Charlie the Kitten Who Saved a Life

‘Of course. OK, Mum. I’ll get back to you.’

‘Is everything all right? You sound a bit … down.’

Finally, she’d picked up on it, but it was too late now for her to help, so I brushed it off. ‘I just fancied getting out of London for a while, that’s all. I’m OK.’

‘I don’t blame you, Sam. It must be so exhausting, in those crowds all the time.’ She paused. ‘Why don’t you go down to Dorset and stay with your nan? It must be a while since you saw her.’

I hadn’t thought about staying with my nan. And it was true: I hadn’t seen her since she’d come up at Christmas. I loved spending time with Nana Peggy, and Hope Green, the village where she lived, was the exact opposite of London: just what I needed. I wasn’t sure if she’d want me descending on her at such short notice, but there was no harm in asking. And since my granddad had passed away a few years ago I was sure she wouldn’t mind having a bit of company.

Suddenly, my day was looking a lot brighter.

CHAPTER TWO

One of my favourite things about my job, apart from the animals themselves, of course, was that it was how I met Claire. Claire was one of the other receptionists, and although we didn’t always work together – she was part-time – it was always more fun when she was there. She was ten years older than me, not that you’d have known it to look at her, and was married with a little boy, seven-year-old Harry. Harry was the reason Claire only worked part-time, and he was also the reason she hadn’t had any more children. When she’d first told me this, I’d looked at her in surprise, assuming she meant that there had been complications, but she’d immediately laughed and said she meant purely for the cost of the childcare.

I could see how true it was that life wasn’t easy for a working mum. But despite my little roses-round-the-door fantasy that had so irritated Adam, I knew perfectly well that children weren’t going to be on the agenda if Adam and I stayed together. The very thought made me anxious.

‘Have you told him you’re starting to have doubts?’ Claire asked.

‘No. I’m not even sure enough myself. I’m just kind of unsettled, I suppose. But I do think it’ll be good to have some space. Now I’ve made the decision to go to my nan’s instead of his parents, I’m really looking forward to it.’ I smiled at the memory of Nana Peggy’s enthusiasm on the phone. She’d been delighted to hear from me and was looking forward to spending some time together. ‘It’ll be great. I can take Rufus for lots of long country walks. The fresh air will help to clear my head.’

‘Oh yes, Rufus. He’s a springer spaniel, isn’t he? They’re hard work, I’ll bet.’

‘They need a lot of exercise, but Rufus is getting on a bit now. Last time I went, I noticed he was beginning to slow down. But he’s a lovely boy, such a good-natured dog. I adore him.’ I sighed at the thought of being in a position to have a dog of my own. ‘And I adore Hope Green, too. It’s such a pretty little place, so friendly, and close to such a gorgeous part of the coast.’

‘It might not be quite as gorgeous in April as it is when you normally go in summer,’ Claire pointed out, laughing. ‘Nowhere quite as cold as the seaside when there’s a biting wind blowing.’

‘But if you wrap up well, it does you good,’ I said, very conscious of how much I was sounding like my mother.

‘Maybe,’ she conceded. ‘And, speaking of which, I need to pop out for a sandwich. I won’t be long, but call me if it suddenly gets busy.’

There was small chance of that, I thought to myself. It had been a very slow day at the clinic.

I’d convinced myself that after a couple of weeks in Hope Green, I’d feel more ready to make a decision about Adam, one way or the other. We’d been together for more than three years now, and I knew it’d be hard for both of us if we decided to split up. We didn’t tend to go out clubbing or to restaurants like we used to because we were supposed to be saving up for our future, but there were still good times that I’d miss – cooking together, watching TV together, laughing at some inane thing one of us had said. Those times were the reason I was still with him, why I hadn’t ended it yet. Was I really going to end it? I thought to myself. My heart felt heavy at the thought. It was bad enough that I’d changed my holiday plans – a fact that he hadn’t responded to very kindly – but did I want to end the relationship completely?

The night before, I’d told him that I was going to Hope Green to see my nana instead, and he hadn’t taken it well at all. I tried to explain my reasons calmly and thoughtfully, but it was as if we were speaking different languages. Adam’s expression quickly changed from calm to perplexed, and then through disappointed to downright annoyed. He stared at me as if I’d grown horns and demanded to know whether it was because of the ‘funny moods’ I’d been having recently.

‘Funny moods?’ I repeated, immediately on the defensive.

‘You know, about your job. About being in a rut. Does that apply to being with me, too?’