I’d never thought I’d feel envious of a bloody goat, but here we were.
I washed my hands, dried them on my pants, and cupped her shoulders. “You ready?”
“Yep.”
We led a cleaned-up Goatee into the paddock and then headed to the back door.
We both took off our boots and left them at the door. Tabs marched into the library, me behind her.
Huddled on the sofa, her parents had their heads bowed, like naughty schoolkids. I crossed my arms and stood over them as their eyes twitched to the side, snatching glances at each other.
“I cannot believe you’ve been so disrespectful,” I said. “You completely ignored Tabitha’s instructions to keep the animals fenced off in the yard. Not only have you created chaos, but Tabs might have had two injured parents to deal with. Isn’t it bad enough you’ve let her pay for this renovation?”
Their faces went slack. Yeah, I’d gone there.
Shoulders back, Tabs stepped toward them. “You used Tim’s ladder without his permission, then did something that is not only very dangerous, but could get him in a lot of trouble with Health and Safety. If there was an accident on his building site while he’s here, his reputation in this county, which he’s spent sixteen years building, is destroyed. And you’re putting the animals in danger.”
That last bit made them sit up with horrified faces, and pride surged in my chest. I’d never seen Tabitha being so assertive.
“We put the darlings in danger? Surely not.” Penny didn’t want to believe it, but it was the most reflection I’d ever seen on her face.
“Oh hell,” Monty said. “Oh golly.”
Tabs went on. “You’re messing all of us around and not taking this job seriously. Tim is a professional. I am a professional. We are working our guts out—for you—so you can make a living. This does not happen again. You do not touch Tim’s tools unless he gives you permission. You keep the animals penned in the back. You work on the list we give you the night before. Understood?”
Monty’s face crumpled in contrition. “Yes, we are terribly sorry, Tim and Tabitha. We’ve been beastly to you.”
“Sorry, Tim and Tabitha,” Penny said.
They both bowed their heads, chastened, and seemed sincere…for now. Because they did whatever was expected at the time, and I wouldn’t fool myself that we wouldn’t have to do this again.
Tabs’s features relaxed slightly, and I could tell she wanted to believe they’d changed. She really was a softy when it came to them and that was probably part of the problem, but I never wanted her to harden her tender heart.
We’d have to stay on them to make sure this didn’t happen again.
“Okay, you can go,” Tabs said.
“Thank you, both of you,” Penny said.
They scuttled out, and I heard the back door bang shut. No doubt they were going to comfort the animals from what was essentially a situation they’d created. I was relieved to have them out of my sight for a while. Relieved, too, to be alonewith Tabitha. I stepped toward her, wanting to high-five her assertiveness, maybe even sneak in a kiss or two.
“I feel a little wobbly from the adrenaline rush,” she said, pressing one of her temples. “I can’t believe how strong I was with my parents.”
“Well done, you,” I said.
Then she shook her head. “There is so much I want to say.”
Oh no, where was this going?
The front door opened with a loud bang, accompanied by the voices of the crew. It was clear we weren’t going to be able to talk this mess through.
“Mostly, what I just want to say is, we treat them like naughty preschoolers and it works? What the actual fuck?”
Tabitha spluttered out a laugh. Relieved—exhausted—and happy we’d done this together, I joined in.
We were still laughing as we greeted the crew in the kitchen. Two cameras lifted immediately, and I searched around us for their sudden interest. Tabs was still in her nightie. Which was now wet and dirty.
“Oh shit,” she said.
