Chapter 9
Claire stared at the bedroom ceiling as she ran through the checklists in her head.
Although she couldn’t see it in the darkness, she was acutely aware of the crack that ran from the tatty light fitting to the corner of the room.
How many hours had she spent lying here, tracing its contours while planning her escape from Darren?
She glanced across at him, his rhythmic snoring the only sound in their otherwise silent house.
She’d never known she was capable of such hatred until these last few months.
Of course, the shove in the kitchen had just been the beginning.
Since then, the violence had escalated and, although he’d been pitifully apologetic afterwards each time, buying her flowers and showering her with gifts, the gaps between outbursts were getting shorter and she needed to get away before he did something really serious to her.
The problem was that he controlled virtually every part of her life now; even her passport was locked away in a filing cabinet ‘for safe keeping’.
Still, he didn’t know about the shoebox at the back of the wardrobe where she was slowly starting to build her getaway kit.
Any cash tips from work went straight in there, along with the replacement passport she’d ordered because she’d ‘lost’ the original and the card for the secret bank account she’d set up.
She just had a few more things to get, and then she’d be ready.
Thankfully, the threat of having to go on retreat appears to have unblocked me a little.
The book has started to flow slightly better and I’m making good progress towards the climax of the first half.
It’s always tricky, this bit. You want to accelerate and get on to the next part of the story, but you know that the reader wants to savour the journey without feeling rushed.
I’m reviewing the last couple of chapters, checking the pace, when my phone rings.
‘Hi, is that Laura?’ a female voice asks when I answer.
‘Yes.’
‘This is Donna, from Donna’s Doggy Daycare. You left me a voicemail message this morning. How can I help?’
I glance down at Meg, curled up asleep in her basket.
If I’m ambivalent about the idea of going on retreat, that’s nothing compared to the guilt I feel about potentially dumping Meg on strangers while I’m away.
Liv has been very firm with me and I do understand that I can’t let Meg dictate my whole life but, as I’ve pointed out several times, she is a living being and I am responsible for her welfare.
I’ve looked at all sorts of options for her while I’m away and, up until now, I haven’t liked any of them.
There are plenty of dog walkers who will call in once or twice a day to take her out, but she’s used to being around people for most of the time and I worry she’ll be lonely.
‘I’m thinking of going away for a couple of weeks,’ I explain to Donna. ‘I’ve not left my dog before and I usually work from home, so she’s used to being around people all day.’
‘Of course she is,’ Donna says robustly. ‘And you worry about her being on her own for long periods.’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m sure we can help. When would you be going?’
I give her the dates.
‘Yes, we could definitely squeeze her in. So, there are several options, depending on what you think would suit her best. She could either come to us as a boarder and stay for the duration of your trip, or she could come as a day-doggy.’
‘I was thinking probably the day-dog option. I think she’d prefer to be here overnight.’
‘I assume that there would be someone in the house at night-time to look after her?’
‘My flatmate Liv, yes.’
‘Perfect. So, with the day-doggy option, you have another choice. Either your flatmate could drop her off here before work and collect her afterwards or, for a small extra fee, we could collect her and bring her home.’
‘And what happens during the day?’
‘We have a number of activities for the dogs, depending on what they like. They’re encouraged to socialise with each other and we walk them in pairs.
There are areas for play where we provide stimulating toys, as well as rest areas for them if they want some downtime.
There are always humans on hand to supervise and also reassure where necessary.
If you want to come and have a look, that’s something we definitely encourage. What’s your dog’s name?’
‘Meg.’
‘Bring Meg along too. We offer a free taster session so you can see how she fits in and we can check there aren’t any red flags from our side.’
I hadn’t considered that there might be an issue on their side. ‘What kind of red flags?’ I ask.
‘I’ll be honest with you,’ Donna says. ‘Doggy Daycare isn’t for everyone. How is Meg around other dogs?’
‘She’s generally fine. She likes a sniff and then moves on.’
