Page 77 of My Kind of Happy

Chapter Twenty-three

‘You’re not helping, you know,’ I said sternly, tripping over Scamp’s rubber bone for the umpteenth time. I gave it a kick out of the way.

It was the day after my trip to the funeral directors and I was in the shop early again, which seemed to be my new normal, and despite his advanced age, Scamp was having his daily mad half hour. This mostly entailed him dropping one of his toys at my feet and staring at it, nose close to the ground, bottom in the air and paws ready to pounce. Then as soon as I tried to pick it up to throw for him, he’d steal it back and charge around the shop growling triumphantly. Most of the time this was fine, but when I was trying to manoeuvre the cumbersome metal plant racks through the shop, not so much. I was lucky really, at least I could leave the door to the shop open safe in the knowledge he wouldn’t dash out and across the road. Biddy had no end of problems with Churchill popping over to the green to flirt with his favourite bitches.

And right now the door was open as I attempted to get the front merchandise attractively ready for the early coffee trade which the Lemon Tree Café attracted.

Scamp squeezed in front of me, pranced on the spot and dropped the bone again.

‘Nooo,’ I moaned in despair and reversed back into the shop, lowering the stand to the floor. ‘That’s it. I’m phoning Battersea Dogs’ Home. You’ll have to go.’

The sound of warm laughter made me spin around; Sam was leaning in the doorway, sunlight in his hair, his blue eyes twinkling with humour. He was all in black: smart trousers and shirt rolled up at his wrists to reveal his tanned forearms. My heart gave a little leap.

Rubber bone forgotten in an instant, Scamp greeted him enthusiastically, jumping up and sniffing his pockets for possible treasure.

‘Don’t listen, Scamp,’ he said, covering the dog’s ears and pressing a kiss to his head. ‘She loves you really.’

Lucky dog.

‘That’s debatable,’ I said, sternly. ‘It’s tough going on my own as it is without him throwing obstacles in my path.’

‘Here, let me help.’ Sam picked up two of the racks at once and set them down outside.

‘With pleasure.’ I followed behind with trays of plants and between us we got the job done in a fraction of the time it would have taken me.

‘Thanks,’ I said, brushing loose soil from the sleeve of his shirt. ‘Not that I’m a feeble female who can’t cope without a man.’

We were standing at the front of the shop in a patch of sunshine. Scamp was lying in the doorway, chin on paws, watching us.

‘I know that.’ He gave me a lopsided smile. ‘But some things are better with two.’

‘Agreed.’

He held my gaze and my heart thumped. I returned his smile, thinking of several things which could fall into that category, but I gave myself a shake. Sam was taken, he was married to Pandora. Even if she didn’t deserve him.

Sam yawned and clapped a hand over his mouth, mortified. ‘I’m so sorry. How rude of me. I didn’t get much sleep last night.’

‘No worries,’ I said, not wanting to dwell on why that might have been. ‘Same here. I was up until the small hours planning a flower scheme for the Claybourne Hotel.’

‘Your meeting went well then?’ Sam’s face split into a smile. ‘That’s great news!’

‘At this rate, I’ll need an assistant before Nina gets back. I’m shattered already and she’s been gone less than a week.’

‘I was up late as well, decorating.’ He showed me his hands. There was paint ingrained under his fingernails. ‘I’d forgotten what a taskmaster Pandora is.’

I raised my eyebrows. ‘So you’ve moved back in?’

He shook his head, scraping at the dried paint with his fingernail. ‘Not yet. Pandora thinks it’ll unsettle the kids. She’s probably right.’

There was something about his tone that made me think he wasn’t one hundred per cent convinced about Pandora’s strategy. Or maybe he was just keen to be living under the same roof as them all again. I wondered what she’d said to him about the flowers she’d received from her admirer. And most importantly, what was she playing at, pretending to be at yoga when she had someone as kind and caring as Sam waiting at home for her?

Sam yawned again and we both laughed.

‘Perhaps we should both get an early night tonight,’ I suggested.

‘I appreciate the offer but …’ He quirked an eyebrow.

‘No, no, I didn’t mean it like that!’ My hands flew to my face and I laughed, embarrassed.