Christmas at the Dog & Duck

by Jill Steeples

‘Brilliant,’ I said, fired up now by Josie’s strength of feeling, Eric’s agreement to the idea and my own growing excitement that we could actually do something to help, however small, and maybe make a tiny difference. ‘When I’m out and about with my doggy clients, I’ll put the word out too. I’ll put together a small flyer and I’ll pop them through people’s letter boxes as I go past. I can think of a few people already who I know will probably want to help.’

  Josie gave a satisfied sigh. ‘I know it’s not a lot, but it makes me feel better knowing that we’re doing something to help.’

  ‘I’m not sure how we’ll actually get the donations sent over there, but we can worry about that later.’

  ‘Do what we did before,’ said Eric, matter-of-factly. ‘Load the van up and drive over. That way we can make sure our aid gets to the right place.’

  ‘But you won’t want to be driving to France. You’ve got a pub to run.’ I reminded him.

  ‘Honestly love, I’d be happy to do it. You never know, this might be the last chance I have to get involved in something like this.’

  I tilted my head to look at him. I’d put the fact that he might not be running The Dog and Duck much longer to the back of my mind.

  ‘Well, I’m not getting any younger, love, and things are changing around here. I won’t be the landlord of this pub forever, and besides, we’ll have a baby about the place soon.’

  Josie and I exchanged a look and my heart twisted at the realization that Eric was facing an unknown future. The pub simply wouldn’t be the same without Eric, but more importantly how would he fare if he wasn’t able to do the job he loved? This place was his home and held so many happy memories. With his wife Miriam, they'd built up a thriving business that had become the heart of the community. They’d made so many good friends in the village and held so many happy and celebratory events at the pub. Special times that our family had been fortunate enough to be a part of too. After Miriam died, over nine years ago now, all the locals had rallied round to help Eric and Josie through the difficult following months. It hadn’t been easy, but he’d come through, carving out a new life for himself, needing to adjust again when Josie moved out to start a new life with Ethan. Leaving the pub that formed such a huge part of his memories would be a huge wrench, I knew.

  ‘Of course, you’ll have to come with me, Ellie,’ Eric said brightening. ‘This one here won’t be any use in her condition,’ he said, nudging Josie in the side.

  ‘Oh cheers, Dad,’ said Josie, laughing. ‘You’re probably right though. I’d struggle to even fit in the van at the moment.’

  ‘We could do it over a weekend,’ he continued. ‘We can drive down one day, drop the stuff off and then come back the next day. It won’t take us long. How does that sound, Ells? A weekend in France with an old geezer. I bet you don’t get many offers like that.’

  I laughed. Johnny had offered to whisk me away, but I’d turned him down. Thinking about it, this was probably the closest I was going to get to a holiday all year.

  ‘Absolutely,’ I said, with a smile. ‘I’m definitely up for that!’

  Six

  Eric was right. Within days of letting people know our plans, we were besieged with offers of help. It was wonderful to see the community rally round, donating old clothes and bed linen, but also bags of brand new items too; baby outfits and hats and blankets, as well as a full range of men’s and ladies’ clothes, including winter coats and jackets.

  ‘We could start a new shop with this lot,’ Josie joked one morning.

  ‘I can’t believe it.’ I stood back surveying the heap of clothes. ‘Everyone wanted to help. It really does restore your faith in human nature when you get involved in something like this.’

  Without exception, all of my doggy clients had given to our appeal and word of what we were doing had spread to the most unlikely quarters. I was out one morning being dragged along at the end of a lead by a highly energetic and eager to please English Pointer called Amber when I ran, almost literally, into Max Golding.

  ‘Oh, hi,’ I said, frantically trying to gather Amber closer to my side. At that precise moment she was intent on tying herself up in knots around Max’s legs while his impeccably behaved dogs looked on disapprovingly.

  ‘Another day, another dog?’

  ‘Exactly! This is Amber,’ I said, not entirely sure why I felt the need to make formal introductions. His long legs stepped over the tangled lead and a smile spread on his lips as he leant down to pat the dog.

