Hopelessly Devoted to You

by Jill Steeples

  ‘Oh, she’ll never fit into it now. Have you seen how much weight she’s put on?’ Finn said a little too delightedly as he slapped Ruby on the backside affectionately, provoking a grin from Gerry.

  ‘Hmm, yes,’ said Jan, casting a glance over Ruby’s derriere. ‘You might be right there. We’ll get it checked, but there’s nothing at all for you to worry about, Finn. We have everything in order. Isn’t that right, Ruby? The only thing you have to do is turn up on the right day at the right time and everything else will look after itself.’

  With Jan in charge it was hardly surprising everything had been planned down to the last piece of confetti. The church, the champagne reception, the photographer, the wedding breakfast, the string quartet, the live band, the disco, the dress, the going-away outfit, the hundred guests invited including her dad and his partner coming from Spain and even a threatened visit from her long-lost brother.

  Ruby gave a weak smile. She must have been mad to even think about cancelling the wedding.

  Chapter Thirteen

  In the following days, Ruby spent her mornings working on her business while Finn took his now regular trips down to the canal. At lunchtimes she would go off to do a shift at the restaurant so she rarely caught up with Finn until late in the afternoon. This new routine suited them both and with each passing day Ruby could see small changes in Finn to such an extent that she could imagine the day of his return to work becoming closer. She’d mentioned in passing the possibility of her returning to her own flat, but Finn could see no reason for them to spend any time apart. After all, they would be married soon enough and it had always been the intention for Ruby to move in with Finn straight after the wedding.

  It was one afternoon later that week when she came in from work that she wondered if there might not be something amiss. Not only did it sound as though there was an infestation of rats scrabbling about in the kitchen, but the aroma that greeted her wasn’t of the usual hint of pine forests and green meadows with the subtle undertones of bleach, but instead the stench of mould and damp and mud wafted through the air.

  ‘Finn? Are you there?’

  ‘In here,’ he called from the kitchen before she was greeted by what looked like a very big rat that came running at her at supersonic speed and almost jumped into her lap before doing a whirlwind tour of her legs.

  ‘Oh, my God,’ she said, looking down at the creature that she realised wasn’t actually a rat, but a manky-looking dog that reeked of something highly unsavoury and was at that moment forming an inappropriate attachment to her leg.

  Finn wandered in, laughing, his sleeves rolled up and a pair of bright yellow rubber gloves on his hands. Her stomach fluttered and she wondered, not for the first time, when and why it had started doing that funny thing. And more importantly, when it was going to stop.

  ‘Ruby meet Roxie. Don’t worry. She’s a bit hyper when you first get to meet her, but she’ll settle down in a moment. I was just going to give her a bath. Isn’t that right, my gorgeous girl?’ He grabbed the dog’s snout between his hands and whispered sweet nothings into her face. Hmm, okay. Ruby had thought she was the only gorgeous girl in his life, but now it looked as if she had some competition. There was definitely a mutual appreciation thing going on here as the dog’s tail wagged furiously and its long tongue did a good job of licking Finn’s mouth clean. Rather you than me, thought Ruby, shuddering, her nostrils still twitching at the decidedly dodgy doggie aroma.

  ‘You can help if you like,’ he added.

  She grimaced, wondering why Finn might think her first choice of activity after a long and stressful shift at the restaurant might be bathing a random dog, but then she was beginning to realise she oughtn’t to be surprised by any of Finn’s antics these days.

  ‘What is it? I mean, I know it’s a dog, but who does it belong to and what’s it doing here?’ She wiped away a lingering trail of slobber that the dog had deposited on her trousers.

  ‘It’s Bo’s dog. They’ve had a bit of bad news, I’m afraid. Katy’s grandfather has had a major stroke so they’ve had to rush back up north. I said I’d look after Roxie for them.’

  ‘Oh, dear, that is bad news. Oh, well,’ she said, smiling weakly and putting her hand down to the dog in an attempt to make friends. ‘I’m guessing they might be away for some time, then?’

  ‘Actually, they’re not coming back.’ Finn came over and ruffled Ruby’s hair affectionately in much the same way as he’d been doing to that damned dog. He bent down and undid Roxie’s red leather collar and Ruby wondered if he was deliberately avoiding eye contact with her.

