Page 16 of Chasing Dreams at Wagging Tails Dogs' Home

‘If you can’t find something here, then I’m afraid you possibly won’t ever.’ Mack smiled, his eyes lighting up.

Mack was right; there was an array of everything you could think of on sale. From self-care treats like organic and handmade bath bombs, soaps and moisturisers to wooden handcrafted toys and trinkets, to hand-blown glass baubles and detailed hanging ornaments. The stall positioned near the entrance displayed beautifully knitted cardigans as well as scarfs, gloves and hat sets; the one next to it, incredibly lifelike animal portraits. Where did they start? What would Susan like? And Aunt Flora?

‘So, what doyouneed to buy?’ she asked him.

‘I need to hunt out a stall selling personalised skateboards.’ He looked around the hall. ‘I also need to find something for Kerry.’

‘The receptionist at the surgery?’

‘Yes, that’s right.’ He grimaced. ‘She’s terrible to buy for. She was also at my old surgery and moved over with me when I invested in this place. I’ve always had trouble buying for her.’

‘I’m sure you’ll spot something here.’

‘Hopefully. Or else I might piggyback off your choice for whoever you’re buying and get the same.’ He chuckled.

Shaking her head, Poppy laughed. ‘I’m sure she’s completely different to Susan.’

‘Who’s Susan?’

‘Oh sorry. She’s one of the volunteers at Wagging Tails. She’s been there that long, since I was a child, that she’s part of the family really.’

‘You’re probably right then.’ Stepping towards the closest stall, he picked up a pack of three bath bombs. ‘How about these?’

Leaning forward, she smelt them as he held them close. ‘Yes, they smell nice. All flowery.’

Nodding, he looked back down at the stall and knitted his eyebrows together before quickly placing them back down and walking away. ‘Seven pounds for bath bombs! Did you see that?’

‘Seven pounds for three handmade bath bombs is pretty good.’ Poppy frowned. ‘You need to think of all the ingredients that the crafter would have had to buy, plus the packaging and you’re paying for her time, too. When you look at it like that, seven pounds is really quite reasonable.’

Poppy wouldn’t be buying them though as she’d have to buy something else to go with them and she just didn’t have the money. However much she appreciated how much they cost to make, but Mack… He evidently had no such problem. He owned a veterinary surgery and charged extortionate prices for healing animals. He must have the money.

‘Look over here. Now they look nice, don’t they?’ Mack made his way towards a stall.

Following him, Poppy weaved between the group of people surrounding the stall. What had he spotted? As a woman in front of her moved, the stall came into view. Make-up bags and boxes covered the table, from the plain to the exquisite. ‘Wow, they’re beautiful.’

‘Aren’t they just?’

Picking one up, Poppy turned it over in her hand. The svelte black make-up bag was smooth against her skin, the small stitched designer logo the only thing interrupting the glossy finishing. ‘Do you think they’re real?’

‘I should hope so. For this price, anyway.’ He held up a small price tag.

Whistling under her breath, Poppy quickly lowered the make-up bag back to the tabletop. Who would come to a Christmas market and spend that amount? She glanced around her. There certainly seemed enough interest so maybe they were discounted.

‘Which do you think Kerry would prefer?’ Mack picked up a slick purple make-up bag and a star-shaped gold one.

Opening and closing her mouth, Poppy shrugged. Was he really spending that amount on a Christmas present? He’d thought the handmade bath bombs had been expensive but apparently, he didn’t think twice about spending a lot more on something designer. If he had that much to spend on a single make-up bag then there was even less reason for not giving a discount on the treatment for the rescue dogs. Heck, the bags were almost the price of Dougal’s X-ray. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Umm. It’s a tricky one.’ Mack looked from one overpriced make-up bag to the other before replacing them both and nodding towards the vendor. ‘I’ll have a think and pop back.’

Walking away from the stall, Poppy looked around. Of all the beautifully handmade gifts on display he was contemplating buying Kerry a designer make-up bag. She shook her head. It really was none of her business and she wouldn’t be thinking twice about what he spent his money on if it wasn’t for the fact he was so closed to the idea of helping a charity like Wagging Tails. What did that say about him? A vet who supposedly cared for animals and yet one who would rather waste money than offer a lifeline for the animals he cared for.

‘You okay?’

Poppy took a deep breath and plunged her hands into her coat pockets. ‘Absolutely.’

‘Good. It’s great here, isn’t it? All the Christmas gifts anyone could ever want all under one roof.’ Mack glanced back towards the stall they’d just left before looking around the hall. ‘I think I’ll carry on looking for a present for Kerry and fall back on the bag if I can’t find anything else.’ He nodded towards another stall. ‘This one looks good. Look, one pound.’

A laugh escaped Poppy’s mouth before she had the chance to look across at him and realise he was being serious. ‘That’s a raffle. It’s one pound a ticket.’

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