Chapter 27 #2
She rubbed her brow with her fingertips as something started inching forward from the dark corners of her mind.
The place she tucked the issues and thoughts that were never easy to resolve, the ones that gave her emotions an exhausting workout.
Was she content with being just friends?
Or was she ready to take things further?
She groaned inwardly. Now really wasn’t the time to be thinking about it.
There were so many other things going on, what with her dad dipping his toe in the dating pool.
The potential risk that it might not work out, the fallout from that – not that she wanted to be negative, but Lark wanted to be there, just in case.
She wanted to be able to give him her full attention, especially since he was ready to face the world again which had been a massive step for him.
It was important that her father knew she was there to support him, and the last thing she wanted was for him to think she was too wrapped up in her own life or too busy for him to talk to her, or share his worries.
And if that wasn’t enough, she still felt unsettled after the events at Crayke’s Cottage and the suitcase incident.
Even after doing all she could to clear any residual negative energy using her knowledge of crystals and cleansing rituals, she was still conscious of a sense of unease thrumming away in the background.
It had never taken so long to shake anything off.
Taking everything into account, Lark decided it was probably for the best if her relationship with Nate remained as it was.
Being able to call him her friend was a good thing.
Maybe when she had more headspace, she could give it the consideration it deserved, but jumping in right now wasn’t a good idea, and it wasn’t her style.
Before she had a chance to close the subject down in her mind, another thought sneaked in.
Maybe she should talk it over with her friends?
She hung on to the notion for a couple of seconds before dismissing it.
What are you thinking?! She could only imagine the excitement that admission would generate, not to mention full-on encouragement and the ensuing grilling session, with them wanting to know every teeny-tiny detail of when her feelings had changed.
She’d witnessed it enough times when one of them had been in the hot seat.
Nope, sharing with her friends was a seriously bad idea.
‘What’s up?’
Lark blinked to see Nate looking over at her.
‘You were miles away.’
She pushed up a smile. ‘I was just thinking about what you said about Louisa being a decent person. I’m glad you think so too. I warmed to her straight away and, so it seems, did my dad.’
‘Aye, he did, and from where I was standing, it was mutual. I hope it all works out for both of them.’ Nate drained his tea and set his mug down.
‘Me too.’ His words were the perfect cue to move away from the subject of romance. Lark seized on it. ‘So, have you made any progress with finding out who Buddy belongs to?’
‘Well, that’s actually what I’ve come to tell you.’ There was a note of intrigue in his voice.
‘Ooh, sounds interesting. Would I be right in thinking this calls for another pot of tea and a slice of Christmas tiffin?’
‘You’d very definitely be right, especially the part about the tiffin.’
‘Two ticks.’
With fresh tea poured and them each having a chunky slice of tiffin in front of them, Nate set about filling Lark in on what he’d discovered.
‘As you know, I put a post on the town’s social media pages and included a photo of Buddy.’
‘Mm-hm.’ Lark nodded, chewing on a mouthful, the gingery heat making her tastebuds tingle. She’d seen the photo Nate had taken, and thought Buddy looked adorable, all big woeful eyes and velvety ears.
‘And I was surprised to find I received a few responses identifying him.’
‘You did?’ It was clear to Lark that Nate had grown fond of Buddy over the last couple of days, and she wasn’t so sure this was good news for her friend. ‘Did you find out his name?’
‘I did.’ He popped a piece of tiffin into his mouth.
‘And?’
‘He’s called Bobby,’ he said through his mouthful. ‘I guess it’s because they sound so similar that he responded to Buddy straight away.’
‘Good point. Bobby’s a cute name for him too.’
A fond smile flickered over Nate’s face. ‘I agree.’
‘And what else did you find out?’
He drew in a deep breath. ‘It’s quite sad actually…’
Lark listened as Nate told her that a few people had responded to his Facebook post, identifying Bobby and providing him with details of what had happened.
It turned out Bobby’s owner was an elderly widower called Cyril Millington who’d suffered a nasty fall three weeks earlier, breaking his hip and a couple of ribs in the process.
Since Cyril lived alone, his son and daughter-in-law were looking after Bobby while Cyril was recovering in hospital, but the set-up had proved less than ideal since both Eric and Sue Millington worked full time.
Because of this, they’d refused to leave him in the house on his own all day, not wanting to risk coming back to accidents and mess.
So Bobby had been left out in the garden with a bowl of water, and only a kennel for shelter.
It would seem Bobby was as unhappy with the arrangements as his owner’s son and daughter-in-law and had made a bid for freedom, escaping through a broken panel in the fence.
He’d been wandering the roads, cold and hungry until he’d turned up at Nate’s workshop.
‘Oh, poor Bobby!’ Lark’s heart ached for him – it was horrible to think that’s what his life had become. ‘So what happens now? Does he have to go back to the Millingtons?’ Lark sincerely hoped that wouldn’t be the case.
