began to speak. It was as if he was relieved to talk about something else, no matter how equally distressing. ‘The X-Rays show that the old girl’s lump is in an awkward spot.’ He chewed his lip. ‘It’s one reason I missed it. It’s growing quickly now, for some reason. They don’t know why. And the tests have come back, but they’re inconclusive. No one knows if it’s malignant.’ He shuddered. ‘We won’t know until she’s had the operation and they examine the tumour.’
Millie sat next to him and put an arm around his thin shoulders. ‘That’s awful. Poor, poor Daisy.’ She went on, as gently as she could, ‘But why did you need to borrow from Biddy? Are you sure your pet insurance couldn’t cover the cost?’
Arthur sniffed, removed his glasses and polished them busily. His face looked strangely naked without them. And vulnerable. ‘Daisy’s only chance of survival is to go to a specialist surgery unit in Bristol. It’s beyond my policy.’
‘They have such places? For dogs?’ Jed asked. ‘I never knew.’
Trevor put his front paws on Millie’s lap and, for once, she didn’t tell him to get down. She reached for his curly head and tickled under his chin for comfort. She was pretty sure Trevor understood every word of what was being said. His excitement at the shouting had dissipated and he was as dejected as the rest of them. She gazed into his brown-button eyes. He was so dear to her. She could only too easily imagine the pain of being in Arthur’s position. Maybe she could forgive the man’s harsh words to Biddy. He must be worried out of his mind. The trouble was, he’d now lost his only chance to pay for the operation. She wished she were in a position to help.
‘Let’s just hope the tumour is benign,’ she said, going for briskly optimistic, the words sounding hollow, even to her.
The group sank into yet another silence. An even gloomier one this time.
‘Which vet do you use, Arthur?’ Jed asked.
Arthur began to explain. Millie only half-listened. Jed had been wonderful today. Refusing to take money for the paint, labouring until he was hot and grubby-looking and now he was taking a real interest in Arthur and poor Daisy. He seemed really concerned about them. Love for him blossomed. As Arthur talked, she drank in Jed’s beautiful face and the warmth in his dark eyes. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. If she’d thought she’d been in love before, with other boyfriends, the feelings she’d felt for other men paled into insignificance to how she felt about Jed. This was on a whole other level. Despite all her worries, a joyful love for Jed filled her. It was both scary and exhilarating. And yet, a little wormy voice of caution inside her warned, you’ve only known him for a few weeks! She silenced it. ‘I don’t care,’ she muttered. ‘I love this man. I could love him with my whole being. Spend my life with him. Have his children.’ Realising her mouth was dry she reached for a glass of lemonade and drank it down in one. She was suddenly very, very hot.
‘You okay, Mil?’ Zoe asked. ‘You’re a bit flushed.’
She gave the girl a tight grin. ‘I’m fine. I hate to say this and I hate to be unsympathetic about Daisy, but I suppose, if everyone has eaten, do you think we ought to go back to work?’
And, to good-natured groans and mutterings of what a slave driver she was, they did.
Once everyone had said weary goodbyes, with the promise to return the following day, Millie turned to Jed and offered to cook him supper. To her disappointment, he refused, saying his parents were staying in Lyme and they expected him for dinner.
She went up to the flat, her entire being on fire from Jed’s goodbye kisses. Trevor, worn out from all the excitement, trailed up the steps behind her, his tail drooping. It had been an exhausting day, even without the emotional fallout from Arthur and Biddy’s argument. Millie prayed they’d make up. Zoe had promised to pop over to Biddy’s in an attempt to build bridges.
Too preoccupied to eat, Millie opened a bottle of wine and drew her favourite chair to the picture window, which was the best feature of the flat. It mirrored the ones in the café below and looked straight out, across the beach, to open sea.
The days were lengthening. No matter how wild and wet a winter they’d had, spring was usually quick in coming to this part of the coast. Millie opened a window. Along with the chatter of people wandering past below, the breeze brought in warm salty air from the sea and the distant cackles of gulls before they settled for the night. Trevor came to her and rested his head on her knee, giving a heartfelt sigh.
‘Know what you mean, Trev. It’s been quite a day.’ She tugged gently on his woolly ears and enjoyed the warmth of his little body against her leg. Maybe it was just tiredness but she’d never felt more content. However, any relaxation was short-lived. Stretching out muscles stiff from painting, Millie got up, ignored Trevor’s grumbles and took her wine to the kitchen. She had work to do.
Millie forced herself up and out of bed early the following morning. She needed to walk Trevor before another day working on the café. On her return from a blissfully solitary walk on the beach, one of the perks of rising at daybreak, she unlocked the café and stood for a minute, appraising the work done so far.
She’d been worried the bright colours they were adding might be too much – too busy in such a small space. Jed and Sean had given the floor its first coat of white paint before finishing yesterday and she could already see how it would calm everything down. Once the re-painted furniture was back in, it would be perfect. Or as perfect as her present budget allowed.
‘Hi, Millie.’
Millie turned to see Tessa standing in the doorway. She began to tease her friend about bailing on her yesterday, but then saw her pinched and tense face.
‘Can I have a word?’
‘Of course you can. Let’s sit outside, though. I can’t guarantee the paint’s dry in here.’
They perched on the low wall next to the aubrieta, which had suddenly blossomed into a vivid purple cascade.
‘Is everything alright, Tess? The boys are okay, aren’t they? Sean looked hale and hearty yesterday. It’s not Ken? He did look a bit preoccupied, come to think of it, but he’s done a fantastic job on retouching the mural. It’s as good as new.’
Tessa looked out to sea and blinked in the bright sunshine. She shook her head. ‘No, everyone’s fine. I’ve got something to say to you. Something that won’t be very good to hear, kiddo.’
Millie’s stomach did that peculiar flipping-over thing that happens when you fear you’re about to receive bad news. She’d rarely seen her best friend so serious. She reached out a hand. ‘God, Tessa, what’s wrong?’
‘Don’t be nice, Millie, alright? I’ve got this new job, see.’
‘Well, that’s a good thing.’
‘Making bread.’
‘Even better.’ Millie forced a jolly note into her voice, but she knew what was coming. Just knew it.
‘Blue Elephant have taken me on to do their range of artisan breads.’
Millie nodded. Part