  ‘What? Why not?’

  ‘Katy’s just found out she’s pregnant. They’ve been trying for a while so they’re both made up about it, but she’s been thinking that she wants to be near her family and now with her granddad falling ill they’ve decided to bite the bullet and go. They’ve already got a small flat up there, which they’ve been letting out, but their tenants are moving out at the end of the month. They’ve decided to move back in there until they can find somewhere bigger. Bo will be able to get some work at the garage his brother owns, so it seems everything’s falling into place for them.’

  ‘I see. What about the boat, though, and Roxie? What will they do about that?’

  ‘Well, it was always their intention to sell the boat. That’s why they’ve been doing it up. There are still a few small jobs to complete, but nothing that I can’t handle.’

  Ruby raised her eyebrows and to her shame might even have rolled her eyes.

  ‘Well, it’s not as though I’ve got anything better to do. Besides, I love it down there and to be honest it’s good to have the place to myself. I’ve said I’m happy to go down there every day and keep an eye on things. I can also show people round if there’s any interest from potential buyers. Keeps me out of your way at least.’

  ‘And what about Roxie? When are they coming back to collect her?’

  ‘Yeah, that was the difficulty, you see. They’re not allowed pets under the terms of the lease agreement and with everything else they have going on they had to make the sad decision to let Roxie go. They were talking about taking her to the rescue centre, but I couldn’t see that happen to her. She’s a great little dog. Really affectionate and friendly. It was a no-brainer really.’

  ‘Finn! Please tell me you’re kidding me!’

  He shrugged, looking from Ruby to Roxie, an indulgent smile on his lips.

  ‘What’s the problem? It’s no big deal, is it?’

  ‘No big deal? Oh, come on, Finn. Look around you. Your lovely leather sofas and cream curtains and carpets aren’t going to last five minutes with Roxie around. This is no place for a dog. I mean, have you even checked to see if you’re allowed to keep pets here? I bet you’re not.’

  ‘Well, I’m not going to tell anyone. Are you?’ The challenge in his gaze was softened with a smile.

  ‘But, Finn, I don’t think you’ve thought this through. You’ll be going back to work soon and who’s going to look after the dog then? You can’t leave the poor thing locked up here all day.’

  ‘Rubes, darling, you’re finding problems where there are none. I don’t have any plans to go back to work yet, but when I do we can work out something between us, can’t we?’

  Oh, right, so it had become their problem now. And she knew exactly what Finn meant when he said they would work something out. He expected Ruby to step in to look after a dog that she hadn’t even wanted in the first place. She sighed, wondering how she got herself into these situations. She didn’t consider herself a weak person, but by some quirk of fate she’d found herself engaged to a man she wasn’t sure she wanted to spend the rest of her life with and soon she’d be sharing her life with a dog she’d had no say over either.

  ‘We’re getting married in a few weeks’ time and then there’s the honeymoon to consider or have you conveniently forgotten about that?’

  Oh, God, now she was talking as if there was actually going
to be a wedding and a honeymoon, but that was beside the point. It was the principle. Finn was making plans again without consulting her first. Didn’t she have any say in all of this?

  ‘Of course I haven’t forgotten. How could I possibly forget? It will be fine. Chill, Rubes. Just chill. I can ask Mum to look after Roxie while we’re away. She’d be more than happy to do that.’

  Ruby sighed, shaking her head.

  Chill?

  This new laid-back Finn was doing her head in. Maybe it was time for her to move back to her own place after all. Finn was quite capable of managing on his own and she was definitely feeling the need for some distance. She really needed to get some perspective on all this.

  ‘I don’t see why it’s such an issue. We always talked about getting a dog after we were married. What’s the problem? We’ve just brought it forward a few months.’

  That wasn’t the point. A dog had always been on their wish list, along with the house in the country and the four children, but not like this. They’d always imagined having a beautiful gun dog: an English setter or a golden retriever, the perfect accoutrement to their perfect lifestyle. The sort of dog that came with a free wax jacket. It was all part of the dream, but hadn’t she given up on the dream a long time ago?