‘A couple of the people who contacted me gave me Cyril’s son’s phone number and when I called them and told them I had Bobby, let’s just say they were less than thrilled to hear from me. They even tried to deny the dog was Bobby.’
Sadness washed over Lark. ‘How could they be like that? Bobby’s a gorgeous boy.’
‘I know, I couldn’t believe it either. They pretty much bit my hand off when I offered to look after him while Cyril’s incapacitated.
I asked Eric to double check with his dad that he was okay with the arrangements, and he called back less than an hour later to say he’d spoken to him and that his dad was happy with it, but I’m not so sure I believe him. ’
Lark puffed out a sigh. ‘At least we know Bobby’s in good hands now.
I think I’d be worried about him if he had to go back to the Millingtons.
’ She paused for a moment. ‘Did they give you any idea of how long Cyril’s likely to be in hospital?
’ The longer Bobby was with Nate, the stronger the attachment between them would grow.
She knew Nate would be gutted when the time came for him to hand Bobby back, but equally, she appreciated that he would no doubt be a much-loved companion for Cyril.
Nate sucked in a deep breath. ‘That’s the thing, from the way they were talking, I got the impression Cyril had been struggling with his mobility for quite a while.
Eric and Sue seemed to think he wouldn’t be in a position to look after himself, never mind a pet, when he was discharged from hospital.
And in fairness, the state Buddy – I mean, Bobby – was in when he turned up at the workshop…
I’m reluctant to say he wasn’t cared for; I’m sure Cyril cared for him a lot, but Bobby’s coat was matted and it’ll have taken a while for it to get that grubby.
’ He gave a shrug. ‘I feel sorry for him and Cyril, they’ve both had their lives turned upside down. ’
‘Yeah, it’s a sad situation,’ Lark said softly.
‘So, the upshot is, I told them I’d be happy to keep the little fella if Cyril feels he won’t be able to manage him anymore.
I told him I’d take Bobby to visit him. Makes sense, he’s settled quickly with me, and we’ve been rubbing along nicely.
Mind, his snoring’s a bit of an issue and don’t get me onto his breath…
’ The face Nate pulled made Lark laugh out loud.
But there was no mistaking the affection in his eyes.
Nate glanced around the kitchen. ‘Come to think of it, where is he? Whenever there’s food on the go, he’s usually glued to my side in typical Labrador fashion.’
Lark peered under the table, but there was no sign of him there. ‘I’m sure he came in here with us after his less-than-warm welcome from Luna.’
Wearing a puzzled expression, Nate got to his feet and headed towards the living room. Moments later, he peered around the door. He pressed his finger to his lips then gestured for Lark to join him.
Tiptoeing across the room, she leant around Nate to see Bobby stretched out on the rug in front of the stove with Luna snuggled up close to him. Both were sleeping contentedly.
Lark pressed her hands to her heart, the soft jingling of her silver bangles making Luna stir.
It was quickly followed by Bobby emitting a loud snore which had the cat leaping up and stalking off in disgust. The Labrador raised his head and glanced around as if searching for whatever it was that had disturbed him.
Failing to find anything, he rested his head back down on the floor and gave a contented sigh. Lark couldn’t help but laugh.
‘You’d never guess he was homeless a couple of days ago,’ she said, watching the steady rise and fall of his body.
‘You wouldn’t, he just seems to fit in anywhere, which makes how the Millingtons treated him seem even worse.’ Nate shook his head in disgust, his smile falling. ‘If it was up to them, he’d still be running the roads. Makes my bloomin’ blood boil.’
Lark rested her hand on his arm. It took a lot to generate such a reaction from the usually mild-mannered Nate.
‘Don’t think about it anymore. Bobby’s fine now – looking at him, he seems to have forgotten all about it – everything’s worked out well for him.
And you.’ She gave him a nudge with her hip and caught his eye, smiling.
The shadow lifted from his face and he smiled back.
‘Aye, I suppose you’re right.’
Lark turned and headed back to the kitchen, Nate following. ‘So, what are you doing with the rest of your day? Heading back to the workshop?’
‘Thought I’d save the workshop for later this afternoon. I’d originally called to see if you or your dad fancied joining Bobby and me for a walk on the beach. And after what we’ve just witnessed, I reckon Luna might think it’s a good idea.’
‘A walk on the beach? A good idea?’ Lark looked horrified at the suggestion. ‘Won’t it be absolutely freezing?’
‘I can’t deny, it is pretty chilly out there, but there’s no wind and the sun’s shining. And I discovered yesterday that Bobby loves a tear about on the sand and a game of fetch. If you wrap up warm, you should be okay.’
‘Go on, then, you’ve talked me into it. My dad’s got a key, so he’ll be able to let himself in if I’m still out when he gets back.
’ Lark found herself suddenly quite taken with the idea of a cobweb-clearing walk along the beach, watching Bobby race around.
And just maybe, spending a bit more time with Nate had something to do with it, too…