  ‘She’s beautiful.’ He looked at her, admiration shining in his brown eyes and I felt curious, for the briefest moment, what it might be like to be on the receiving end of one of those long, appreciative gazes.

  ‘Yes, she’s gorgeous,’ I agreed, wondering if it had suddenly become very hot around here. ‘Must admit to a bit of a soft spot for her.’

  ‘She shouldn’t be on the lead though. A dog like that really needs to be able to run free.’

  I smiled. Tightly. A property developer and dog expert too. Who knew? I don’t know if Max Golding intended it as a slight, but I bristled nonetheless at his words, affronted on Amber’s behalf.

  ‘She’s only eighteen months old,’ I said, a tad defensively. ‘If I let her off here, she’d probably disappear into those bushes and I’d never see her again. Her owners haven’t had the time to give her the training she needs, so that’s what I’m working on with her. Her recall can still be a bit iffy, especially if she gets distracted by other dogs or birds, but hopefully she’s improving with every one of our sessions. She’s okay in big wide fields where I can keep her in my sight. Pointers have a tendency to roam long distances – she will come back, but it’s always in her own time.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ he said, shrugging his shoulders. ‘Are you going this way?’

  I nodded, falling in line with his step as we ambled up the lane. I was glad that I didn’t have to face him full-on, that, instead, I could pretend to be vaguely cool, all the while taking sneaky glances of his profile. In my defence, his profile was very compelling. A strong jawline, wide mouth and the shadow of stubble, together with his sweeping long raincoat, leant him a raffish air that sent my insides a-wobbling. Yes, there was definitely something about Mr Golding that shook my equilibrium. I took a deep breath and focussed on putting one foot in front of the other without falling over. Much less distracting, although no less tricky.

  ‘I hear you’re behind the Dog and Duck’s latest charity appeal,’ he said, turning to look at me.

  ‘Well it’s not just me.’ It was a bright cold day and the fresh air stung at my cheeks. ‘Josie and I were talking about the situation the other day and we decided we wanted to do something to help. It quickly escalated from there. The response has been amazing.’

  ‘I think it’s great, what you’re doing. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help on a practical basis. Really, I mean it. If there’s anything you need, then just ask.’

  ‘Thanks, Max, that’s very kind of you.’ Eric had already mentioned that Max had offered to pay our travelling costs and put us up in a hotel overnight, which was incredibly generous of him.

  Gorgeous and giving, what a combination. Maybe it was time for me to reassess my first impression of Max as an uptight, arrogant so-and-so.

  ‘Come on,’ he said, steering me through a small cutaway in the hedge. ‘There’s a field here. You’ll be able to let Amber have a run.’

  ‘But this is private property,’ I said, standing in front of a sign saying exactly that and warning of dire consequences if I was to take one step further.

  ‘Yes, I know,’ said Max with a wide grin. ‘It’s my private property. Come on.’

  My mouth dropped open involuntarily and then I laughed, covering up my surprise. I hadn’t realized his land extended so far, but then what did I expect? Hanging out with the landed gentry.

  As soon as we were in the field, I unclipped Amber’s lead and watched her sprint off into the distance, closely f
ollowed by Max’s magnificent dogs, who I learned were called Bella and Holly.

  ‘She’ll be perfectly safe here. There’s fencing around the perimeter of the field so she can’t come to any harm.’

  ‘Aw, look at her running with your two – she’s absolutely loving it.’ I wasn’t about to admit that she wasn’t the only one revelling in the moment. I almost felt like running down the hill myself, arms wide, a la Julie Andrews, but I was still trying for a cool and unwobbly vibe – without much success, admittedly. Walking with Max through the beautiful countryside was more thrilling than I could have anticipated.

  ‘Listen, you can always use this field to exercise your dogs.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Absolutely. Obviously keep it to yourself. I don’t want the whole village thinking it’s a dog’s playground, but you’re very welcome to make use of it if you’d like to. I know you do some training with your dogs. This would be the ideal spot. You wouldn’t be disturbed. Well, maybe only occasionally – by me and these two hounds.’