  The dog who was currently sitting at her feet looking up at her with wary eyes was far from beautiful. It was scruffy, over-excitable and smelly.

  ‘Yes, but that was going to be when we were settled in a new house that has some outdoor space. A flat is no place for a dog.’

  ‘What, and you think the rescue centre is?’

  ‘No, I didn’t mean that. I just wish you’d discussed it with me first.’

  Finn dropped his head back, looking up at the ceiling, exasperated.

  ‘Really, Ruby, what’s there to discuss? I wasn’t going to see Roxie homeless. I can’t understand why you’re being like this.’

  No, well, he wouldn’t understand. Finn was used to getting his own way. Doing what he wanted when he wanted without recourse to anyone else. And she knew that if she did call the wedding off, she’d be the one lumbered with this hound. There was no way Finn could care for a dog on his own when he was back working the long hours expected of him.

  ‘No. Okay. Well, it’s fine. This is your flat, after all.’ She sounded churlish even to her own ears.

  ‘Don’t be like that, Rubes.’ He laughed, discarding the rubber gloves with a flourish before pulling her into his arms. He looked into her eyes imploringly, one hand stroking the hair away from her face and behind her ears.

  ‘She’s just a little dog. A lovely little dog. She’ll be no trouble at all.’

  ‘Hmm, well, we’ll soon find out, won’t we? One thing’s for sure—she absolutely stinks.’ She curled up her mouth in disgust, knowing already she was beaten. ‘We ought to get on and get her bathed.’

  ‘Hey,’ he said, his eyes dancing with mischief. ‘That’s what I love about you, Rubes. Your huge heart. I just know you and Roxie are going to be big buddies.’ He pulled her towards him, his arms around her waist tight. ‘I can’t remember, Rubes, have I told you lately that I love you?’

  She really hoped he wasn’t going to break into song, although to be honest it wouldn’t have surprised her in the least. Finn was continually surprising her these days.

  She frowned, turning her face away, only to be met by the big brown eyes of Roxie to the other side of her. Emotional blackmail. That was all it was. And yes, he’d told her frequently that he loved her, which wasn’t helping at all. This new heart-on-his-sleeve Finn went in for that kind of thing and she wasn’t sure yet whether she liked it or not. It was very distracting. At the moment, the last thing she wanted to hear was his silly declarations of love.

  He turned her face back to his, his eyes roaming her face hungrily, before his lips landed on hers and her body did that disrespectful thing of completely ignoring what her head was telling her. Her eyes closed involuntarily and her mouth opened as his tongue bit gently on her bottom lip, sending shock waves of pleasure through her body.

  What disagreement? What dog? What smell? Oh, that smell, she remembered, as Finn’s fresh-from-the-shower aroma wafted with damp-dog eau-de-cologne around her nostrils. She tried to ignore the stench, but as Finn ran his hand teasingly around the curve of her breast she heard a pathetic whimpering followed by a very forceful ‘stop this behaviour right now’ bark.

  A smelly, jealous dog. Wasn’t that just what Ruby needed in her life?

  ***

  In fairness to Roxie she settled in very quickly to flat life once a few ground rules had been established. She made it perfectly clear that she had no intention of sleeping on the kitchen floor as Ruby and Finn had suggested, but instead would be perfectly happy to sleep on the sofa, thank you very much. Finn, without needing any persuasion at all, found an old blanket to go over the leather sofa, arranging Roxie’s toys on the arm of the chair. With that, Roxie seemed entirely happy in her new home. After her bath she smelled much more fragrant too and looked a whole lot better now that her matted fur had been cleaned and brushed smooth.

  She must have known that Ruby was the person she needed to impress because she went on a charm offensive, sidling up to Ruby on the sofa, following her round the flat and watching her with doleful eyes. Much against Ruby’s better judgement, it was only a matter of days before she was completely smitten with Roxie and vice versa. Ruby had the feeling she’d been outmanoeuvred once again.

  Most days Roxie and Finn went off to the canal alone, but today Finn had persuaded Ruby to come along too. It was a beautifully sunny morning and that odd feeling of contentment had decided to come along for the ride too.

