Seth tugged paper towel from the dispenser and dried his hands. “That’s your choice. There are other things you can do, of course. Close doors, windows and curtains so that you block out the noise as much as possible.” At this time of year he delivered an endless stream of advice about keeping pets away from fireworks and checking the yard for debris.
“I’m dreading it. Chester hates fireworks, and our neighbors love them.” Angela stroked the dog’s head. “The moment they start he tries to escape.”
“Take him for a long walk during the day,” Seth suggested. “It will tire him out and he’s more likely to relax. As for the noise, have you tried turning up the TV?”
“No, but it’s a good idea.”
“And make sure your yard is secure. This is the busiest time of year for the animal shelters. They have to deal with a number of terrified pets who have escaped.”
“Chester is microchipped. We had it done after a friend suggested it last year. Just in case. I couldn’t bear to think of him out there running around, terrified and lost. I’m keeping all the doors shut. And my TV will be booming.” Angela reattached the dog’s lead. “So you’re back from the big city. There were a few people who thought you’d stay there.”
He heard the question in the statement and knew that whatever he said by way of an answer would spread through all the local villages by noon. “This is my home. There was never any chance that I’d stay there.”
“Well, that’s good to know.” Her shoulders relaxed. “You wouldn’t be the first to be tempted by the bright lights of Manhattan. We were laying bets at my knitting group that you wouldn’t be coming back.”
“Manhattan is always fun for a visit, but I wasn’t tempted.”
At least, not by the city.
An image of Fliss appeared in his head. She was laughing, the strap of her minuscule bikini sliding over her shoulder as she raced across the beach, her bare feet kicking up the sand.
He tapped a key on the computer and entered the details into the notes.
Nancy, the vet technician, handed over an information leaflet and showed Angela out.
She was back moments later.
“I overheard that last part of the conversation. Were you really not tempted to stay even for a moment? I have to admit if I had the choice between New York City and here, I’d take Manhattan.” She struck a pose and broke into song, grabbing a syringe from the box to use as a microphone.
Seth rolled his eyes. “It’s not enough that I have to suffer the inquisition from the patients. Now I have to suffer it from the staff, too?”
Nancy stopped singing and put the syringe back. “It’s just that when you leave, I leave, so I need some notice.”
“I’m moving into my new house in the next week or so, and I don’t plan on leaving it anytime soon.” He closed the file. “Was Angela our last patient for the morning?”
“Smoke the kitten was back in, but you were tied up so Tanya dealt with him. She said to tell you to go to lunch. She has everything in hand.”
Tanya, the other vet and his partner in the practice, was a wonder. “Good. I’ll be on my cell if you need me.”
“Hot date, Dr. Carlyle?”
“Not exactly.”
But he was working on it.
CHAPTER SIX
“CAN YOU BELIEVE he actually showed up at the hospital?” Standing in the garden of her grandmother’s cottage, Fliss updated her sister on the phone. “I mean, I came here to avoid him, and I’m seeing more of him than I did in Manhattan.”
“I think it’s adorable.”
“It’s not adorable! It added another layer to my totally craptastic day.” Fliss rubbed her fingers across her forehead. “All right, maybe it was kind of him, but it was also inconvenient.”
“Why?”
“I’d already told him I was you, and then there was Grams coming toward us in the wheelchair and—”
“No! You let Grams think you were me? Fliss, you promised!”