybe not so welcoming.
‘You’re late.’
‘Ellie!’ Tegan swotted at her arm. ‘Don’t be rude. It’s the Uber-Vet!’
‘I know exactly who he is,’ she bit out.
‘Cool.’ Tegan grinned. ‘Then you won’t mind if I run out and get Torky, yeah?’ She turned to Lucas and gave his arm a squeeze. ‘He’s my twin and, like, totally wants to be a vet, just like you.’
Lucas sucked in a breath. Not the right thing to say in front of your boss who was an excellent vet herself.
Tegan continued, oblivious to the icy stare Ellie was giving her. ‘Ells? Would you take our picture when we get back? Me and Torks. What? Why are you so frowny?’
Lucas’s eyes zapped to Ellie’s. He’d stupidly held on to a sliver of hope that enough time had passed that she might be the tiniest bit happy to see him. She arched an eyebrow as if to say, This is a veterinary clinic, not a red carpet.
No smile. No glimmer of delight. No, Oh, my goodness, my Prince Charming has just walked through the door.
Not quite the happy reunion he’d been hoping for.
Ellie sniffed and gave Tegan what he used to teasingly call her ‘Mum look’. Teasing because he’d imagined her giving that look to their own children one day. He’d loved that look. Hell. Who was he kidding? He’d loved all her looks. Happy, triumphant, giddy, loving...
‘I do mind, Tegan. Torquil is busy in the surgical ward and you should be busy answering the phone.’ She tipped her head towards the reception desk, where the phone was, indeed, ringing.
Tegan, full of attitude, swept back behind the reception desk and very pointedly answered the phone, ‘Hello, Dolphin Cove Veterinary Clinic, Tegan speaking. How may I help you?’
‘Sorry about that—’ Lucas began, but Ellie cut him off with an eye-roll.
‘She’s young. She’ll get over it.’
‘It’s good to see you, Ellie,’ Lucas said, meaning it. ‘How are you?’
She crossed her arms over the dark blue scrubs dotted with...were those toy poodles?...and glowered at him. Funny how toy poodles took the edge off a glare.
‘Hmm. Good question.’ She tapped her chin with her index finger. ‘Do you mean...how are you, Ellie, after six years of not ever speaking to you? Or, how are you, Ellie, seeing me swan into your clinic as if I owned the place. Or...wait a minute.’ She put her finger up in the air as if a light bulb had just gone off, her green eyes blazing with emotion. ‘Best yet...how are you, Ellie, after I dumped you and made it very clear there was no place in my life for you despite the fact you were the one to always say there is no I in team?’
‘What?’ screeched Tegan from the reception desk, hand over the phone receiver. ‘You used to date the Uber-Vet? Ells. You are a dark horse, girlfriend! Ellie and the Uber-Vet. Who knew?’
‘His name’s Lucas!’ Ellie ground out.
At the same time Lucas said, ‘Lucas is just fine.’
‘Ah! Lucas!’ Henry appeared from one of the long corridors stretching out beyond the reception desk. ‘There you are. I see you’ve caught up with Ellie.’
‘Henry.’ Ellie wheeled on him. ‘This was a terrible idea. I’m going to find someone else.’
‘Someone else to who can do the Bernese surgery?’ Lucas said, knowing he was on solid ground. ‘I don’t think so. The only one on the British Isles who can do that surgery is standing right here.’
Ellie opened her mouth, presumably to protest, but nothing came out.
‘Oh, dear. Well, I...’ Henry’s eyes bounced between the pair of them as his brows dived towards his nose in consternation.
‘Actually, Henry,’ Lucas continued with a smile, ‘Ellie and I were just discussing where I should put my things. Weren’t we, Ellie?’
‘We were doing no such thing,’ she growled.
‘Oh, well.’ Henry gave his beard a thoughtful stroke. ‘You’re more than welcome to stay in the guest flat with me. I believe there’s a sofa bed for the night or I can move out of the bedroom tonight and sleep on the—’
‘No!’ Ellie snapped. ‘My house? My rules. My veterinary clinic? My decision whether or not you even touch one solitary hair on an animal’s head.’
The young man with the Pekingese piped up, ‘It’s a bit late for that. He’s already held my Audrey here.’
Ellie’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. ‘And you are?’
‘Caspian Smythe-Bingham.’
She opened her mouth, presumably to say ‘Who?’ when a look of recognition flared then softened her features into a welcoming glow of recognition. ‘Caspian, yes, of course. I’m ever so sorry. I’m not normally so...um...’ She gave Lucas a dismissive flick of her eyes then looked at Henry. ‘Henry, if you don’t mind showing our temporary guest into the coffee room, I’ll meet with you both after we take a look at... Audrey, right?’ She reached out her hands for the Pekingese who curled up against his owner’s chest.
‘Oh, no.’ Caspian stroked his dog’s long hair. ‘Audrey doesn’t seem to like you.’
Ellie gave a nervous laugh. ‘Not to worry. Sometimes it takes a minute or two to get to know one another. Why don’t you bring her into the examination room, and we’ll take a look there?’
Caspian arched an imperious eyebrow. ‘If you don’t mind, I’d really rather the Uber-Vet took a look at her. They have a bond already, you see?’
The expression on Ellie’s face was so cross it took all of Lucas’s power not to laugh. Not that he wa
nted to irritate her more than he had, but...this was actually a little bit funny. Maybe the funnier later variety of funny, but...
‘Why are you laughing?’ Ellie’s glare bored into him.
‘I’m not laughing.’
‘Course you are,’ Ellie snipped. Her eyes darted to the door as a young boy and an older woman who looked very familiar came in. Ellie’s entire demeanour changed. ‘Exam room three,’ she crisply instructed Lucas. ‘You take Audrey. We’ll all have a look.’
‘Only if you’re sure.’ Stepping on her toes was the last thing he wanted to do.
‘Of course I’m sure.’ She pointed him down the corridor towards the exam room then gave a little hip-height wave to the two who’d just come in.
‘Did you want to see them?’
‘No,’ she snapped. When her eyes met his, the sparks flew hard and fast. Like a fresh log had been thrown on a bed of hot coals that had been lying in wait...smouldering...waiting for the perfect moment to flare and burn as brightly as they once had.
‘Right you are, then.’ Lucas stepped to the side so that Caspian could follow Ellie. ‘After you.’
With a rather pointed swish, Ellie whirled around and headed down the corridor as briskly as her trademark trendy trainers would take her. Henry mouthed a silent ‘Good luck’ to Lucas as he followed in her wake.
It was going to be an interesting few weeks. Truth be told, he hadn’t been convinced she’d let him in. But now that she had he was going to keep his foot firmly in the door, no matter how many times she tried to slam it. The fire in her eyes had told him everything he’d needed to know. There was something to salvage between them. And he wasn’t leaving until he found out exactly what it was.