I can hardly breathe as he blows into Minnie’s nostril, then pushes gently against her side. Breathe, push. Breathe, push. Over and over he goes in a steady rhythm.
It feels as if time – as well as my heart – has stopped.
He could be lying of course, and not actually a vet; just some random weirdo who believes he can heal animals or wants to impress me or God knows what. But somehow I sense I can trust him. Even if he stops and says he’s sorry, there’s nothing else he can do – and Minnie dies after all – at least he’ll have tried.
‘D’you think you can save her?’ I blurt out.
He looks round briefly. ‘I’ll do my best.’
Come on, girl, I will her. Please, darling Minnie. Come on.
The man stops. Minnie flinches. ‘She moved!’ I yelp. A hind leg twitches, then her head. Now her side is rising and falling – barely detectable but there’s definitely movement – as she breathes in and out. ‘Oh, my girl,’ I exclaim. ‘Is she going to be all right?’ She makes some sneezy, spluttering sounds and lies still for a moment before getting up unsteadily.
‘I hope so,’ the man replies, ‘but you’d better have her checked out properly. Is there someone locally you can take her to?’
I hug her as much as she’ll allow and wipe at my wet face with my hands. ‘Yes, I’ll get her looked at. Thank you so much. She’s my parents’ dog. They adore her, we all do …’
‘I’m sure you do. She’s a lovely girl. And it’s okay, honestly.’ He looks relieved as he pushes a hand back through his neatly cropped hair. He has a lean, handsome face with a strong nose and clear blue eyes that radiate kindness. After picking up his specs from the dirty ground, he wipes them on the front of his grey T-shirt before putting them back on.
‘What could’ve caused it, d’you think?’ I ask.
‘It could be so many things. She might have had a reaction to something she’s eaten, or the heat, or an insect bite or something like that. Or it might be neurological—’
‘Could it happen again?’
‘If she gets a full check they’ll be able to give you a better idea,’ he says. With Minnie at my side, we start to follow the path through the forest that leads back towards the road.
‘I’m Lauren,’ I add.
‘I’m James.’
‘Hi, James.’ I smile, still overcome by gratitude. ‘I can’t believe our luck, that you came along and knew exactly what to do. But then, I guess this is pretty normal for you …’
He grins broadly and those blue eyes glint in the dappled light. ‘Not really. I mean, not in this kind of scenario.’
‘Well, I’m very grateful,’ I say, glancing down at Minnie. She is trotting along quite happily, as if a stranger rushes over to blow into her nostrils every day of the week.
The winding road is visible through the trees now. It clings to the mountainside, its hairpin bends and sheer drop to the side terrifying drivers who aren’t used to this sort of terrain. As James asks about my connection to the island, I tell him how my Corsican mum persuaded my dad – a Londoner through and through – to move out here, and how his initial reluctance has turned into a grudging love of the place.
‘Is this your first time here?’ I ask.
‘Yeah.’ James nods. ‘I only arrived yesterday.’
‘Enjoying it so far?’
‘Er, yes,’ he says, a touch over-brightly. Perhaps he hasn’t had time to acclimatise yet.
‘We love it so much,’ I tell him. ‘Me and my son, I mean. At least, he used to. He doesn’t seem so enamoured with it anymore.’ I give James a wry look. ‘Teenagers,’ I add, going on to tell him about the bin, the wasps and the shrouding with one of Minnie’s rank old towels. James laughs in a way that tells me he’s familiar with the life stage. ‘D’you have kids yourself?’ I ask.
‘Yes, just the one. A daughter, Esther. She’s twenty.’
‘Is she here with you?’
‘Nope, it’s just me,’ he replies, sounding brisker now. Then after a pause: ‘Esther was meant to come too but, uh …’ He tails off. ‘There was a last-minute change of plan.’
‘Oh.’ I’m not sure what else to say. ‘I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself anyway,’ I add, not wanting to pry any further as I’m picking up the tension in his expression now. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want a stranger quizzing him about what happened.
‘Yeah, I’m planning to do some walking and cycling,’ he explains. ‘And maybe some kayaking and snorkelling, stuff like that. And canyoning, that sounds like fun—’
‘Active!’ I cut in.
James laughs. ‘Ha. Yeah. Well, there’s a lot to explore here, isn’t there?’
‘Oh yes, so much. I’m sure you won’t be bored for a second.’
At the roadside now, he tells me his hired bicycle is a little further up the hill. ‘Well, it’s been lovely meeting you,’ I say, clipping on Minnie’s lead now. ‘And thanks again. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.’
‘Honestly, I’m happy to have helped.’ As if he’d given me directions to the post office.
I smile, wondering now – despite his obvious competence and the fact that he’s just saved Minnie’s life – if there’s something a bit lost about James. He certainly seems determined to cram his holiday with activities. I just hope he’ll allow himself time to simply enjoy the island and soak it all in; to get to know a little of the real Corsica, in all its thyme-scented wildness. But of course, he can spend his holiday however he likes. ‘How long are you here for?’ I ask.
‘Two weeks,’ he replies.
‘Well, if you’d like me to show you around one day—’
‘Oh, I wouldn’t want to—’
‘No, of course,’ I say quickly. It’s not James who’s feeling a little lost, I realise now. It’s me. Despite knowing the island so well, and having plenty of work to get on with while I’m here, I’m conscious of not quite knowing what to do with myself. Since Charlie’s shunned me I’ve been trying not to follow him round like a sad dog, hoping for a biscuit. ‘Of course, you want to do your own thing,’ I add, ‘with all your activities—’
‘I just meant I wouldn’t want to take up your time,’ James cuts in, looking concerned that he might have offended me.
I almost laugh at this. ‘Honestly, time is something I have plenty of right now.’
‘Really?’ His warm smile crinkles his handsome face and does something terribly attractive to those clear blue eyes. ‘That’d be great then. Thank you. I’d like that very much.’