“Hi, Stewart. Fine, thanks.”
“And this beautiful lady must be your wife.”
“Err, yeah, this is Jill. Jill, this is Stewart.”
“I’m very pleased to meet you, Jill.” He made a show of kissing my hand. “You must be really looking forward to meeting Buddy.”
“Who’s Buddy?”
“Jack must have told you how cute he is.”
I shot Jack a quizzical look.
“Actually, Stewart,” Jack piped up. “I haven’t got around to telling Jill about Buddy yet.”
“Oh? I’m sorry.” Stewart stepped back from the table. “I didn’t mean to spoil the surprise. I’d best leave you two to it. Give me a call tomorrow, Jack, and we’ll sort out the details. It was nice to meet you, Jill.”
“Likewise.” I waited until he’d moved away and then I turned to Jack. “Is there anything you’d like to tell me, buddy?”
“It’s a really funny story. You’ll laugh when I tell you.”
“Try me.”
“Okay. I was in the greengrocer’s when I happened to spot a notice in the window.” He hesitated.
“A notice about?”
“Someone was looking to rehome a dog.”
“No! No way.”
“Hear me out. While I was looking at the notice, who should walk in but Stewart. And guess what?”
“He bought some turnips?”
“It turned out that he was the one who’d put the notice in the window. How about that for fate?”
“We are not having a dog.”
“Don’t you think it would be nice for Florence to have a pet?”
“She’s too young.”
“No, she isn’t. I had one at her age. She’s always been a little nervous around dogs, having one of her own will help her to get over that fear.”
“I’m not sure. What if she’s scared of it?”
“It’s only a really small dog.”
“How small is small?”
“It’s a Chihuahua.”
“That’s not a dog; it’s a rat. How come it needs rehoming anyway? What’s wrong with him?”
“Nothing. Stewart is going to live in Australia with his brother, and he can’t take the dog with him.”
“So you agreed to take it?”
“He’s such a lovely little thing. I’ve got a photo. Would you like to see it?”
“No. You do realise that if we take this rat in, he’ll be your responsibility, don’t you? You’re the one who will have to take him for walks and go out in the garden to clean up after him. I’m definitely not going to do it.”
“That’s okay. I’m at home all day, so it won’t be a problem.”
Five years ago, Jack had started a website for ten-pin bowling enthusiasts. At the time, it had been no more than a hobby. The website had quickly grown in popularity until the number of regular visitors had become quite significant. At some point, he’d decided to monetize those visitors, and he’d started to sell a range of bowling clothes and accessories. Eventually, he’d decided to take the plunge, give up his job with the police force, and to work on the website full-time.
At the time, I’d been very nervous, but it was what he wanted to do because he’d grown tired of all the politics that went with his job. Fortunately, the gamble had paid off, and now Jack was making almost as much money as he used to earn when he was working full-time. The added bonus was that he could work his own hours from home.
“Have you already told Florence about the dog?” I said.
“No, of course not. I didn’t want to do that until you were on board. Look, Jill, if you really are against the idea, I can tell Stewart that we won’t be able to take the dog.”
“It’s okay. You’re right. It’ll be good for Florence to have something to be responsible for. You’ll need to explain to her that she’ll have to take the dog for walks with you. And that she’ll have to feed him.”
“No problem. I think she’ll love the idea.”
“She will at first, but you know what kids are like. She’ll soon get tired of him.”
“I’ll tell her first thing in the morning.”
Arthur came to take away our plates.
“How was the grub, folks?”
“Delicious.” Jack nodded his approval.
“Lovely,” I agreed. “We’ll definitely be dining here again.”
“That’s good to hear. We have a regular pub quiz on a Wednesday night, and there’s an open mic on Fridays. Can either of you sing?”
“Jack can,” I said. “He has a great voice.”
“No, I don’t, Arthur.” Jack shot me a look. “Take no notice of her.”
“It looks like you two won’t be the only newbies in the village soon.”
“How come? Is someone else moving in?”
“Haven’t you seen the work they’re doing on that large property on the left as you come into the village from the north?”
“Yeah, didn’t it used to be a hotel or something?”
“That’s right. It was the Marples Hotel; it’s been empty for five years now. It needed a lot of renovation work.”
“It’ll make a big house for someone,” I said. “Do you know who’s bought it?”
“I spoke to the workmen. They didn’t know who the buyer was, but they reckon it’s going to open as a hotel again. The only thing they could tell me about the new owner is that they’re from out of town.”
Chapter 4
It seemed silly to drive to the office, only to have to then come all the way back again, so I decided to head straight to Tweaking Manor. I’d been pleased to get out of the house because Jack had made the mistake of telling Florence about the dog. I’d warned him not to say anything before she went to school, but he just couldn’t help himself. Of course, once she knew, she wanted to stay home, to be there for Buddy’s arrival. When I’d left, Jack was still desperately trying to persuade her that the dog wouldn’t come
