Chapter Fifteen
Nick looked at the stranger who had just introduced himself. She should decline and head to her room, but the idea of a drink sounded just what she needed. Her heart was beating ten to the dozen and she needed to calm down. Besides, he had a lovely smile and his shaggy blond hair and slightly crooked nose put her at ease. As they walked into the lounge, he guided her towards some armchairs by a roaring fire, Nick looked at the flames and thought how wonderful it would be to escape all her problems. Leave her past behind and re-invent herself in this cosy hotel, with a handsome stranger, and a little dog. Could there be anything less like her? Before she could change her mind, she smiled at Gabe.
‘I’m Letta. And thank you for being so kind. I feel a fool, but the dog is new and honestly, I’m out of my depth.’
As she looked in the bag, she seemed eager to escape but she was uncertain if that was a good thing.
‘I don’t think I’ve met a Letta before, is it Polish?’
Nick laughed, why not? But then decided that was probably taking her re-invention too far. Better that she stayed close to who she was, just a version without the current tarnish.
‘No, it’s just a nickname my mother had for me. Do you have dogs? Do you know what to do with one?’
And then she explained how she came to be in possession of an animal that she had no idea how to take care of .
‘It was a going-away present from work but honestly I think it was a really bad idea.’ She picked the little dog up and put her on her lap. ‘Not that I think you are a bad idea,’ she said to the dog, ‘I just think me having you is not great.’
Gabe smiled at the dog and then asked if he could hold her for a bit. He found himself laughing and twisting his head away, as the dog proceeded to lick his face and try to scramble over his shoulder.
‘What’s her name?’
‘According to the paperwork it’s Brightwater Miss Gableforth, but that’s a dreadful mouthful and she doesn’t seem to respond to it anyway. I’ve been trying variations, but they don’t seem to be sticking either.’
Gabe paused. What a mad thing to give as a present, especially to someone that didn’t seem to have any idea about animals. ‘Maybe you should re-home her?’
Nick tilted her head. She had no idea what all the new terminology was regarding pet care. She was completely out of her depth.
‘What does re-homing involve? Is that like litter training?’
‘No, I meant, like, give it back or give it to a shelter.’
The girl glared at him. ‘Put her into care?’
What a strange way to look at it, thought Gabe, but he shrugged his shoulders. ‘Yes, I suppose that’s one way to put it, but she’s a cutie, she’ll be re-homed immediately. And to someone that wants her and knows how to take care of her.’
Nick stood up and took the little dog from him and sat back down again stroking her as she promptly fell asleep .
‘This little dog is family now,’ said Nick fiercely. She hadn’t been sure what to do with it, but the minute Gabe had suggested returning her she knew that she had passed that point. ‘She is my responsibility and I’m not letting her go.’
‘Well, in that case why not call her Ohana?’
Nick shrugged blankly. Was O’Hana some sort of Irish name?
‘Have you not watched Lilo and Stitch ? It means “family” and as Lilo says, Family sticks together .’
That sounded like a quote to Nick but she hadn’t seen the film. However, it sounded suitable.
‘Ohana it is then, although I don’t know the movie. Is it some foreign art-house thing? I’m afraid I don’t go to the cinema much.’
Gabe winced and then gave Nick a guilty grin. ‘I should say yes, shouldn’t I? Pretend that I’m terribly cultured but actually Lilo and Stitch is a Disney movie. It’s my little sister’s favourite.’
Nick laughed as he explained how he and his brother would fight over the chance to babysit their half-sister. Sighing, Nick sipped her coffee and looked at the flames reflectively. What the hell did she know about taking on a pet? When she had opened the box and seen the dog for the first time she had been horrified and then had instantly fallen head over heels in love. When Gabe had suggested getting rid of her just then, Nick’s feelings had solidified. She hadn’t asked for this dog, but no one asked for the hand they were dealt; now she and the dog were stuck with each other. She was worried that Ohana may have got the poorer end of the bargain .
‘The only thing is, I’ve never had a pet before. I don’t know how to feed her, or take her for walks, or anything. So far she sleeps, and lives in a bag. That can’t be right?’
‘Not quite,’ he laughed, and Nick liked the sound of it. ‘But maybe later you could ask at reception for the closest pet supplier.’
Nick nodded her head. ‘Good call, but I think for now I’m going to unpack and let this little one stretch her legs.’
Gabe stood as Nick got up and she smiled at the small courtesy. Letta and Ohana against the world. With her keys in hand she walked up the main staircase and headed off in search of her room. The girl at the desk had explained, but it sounded a bit of a warren. The hotel had been built as a fortified manor house, before it had been a convent, and Nick wondered if the twists and turns in the corridors meant that the builders also feared attack from within. She could imagine running down these passageways and then leaning around a corner shooting as she went. She wondered if the nuns did the same in their day. Finally, she arrived at a heavy oak door. She turned the key and was pleasantly surprised by how modern her room was. Certainly, the beams running across the ceiling showed its age but there were wall-to-wall carpets and a state-of-the-art bathroom. There was a large flatscreen TV on the wall and looking out the window let her gaze out over the stormy Irish Sea.
Removing Ohana, she put her down on the bathroom floor and knelt down, smiling as she watched her skitter across the tiles, then pause, then carry on running. She pulled out two little plates from her bag’s side pocket and emptied a portion of dog food into one and water into the other. Ohana walked across to the water bowl and then happily wolfed down her food. When she was full, she padded across what was left of the food and went off to examine the waste bin.
Laughing, Nick cleaned the plates and then filled up the water again and then sat back down on the tiles watching Ohana chase her tail, drink some water and sit on the plate. Incredibly as she sat there, her head nodded, and she fell asleep.
Alarmed, Nick poked the small dog who looked up blearily and fell back asleep. Moving Ohana to the main room, she placed her on a towel and looked at her fondly. Dogs were messier than she had anticipated but she was sure that the chaos would soon die down.
She plugged her laptop in but didn’t fire it up and continued to hang up her clothes and lay out her toiletries. The whole time she kept checking on the dog, but Ohana was sound asleep. Nick realised that for the first time in weeks she hadn’t thought about the case once. Instead she was looking forward to breakfast and beginning her research.