‘And you’d want me to start when?’
‘As soon as you possibly can, but no pressure. I presume you’ll want to discuss this with your husband and have a think about whether this does suit you, which of course I hope it will. But I’m aware this is a bit of an unexpected request so I’m happy to wait for you to get back to me.’
‘I’ll do that first thing tomorrow,’ she said sounding verydetermined he was relieved to note. ‘And thank you so much for thinking of me, Brodie. I really appreciate it.’
‘Don’t thank me,’ he said. ‘Zac was the one to put your name forward when I told him I was hoping to employ someone.’
‘Then I’ll have to buy him a drink when I next see him at the pub.’
Brodie laughed. ‘I’d wait and see if you like the work first.’
He heard Tina’s laughter as he turned and walked down the pathway back to the lane. He liked Tina and felt sure she and Bethan would get along. The day was turning out very well.
16
LETTIE
June
‘You’ll never guess who I saw coming out of the veterinary practice this morning when I went to collect your father’s suit from the dry cleaner’s,’ Lindy Torel said as she carried it and two bags of shopping past Lettie towards the house.
‘Who?’ Lettie asked immediately wishing she hadn’t sounded quite so interested when her mother raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing smile. ‘And you can stop that nonsense. I’m only interested because I still haven’t got round to speaking to someone about working there.’
‘I’ve no idea what you’re on about. Anyway, I was talking about that teacher of yours. You know the one, she taught you French in Year 2, or was it Year 3?’
‘Mum, please get to the point, I have animals to look after.’
‘Fine. Well, she was saying that they have a new receptionist in there. And you’ll never guess who it is?’
Lettie wished her mother would stop with all the intrigue. ‘Areyou going to tell me, or is this a twenty questions kind of conversation? Because if it is, I really don’t have time to indulge you.’
‘Hark at you?’
‘Mum!’
‘Oh, all right then, it’s Tina.’
‘Tina?’ How had that happened? she wondered, feeling guilty for not having passed on Tina’s details as she had offered to do. ‘She has a job there?’
‘That’s what your old teacher said.’ Her mother pushed open the front door and hung the hanger over one of the coat hooks in the hallway before turning back to Lettie. ‘What was her name now? I know, it was Miss Bastian. That’s right, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, Mum, that is right. But please can you tell me what she said about Tina?’
‘Nothing much. She said she was very good and helped her settle the invoice for her little terrier dog she had taken to be checked with the vet. She was mostly excited about passing on a little news more than anything, I think.’
‘I’m pleased. I know Tina’s been wanting to do something a little different since Noah turned two, but the virtual assistant work hadn’t taken off as she hoped it would, and she and Kyle could definitely do with the money. I’m glad Brodie asked her.’
‘You knew about this?’
‘Sort of. Right, can I get on with my work now? I don’t want Dad getting upset because I haven’t finished all the jobs he wants me to do.’
‘Sorry. I’ll leave you be.’
She watched her mother disappear into the house and turned to go to the barn. Brodie must have taken it upon himself to track Tina down, she mused. Although he could have always sought her out to ask for Tina’s number. It would have been the perfect excuseto do so if he was interested in her. Clearly he couldn’t be, she decided.
Lettie was disappointed for a while, but focused all her attention onto her work. She had far more important things to be focusing on now than to let a man distract her attention from the farm, especially one who had already shown that he couldn’t be relied upon.
Later, as she finished packing that day’s collection of eggs, it occurred to Lettie that it was probably just as well that Brodie wasn’t interested in her. If he had been then he might kiss her at some point and be reminded of that first kiss they’d shared and how dreadful it must have been for him not to bother even talking to her again. She shuddered at the thought.
