Must Be Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

sure Emma’s getting anywhere, so I throw in a couple of questions of my own.
    ‘What kind of rabbit is he? What breed?’
    ‘He’s got floppy ears. I dunno what breed he is.’
    ‘What do you give him to eat?’ I say.
    ‘Rabbit food.’
    I’m not expecting her to reel off the rabbit’s dietary requirements, but I thought she might give some indication that she’d read the back of the packet.
    ‘Before I give you the guided tour, have you any questions for us?’ Emma says wearily.
    ‘Um, not really,’ Shannon says, blushing, and I watch them go, Shannon wandering along behind Emma, her shoulders slumped as if she’s trying not to draw attention to herself. She’d be taller than me by an inch or so if she stood up straight.
    Can I see her as a vet nurse? She seems painfully shy, but I think, given time and encouragement, her confidence would grow. She’s had experience of serving customers at Petals, and she appears fond of animals.
    I think it’s a pretty good start, but Emma disagrees.
    ‘I’m not sure she’ll fit in,’ she says after Shannon’s gone, ‘and she’s so quiet you can hardly hear her speak.’
    ‘There isn’t anyone else.’ I put the lab report I’ve been trying to make sense of back down on the consulting-room table. We had other applicants, but we weeded them out for various reasons.
    ‘What about the thing with all the black? I can’t see how she’ll cope.’
    I think back to the cat I put down earlier today, its scrawny body lifeless on the table, its owner too upset to speak, as Emma continues, ‘I mean, this job can be pretty depressing sometimes, and Shannon doesn’t come across as having a particularly buoyant personality.’
    ‘You mean, you think she might top herself?’
    ‘Not exactly. I guess what I’m saying is that she doesn’t seem tough enough to deal with some of the things we see day to day. She’s got support at home – I’ve known Gillian for years. She did the flowers for our wedding, and for Mum’s funeral …’ Emma’s voice trails off at the memory, I guess, of her mother’s untimely death from an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer almost five years ago now. ‘I’m afraid Shannon might find it all too much.’
    ‘She must have some strength of character,’ I observe. ‘She isn’t afraid to stand out from the crowd.’
    ‘You’re being rather naive, Maz,’ Emma says, smiling. ‘You should see her hanging out on the Green with her friends – you can’t tell one from the other because they’re all dressed the same.’
    All I can think of, though, is what will happen to Shannon if we don’t take her on. There aren’t many jobs going in the area. She’ll end up serving coffee at the garden centre or frying fish at Mr Rock’s. Where’s the future in that?
    ‘I think we should give her a chance,’ I say stubbornly. Shannon reminds me of myself as a teenager, quiet and well-meaning, but lacking confidence. If Jack Wilson, the vet at the Ark, hadn’t given me the opportunity to work as a Saturday girl at his practice when I was at school, and encouraged me to study for my exams, where would I be now?
    ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Emma sighs.
    I feel quite strongly about Shannon and I throw in one last good reason to take her on, Tripod’s approval.
    ‘I’d noticed he’s somewhat fussy about the company he keeps,’ Emma says wryly, and I can see she’s weakening. ‘I suppose it might work. Izzy had a quick chat with Shannon when I was showing her around. She thinks she could probably get on with her.’
    ‘Keep her in order, you mean.’
    ‘Something like that.’
    ‘Why don’t we offer her a month’s trial? That way, if it turns out we’ve taken on a turkey, so to speak, we can let her go.’
    ‘That seems fair,’ Emma says. ‘I’ll call her. She can start in the New Year.’
    Emma leaves via the door at the back of the consulting room, which leads into the corridor that connects the rest of the practice. I slide the