by H. Y. Hanna
“Can you hold her for me?” He nodded to the kitten as he took out a large syringe.
Pippa winced as she looked at the needle, but she stepped up to the table and gently took hold of the kitten.
“That’s it... just keep her still...” Matt carefully drew some blood from a vein in the kitten’s front leg.
“This will be tested tomorrow for FIV and feline leukaemia,” said Matt. “Once we know the results, we can start on the right course of vaccinations for her.”
“Her?” said Pippa.
Matt smiled. “Yes, it’s a little girl.”
“What’s going to happen to her?” asked Pippa, reaching out to stroke the kitten. The fur was downy soft and she could feel the tiny body vibrating with each purr.
“We can keep her a few days, make sure she’s healthy—and then she’ll probably be sent to one of the local rescue centres to join other kittens.” He made a wry face. “It’s the same thing every summer. Too many unwanted kittens, not enough homes.” He sighed. “I wish people would be responsible and neuter their pets.”
“What happens if she doesn’t get adopted at the centre?” asked Pippa.
Matt’s face was sober. “Well, they won’t put her down, if that’s what you’re worried about. But she’ll just remain there. The problem is, the older and bigger she gets, the less cute she’ll be and the less chance she’ll have of finding a home. It’s really sad to see some of the older cats at these rescue shelters, waiting patiently for months, sometimes years, and nobody wants them. The centres do their best, but it’s not really a proper life, living like that.”
Pippa’s heart constricted as she looked at the tiny kitten and thought of it languishing unwanted in a cage. “You know, maybe I...”
“Yes?” Matt looked at her.
Pippa hesitated. “Nothing.” She stroked the kitten wistfully.
He reached out and lifted the kitten up again, cradling her in the crook of his arm. “I’ll take her back into the hospital ward, find a cage for her, and start her on some treatment—and some food and water. You can come back and check on her later in the week, if you like?”
Pippa glanced at him quickly. Was that a note of hope in his voice?
“I’d love to,” she said. “My place is just across the street anyway, so it’ll be easy to pop in.” She hesitated. “Um... what about the cost of the examination and the vaccines and—”
“No worries.” He waved a hand easily. “The clinic often treats dogs and cats at the local rescue centres for free. Our way of making a donation.”
“That’s really nice of you. I can let myself out,” Pippa added as he followed her out of the consulting room into the reception area, still carrying the kitten. She paused with her hand on the doorknob of the clinic’s main door, tilting her head to listen to the noise in the background. She hadn’t even noticed it until now. “Blimey, is that the rain?”
“You’re sounding like a Pom,” he said with a grin. “Yeah, seems like it’s really bucketing it down. It’s been threatening to do that all morning, I think. You sure you want to go out in that? You’ll get soaked.”
Pippa hesitated. The chance to stay and spend more time with him was tempting, but what was she going to do? Stand and watch over his shoulder while he did his reports? She shook her head. “No, I’ll just make a quick dash for it. As I said, I’m only across the street. See you!”
She gave him a last smile over her shoulder, then opened the clinic door and ran out into the rain.
Matt stood staring at the shut door for a long while after she’d left. Pippa, he thought. It was a cute name. Cute like her, with that vivacious smile, determined chin, and the slight dusting of freckles across her nose. Her blonde hair had been caught up in a loose ponytail, making her look younger, but he guessed that she was in her late twenties, a few years younger than him. She looked like a girl who knew how to have fun—but who was caring and compassionate too. He wondered what her story was—she had called Summer Beach “home” and mentioned Charlie as a childhood friend, so she must have grown up here. Was she planning to stay? Had she got a job here? Did she have a boyfriend?
Not that it mattered, of course, thought Matt hastily. It was just idle curiosity. Nothing else. The sound of purring made him look down at the kitten in his arms again and reminded him of what he was supposed to be doing. Resolutely pushing thoughts of Pippa from his mind, he turned and headed back towards the hospital ward.
