‘That’s fine.’ Justin took a seat, his smile still firmly in place. Even in their short exchange, he’d felt it again—the attraction of that first encounter. He would be more than happy to wait for a chance to talk to her again.
A faint and plaintive mew issued from the basket as the woman got up to follow Anna into the treatment room.
***
Anna closed the door behind them and immediately turned to her computer. ‘Let me look up my notes from her last visit.’
‘Of course.’
Anna had no need to check her notes. She knew all her patients well and had checked these exact notes about an hour ago. What she needed was the time to recover from the shock of seeing Justin in her waiting room. She had been thinking about him since their meeting. A lot. And that flare of uncontrolled attraction she’d felt from the moment she laid eyes on him hadn’t diminished. In fact, if the way the butterflies going crazy in her midsection right now were any indication, it had only become stronger. In the brief exchange in her waiting room, she’d wanted nothing more than to take his hand and lead him away to some quiet corner where—
Anna closed her eyes, but that only gave her imagination more room to create images that would never come true. She opened her eyes and tried to focus on the screen in front of her. This cat needed attention. She was a professional and it was time she started behaving like one.
‘Anna, shall I get her out of the basket for you?’
‘What? Oh, sorry, Kelly. Yes, please.’
The rather unhappy-looking and extremely chubby white cat wailed her objections as she was lifted out of the basket. She glared at the vet with glistening yellow eyes and Anna remembered why she had written the wordfeistyon the cat’s records.
‘It’s her vaccinations, isn’t it? And a general check-up.’
‘Yes, thanks. She’s fine, aren’t you, sweetheart?’ Kelly tickled the cat under the ear. It rubbed its head against her hand then turned back to give Anna a baleful glare.
‘Was that one of the firefighters in the waiting room?’ Kelly asked as Anna prepared the injection. ‘He’s gorgeous. And I hear there are two of them stationed here now. They were in the crew that was here for that fire a couple of weeks back.’
‘He seems nice.’ Anna kept her voice carefully non-committal. ‘Now hold her for me.’
With Kelly’s arms around the cat, Anna grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and quickly inserted the needle. As the cat was released, she took a swipe at Anna, leaving a short scratch across the back of her hand.
‘Anna, I am so sorry. I don’t know why she does that. She’s normally such a sweetie.’
‘It’s fine,’ said Anna. ‘Keep holding her while I listen to her heart.’
The examination proceeded smoothly, the cat appearing content now she had drawn blood.
‘She needs to lose some weight,’ Anna said firmly.
‘I know. You say that every time. I am feeding her less, but she doesn’t seem to get any thinner.’
‘It’s not good for her to be fat.’
‘I hear you’re coming to the next knitting club meeting.’ Kelly changed the subject forcefully. ‘To talk about looking after our animals in the bushfire season. And what to do if we find any injured animals in the bush.’
‘I am,’ said Anna, rinsing her hands in the sink. ‘Just don’t try to get me knitting. Not my thing.’
Kelly chuckled. ‘You never know. Anyway, you’re always welcome if you change your mind, but that’s not why we invited you.’
The check-up done, Kelly put her cat back in its carry case and left.
Anna spent a couple of minutes cleaning up. She wiped the examination table and disposed of the used syringe. She even put some antiseptic on the scratch on her hand. The sting made her wince, and the skin on her face tightened across the scar. She’d been out in the sun yesterday, working with some horses, and the light sunburn made her face feel even stiffer than usual. She ran a finger over her cheek and then reached for a bottle sitting on her desk. The oil inside had been recommended by her plastic surgeon to keep the skin around the scars soft. She’d used it for a while but finally stopped. Nothing was going to make those scars any less than they were. That bottle, like the one in her home, hadn’t been touched for weeks. She unscrewed the lid and let a few drops of oil fall onto her fingertips. She rubbed it into her face. The oil was absorbed almost immediately. It wouldn’t make any difference to the way she looked, but it gave her a few more seconds to prepare herself before going back into the waiting room. Half of her hoped a new patient needing her immediate attention had arrived. The other half hoped they hadn’t.
Justin was still sitting patiently in the plastic chair. He smiled when she entered and the butterflies in her stomach did a few loop the loops. She glanced at Shea, who was watching Justin with open interest, not even trying to pretend she was working. Anna couldn’t blame her.
‘How can I help you?’ Anna asked Justin.
‘It’s about that card I gave you the other day. The one for the koala woman. She rang me but I missed the call. I was wondering if you could put us in touch again.’
The butterflies plummeted to the ground. He hadn’t come to see her. Of course he hadn’t. Why did she think he had?