‘Probably not an issue then. Some dogs are very anxious and can get aggressive around others. We tend not to accept those ones, not because we can’t handle them, but because it upsets the general atmosphere. We like happy dogs here.’
I’m finding Donna very reassuring and, by the time we disconnect the call a while later, I’ve agreed to visit with Meg in a couple of days.
‘I think I may have found a solution to the Meg problem,’ I tell Liv as we’re sipping a cup of tea later that afternoon. Thankfully there are no treats from the patisserie today; I haven’t dared weigh myself lately but I can definitely feel the effects of her baking in the tightness of my trousers.
‘Oh, yes?’ She’s only half listening, as she’s flicking through one of the trade magazines she loves at the same time.
‘Someone called Donna. She runs a daycare centre for dogs, a bit like a crèche. She sounded really nice, so we’re going to have a look in a couple of days. Want to come?’
‘It’ll have to be an afternoon. Flat out in the mornings,’ she says listlessly.
‘I thought of that. I booked us in for four o’clock on Friday.’
‘That could work. I’ll ask Bella to lock up.’ She finally moves her gaze from the trade magazine to glance down at Meg’s head on her lap. ‘Auntie Liv needs to make sure naughty Mummy isn’t sending you to some horrible hellhole, doesn’t she? We don’t want you all traumatised.’
‘It’s not a hellhole. It sounds really nice, actually. They’ll even pick her up and drop her off if we want them to.’
‘Hmm. That’s probably so we can’t see the pound she’s going to spend all day locked up in.
Have you thought of that? It’s like boarding school all over again.
When you’re looking around, it’s all sunshine, roses and “of course your child’s welfare is our top priority”.
Then, no sooner have your parents turned out of the driveway than it turns into a Victorian workhouse.
’ She turns to the dog again. ‘Don’t worry, Meggie.
Auntie Liv has plenty of experience and can smell out a rotten boarding school from a mile away. ’
‘Liv!’
‘What?’
‘This was your idea, remember? You’re not being helpful right now. Plus, I’m pretty sure you said your schools weren’t that bad.’
‘You’re right. They were fine, actually. Sorry, I didn’t mean to guilt trip you.’
‘Is everything OK?’
‘Yes, fine. I think I’m just having one of my existential crisis days. Nothing to worry about.’
‘Do you want to share?’
‘It’s not very interesting. I’m sure you have days where you wonder whether your life is going in the right direction, don’t you?’
‘What’s brought that on?’
‘Dad was asking me the other day if I had any expansion plans for the business. He thinks I lack ambition, that I should be looking to centralise production in a commercial kitchen somewhere and open multiple outlets. I can see his point, but it’s not really where I want to go.
I love my little patisserie, and I love Margate.
Does it make me a bad person for that to be enough? Should I want more?’
‘Your dad is always going to be looking for the next thing, Liv. It’s the way his mind works.’
‘I know, but he was basically saying I’m vulnerable because my business is too small. What if one of the big players moves in next door?’
‘And what if they don’t? You’ve got a great business with a loyal customer base. People travel to come to you. Did Bella tell you we had a couple in the other day who’d read the reviews online and come all the way from Tonbridge to sample your Tarte au citron?’
Her face brightens. ‘Really?’
‘Really. So yes, you could expand the business if you wanted to, but there’s risk in that as well, isn’t there? If you became more corporate, people might not love you so much. It’s the personal touch, your passion for what you do, that makes you special.’
She looks like a weight has dropped from her shoulders. ‘Thanks, Laura. I needed to hear that. I know Dad means well, but—’
‘He doesn’t understand your business like you do. Remember that.’
‘You’re right. So, tell me more about this doggy daycare then.’
‘It’s nice, isn’t it?’ I say to Liv as we load Meg into her car a couple of days later at the end of our test visit to Donna’s Doggy Daycare. ‘Meg certainly seemed to like it.’
