Page 13 of All Wrapped Up
‘Oh,’ I croaked, my heart melting at the sight of the scrappy little bundle of tightly curled up black and tan fur. ‘She’s tiny.’
She didn’t make any effort to move, but I knew she was aware that I was there, because her little brows quirked as she moved her eyes.
‘I think she tries to make herself invisible sometimes,’ Ash said sadly. ‘She thinks that if she can’t see the world and doesn’t engage with it, it won’t exist.’
‘Poor Pixie,’ I empathised. I remembered a time when I had felt like that. How I wished I could communicate to her that one day the feeling would fade, if not disappear. ‘Have you found a home for her yet?’
‘Sadly not,’ Ash sighed. ‘And I haven’t found anyone to run the autumn festival Lizzie is still obsessed with and I’ve said I’ll support, either. Have you heard about it?’
‘It might have come up in conversation,’ I said, lookingacross at him and then quickly back at Pixie, because he was closer now.
‘Lizzie has still got her heart set on it happening,’ he sighed. ‘So, I’ve told her I’ll deputise as and when, but only if someone else properly takes charge. She knows I’m time poor what with my work commitments and looking after Pixie, but she was fond of Moses and doesn’t want to let the idea drop.’
He gave the dog a fuss, but she didn’t react to his touch.
‘But I thought it had been decided that the festival won’t be happening now because of the lack of time?’ I said, thinking back to my conversation with Lizzie in the café and what she had told me had been discussed in the pub. ‘I thought the focus was now on getting it going next year.’
Ash shook his head and smiled. ‘That’s Lizzie for you,’ he told me. ‘She’s still hoping for a miracle. And once she’s got the bit between her teeth, she’s one determined woman.’ I’d already worked that out for myself. ‘And Joanne’s just as eager in some respects,’ Ash then added with a disgruntled tut.
‘She is?’
‘Yes,’ he sighed. ‘But you don’t need to know about that.’
‘Judging by the look on your face,’ I responded, ‘I think I might. Forewarned and all that.’
‘Actually, you’re probably right,’ he then conceded. ‘Especially if you’re single.’
‘Go on,’ I said, neither confirming nor denying my relationship status.
‘Let’s just say, Joanne sees herself as some sort of Cupid,’ he elaborated. ‘And when I first moved here, she made it her mission to try and set me up on dates with other Wynbridge singles every night I wasn’t working.’
Given that Jemma had called her ‘Little Miss Matchmaker’ in my presence and Joanne herself had told me that she’d successfully matched three couples up and loved doing it, Ash’s explanation didn’t come as a surprise.
‘That must have been annoying,’ I tutted, thinking how stressful I would have found it. ‘That is, assuming you didn’t want to be set up.’
‘I did not,’ Ash vehemently said. ‘And thankfully, she got the full message in the end.’
‘Which was?’
‘That right now, I’m absolutely not looking for love or anything like it,’ he said with conviction. ‘I’m still settling into my life here, and every minute I’m not on call, and I’ve got the energy for it, is spent trying to find myself somewhere permanent to live.’
‘And somewhere permanent for Pixie to settle, too,’ I pointed out.
‘Yes,’ he nodded. ‘Finding somewhere extra special for her is a priority now, too. I haven’t got time for a relationship, even if Joanne thinks I should be in one.’
He smiled and I found myself smiling back.
‘You probably won’t be surprised to know,’ I told him because, having heard his view on romance, I now felt more relaxed around him, ‘that I’ve already had to point out to her that I’m very happy on my own and I’ve only met her once.’
Ash laughed properly and my smile grew even wider.
‘Well,’ he grinned. ‘You’ll have to tell her a lot more than that before it sinks in, but it’s a start and I suppose, if she’s homed in on you now, that gets me off the hook.’
‘Hey!’ I objected.
‘So, you’re single, too, then, Clemmie?’
‘Yes,’ I further confirmed. ‘And just like you,verycontentedly so.’
