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‘Yes, I did. What do you think?’ Leaning down, he picked it up and held it across his arm.
‘It’s really cool.’ She ran her finger across the stylish sketch of a skateboarder, swirls of flames coming out from the painted wheels.
‘It is, isn’t it? I got a good deal too. Managed to haggle the artist down ten per cent.’ Grinning, he placed it back in the corner.
Here we go again. Did he try to save money on everything he bought? First using the raffle prize as a present and now this? Not that she thought the designer make-up bag had been worth the price – far from it. He really didn’t like spending money, did he?
She shook her head and reminded herself it none of her business.
‘Do you skate much?’
‘Me?’ Mack chuckled. ‘Nah, I haven’t skated in years. Not since I was a teenager. I’d likely fall off and break my legs if I tried nowadays. It’s for my brother. When he’s not in college, he’s always down at the skate ramp practising some trick or another.’
‘Oh, I didn’t know you had a brother.’ She rolled her eyes at herself. Why would she? She barely knew the guy. ‘I’m sure he’ll like that then.’
‘Yes, I hope so. He’s been following the artist who painted it for months now, so I’m hoping I’ve chosen a cool enough design.’
‘I don’t think anyone could say that wasn’t cool enough.’ She laughed. ‘Although who knows what’s on trend for teenagers at the moment?’
‘True.’ Mack nodded before picking up a clipboard from the side and replacing it before meeting her eyes. ‘I enjoyed yesterday. Thank you for agreeing to come around the Christmas market with me.’
‘You mean you enjoyed it until I snapped at you?’ She grimaced before laughing. She really hadn’t treated him very nicely. Her worries weren’t his and she shouldn’t have taken her bad experiences out on him. ‘I enjoyed it too, thank you.’
He glanced down at the floor before looking back at her. ‘Maybe we could do something else together? Without the stress of Christmas shopping, I mean?’
‘Umm…’ Was he asking her out? As in out on a date? Or just asking her to meet as friends? Either way she hadn’t expected him to want to spend any more time with her after yesterday.
‘You don’t need to answer right away.’ He shifted on his feet. ‘Just let me know if you fancy it. You’ve got my number.’
‘Have I?’ She pulled her mobile from her pocket and looked at it. She didn’t remember him giving her his number.
‘On the surgery’s business card, or on the website.’
‘Right.’ She nodded. ‘Yes, of course it is.’
Mack pointed towards the door. ‘I’ll go and bring Dougal in for you now and we can discuss his treatment plan.’
As soon as the door clicked shut, Poppy placed her hand over her face. Could she have made more of a fool of herself if she’d tried? She plunged her hands into her coat pockets. Not that it mattered. She didn’t care what he thought of her. Why would she? He was the home’s vet, that was all. And a vet who didn’t take into consideration that Wagging Tails was a charity trying to do their best for the dogs they rescued while he charged them full price for all treatment.
Of course she didn’t care. He could think what he liked about her. It didn’t matter. After today, she wouldn’t need to see him again, anyway. She felt her phone vibrate against her fingers and she pulled it out quickly, her shoulders slumping as she read the message. It wasn’t Ben. It was from Melissa asking her if she was settling in okay. She dismissed the text. She’d reply later. She could do with a good catch-up anyway. When she wasn’t trying to figure out what Mack had meant by asking her out and when she wasn’t wondering why she suddenly wanted Ben to reply to her texts.
‘Here he is.’
Stuffing her mobile back into her pocket, she watched as Mack shouldered the door open, Dougal in his arms.
‘Dougal!’ she said, stepping forward. She grinned as she fussed his ears. ‘It’s so good to see you again.’
Mack lowered him to the table.
‘He looks so much better already. His eyes are brighter and he’s even wagging his tail. He didn’t have the energy for that when I dropped him off.’
‘That’ll be the IV fluid he’s had.’ Mack reached behind him and placed a paper bag on the table. ‘In here is the lungworm treatment. He’ll need to take these regularly for several months to ensure the infection fully clears up. I’ve also had him on this medication…’ He pulled a small box from the bag. ‘To prevent seizures and these antibiotics.’
‘Okay.’ Poppy smiled as she looked into Dougal’s eyes. They were glistening. He was almost like a different dog.
‘I’d advise feeding him chicken for the next day or two as he regains his appetite and then high-calorie food to encourage weight gain would be beneficial.’
‘Yes, okay. And he should make a full recovery now, then?’
