‘Yes, I got it all. Six canapés, pick up the booze. Don’t worry about breaking anything because it doesn’t matter.’
‘Well, I wouldn’t activelytryto break anything. It’s onlythat Oliver said not to worry if anyone does have a mishap. Caterers expect that sort of thing.’
Brody grinned. ‘Mum, it’ll be fine. Don’t stress so much. It’s only a few drinks for a few friends, not hosting royalty at Downton Abbey.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t stress? You can say that because you’re not organising a drinks gathering for sixty of Bannerdale’s most influential members of the community. I have to stress about it! You can’t simply let an event like that happen. You have to be prepared in advance, and check and double-check the details. By the way, do you have enough diesel for the emergency generator, just in case?’
‘I think so.’
‘Thinkisn’t good enough.’ His mum scribbled on her clipboard sheet. ‘Here, I’ve added it to your personal list of responsibilities.’ She showed it to him. At the top it read:BRODY: TO DO. It was underlined and was twice as long as he had imagined. The last item was:Check toilets are respectable!
He groaned. ‘Oh, Mum, I don’t need it …’
‘I work from a list, so I’m damn sure you do. You can’t bumble through life.’
‘I don’t bumble. I run a busy vet’s practice.’
‘Correction: Cora Hazeldine runs the practice. You do the …’ she didn’t bother hiding her shudder, ‘unpleasant stuff.’
‘You mean the unpleasant stuff that keeps animals healthy?’
His mother wrinkled her nose. ‘All that stuff involving plastic gloves going where the sun doesn’t shine and – the horrible things.’
Brody knew what his mother meant; there were really difficult parts of his job, and the worst was helping animals have a peaceful end to minimise their suffering.
‘Mother, the plastic gloves and horrible stuff go with the territory. I can hardly avoid either, if I want to do my best by the animals and their owners.’
‘You didn’t have to do it. You could have had a nice cushy time running the business, which would have been much more conducive to family life. All these long hours on-call.’ She carried on as if she held his career responsible for not having a grandchild yet.
Brody tamed a flare of annoyance into a weary sigh. ‘But I didn’twantto. It didn’t appeal to me. I love animals and I want to help them. Uncle Trevor is much better at being a business mogul than I am. I’d never have felt passionate about agricultural machinery, the way he does, and as a result I’d have bankrupted a successful company within six months.’
Brody had been earmarked by his dad to take over McKenna Machinery, even though from a young age he’d shown way more interest in the livestock on the farms than in the tractors and combines and had wanted to study veterinary medicine at university instead of engineering. His father was only just coming round to the idea when he passed away, which made Brody regret that Ralph never got a chance to see what a good vet he made now.
‘Hmm.’ His mother rested the clipboard in her lap. ‘I suppose you’re right. Look, I’m sorry if you think I’m nagging you, and it wasn’t fair to mention the business. It’s a manic time of year and I’m tired and stressed …’
‘No wonder. Organising this do on top of everything else.’ Brody took the clipboard from her and tore off his to-do list, to show willing. ‘I really appreciate all the hard work and effort you put in. I know it’s going to be a triumph and I won’t forget my part of the bargain. I’ll check the generator and diesel tonight as soon as you’ve gone, while I’m feeding the menagerie.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Are you trying to get rid of me?’
‘Would I?’ He patted her arm. ‘Stay there. I’ll make a cup of tea.’
‘Just a quick one. I’ve got a Christmas supper with the wild swimmers this evening and I ought to go home and get changed first.’
‘You look great as you are, to me. Is that a new jumper?’
‘Ha-ha. I told you I had it the last time I saw you. Maybe I will go straight from here. It’s only at the pub – nothing too fancy.’
Brody went into the kitchen and made the tea in a pot for a change. He usually lobbed a bag in any old mug, but tonight he added the teapot, two mugs and a carton of milk to a tray. Just in time he remembered the box of mince pies that a grateful client had made for him, so he put a few on a plate.
His mother was a tour de force and Brody was in constant awe of her, when he wasn’t frustrated by her attempts tomanage him. On this occasion he had to admit that she was probably right to organise him. Sixty people for drinks and canapés in the farmhouse was a pretty big deal, especially when many of them were community and business leaders who were used to professionally planned events.
The farmhouse was spacious, with several reception rooms, but it could also be cold and draughty, with its low ceilings and panelled walls. However, once it was decorated and the fires were lit, it would feel very homely and a characterful place for entertaining. Even as a child, he’d loved every quirk and dusty corner of it, grateful to still be able to live in his childhood home. Living at Felltop helped him feel closer to his father and perhaps, one day, he might be able to bring up children of his own here.
When he returned from the kitchen, his mother was scrolling through her phone, but put it down on the lamp table as he entered the room. Her eyebrows lifted in shock as he placed the tray on the table. ‘Wow, an actual teapot and mince pies! To what do I owe this honour?’
‘I know you like things served in the proper way.’
‘It’s a step up from a chipped mug with an ad for worming tablets on the side and, my word, you’ve been baking too?’
