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‘Why don't you put this one back into the pot with the other one so they can live together happily ever after?'

‘You put it back, Auntie Zara,' she says, suddenly pushing the sunflower into my hand.

‘You're very good at this, Zara.' Emily swaps Daisy's car seat from one arm to the other. I'm laden with a mahussive changing bag, according to the principle of the smaller you are, the more kit you need.

In the restaurant, the first round of coffee and cake is on me. Daisy remains asleep and Poppy eats chocolate
cake and drinks squash before running off to play with the toys in the children's corner where we can keep an eye on her.

‘I feel like I want to poke Daisy and wake her up so she sleeps at night. Murray says she'll be perfect for working shifts when she's older.'

‘Maybe she'll be a midwife.'

‘Murray wants her to be a farmer.'

‘What about Poppy?'

‘Oh, who knows?' Emily sighs. ‘She's driving me mad. She hates the baby. I've spoken to the health visitor and we're doing everything she suggested and it isn't working. I don't know what I'm going to do.'

‘She'll get over it. She's bound to be jealous at first. It's a big shock finding you're no longer the centre of attention at four. I see it all the time. You just have to be patient. I know Poppy's still very young, but can't you get her to think she's helping out more with Daisy?'

‘I've done that, sent her on errands in the house to fetch a clean nappy or soother.' Emily smiles wryly. ‘The last time I did that, she picked one off the floor and stuck it in Daisy's mouth. She knew it was wrong.'

‘A few germs aren't going to hurt the baby, are they? I hope you don't mind me saying, but I think you're making too much of this. Daisy's growing so quickly, she'll soon be crawling, and before you know it she'll be toddling about. She'll seem much more fun to play with then. Why don't you let me and Gran have one of the girls for a day now and again?'

‘Because you're both busy. It's a lovely offer, but I can cope.'

‘Are you sure?'

‘Of course I'm sure,' she says, with a hint of fire in her voice.

I change the subject, noticing that Poppy has returned, and is clinging onto Emily's arm. ‘Shall we have another round of cake?'

Poppy has a healthy appetite, but mine seems to have disappeared. I'm going to see Lewis on Monday and, even though it's just because he's supposed to be helping me out with Frosty, I can hardly wait.

CHAPTER SEVEN

A Dog's Dinner

On the Monday morning, I'm showered and dressed and I've done the papers by the time James turns up to deliver them.

‘You didn't have to do that, you know,' Gran says, placing two mugs of tea on the counter. ‘Where are you off to today? You're looking . . .' she frowns as if struggling to find the right words, ‘. . . all glammed up. I love the nails.' She peers at my hands. ‘What are those? Daisies?'

‘Some kind of white flower, stencilled onto a blue background,' I say, showing them off. ‘Would you like me to do yours sometime?'

‘What would I want mine done for?' she says with a dismissive snort.

‘Because you're green with envy,' I tease.

‘Maybe I am,' she concedes.

‘You can choose whatever theme you like. I'd like
to do it; we should have a girls' night in sometime.'

She smiles, making me wish I'd thought of it before.

‘Anyway, where are you going?'

‘I thought I'd told you that I'm taking Frosty to the Sanctuary with Lewis.' Gran looks at me blankly. She doesn't remember. ‘Didn't you get Norris from there years ago?'

She remembers that.

‘I took him as a kitten when Gloria Brimblecombe ran the rescue centre with Talyton Animal Rescue. Oh, it was a terrible place. The people were kind to the animals, but it was like they were in prison, waiting for someone to love them.'

‘Please don't make me feel guilty.'

‘I expect they'll find her a lovely home.' Gran rubs at her temple, leaving a red mark. ‘You won't let them put me away, will you?'

‘Why?' I try to make light of her concern. ‘What have you done to deserve it, apart from overcharge for a few sweets?'

‘I'm not talking about prison. I'm talking about your mum and dad plotting to put me in a home.'

‘They won't make you. They can't force you to do anything.'

‘They'll fix it so it looks as if I'm losing my marbles and then go for power of eternity.'

‘You mean power of attorney.'

