Blue Skies Over Wildflower Lock (The Wildflower Lock)

Chapter 59

It appeared Johnny liked a blow-dry. While he was perturbed by the initial noise of the hairdryer, it didn’t take long for him to relax, and though his eyes remained closed for much of the drying, it was in a chilled-out, peaceful manner, rather than because he couldn’t open them. By the time he was dry, his tail was thumping on the ground and the only time he barked was when Daisy turned the dryer off.

‘Food’s ready when he is,’ Yvonne said, coming into the living area. ‘Where do you want me to put it? It’s still raining pretty hard outside.’

Daisy looked out of the window, though there was really no need; the sound was more than enough to confirm the weather. But it didn’t help her work out what to do. The kitchen was the closest place to the back of the boat, and while it probably made sense to feed him in there, it was also the area she cooked in for the coffee shop and she wanted to keep it entirely dog-free. The same for the area around the hatch. That meant the options were Yvonne’s cabin, her small bunk, the bathroom, or where they were now in the living and dining area. Looked at in that way, there was really only one option.

‘I guess you should just place it down here,’ she said to Yvonne while nodding to the space in front of her. ‘Though maybe not on the rug. I don’t fancy getting scrambled egg out of that if he spills it everywhere.’

Nodding in agreement, Yvonne placed the two bowls down by the table. Immediately, Johnny looked up at Daisy, his whole body tense and poised. He was clearly starving. She’d expected him to run straight for the food, but instead, he waited.

‘Okay, you can eat. It’s for you. It’s for Johnny.’

He didn’t need telling twice. The eggs went first, in a matter of mouthfuls, and though the porridge took slightly longer and involved a lot of lapping with his tongue, he polished the entire thing off, including the few drops that he sprayed on the floor.

‘Do you think we should make him some more?’ Daisy asked as Johnny sat back and looked at her, his tail wagging. It was incredible to think this was the same dirty dog that had shown up on her boat all those days ago. He was still thin and could do with putting on a bit of weight, but his fur was already looking glossier, which had to be a good sign.

‘I’d wait a bit. You know what dogs are like: eyes bigger than their bellies.’

Daisy was inclined to agree. She might not know much about dogs, but she knew she didn’t want him eating so much that he made himself sick.

‘So, what’s the plan now?’ Yvonne asked. ‘The weather forecast says this is meant to clear up in an hour.’

Daisy wasn’t one to believe weather forecasts. Not after a freak storm had swept into Wildflower Lock on the first day she was supposed to open the coffee shop. But it wasn’t like she had much of a choice. Standing by the tiller in the rain wasn’t pleasant in any situation and it wasn’t like an hour would make that much difference in the long run.

‘I might get up to date on my paintings,’ Daisy said, thinking aloud. ‘I was too tired yesterday to do one and I guess that would be a productive way to spend the time.’

‘Sounds good. Do you know what you’re going to paint?’ Yvonne asked. ‘You’ve got a lot to pick from with all the bridges.’

Daisy pondered the idea. There really were a hundred different things she could have made a subject from the day before, from the bridges and cruisers to the yellow oil drums that marked the entrance to the canal, but she had one memory that stuck out more than the others. One thing she had known in the moment she wanted to paint.

‘Actually, it is rather different,’ she said, unable to stop the smile creeping onto her face. ‘Very different.’