  ‘So, what do you think?’

  He was standing on the towpath, hands on hips, in blue jeans, a navy cable jumper and a jaunty hat, looking every inch the waterman, the pride glowing in his face unmistakable. Ruby couldn’t help but smile, feeling strangely proud of her boyfriend and his new-found passion. Roxie was in her element too, running up and down the towpath, barking at the ducks and anything else that had the audacity to walk by and giving Ruby the fright of her life when she ran backwards and forwards over the lock gate.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ said Finn, laughing. ‘She does it all the time and if she does fall in, well, she’s a great swimmer.’

  ‘Oh, don’t say that.’ Ruby wasn’t sure her nerves could stand it. ‘Roxie, come here,’ she yelled.

  ‘So come on, put me out of my misery,’ said Finn, completely ignoring Roxie’s suicide mission. ‘Tell me, what do you think of my masterpiece? I can’t take all the credit, obviously, but I like to think I’ve played a small part in restoring this lady to her former beauty.’

  ‘Oh, right, this is the boat,’ said Ruby, looking at the craft for the first time. She’d been far too busy chasing after Roxie, who seemed hell-bent on causing as much havoc as possible. ‘Wow, it looks great. I hadn’t expected it to look quite so colourful and shiny and new. I was half expecting it to be an old wreck.’

  ‘Well, I think if you’d seen it a few months ago, it would have been. Bo’s done a great job at putting all the structural work right. These last few weeks it’s just been a case of putting on the finishing touches: painting the woodwork and polishing the brasswork. There’s still a bit of work to do inside. The kitchen worktops need a spruce up, but apart from that I think it’s ready to go. Come and see,’ he said, taking her hand and inviting her aboard. ‘Mind you, I’ll be sad to see the boat go. This place, it’s become a bit of a sanctuary to me these last few weeks.’

  ‘Oh, it’s lovely,’ agreed Ruby, wandering around the deck and looking into the distance at the picturesque scene around them. She could understand why Finn found it so peaceful here. There were lots of other boats moored on the riverbank with their owners going about their daily business, but the solitude and quiet could easily make you forget you were still in London. It was a bubbling, vibrant atmosphere with a real sense of community among
st the river folk.

  ‘Now, I have to admit to an ulterior motive for dragging you down here today,’ said Finn, throwing an arm round Ruby’s shoulder and giving her a seductive smile.

  ‘What? Oh, no way!’ She pushed his arm away from her shoulder. ‘If you think you can bring me down here just to satisfy one of your sexual proclivities then you can think again. It wouldn’t be right to use your friends’ boat for something like that. Honestly, Finn, I sometimes think you’re focused on one thing alone.’

  He threw back his head and laughed.

  ‘Is your opinion of me really that low?’ he said, looking suitably offended. ‘Hmm, you might have a point, but actually on this occasion you’ve got me all wrong, although…’ he paused, looking at her through narrowed eyes, his mouth curling in a seductive smile ʻ…now you come to mention it that’s not a bad idea.’ He wrapped his arm around her waist, giving her a squeeze, his lips landing a kiss on her neck.

  ‘No, what I actually wanted to ask of you was another sort of favour. I thought it might be nice to have a painting done of the boat to send to Bo and Katy. I’m not sure they’re going to get back to see her before she’s sold and they won’t have seen her in her final finished state. I’ve taken lots of photos, but I think it would be great for them to have a painting as a reminder of the time they spent here. What do you reckon?’

  ‘Oh, right, yes, sure,’ she said, feeling flattered that he’d asked and guilty at having misjudged him. It was an easy mistake to make though; Finn was preoccupied with sex these days. Probably all that fresh air and time on his hands. She looked across at him fondly, a little flittery-fluttery sensation in her heart, before taking in again the picturesque scene around her. It was a fabulous idea. ‘I might even manage to get Roxie in the painting if she would only stay still long enough.’

  Finn laughed again. At that moment Roxie bounded towards them along the towpath, her ears flapping in the wind, her brown eyes shining keenly. She leapt aboard the boat and ended up sitting at Ruby’s feet, looking inordinately pleased with herself.