“Can you tell these friends of yours that I do know how to behave in a veterinary surgery?”
Adam and Margo were doing a fine job of trying to hold her back, but sheer entitlement seemed to have her overpowering them. Caroline always did have a strong “I want to see the manager” energy about her, with the haircut to match.
“It’s okay, guys. Caroline, what are you doing here?”
“Well, don’t just stand there, hero of the hour, give me a hug!” Caroline swooped in, but Tess ducked her open arms.
“No thanks.” The floral scent of her perfume was more cloying than Tess remembered.
“Oh, one of your moods, is it? Well, I was just on my way to Edinburgh for a little thing called my hen weekend. We get all the way to Berwick, and the trains just stop…total chaos. The girls decided to wait it out, but when I saw how close you were…one hire car later and here I am! Thought I should make sure you’re still coping, now that you’ve taken up running into burning buildings of all the things.”
“She is coping!” Margo replied.
Tess waved her off. “Why would you think I wouldn’t be coping? It’s been more than a year since we split, and as you can see, I’ve got a lovely little practice.”
“Oh, Tessie, you know what I mean. You were trying to tell me you’d already met someone, and when I spoke to Barb—”
“Babs,” Tess corrected.
“Babs, yes. Well, she wasn’t entirely convincing. So I thought, why not round you up and drag you to this hen night, really help you get over me once and for all?”
They all seemed stunned into silence.
“Uh…” Tess was fumbling for how many different ways to say no.
Caroline was off and running again, smoothing down the blazer she was wearing over one of her endless supply of blue-and-white striped tops, complete with the mandatory skinny jeans and heels. “Don’t believe we’ve met.” She gave Susannah a haughty once-over. “You’re a bit overdressed for a vet nurse, aren’t you? Oh, you weren’t in court, were you?”
Other people might have been thrown by the hurricane of Caroline’s conversation, but Susannah took it entirely in stride. Not bothering to stand, she made a point of inspecting her manicure. “Not this week, no. Caroline, was it?”
“That’s right! Dr Caroline Goddard, but I’m sure it’s all very informal around here.”
“Quite the contrary,” Susannah replied, and it was almost a drawl. She sounded every bit the bored country lady. “Titles really should be adhered to, don’t you agree?”
“Well, yes, yes I do!”
Tess had to hide her mouth behind her hand. Susannah had read Caroline for exactly the snob that she was.
“Then it’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr Goddard. I’m Lady Karlson, and these wonderful vets here look after all the equine care on my estate.”
Caroline lit up like she’d finally found her people. “Well, at my practice we take our important clients out to lunch, but I suppose coffee in the staff room is another way to go. I don’t suppose you’re in the mood for a little jolly in Edinburgh? The girls would just love that.” She waved out the window at a compact, mud-flecked rental car parked outside as if ready to whisk them away that minute.
“Great offer.” Susannah finally unfolded her long frame from the chair. She took the necessary couple of steps to be at Tess’s side. “But we have plans this weekend. Not terribly outdoorsy ones, if you catch my drift. Although there’s always the hot tub.”
Caroline looked between them as Susannah slipped her arm around Tess’s waist, letting it settle there like it belonged.
Gathering herself, Tess put her hand on top of Susannah’s at her waist and gave her ex a beaming smile.
“This…this is Susan?”
“Susannah,” Tess replied. “Lady Susannah Karlson. Don’t let us keep you. It’s quite a drive up to the city.”
“Especially in some dreadful little rental car,” Susannah said, her polite laugh tinkling and very fake. “They’ll give you any old thing. Unless you have someone like Tess here—she has wonderful taste in cars.”
Margo was making faces at Tess, who couldn’t let herself look properly, in case she burst out laughing.
“Does she now? Still, good to see you’re doing well for yourself, Tessie.”
“She prefers Tess,” Susannah answered for her. “Or is that just from me, darling?” She fitted about six A’s, twelve H’s and half of the Elgin marbles into the extra-hoity-toity way she said darling.
Tess could have kissed her for it. So she did. Great little habit that was becoming.
“Right, better be going,” Caroline said like it was all her idea. “Do let me know about your wedding RSVP; the date’s not so far off now.”
Then she was gone, leaving them all to collectively lose it as soon as the door closed behind her.
Adam got hold of himself first. “Oh, that showed her. Good on you, Lady K.”
“I think someone was after a one-night stand en route to the hen night,” Margo said.
Susannah nodded. “Definitely. She thought Tess’d be just waiting to fall back into her arms. Well, we showed her you’re definitely off the market, didn’t we?”
“I am?”
“Yes.”
“Then we did,” Tess replied, glowing from confirmation of what she was already pretty sure about. “And can you stop looking so scandalized, Adam? Did you really think we’ve been playing Monopoly all the time we’ve been spending together?”
“And it won’t, uh, affect our contract?” he asked, which Tess had to concede was a fair question.
“Absolutely not,” Susannah replied. “And if for some reason Tess never wants to see me again, you can simply swap in another vet to deal with my horses. Speaking of which, I have two fine boys being delivered today. I had to delay their arrival with all that’s been happening. Tess?”
Tess reached for her jacket and vet bag. “Did you think up new names for them?”
Susannah groaned.
“What?” Tess asked.
“It’s just that ever since you suggested Andy and Jamie, well…they’ve kind of stuck in my head.”
“Andy and Jamie?” Margo repeated. “Why is that a
