CHAPTER FIFTEEN
One step forward, one step back. That’s how Gretta felt right now, as she took her seat at her desk. Just as she thought she might be able to open her heart to another man, that man had proved to be a big disappointment.
She’d returned from The Forever Home yesterday feeling betrayed and upset, and extremely jealous, but had managed to talk some sense into herself overnight.
She and Jakob had kissed.
So what? It had hardly been a declaration of love and, as she thought back to the conversation she’d inadvertently overheard in the supermarket that day, Clare (that was the woman’s name) and Jakob had history. A lot of history.
According to her friend, he used to worship the ground Clare walked on. Adored her – wasn’t that what she’d said? He clearly still loved her if they were now back together, and Gretta couldn’t begrudge him that. She hoped he’d be happy.
But she wasn’t quite ready to see him again, so perhaps she’d shelve her dog fostering plans for a while. She’d get her life back on an even keel first, then see if she felt the same. To be honest, she thought she probably would, because she still missed Bertie. Every now and then she swore she heard the click of his claws on the tiles in the kitchen, or felt a boop on her leg. She even imagined she could hear him howling, that Aaawooohooo which tugged at her heartstrings and—
The ringing of the doorbell broke through her thoughts and with a sigh she rose to answer it.
She was only halfway down the stairs when whoever was outside began hammering on the door.
‘I’m coming!’ she shouted, worry pricking at her.
It swiftly turned to incredulity when she saw Harriet Brown and Bertie on the pavement.
‘What—?’ she began, but didn’t get any further as the dog launched himself at her legs. She staggered back, Bertie leaping up, uttering cries of joy. ‘Bertie? What are—?’
‘I’m calling the police,’ Harriet snapped. ‘My husband works nights and he needs his rest. He can’t be expected to sleep with that racket going on. And why is the dog out on the street on his own, that’s what I want to know!’
So did Gretta. She knelt, cuddling Bertie, who wriggled and squirmed ecstatically, trying to lick her face.
‘You shouldn’t have a dog if you can’t look after it,’ Harriet carried on.
‘He’s not mine. He belongs to Mr Butler’s niece. She came to fetch him a couple of weeks ago.’
That took the wind out of the woman’s sails somewhat. ‘I thought I hadn’t seen it around recently,’ she sniffed. ‘You need to get her to come and fetch it. And tell her to take better care of it in future.’
‘I will,’ Gretta promised, hugging him. God, she’d missed him so much. He had to go back to his rightful owner, though, no matter how dearly she wanted to keep him. The problem was, she realised, as she took him inside, she didn’t have any contact details for Erica Hilliard.
Jakob undoubtedly would, but Gretta didn’t feel up to speaking with him. She’d give the sanctuary in Thornbury a call. They’d surely know.
She was tempted to leave it an hour or so, revelling in having Bertie back, even if it was temporary, but she guessed Erica would be going frantic with worry. So, with a heavy heart, she called the animal sanctuary and explained the situation.
‘I’ll just put you through to someone who can help,’ the person on the other end said, putting her on hold.
To Gretta’s dismay, the ‘someone’ she was put through to was Jakob.
‘Gretta, hi.’ He sounded happy. She guessed she knew the reason for that.
‘Bertie’s turned up on my doorstep,’ she said, without preamble.
There was a pause before he said, ‘I see. Shall I come and collect him?’
‘If you give me Erica Hilliard’s address, I’ll take him back there myself.’
He hesitated again, and when he said, ‘Sorry, I can’t give out personal information,’ she realised he was right. ‘I can call her and ask if she minds,’ he offered, and she had to be content with that.
When he phoned back with Erica’s address a short while later, she gave a sigh of relief that she wouldn’t have to see him.
Or was it disappointment? She honestly couldn’t say; but either way, it was for the best. Jakob’s heart belonged to someone else, and she simply had to accept it.
Erica Hilliard lived on a busy street on the other side of Thornbury, in a terraced Victorian house set in the middle of a row of similar houses. She had a small front garden, laid to slab and sporting a selection of pots, which was separated from the pavement by a wrought-iron gate, and there were net curtains at the windows. When Gretta pulled up alongside, she saw Erica peering through them.
The door opened before Gretta reached it. She was carrying Bertie because she didn’t have a lead or a harness, and she swore she felt him deflate when he realised where he was. He sagged in her arms like a cuddly toy with its stuffing removed.
Before she had time to consider what that meant, Erica hurried outside, a frown on her face.
‘The little sod!’ she cried. ‘I can’t believe he made it all the way to Picklewick.’
Gretta also found that hard to believe. Thornbury was nine miles from Picklewick. It was quite a distance for little legs, and there were so many dangers along the way. The thought of all the vehicles he must have passed, filled her with horror.
‘Check your garden,’ Gretta advised, handing him over reluctantly. Her arms immediately felt empty. She wanted to snatch him back and take him home.