CHAPTER 3
Pippa put the phone down and sighed, crossing another name off the paper in front of her. She looked glumly at the list of names. Most of them had a line through them. There were only a few names left at the bottom that were unmarked. She threw the pen down in disgust and clasped her hands, stretching her arms up and trying to ease the tension from her neck and shoulders.
She had known that it would be practically impossible to get an ESL job in a place as small as Summer Beach, but she had been hoping that she might find a position in one of the larger towns nearby on the Central Coast. So far, though, no luck. She would have to start trawling the internet and going through local directories, she decided, searching for any kind of teaching facility that might have something suitable. Language schools, community colleges, university extension courses, immigration services, she would give them all a shot. She was still feeling hopeful—after all, she had only begun searching and she was sure something would come up.
Standing up, Pippa went to the windows of her living room, which looked out onto the street. She caught sight of the animal hospital across the road and her thoughts jumped to the kitten again. And Matt Pearson. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about them. Well, okay, she might have thought of Matt slightly more than the kitten—but that was only because he’s human, she told herself defensively.
He’d invited her to go back to check on the kitten’s condition “later in the week”. It was Tuesday today... did that count as “later in the week” enough? I don’t care, thought Pippa, heading for her front door. I’m going to pop over now. Anyway, maybe Matt won’t be working there today and I won’t get to see him. Not that I care either way, she assured herself.
It was late afternoon and the light was already starting to fade as she crossed the street. A few metres down from the vet hospital was the entrance to the beach and Pippa could see the ocean—a band of shimmering water stretched across the horizon, reflecting the sunset colours of the sky. She took a deep breath and smiled. Job or no job, she was glad she’d come back. London was trendy, cosmopolitan, and exciting, but this was home. And there were few beaches as beautiful as this hidden gem of shoreline on Australia’s east coast.
In the distance, she could hear the crash of the waves mixed with the faint cry of seagulls, and somewhere closer, there was music playing. It was “The Girl From Ipanema”. While it hadn’t rained anymore since Sunday morning, the air had remained hot and muggy and many houses had their windows thrown open to let in the sea breeze. The music must be drifting out from somebody’s living room.
Pippa pushed open the animal hospital door and went into the clinic. The waiting room was fairly empty—just a lone man sitting with a crossbreed dog that was scratching itself vigorously. A young woman sitting behind the reception counter looked up and gave Pippa a welcoming smile.
“Can I help you?”
“Er...” Pippa felt a bit stupid. “I brought a kitten in here on the weekend and Matt—Dr Pearson—saw her and he said—”
“Dr Pearson wasn’t on the Saturday clinic,” said the receptionist with a puzzled frown. “Are you sure it was him you saw and not one of our other vets?”
“Yes,” said Pippa. “But it wasn’t Saturday. It was Sunday. You weren’t open, but I met Matt outside and he helped me get this kitten out from inside a car engine...” Pippa realised that she wasn’t making a lot of sense. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Do you have a very young, stray kitten that’s staying in your hospital ward?”
“Oh, yes! You
mean the little tabby.” The receptionist brightened. “Yes, she’s doing very well. Adorable little thing, isn’t she?”
“Yes.” Pippa returned her smile. “Matt said I could come in to check on her. Is it possible to see her?”
“I’ll have to just ask Matt. One sec...” She darted down the hallway leading to the back of the hospital. A few minutes later, she came back. “He’ll meet you in Consult Room 2. That’s the second door on the right.”
Pippa made her way to the room, aware that her pulse was suddenly racing as she thought of seeing Matt again. What should she say? How should she act? Did she look all right? She cursed herself for coming over so impulsively. Maybe she should have changed into something nicer, run a comb through her hair, put on a bit more makeup...
The door opened and Matt stepped in, holding the kitten in his arms. What a different kitten, though—the eyes were bright and curious, the fur fluffy and glossy, and already she seemed slightly bigger.