‘Do I?' Gran bumbles on. ‘You heard what they said. They've virtually chosen a place for me. I expect they've put a deposit on a room by now.'

‘I don't believe they've gone that far.'

‘Well, I want you to promise me that you won't let them cart me off to an old people's home. I couldn't bear to leave the shop – it's filled with memories.' Her voice is faint and her face etched with sadness. ‘Promise me,' she repeats.

‘I'm not sure I can do that . . .' I shrug. ‘Things change.'

‘Zara, I'm relying on you to do this for me,' she insists. ‘There's no one else.'

How can I refuse her when she's been so good to me? Yes, I could just about have afforded to rent a place on my own, or I could have lived in Claire's spare room for a while, but it was Gran who suggested I move in with her so I could pay off my credit card bills and save some money – Paul and I had very little after the fertility treatment and the divorce – and she could spoil me.

‘I promise,' I say eventually. ‘Anyway, I don't know why we're worrying about this. There'll never be any need for you to move. You're fit and well, apart from the creaky knees, and I can look after you.'

‘You can't look after me for ever. One day I might need a carer coming in.'

‘Why?'

‘When you meet someone special and move out,' Gran says quietly.

‘If I do, they'll have to move in with us,' I suggest.

‘So what happened to my other granddaughter, the one who said she wouldn't let anyone court her again? It doesn't have anything to do with Lewis, does it?' She reaches out and covers my hand with hers, smiling as
she looks towards the door. Talk of the devil, here's your young man.'

‘Let me go and grab my bag,' I say quickly, taking the opportunity to check my make-up and hair before returning downstairs in a pair of flats. I feel nervous and excited at the same time, keen to make a good impression.

‘Your gran thinks I'm your young man,' Lewis grins. ‘What have you been saying to her?'

‘Nothing. I don't know where she's got that from,' I say, giving her a look. She's grinning too, her mouth a toothless cavern, making me realise this is part of her and Emily's plan to set me up, just that my sister is more subtle about it. ‘Gran! Your teeth. I'll see you later.'

‘Take as long as you like,' she says. ‘I hope the dog is better – I'd quite like to have met her.'

‘I'll take a picture to show you,' I say.

Lewis and I wait in reception at Otter House under the stern eye of Frances, the receptionist. She must be close to retirement by now, although her outfit is far from retiring. She's wearing a wig of spun candyfloss, pale orange rather than pink, glasses inlaid with crystals, a wedding ring, and an eye-catching lime and yellow tunic. A widow who lost her husband in a fishing accident, she's since remarried and is living in a house opposite the church.

‘Frosty's ready for you.' Izzy calls us through to the consulting room, her eyes drawn to Lewis. ‘He's lovely,' she says aside to me and I don't like to disillusion her. It's rather seductive, imagining I'm attached to such a
gorgeous and young man. ‘Are you going to take her on?'

‘Izzy,' Maz warns as she joins us with Frosty at her side, ‘I wish you wouldn't put pressure on people like that. Zara doesn't want a dog.'

‘But it's like she found you,' Izzy says, as Frosty spots me and starts wagging her tail.

‘I can't have a dog,' I say, fighting my instinct to kneel down and throw my arms around her. ‘They aren't my thing.'

‘But she's soooo sweet. Look at her.' Izzy holds out her hands. ‘She wouldn't hurt a fly.'

Even if I did soften because she is cute and I feel safe here at the moment, I can't have her. ‘I'm living with my gran – I don't think she and her old cat would cope.'

‘Are you talking about Norris from the paper shop?' Izzy asks. ‘He has a bit of a reputation. He left a couple of nasty souvenir scratches up our assistant's arm when he came in for a checkup recently.'

‘I can't inflict a dog on Norris and Gran.' Heavy-hearted, I stroke Frosty's head. ‘We'll take her on up to the Sanctuary.'

‘It's very kind of you to offer.'

‘It's the least I can do – you've been great.'

Izzy puts Frosty on a rope lead which makes me feel uncomfortable, worrying if wearing a noose around her neck will remind her of where she came from. I wish I'd thought to buy her a leather one from Overdown Farmers, or the garden centre, where they had some on display in the pet section yesterday.