  He gave me a sideways look, his brown eyes shining warmly. He made it sound so inviting, particularly the part where he mentioned I might bump into him again. I had to restrain myself from throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him on the lips. Thankfully the inappropriate bells rang in my head. Instead I thanked him politely and then said the first intelligent thing that came into my head.

  ‘Lovely weather, isn’t it? Cold, but warm… No, not warm exactly. You know what I mean. Bright and sunny.’

  Not very intelligent as it turned out, but it seemed to make Max smile.

  ‘Isn’t this the most stunning scenery?’ Max stopped, lifted his head and surveyed the surrounding countryside. ‘Every day when I come out here it makes me appreciate just how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful part of the country.’

  ‘Yes, you’re right. I grew up here. It was all I ever knew until I went off to university. I don’t think I fully appreciated how lovely it was until I went away and then came home again.’

  We followed the dogs down the hill, exchanging a smile at their good-natured antics.

  ‘So, are you back for good?’ Max asked.

  ‘I’m not sure. It was only ever meant as a temporary thing, but I must admit I’m enjoying the dog-minding and stints behind the bar at the Dog and Duck much more than I could have imagined. It’s a simpler way of life, less stressful. But I suppose I’ll have to go and do the proper job again at some point.’

  ‘So what was the proper job then, Ellie?’

  ‘I’m an accountant. I worked for one of the big consulting companies in the city.’

  ‘Ah, okay.’ Max nodded his head sagely and I wasn’t sure if I imagined a look of amusement on his face. As we reached the bottom of the field, the magnificent frontage of Braithwaite Manor came into view just through the hedgerows. The huge country house had formed a backdrop of faded grandeur to my childhood. We’d always called it the big house. Imagined what it might have been like to live there in a bygone age before it had fallen into disrepair. Now the house had been extensively restored. The crumbling brickwork had been repointed and the roof had been replaced, along with the many tall grand windows overlooking the extensive grounds. A sight to take your breath away.

  ‘It’s nothing much, but it’s home,’ I quipped. ‘Do you actually live there?’ I asked, unable to disguise the incredulous note to my voice.

  ‘Yes.’ He glared at me before glancing at his watch and I caught the shift in his mood, wondering for a moment if I’d upset him with my flippancy. ‘Look, I’m going to have to go, but it’s been great seeing you again, Ellie. And remember, use the field anytime you want to.’

  ‘Thanks Max,’ I said, watching him stride off in the direction of the big house, hoping that the look he’d given me hadn’t been one of complete and utter disdain.

  Seven

  ‘I need a huge favour, Ellie.’

  I’d just started my evening shift at the pub when Polly came in for what was becoming her customary after-work orange juice.

  ‘Okay,’ I said, trying to decipher from her eager expression just what sort of favour this might be. ‘Fire away.’

  She took a deep breath. ‘Well the thing is – I’ve got a date and…’

  ‘Ooh… Really? How exciting! Who is he? Where did you meet him?’

  Polly laughed, the faintest hint of colour spreading on her cheeks. ‘He’s a customer actually. Or else he was. He used to come in and buy flowers for his girlfriend, but I hadn’t seen him in months. Then I bumped into him in the supermarket and we got chatting. It turns out he and the girlfriend have split and, well, he asked me out for dinner.’

  ‘Oh my goodness, that’s so exciting!’ I clapped my hands together delightedly. ‘What’s his name? What does he do? Where does his live? Come on spill the beans, I’m desperate to hear about this mystery man.’ I looked around the snug to check that all my customers were happy and then pulled up a stool and plonked my elbows on the bar, resting my chin on my hands. I was all ears. In the absence of any romance of my own, I was more than happy to live vicariously through Polly’s love life.

  ‘That’s the thing, I barely know anything about him. I know his name – Rob, but that’s about it. I was so surprised when he asked me out, standing there in the middle of the frozen food aisle, I didn’t know what to say.’

  ‘But you do like him? He is fanciable?’

  ‘Oh he is!’ She swooned, her face taking on a dreamy expression. ‘He’s gorgeous. You’ll love him, Ells, he’s just your type – tall, dark and handsome. Although I’m getting first dibs on this one,’ she said with a cheeky smile. ‘He seems really friendly too. But I thought it might be a bit awkward, just the two of us, getting to know each other over dinner. I’m so out of practice with the whole dating thing. What happens if we run out of conversation after five minutes or decide we don’t really like each other after all? That’s why I suggested…’

  Her eyes grew wide at me, a tentative smile hovering at the corner of her cute rosebud lips.

