Page 98 of The Good Boy

“Miles.” Mum offers Miles a can of pop from her cooler. “I’m so pleased about you and Genie getting together.”

“Thanks, Rita, me too,” Miles says so naturally that it fills my heart to the very brim with happiness. This is us now. Me and Miles and Rory and Matilda. Weird, odd, and happy to be together. This is us.

“They will be together forever,” Nan tells us. “I’ve seen it written in the stars. At last my Eugenie has found her Miles. And Miles has found his Eugenie. There will be hard times, of course. But these two will never let each other down. I have seen it.”

This time I decide that my nan is completely right. She has seen it, after all. And you know what? So have I.

Gradually the beach fills up and up, until you can hardly see the gold sand for the brightly colored towels and sandcastles. It feels sort of weird to let Miles see me in my swimming costume before he’s seen me in my pants, so I feel rather coy when eventually I relent to Rory’s pleas and follow him to the sea for a play. But Miles surprised me by removing his shirt and trousers to reveal some snug-fitting swim shorts. All I do is hope we get some alone time within the next twenty-four hours because, man, Miles isfine.

The sea is cold, and then warm, and we three spend several minutes splashing and chucking an inflatable beach ball around, laughing to see how happy it makes Rory. He loves diving under the water, and exploding up out of it to make us shriek.

“I’m going back for cheese cubes,” he tells us after a while, grinning broadly. “I can do that now that I am a human. I can have cheese cubes whenever I like.”

“Be there in a sec!” I call after him.

I turn to look at Miles, who is glistening with water droplets, and I admire the strength in his shoulders and arms.

“You look very beautiful with fewer clothes on,” Miles tells me, inching toward me through the gentle rise and fall of the water. His arms encircle my waist and he draws our bodies close together. I complete us by winding my arms around his neck and cinching my breasts tight against his chest. The heat of his firm body warms me even in the cool sea.

“You look very beautiful too,” I say, looking into his eyes.

Our kiss is long and luxurious. I am alert to the touch of his fingertips trailing across my bare back and the press of his thighs against mine.

“I would very much like to be alone with you,” Miles whispers into my ear.

“We will be,” I say, tilting my head back to smile at him. “And the best thing is we’ve got all the time in the world to get to know each other as quickly or slowly as we like.”

“Yes, but can we start with quickly?” Miles says. “Then perhaps another quickly, and then a very long slowly.”

“Yes.” I laugh. “I want to try all the speeds.”

We are about to kiss again, when there is a commotion on the beach. Looking across I can see a small crowd gathered around, and then catch a glimpse of Rory in the middle of it.

“Fuck’s sake!” Even from a few feet out from the shore we can hear the angry growl. I look up and see the awful man that made Rory so scared, his first owner, with his poor pregnant dog cowering and trembling beside him.

“You leave her alone,” Rory shouts. Miles and I exchange a glance.

“We better go help,” I say.

“Right behind you,” Miles says. “Just got to wait to... er, cool down a bit.”

“You talking to me?” The bloke fronts up to Rory, puffing out his pigeon chest and flexing his wiry biceps, even though Rory towers over him.

“Yes, I am talking to you, Andy,” Rory says steadily. “I can’t see anyone else around who is kicking their dog.”

The crowd that has gathered murmurs in agreement with Rory.

“I saw it too,” a woman says. “You should be ashamed.”

“I’ll be whatever I want to be,” the bloke spits back at her. “It’s my property.” He looks at Rory as if he might recognize him from somewhere. “And how do you know my name, anyways?”

“Sheis a living being,” Rory says. “Her name is Mabel, that’s what the old lady she lived with called her. She is gentle and kind, and she tried really hard to please you, Andy. You left her locked out when she was in season and now she is having puppies, but you don’t feed her enough. She is really poorly, hurt, and afraid because of you, Andy. Because you need to make Mabel feel scared just to make yourself feel strong and important.”

“You don’t know anything about me,” Andy tells Rory, shoving him in his chest with two fingers. “It wouldn’t have a home if I hadn’t given it one.”

I’m about to step in, but Rory holds his hand out to stop me. Miles arrives at my side. We exchange a worried look. I lock my fingers into Miles’s. I hope Rory knows we have his back.

“You’d be surprised by what I know,” Rory says. “Oh, I know a lot about you, Andy. I know that you received a lifetime ban from owning dogs, after you were caught putting your last dog into fights, even though he never wanted to fight. Even though all he wanted to be was your friend, which you should have appreciated, Andy. Because no one else does.”

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