Chapter 13
After breakfast, Ben took Alex to a vet’s surgery nearby.
Alex was still frustrated that he couldn’t drive and once more felt the nuisance caused by the break in his foot. However, despite Tiny passing a successful health test, there wasn’t any other good news to share with the family when they returned.
‘This is unbelievable!’ snapped Alex, storming into the kitchen on his crutches behind Ben. ‘How do I get hold of him?’
‘Who?’ asked Faye, looking concerned. ‘Whatever’s the matter?’
‘Dodgy Del, of course!’ said Ben, rolling his eyes. ‘Who else?’
‘Sorry,’ said Alex, looking at Faye with chagrin. ‘I’m not cross with you.’
He sank down on a chair, still not quite believing what he had just heard at the vet’s.
‘What’s Del done now?’ asked Walter with a heavy sigh.
‘The vet has told us that Tiny is most definitely not a Labrador retriever,’ said Alex, still in disbelief. ‘He is, in fact, a Newfoundland!’
A shocked gasp ran around the table, apart from Dotty who nodded and said, ‘I thought so.’
Alex looked at her, aghast. ‘You did?’ he asked.
‘Saw loads years ago in Canada,’ Dotty told him. ‘They make great rescue dogs.’
‘Aren’t they a large breed?’ asked Hannah, frowning.
‘Oh, yes,’ said Dotty. ‘Absolutely enormous!’
‘The adults can weigh up to 80 kg! I mean they’re giants!’ Alex had immediately googled the breed as soon as they’d left the vets. ‘I can’t take on that responsibility,’ he carried on, shaking his head. ‘What will I do with a huge dog? I’m used to living in a flat!’
‘Don’t move into another flat then,’ said Walter, with a grin.
Lily had been typing into her phone and looked up. ‘It says here that Newfoundlands are a very bulky dog who can take up a lot of space in your house and the car too.’
Alex ran a hand through his hair. He had accepted the dog with no thought as to what size it might grow to. This was possibly all his fault.
‘They can suffer from separation anxiety and destructiveness when left alone too much,’ carried on Lily.
‘I’ve had girlfriends like that,’ said Ben, with a grin which he quickly dropped at Lily’s raised eyebrows. ‘Kidding. And present company excepted, of course.’
However, Alex had completely lost his sense of humour. He had thought the dog might just be a positive thing in his life but suddenly he had a giant breed to take care of.
‘Newfoundlands can be stubborn, shed a lot of fur and can slobber and drool quite a bit as well,’ carried on Lily.
Alex groaned. ‘Is there any good news that you could tell me?’ he asked, feeling quite desperate at that point.
‘It says that they’re a calm breed and that they love the water,’ she told him.
‘He’s in the right place then,’ said Walter, with a grin.
Alex, though, didn’t smile, still mulling over the change in his well-intended plans.
‘They love daily walks so that would fit in with your morning runs,’ Lily told him. ‘When you’re all mended, that is. They’re good at receiving training and they’re good natured with everyone, especially children.’
But Alex still wasn’t so sure and could only focus on the negative aspects of the breed.
‘They suffer with separation anxiety? What happens when I want to go back to work?’ Although he hadn’t quite decided what he was going to do once his foot was fully mended.
‘How am I going to get a sitter for Tiny when he’s going to be an extra-large dog! ’
‘Perhaps Tiny needs a new name,’ said Walter.
He and Ben stifled laughter together at the joke.
Alex sighed. ‘You need to help me,’ he said, looking around at the family. ‘What am I going to do?’
‘Listen, I think Tiny’s a good idea,’ Hannah told him. ‘Like a fresh start. You did say you’d always wanted a dog.’
‘Yes, but not one the size of a house!’ said Alex.
‘He’s not that big yet,’ she told him, leaning down to stroke the dog who was sleepy after his busy morning.
But even Hannah’s gentle reassurance didn’t make him feel better at that moment.
‘Yet being the operative word,’ said Alex. ‘How am I going to cope with him? I’m still struggling to even walk at the moment.’
‘I can help you with him,’ Hannah told him. It was absolutely the wrong reason but the right thing for Alex to hear. ‘I can walk him for you. Take him outside when your foot’s hurting.’
‘Anyway, you did say that you were going to take some additional time off,’ added Ben.
‘Quite right,’ said Walter, nodding his head in agreement. ‘You’ve been working or training ever since we’ve known you. Take some time for yourself.’
‘To do what?’ asked Alex.
‘Absolutely nothing,’ said Dotty. ‘It’s called relaxing.’
‘Yeah, you should try it sometime,’ said Ben, looking at his friend. ‘They’re not wrong, mate.’
‘You could stay here for the whole summer,’ said Hannah softly.
Alex looked across the table at Hannah, delighted that she wanted him around for that long, but he couldn’t stop himself from shaking his head.
‘I can’t,’ he told her before looking at everyone else.
‘Tiny’s already disrupted you all for one night.
Are you and, more importantly your hotel guests, going to put up with the howling every night?
If I keep Tiny, and I’m still saying that is a very large if, we still can’t stay here.
We need to be somewhere where there aren’t any neighbours or hotel guests nearby. ’
‘We’re hoping to have planning permission for the lodges but it’s taking a bit longer than expected,’ said Ben.
‘There must be somewhere they can stay,’ added Walter, frowning.
There was a short silence as everyone thought hard.
‘I know just the place,’ said Hannah suddenly.
Alex watched as her face lit up into a smile and was so distracted that for a moment he lost his focus.
‘What do you mean?’ he asked, still trying to hear what she was saying and not the shiny rose colour on her cheeks as he gazed at her.
‘What about the upstairs apartment in the boathouse?’ Hannah looked at Ben. ‘What do you think?’
He nodded thoughtfully. ‘It’s plumbed in.’
‘Detached,’ added Hannah.
‘It’s a pretty big space up there,’ said Ben.
‘Away from the hotel guests at night,’ added Lily.
‘And the boathouse will be closed in the evenings so you get your privacy,’ said Hannah with a final flourish.
Alex leaned back in his chair, nodding thoughtfully. Perhaps it might just work for the next month whilst he literally got back onto his feet. But beyond that? He wasn’t sure.
‘Excellent,’ said Ben, with a nod. ‘So that’s decided. You and Tiny can stay here at Maple Tree Lodge for the summer.’
It sounded so tempting, to be in his favourite place all summer. But Alex immediately decided it had to be on his terms.
‘That’s a very generous offer but we need to decide up front how much rent I’ll pay you for the apartment,’ he said. ‘If I decide to take it on, that is.’
Ben immediately shook his head. ‘On the house, mate. You’re family.’
But Alex wouldn’t be deterred. ‘Nope,’ he replied. ‘I insist on it, otherwise me and Tiny are out of here. I need to pay my way.’
His voice betrayed how fiercely independent he suddenly wanted to be. He had been leaning on his parents for so long but he was ready to stand on his own two feet at last. Even if they couldn’t support his own weight at the moment, he added to himself ironically.
He looked his best friend in the eye and finally Ben slowly nodded. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘We’ll agree a fair rate. Deal.’
Alex found himself nodding as well. ‘Great. Well, if you’re sure. But look, what about Tiny making a mess in your brand-new apartment?’
‘Oak floorboards,’ Walter told him. ‘Any more reasons that you can think of not to do this?’
Alex finally found himself smiling. ‘I’m quickly running out of them.’
‘Why don’t we go and have a look?’ asked Hannah.
And as Alex looked at her pretty face once more, he found he was all out of excuses.