Lewis takes Frosty outside while I'm saying goodbye to Maz, who is consoling Izzy as she sniffs into a tissue.

‘Izzy gets too attached. She'll never change,' Maz says in explanation.

‘I thought you were going to put her in the back,' I say, as Lewis encourages Frosty to jump onto the passenger seat next to me in the pick-up.

‘It's safer to have her in the front where you can keep her under control.'

‘Safer for whom?'

‘The dog, of course. Oh, Zara, I'm teasing. She'll be fine – I have a way with dogs . . . and women, or so I've been told.'

I don't know what to say. ‘Are you trying to chat me up?'

‘Maybe.' As he reverses out of the car park, he slides his hand along the back of the seat behind me, a gesture that makes the hairs on my neck tingle with a desire to feel his touch on my skin.

‘Do you know where you're going?' I sit with Frosty at my side, keeping an eye on her tongue and her big white teeth. Every so often, she presses against me and glances up, and I swear she's smiling.

‘She thinks you're taking her somewhere exciting.'

‘Thanks for that. Now I feel bad because she'll be disappointed.' I look at her brown eyes, the expectation and joy in her expression. How am I going to part with her? ‘She'll think I'm abandoning her all over again.'

‘She will,' Lewis agrees, and I wish he didn't. ‘She's having a rough time of it, and who knows how long it will take for them to find her a new home? She's quite cute, but she isn't the most appealing dog in the world. It could take months to find someone who falls in love with her.'

‘Oh, please don't say that.'

‘It's the truth.' I catch his eye as he glances towards me and I realise what he's up to.

‘You're doing this deliberately, turning the emotional screw. That's so mean.'

‘It's all in a good cause.'

‘Everyone's having a go – first Izzy and now you.' This is the second time I've felt under pressure today. ‘If you're thinking it will help me get over my fear of dogs, it's a step too far.'

‘I wasn't just thinking of you. I was thinking about Frosty.'

‘That's typical of you, putting the dog first,' I say brightly.

‘What I'm saying is that you seem to have a bond with her already. She appears to have chosen you. I understand how you feel and I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like that. It isn't fair.' Lewis hesitates. ‘She's only a pup so she'll have another twelve to fourteen years left in her and that's a massive commitment and not one that anyone should make lightly or in a hurry.'

‘I know everyone wants the best for her, after all she's been through, and so do I, but I don't think living with a noxious old cat, an octogenarian and someone who isn't a natural dog-lover is the best for her.' The trouble is, though, I don't like the idea of just anyone having her. ‘How about you?' I go on.

‘Me? I can't take on another one. Mine have to work
for their living, while Frosty's the type that's more likely to chase sheep than round them up.'

Frosty snuggles up closer as we travel up a winding lane with grass growing along the middle, and even narrower than the one up to Greenwood Farm.

‘I used to go to school with Tessa who runs the rescue centre for Talyton Animal Rescue. She's married to Jack, the Animal Welfare officer who's investigating Frosty's case. Jack's a bit of a hero.'

‘In what way?'Lewis asks.

‘Tessa was engaged to this guy, Nathan – none of us liked him. On the day of the wedding, Jack came into the church just as the vicar was at the part in the ceremony about does anyone have just cause or impediment?, and Jack said, yes, he did. Tessa ran outside, Nathan followed and talked her into going back in, but as they took their vows, she turned him down. It was such a shock, but she did the right thing. She trusted her instinct, and it turned out that not only had Nathan been cheating on her with her best friend, he was up to his ears in debt.

‘Jack had always loved her. He waited, and then when she was free, they got together. It's very romantic. At least, I think so.' I shut up suddenly, carried away by the story. ‘Most men say they have no interest in romance.'

‘That's a sweeping generalisation. We aren't all the same.'

‘Would you say you're a romantic, then?'

‘You'll have to let me show you sometime,' he says, flashing me a smile which makes my pulse race and
sends heat flooding through my body, to my cheeks and places I thought I'd forgotten about. Forget the romance, I tell myself. Lewis exudes masculinity and everything about him reminds me of sex.