‘Donna was really good with her, and I like the way she introduced her to the other dogs gradually. I think she’d have freaked if she’d been confronted by that German Shepherd off the bat.’
‘He was a bit bouncy, wasn’t he?’ I agree. ‘I was worried he was going to squash her at one point, but they seemed to settle down well together in the end.’
‘You know what this means, don’t you?’ Liv says with a grin. ‘The universe has spoken and you’re going to France.’
I sigh, knowing I’m defeated. ‘Are you sure you’re going to be all right being in charge of her?’
‘Oh, I’m going to feel horribly guilty dropping her off here in the mornings. But it’ll probably be good practice for abandoning my own children at school when the time comes.’
Liv doesn’t talk about children generally, so I’m intrigued.
‘Would you send your children to boarding school, having been through it yourself?’ I ask.
She grins. ‘That would depend entirely on how annoying they were. Anyway, I’ll use Meg as practice to see if I’m tough enough to do it.’
‘Except she won’t be boarding, and you know she’ll be having a lovely time all day. If you prefer, I can get them to collect her so you don’t have to feel bad about leaving her.’
‘And have her eyes following me as I leave the house? That would be even worse. No. What did you think of Donna?’
‘She seemed nice. She certainly knows a lot about dogs.’
‘And what about the partner, Kate?’
‘What about her?’
‘Business partner, or do you think they’re a couple?’
I smile. I couldn’t help noticing that Liv was very attentive towards Donna. I suspect she may have taken a bit of a shine to her.
‘Business partner only,’ I reassure her.
‘Based on?’
‘Wedding ring, picture on Kate’s desk of her with a man I’d hazard a guess is her husband and two adorable children.’
‘You’re so observant.’
‘I’ve had training from Bella.’
‘What about Donna? Any evidence of family there?’
She’s definitely interested.
‘You like her, don’t you?’ I ask.
‘What kind of question is that?’
‘You were bordering on flirtatious.’
‘No, I wasn’t. I was just listening carefully to what she said,’ Liv bristles, making me smile. She’s so transparent when she gets a crush on someone. ‘I didn’t want to miss a single detail which might affect my darling Meggie, did I?’
‘You’re such a model dog mother,’ I tell her with a laugh. ‘Promise me one thing though.’
‘What?’
‘Actually, two things. One, don’t give Meg so many treats while I’m away that she gets fat.’
‘Deal. What’s the second?’
‘Don’t frighten Donna off. At least, not until I get back.’
‘Why would I frighten her off?’
‘You get a bit… predatory… sometimes, when you like someone.’
‘I do not! Anyway, this is all in your head.’
‘Mm-hm? I know you, Liv. I can recognise the signals, and you were giving off all of them. You were even flicking your hair at one point. Total cliché.’
‘It was getting in my eyes. You read too much into things.’
‘OK. So tell me, hand on heart, that you don’t fancy her at all. I mean, I can’t see why you would. She’s pretty, curvy, fairly no-nonsense about life. Oh, wait a minute. Those are all things you’re really into, now I come to think about it.’
‘You’re funny. You should think about writing some of this stuff down. Fine. I may have noticed her. But that doesn’t mean anything.’
‘I’m just saying be subtle. The last thing I need is for poor Meg to be expelled from doggy daycare because you’re sexually harassing the owner.’
‘I’m not going to sexually harass anyone, thank you. I might ask a few probing questions now and then, but that’s all.’
I laugh. ‘Now I don’t know who to feel more sorry for. Meg, for going to daycare, you for having to leave her there, or Donna for having to put up with your inquisitions.’
‘Pah. Go off and do your writerly thing and stop worrying about us. We’ll be just fine, won’t we, Meg?’
I glance across at her. She might be trying to play this cool, but it’s a long time since I’ve seen her so instantly and strongly attracted to someone.
I just hope, for her sake, that Donna doesn’t give her the brush-off.
However, I’ve got a bigger problem. I now have no excuse not to go on this bloody retreat.