  ‘Oh no!’ I clapped my hands together, the penny finally dropping. ‘Please don’t tell me you want me to come along too? Noooo! That would be so awkward. Me sitting there like your mother. I would only get in the way and, if the two of you hit it off, I’d feel like a proper gooseberry. Honestly, Polly, trust me on this, you need to go on your own. It’ll be absolutely fine. I’ll call you if you like, halfway through the date, to give you a get-out clause if you need it.’

  Polly giggled.

  ‘No, I didn’t mean just you. Now, that would be awkward! I thought you and Johnny could come along. Like a double date.’ She grimaced and scrubbed the words out with her hands. ‘No, not really a double date, it’s just that I’d feel so much more relaxed with the two of you there.’

  Ah. Now I got it. I looked into Polly’s bright eager eyes and wondered how I might break it to her.

  ‘The thing is, Johnny and I aren’t together anymore. I’m really sorry, Polly, but a double date’s not going to work.’

  ‘Oh…’ She dropped her gaze for a moment, before looking up at me, all doe-eyed. ‘Actually I spoke to Johnny and he told me what had happened, that you weren’t together anymore. And I’m really sorry about that. I know how difficult it must be between you two at the moment, but Johnny said he’d be happy to come along if you were too. He mentioned something about you staying good friends.’

  Great. So Johnny had outmanoeuvred me. If I did go, it would mean having to make polite conversation with Johnny and I wasn’t sure if it wasn’t too soon for that. And if I didn’t go, then I would look churlish, as if I didn’t want to stay friends after all. It was a lose-lose situation.

  ‘Please Ellie. I wouldn’t normally ask, but it would mean the world to me if you could both come along. Just as friends. Obviously.’

  Obviously. I suppressed a sigh. Honestly, it was a wonder Polly had any difficulty in bagging a man. She was all big blue eyes and fluttering e
yelashes and even I was finding her hard to resist all the time she was gazing at me imploringly.

  ‘Okay,’ I said, reluctantly. ‘A double non-date? I don’t see why not. It’ll be a first for me, at least, and by the sounds of it, it could be fun.’

  *

  We were less than an hour into the date when I realized I’d probably had more fun on my last visit to the dentist than I was likely to have in the company of Rob. Don’t get me wrong, he was everything Polly said he would be. Good-looking in a very clean, scrubbed-up way. Tall, broad and slim, his black hair was closely cut, he had large brown eyes and a magnificent set of white gleaming teeth. Charming too, if in a rather polished practiced way. He had all the boxes ticked but, for some reason, all the parts didn’t add up to a very convincing whole. Still, if Polly liked him then that was all that mattered.

  ‘You all right, Ells,’ said Johnny, giving me a surreptitious dig in the side.

  ‘Oh yes, yes, I’m fine,’ I said, sitting up straight in my chair.

  In fairness, I needn’t have worried about things being awkward between Johnny and me. If he was nursing a broken heart he was doing a good job at hiding it. His cheeky, lovable personality was on full show tonight and the way he was acting it was as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Maybe he hadn’t been into me as much as I’d thought.

  I immediately focussed my attention back on Polly and Rob and plastered a big smile on my face. I’d drifted off there for a moment, thoughts of Max Golding filtering into my mind. Why, I wasn’t entirely sure. I’d been trying to establish what it was that made him quite so attractive, quite so disturbing to my peace of mind. At first I hadn’t liked him one bit - okay that was a lie, I’d liked him quite a lot, but I’d found him unsettling, if not compelling. Intimidating, but incredibly sexy at the same time. Something about him messed with my head. Was it the unruly hair or the darkly dangerous eyes that spoke to me? The scar on his top lip or the extent of his wide mouth which lit up in a glorious smile when I was least expecting it? Whatever it was, there was an indefinable quality that spoke directly to my insides, something that ignited in my brain even when he wasn’t around.