“Oh, she’s looking so much better!” Pippa exclaimed, her self-consciousness momentarily forgotten. She reached out and Matt let her take the tiny bundle in her arms. The kitten snuggled close to her chest, purring loudly.
“She likes you,” said Matt with a nod and smile. “Never purrs that loudly for me.”
“She’s gorgeous,” said Pippa, raising the kitten up to her face, so that they were eye to eye. The little tabby stared curiously at her, then reached out and touched her tiny pink nose to Pippa’s. The cold, moist nose brushed her skin and Pippa felt her heart melt. “Oh, you’re divine!”
“She’s doing very well,” said Matt, watching in amusement. “And the good news is that she’s clear for feline leukaemia and FIV. We’ve started her vaccinations—and I’ll be doing her spay tomorrow.”
“Spay?” Pippa lowered the kitten and looked at him. “So young?”
“It’s standard procedure at the rescue shelters,” Matt explained. “All kittens are spayed before they’re put up for adoption, to make sure that they won’t contribute to the cat overpopulation problem. Many of them are done as early as six weeks. They recover really quickly,” he assured her.
“I guess...” said Pippa doubtfully. She stroked the kitten again wistfully. “So then when will she go to the shelter?”
“Probably this weekend, assuming everything goes well with the spay operation.”
“Oh...” Pippa looked down at the kitten. “Um... well, thanks for letting me see her. It’s great to know she’s doing so well.”
“My pleasure.”
There was an awkward silence. Pippa peeked at Matt from under her eyelashes. He was looking very different today, in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck, but just as gorgeous. And those melting brown eyes of his... Pippa was suddenly overcome by a reckless urge.
“Well...” Matt cleared his throat and picked up the kitten, turning towards the door. “I suppose I’d better return her to her cage... You’re welcome to check in again, later in the week, if you—”
“Do you fancy a drink?”
Matt stopped and stared at her. Pippa flushed. I can’t believe I just said that! It was too late now. She had to roll with it. “I... uh... I wanted to thank you for helping me rescue the kitten and I thought... but if you’re busy or you’d rather not... uh... no worries, it was just...”
Matt hesitated, then smiled. “Thanks. I’d like that—on one condition: you let me buy the drinks.”
“Oh... well, um... thank you,” Pippa stammered. “But—”
“No buts,” said Matt with a wink. “I’m just finishing for the day so if you don’t mind hanging on while I sort out some admin, I’ll be with you in two ticks. Shall we go to the Kooka?”
Pippa nodded, her eyes shining. “Sounds great.”
CHAPTER 4
Matt signed off the post-operative orders, but his mind was only half on what he was doing. It was on the woman waiting for him in reception. Actually, his mind had been on her ever since he had first laid eyes on her Sunday morning, but he hadn’t wanted to admit it.
Are you crazy? a voice inside his head demanded. Why did you say yes to drinks? After everything that’s happened with Justine, do you think this is a good idea?
It’s only drinks, he thought defiantly. No big deal. And as for Justine, that chapter of his life was over, wasn’t it? He stacked the papers impatiently together, then shrugged out of his white coat and headed out. Pippa was chatting with Charlie in reception and Matt saw his colleague raise her eyebrows slightly when he joined them. He tried to look as non-committal as possible and hoped that he wasn’t going to come in for a lot of teasing tomorrow.
The café was fairly empty when they stepped in. The lunchtime crowd had dispersed and the evening customers hadn’t started arriving yet. A strong breeze was blowing in from the sea so Pippa decided against a table out on the terrace. Instead, she chose two spots at the bar, in the interior of the café.
Matt indicated the row of bottles lined up against the wall behind the bar counter. “What will you have?”
“Um... not sure...” Pippa eyed the selection.
“How about a glass of wine?” Matt suggested.
Pippa nodded. “Okay.”
“What do you usually prefer? Red or white?”
“White—but nothing too dry.”
