Page 59 of Ask Another Day

Five minutes later, the driver’s door opened and Seb clambered back in.

‘That bloke said it looks like we’ll be stuck here for a bit. Sorry.’

‘Not your fault,’ Holly offered kindly. ‘And really it should be me saying sorry, I was meant to be on this road - you could have been happily at home.’

‘I’m happy where I am,’ he said and Holly couldn’t help the flutter in her chest at his words.

‘What time is your appointment again?’ Seb asked as he looked at his watch.

‘2:15pm, but we won’t make it for then. I’ll phone ahead and let them know we’re going to be late. Hopefully, they’ll still see me.’

‘I hope whoever you speak to at the hospital is nicer than that woman at the Doctor’s Surgery.’

‘Mrs Carter?’

‘She is, without a doubt, the rudest woman I’ve ever met.’

Holly shrugged, ‘Always been pleasant enough to me.’

‘Really?’ He couldn’t keep the shock from his voice.

Holly only lasted a couple of seconds before she caved. ‘No, you’re right. She’s mean.’ She laughed, putting him out of his misery.

‘What?’ Seb asked.

‘Nothing. I’m pleased it’s not just me on the receiving end of her wrath.’

‘Is she always like that? I thought maybe she’d received bad news - you know, maybe her cat had just died?’

‘More like she’d found out someone had cooked her cat.’ Holly laughed again, and it turned into the kind of laugh that makes your breath catch.

‘Did someone do that to her cat? It doesn’t sound like something you should laugh about, Holly.’

‘Sorry,’ Holly was struggling to compose herself, ‘it’s something Natalie said the other day.’

‘Natalie was talking about Mrs Carter’s cooked cat?’

His expression made her start laughing again, and she could feel tears in her eyes.

She blew out a breath to sort herself out. ‘Mrs Carter doesn’t have a cat. But Natalie was telling me one of Eleanor’s friends had cooked their cat. When we dug a little deeper, she’d misheard - thank God. One of Eleanor’s friends had booked their cat into a cattery. All very innocent. But now, I think it’s my favourite phrase.’

‘She’s great, you know?’

‘Mrs Carter?’

Holly’s question brought on another wave of laughter from Seb, which made Holly start laughing all over again.

‘No. Natalie,’ he managed to say as his laughter subsided.

‘Oh, yeah, thanks. Obviously I think so, but it’s nice to hear other people think so too.’ She took another Viennese finger from the packet.

‘Holly,’ he said her name, suddenly serious. It was as if their easy conversation about Mrs. Carter’s imaginary cat hadn’t happened. Holly darted her gaze around the cabin of his car; looking for whatever had put Seb on edge.

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked when she couldn’t see any obvious reason for his change in demeanor.

He rubbed his hand across his mouth and then gripped the steering wheel.

‘Come on, Seb. You’re scaring me a bit here.’