Page 11 of All Wrapped Up
My lungs reinflated and the world righted itself a little on its axis again. They weren’t talking about me. They were talking about the dog.
‘Oh, my goodness.’ I swallowed, thinking of the turmoil the poor thing must have been feeling. ‘That’s so sad.’
I felt my eyes fill with a rush of sympathetic tears and tried to blink them away. No one present was acquainted with my tragic history, so they might think my reaction over the top, especially as I didn’t know the dog in question.
‘She’s staying with me at the moment,’ Ash said croakily, his sad tone making me feel even more emotional. ‘I couldn’t bear to put her in kennels yet.’
‘Why can’t you just keep her full-time?’ Jemma sensibly suggested. ‘Then she won’t have to go into kennels at all. I daresay she feels safest with you now, Ash.’
‘Because she needs company,’ he insisted. ‘Proper, consistent company and someone who can give her all the attention she needs and deserves.’
‘Which is why I can’t take her,’ said Lizzie. ‘You know Ben and I are never at home and it would be far too chaotic to bring her in here and next door every day, rather than occasionally like Glynis did. Especially in the early days.’
‘You’re right,’ said Ash, running a hand through his hair. ‘And I don’t know why I asked you, really, Lizzie. She needs somewhere peaceful with someone who can spend time with her to balance out any trips to town. Poor little Pixie.’
‘Pixie,’ I echoed.
‘That’s her name,’ Ash clarified, pinning me again with his blue eyes. Eyes I didn’t want to find beguiling, but was drawn to look back at regardless. ‘And I’d better get back to her. She’s home alone at Will’s place and I don’t like to leave her for long.’
‘Still no joy finding a place of your own?’ Lizzie asked him.
‘Not yet,’ he shrugged. ‘But living in Will’s barn for the time being is no hardship.’
‘It’s been converted,’ Joanne said for my benefit. ‘He’s not stuck in a filthy byre with no hot and cold laid on and only a bucket to—’
‘I think Clemmie gets the idea,’ Ash cut in and I laughed.
It didn’t strike me immediately, but it felt odd to hear a man, other than my dad, say my name.
‘And now Will, that’s my boss, has moved in permanently with his partner, Lottie, at Cuckoo Cottage,’ Ash furtherexplained to me, ‘I do have the place to myself which doesn’t give me much impetus to keep looking. But it’s only until he puts it on the market.’
‘Almost to yourself,’ I corrected.
‘Yes.’ He nodded, with a slight smile which made the few lines around his eyes attractively crinkle. ‘Almost to myself. I really had better get back. Do let me know if there’s any further news about the Autumn Festival, Lizzie, won’t you?’
And with that he was gone. Thankfully before she’d had a chance to tell him that she’d tried to strong-arm me into taking it on.
‘Isn’t he a dream?’ Jemma wistfully sighed, looking after him as he crossed the square.
‘Hey,’ laughed Lizzie. ‘You’re a married woman, remember?’
‘How can I forget?’ Her friend grinned back while she fanned herself with a menu.
‘And very happily married,’ Joanne giggled. ‘But what about you, Clemmie?’
‘Me?’ I squeaked.
‘He’s single. You’re single,’ she said, with a wink. ‘At least, I think you’re single.’
‘I’m on my own,’ was as much as I was willing to say on the subject of my relationship status. ‘And definitely not looking for a partner. And even if I was, Ash is about as far away from my type as it’s humanly possible to get.’
That wasn’t entirely true, but I didn’t want her getting any ideas and Jemma’s next words were confirmation that I was right to put Joanne off from the outset.
‘So, that’s you told, Little Miss Matchmaker,’ she laughed before heading back to the kitchen.
‘Fair enough,’ Joanne said, eyeing me astutely. ‘Message received and understood. But I’m bored with Aiden – that’s my partner – being on the other side of the world and I do love pairing people up. It’s my favourite hobby.’
‘Shouldn’t your favourite pastime be getting yourself ready to leave?’ Lizzie asked. ‘I thought you had loads to do for that.’
