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Pippa put the phone down and sighed, crossing another name off the paper in front of her. She looked glumly at the list of names. Most of them had a line through them. There were only a few names left at the bottom that were unmarked. She threw the pen down in disgust and clasped her hands, stretching her arms up and trying to ease the tension from her neck and shoulders.
She had known that it would be practically impossible to get an ESL job in a place as small as Summer Beach, but she had been hoping that she might find a position in one of the larger towns nearby on the Central Coast. So far, though, no luck. She would have to start trawling the internet and going through local directories, she decided, searching for any kind of teaching facility that might have something suitable. Language schools, community colleges, university extension courses, immigration services, she would give them all a shot. She was still feeling hopeful—after all, she had only begun searching and she was sure something would come up.
Standing up, Pippa went to the windows of her living room, which looked out onto the street. She caught sight of the animal hospital across the road and her thoughts jumped to the kitten again. And Matt Pearson. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about them. Well, okay, she might have thought of Matt slightly more than the kitten—but that was only because he’s human, she told herself defensively.
He’d invited her to go back to check on the kitten’s condition “later in the week”. It was Tuesday today... did that count as “later in the week” enough? I don’t care, thought Pippa, heading for her front door. I’m going to pop over now. Anyway, maybe Matt won’t be working there today and I won’t get to see him. Not that I care either way, she assured herself.
It was late afternoon and the light was already starting to fade as she crossed the street. A few metres down from the vet hospital was the entrance to the beach and Pippa could see the ocean—a band of shimmering water stretched across the horizon, reflecting the sunset colours of the sky. She took a deep breath and smiled. Job or no job, she was glad she’d come back. London was trendy, cosmopolitan, and exciting, but this was home. And there were few beaches as beautiful as this hidden gem of shoreline on Australia’s east coast.
In the distance, she could hear the crash of the waves mixed with the faint cry of seagulls, and somewhere closer, there was music playing. It was “The Girl From Ipanema”. While it hadn’t rained anymore since Sunday morning, the air had remained hot and muggy and many houses had their windows thrown open to let in the sea breeze. The music must be drifting out from somebody’s living room.
Pippa pushed open the animal hospital door and went into the clinic. The waiting room was fairly empty—just a lone man sitting with a crossbreed dog that was scratching itself vigorously. A young woman sitting behind the reception counter looked up and gave Pippa a welcoming smile.
“Can I help you?”
“Er...” Pippa felt a bit stupid. “I brought a kitten in here on the weekend and Matt—Dr Pearson—saw her and he said—”
“Dr Pearson wasn’t on the Saturday clinic,” said the receptionist with a puzzled frown. “Are you sure it was him you saw and not one of our other vets?”
“Yes,” said Pippa. “But it wasn’t Saturday. It was Sunday. You weren’t open, but I met Matt outside and he helped me get this kitten out from inside a car engine...” Pippa realised that she wasn’t making a lot of sense. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Do you have a very young, stray kitten that’s staying in your hospital ward?”
“Oh, yes! You mean the little tabby.” The receptionist brightened. “Yes, she’s doing very well. Adorable little thing, isn’t she?”
“Yes.” Pippa returned her smile. “Matt said I could come in to check on her. Is it possible to see her?”
“I’ll have to just ask Matt. One sec...” She darted down the hallway leading to the back of the hospital. A few minutes later, she came back. “He’ll meet you in Consult Room 2. That’s the second door on the right.”
Pippa made her way to the room, aware that her pulse was suddenly racing as she thought of seeing Matt again. What should she say? How should she act? Did she look all right? She cursed herself for coming over so impulsively. Maybe she should have changed into something nicer, run a comb through her hair, put on a bit more makeup...
The door opened and Matt stepped in, holding the kitten in his arms. What a different kitten, though—the eyes were bright and curious, the fur fluffy and glossy, and already she seemed slightly bigger.
“Oh, she’s looking so much better!” Pippa exclaimed, her self-consciousness momentarily forgotten. She reached out and Matt let her take the tiny bundle in her arms. The kitten snuggled close to her chest, purring loudly.
“She likes you,” said Matt with a nod and smile. “Never purrs that loudly for me.”
“She’s gorgeous,” said Pippa, raising the kitten up to her face, so that they were eye to eye. The little tabby stared curiously at her, then reached out and touched her tiny pink nose to Pippa’s. The cold, moist nose brushed her skin and Pippa felt her heart melt. “Oh, you’re divine!”
“She’s doing very well,” said Matt, watching in amusement. “And the good news is that she’s clear for feline leukaemia and FIV. We’ve started her vaccinations—and I’ll be doing her spay tomorrow.”
“Spay?” Pippa lowered the kitten and looked at him. “So young?”
“It’s standard procedure at the rescue shelters,” Matt explained. “All kittens are spayed before they’re put up for adoption, to make sure that they won’t contribute to the cat overpopulation problem. Many of them are done as early as six weeks. They recover really quickly,” he assured her.
“I guess...” said Pippa doubtfully. She stroked the kitten again wistfully. “So then when will she go to the shelter?”
“Probably this weekend, assuming everything goes well with the spay operation.”
“Oh...” Pippa looked down at the kitten. “Um... well, thanks for letting me see her. It’s great to know she’s doing so well.”
“My pleasure.”
There was an awkward silence. Pippa peeked at Matt from under her eyelashes. He was looking very different today, in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck, but just as gorgeous. And those melting brown eyes of his... Pippa was suddenly overcome by a reckless urge.
“Well...” Matt cleared his throat and picked up the kitten, turning towards the door. “I suppose I’d better return her to her cage... You’re welcome to check in again, later in the week, if you—”
“Do you fancy a drink?”
Matt stopped and stared at her. Pippa flushed. I can’t believe I just said that! It was too late now. She had to roll with it. “I... uh... I wanted to thank you for helping me rescue the kitten and I thought... but if you’re busy or you’d rather not... uh... no worries, it was just...”
Matt hesitated, then smiled. “Thanks. I’d like that—on one condition: you let me buy the drinks.”
“Oh... well, um... thank you,” Pippa stammered. “But—”
“No buts,” said Matt with a wink. “I’m just finishing for the day so if you don’t mind hanging on while I sort out some admin, I’ll be with you in two ticks. Shall we go to the Kooka?”
Pippa nodded, her eyes shining. “Sounds great.”