The woman sighed. ‘I have. This is the third time he’s escaped. I’ve got three kids and two grandkids, and he’s caused me more worry than all of them put together. I don’t know what I’m going to do with him. He’s more trouble than he’s worth. If he carries on behaving like this, I’m going to take him to The Forever Home Kennels, and hope your boyfriend can find someone to give him a home. In fact, I should have told him that when he phoned me. You could have taken the little sod straight there – it would have saved me the bother.’
‘He’s not my boyfriend.’
‘What?’ Erica was distracted. ‘You were at the funeral together, so I assumed—’
‘ I’ll take Bertie,’ Gretta blurted.
The woman blinked, hoisting the dog onto her hip and grimacing. ‘I’ve got to put him down. He’s getting heavy.’
‘I’ll take him,’ Gretta repeated.
‘What do you mean ‘take him’? Back to the kennels?’
‘No, I’ll take him off your hands. He can live with me. I’ll be his new owner. If you’re serious?’
‘Oh, I’m serious. I’ve got enough on my plate without him.’
Gretta held out her arms.
Erica stared at her suspiciously. ‘You won’t try to bring him back if he plays you up?’
‘I won’t, I promise. I’ll give him a good home.’
Erica didn’t move, and Gretta feared the woman was going to refuse her offer. Please let me have him , she begged silently. It was clear that Erica didn’t care for the dog and Bertie wasn’t happy living with Erica. He looked dejected and defeated, and Gretta could see that he was shutting down – just like Jakob had said he’d done in the kennel.
She couldn’t let that happen.
Erica made up her mind. ‘Here, have him.’ She dumped Bertie into Gretta’s waiting arms and Gretta staggered at the weight. ‘He’s your responsibility now – is that clear?’
‘Perfectly.’
‘Good. Wait there, I’ll get his basket and stuff.’
She disappeared inside and Gretta whispered in Bertie’s ear, ‘Don’t worry, I won’t make you sleep in it.’
The dog squirmed, reaching up to flick her on the nose with his sloppy pink tongue.
Gretta popped him in the car, and Erica returned a minute later holding a plastic dog bed. In it were a couple of bowls, some toys, three tins of cheap dog food, and his lead and harness.
‘Sorry about the manky cardigan in the bottom, but he seems to like sleeping on it,’ she said. ‘I threw it out once, but he knocked the bin over and dragged it back out. You wouldn’t believe the mess he made. There was rubbish all over my kitchen floor.’
Gretta smiled. She definitely would believe it: she’d had first-hand experience, and she’d been equally appalled.
‘Are you sure about this?’ she checked, remembering that she hadn’t fallen in love with him instantly. It had taken her losing him to realise exactly what she’d lost.
Unbidden, Jakob leapt into her mind and she pushed him away. She’d never had him, therefore she’d never lost him, but she was realising how much she’d grown to care for him and how much she missed his company – the kiss aside.
‘I’m sure. He’s too much work. I haven’t got the time or the patience for a pet.’
Bertie is so much more than a pet, though, Gretta objected silently as she drove back to Picklewick with the dog on the back seat. He’d worked his way into her heart and was there to stay.
Gretta had hoped to have a better night’s sleep now that her warm and chunky companion was cuddled next to her and Zaza on the bed, but she didn’t.
Cross and feeling unaccountably lonely, she gave up trying to sleep at around two a.m. and padded downstairs to make a mug of cocoa. Taking it back to bed with her, she decided that if the hot, soothing drink didn’t have the desired effect, she’d get up for good and start her day.
With the soft glow of the bedside lamp illuminating the room, Gretta sipped her cocoa and tried not to think about things she’d rather not think about. However, as so often happened in the depths of the night before dawn had yet to smudge the horizon, when she switched off the light and settled down again, that was all she could think about.
At least her thoughts hadn’t centred on Landon for once, which was a relief. Instead, she kept thinking about Jakob and the kiss. Then Jakob and the woman from the supermarket.
‘Oh, Jakob,’ she murmured sadly.
As though sensing her unhappiness, Bertie wriggled up the bed until his nose was touching her shoulder. He whined, and she fondled his silky ears. ‘I know you liked him, but we won’t be seeing him again,’ she said sorrowfully. ‘He’s got a girlfriend, so it’s just you, me and Zaza from now on.’ Stroking his soft fur, she added, ‘It’s probably a good thing that he does. I don’t think I’m ready to let another man into my life. Except you.’ She kissed his nose. ‘You’re different.’
He snuggled in closer, burying his face in her neck.
‘I’m so glad you’re back, Bertie,’ she said, her eyes welling with tears. ‘We don’t need him, do we? I don’t need him, not when I’ve got you and Zaza.’ She had her parents and her sisters now, too: she’d be okay.
But as she finally drifted off to sleep, Gretta deliberately ignored the little voice in her head asking whether okay was really the best she could hope for.