“Hmm...” Matt pulled the wine menu towards him and glanced down the list. “How about a Barossa Valley Chardonnay? Or The Lodge Hill Riesling is very nice—although you might find that a bit too dry. Or if you prefer a local vintage, this Verdelho is good, although since it’s a blend, it’s quite crisp. Hmm... or I can recommend this Upper Hunter region Chardonnay. Excellent flavours—good varietal selection for the drier climate and the alkaline, clay soils of the area. ”
Pippa eyed him thoughtfully. “This is a bit like déjà vu with the kitten, but how do you know so much about wine? Don’t tell me you’re a wine-maker as well as a vet?”
He laughed. “Actually, you’re not far off. I own a boutique winery in the Hunter Valley. I’ve always been interested in wine. It started as a hobby in my early twenties, then when I acquired this vineyard, I turned it into a profitable business.”
“Really?” Pippa said, delighted. “Have they got any of your wines here? Let me look.” She grabbed the wine menu from him. “Pearson Estate... is that you? How come you didn’t recommend any of these just now? Premium Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Semillon... wow, you’ve got quite a range. And I see that several are award-winning vintages too!”
“Well...” Matt looked a bit embarrassed. “It’s like blowing your own trumpet...”
“Well, I’m ordering one of yours,” said Pippa with a smile. “I’ll have a glass of the Chardonnay.”
When the wines arrived, Matt stifled a groan as he saw the waitress who had brought them. With her bright bubblegum-pink hair and gleaming silver stud in her eyebrow, Kylie was unmistakable. She was also eying Pippa with the interest of a shark that had scented fresh meat.
“Here’s your plonk,” Kylie said as she set down Pippa’s glass of wine. “You new in town?”
“Um, not really—I used to live here. But I’ve been in the U.K. the last six years,” said Pippa.
“Oho—been living with the Poms, have you? I hear it’s cold enough to freeze the medals off a brass monkey over there.”
“Yeah, it can get pretty cold,” Pippa admitted. “Although I was in London, which isn’t as bad as the north of England.”
“Reckon you missed the Aussie sunshine, eh?”
“Too right,” said Pippa with a laugh.
“Your family still here?”
“No,” said Pippa. “My parents have retired and moved up to the Gold Coast.”
“Beauty.” Kylie nodded approvingly. She leaned her hip against the table and crossed her arms, as if settling in for a comfortable chat. “So what did you do for a crust over in Pommyland?”
“I was teaching English,” Pippa said.
“A
h, you a chalkie! You like working with the littlies?”
“Er... no... I mean, yes, I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t teaching kids—I was teaching mostly adults.”
“Oh yeah?” Kylie leaned forwards and said with a grin, “Any of those spunky Italian blokes like you see on the telly?”
“Um... no, well, most of the students were from Asia actually. Not that they weren’t good-looking or anything,” said Pippa hastily, worried that she might have inadvertently made a racist remark. Then she realised what she had said and got even more flustered. “Not... not that I was looking, of course.”
Kylie waggled her eyebrows. “Got a bloke, have you?”
“Oh no... I’m... uh... single at the moment.” Pippa looked slightly taken aback. “Not that it’s really any of your busi—”
“Having a fella’s not all it’s banged up to be, I tell you. Went out with this bloke last week. Looked real good down on the beach in his boardies, you know? But he turned out to be a few stubbies short of a six pack.” She pointed to her head and made a face. “Couldn’t wait to give him the boot. I like some smarts with me abs, you know? What about you?”
Pippa stared at her, obviously at a loss over how to answer. Matt looked down and tried not to laugh. He shouldn’t have been enjoying Pippa’s discomfiture, but secretly he was grateful to Kylie for asking all the things he wanted to know. When the waitress looked like she was going to start grilling Pippa about her daily shower regime, though, he decided it was time he put his foot down.
“Kylie, do you think there might be another table that needs your attention?” He quirked an eyebrow.