CHAPTER SIX
Nora Bunting wasn’t a woman to take anything lying down, and when she wanted something, or had set her mind on something, she went for it. Which was why she owned her own salon. She’d had a vision, and she’d worked hard to make it a reality. But that was her career and her business, and hairdressing was a passion she’d held ever since she’d unwrapped a box containing a disembodied plastic head sporting a mass of fake golden hair one Christmas morning when she was six years old. She’d wanted to play with hair ever since, and she’d been fortunate enough to be able to make a career out of it.
However, this was different. This involved her health, and she was convinced that a dog was just what she needed to help her lose weight and regain control of her glucose levels. It also involved her emotions, because she didn’t wantanydog. She wantedBiscuit. Even in that short amount of time, they’d had a connection. She could feel it in her heart. He’d looked deep into her eyes, and she’d seen the adoration in them. He wantedherto be his new owner. He’d been silently begging her to take him home, and she wasn’t going to let him down.
When she heard Jakob say to the baker, ‘You’ve applied to adopt Biscuit,’ her heart had sunk. But she soon rallied, and before the man could open his mouth, she snapped, ‘You can’t have him! He’s mine.’
‘Um, technically, he doesn’t belong to either of you,’ Jakob pointed out. ‘By filling in an application form, you’ve expressed an interest, nothing more.’
‘Well,I’mmore interested thanheis,’ Nora shot back.
‘I saw him first,’ Elijah retorted. Then had second thoughts, and said, ‘Didn’t I?’ He turned to Jakob. ‘You didn’t tell me someone else was interested?’ His tone was accusing.
‘That’s because no one was,’ Jakob replied calmly.
‘Then Ididsee him first!’ Elijah cried.
Nora scowled. ‘I’m sure Jakob would have told me if someone had already applied to adopt him.’ She turned a glare on Jakob.
He held up his hands. ‘I didn’t realise Elijah had. He was going home to think about it.’
Nora rounded on the baker. ‘Ha! So when you almost knocked me over just now, you were on your way home. Ergo—’ she paused, dredging the word out of hours of watching crime and courtroom dramas on TV, ‘—Iapplied for him first.’
Elijah’s mouth dropped open. ‘You can’t have! I’ve just filled the form in, five minutes ago.’
‘I did it online –tenminutes ago.’ She turned to Jakob. ‘Itwasabout ten minutes, wasn’t it?’
Jakob, who was already a tall man, seemed to Nora to grow in stature. ‘Calm down, people,’ he said, raising his voice. ‘It doesn’t matter who saw the dog first, or whose application form was received the soonest. The only thing I’m interested in is what’s best for Biscuit. Who will give him the home he needs, and the home he deserves, and it mightn’t be either of you.’
‘What?’ Nora cried, astounded.
Elijah was shaking his head. ‘Why wouldn’t it be me?Ican give him all the exercise he needs.’ He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.
Nora bristled. If that was a sly dig at her weight, she wasn’t going to be responsible for her actions.
‘I run marathons—’ He stopped, flushed pink, then amended, ‘Iused torun marathons, but even if I won’t be running them anymore, I’ll walk him for miles.’
‘Funny that,’ Nora said archly. ‘I can put one foot in front of the other, too. You don’t have a monopoly on walking.’
She was relieved to hear that he was no longer running marathons, because she couldn’t compete with that. The last time she’d done anything remotely like running, was when she’d made a dash to the bar the other week because they’d called last orders and she’d wanted to get a final drink in before the landlord kicked her, Trinny, and the rest of the customers out.
She intercepted another look, this time a head-to-toe scan that lingered fleetingly on her waist, then her face, before darting away. Nora glowered in response.
Elijah said, ‘He won’t be left on his own for long if he comes to live with me.’ To Nora’s ears, he was starting to sounddesperate as he added, ‘I’m usually home from work by one thirty in the afternoon.’
‘Hah!’ Nora crowed. She could trumpthat. ‘He won’t be left on his own at all ifIadopt him, because I’m going to take him into work with me!’
Elijah visibly deflated. There wasn’t much of him to begin with, but now he seemed to shrink in on himself.
Taking pity on him, her voice grew softer as she said, ‘There are loads of other dogs to choose from. It doesn’t have to be Biscuit.’
His expression darkened. ‘Back at ya, darlin’! Why don’t you get yourself a cute little poodle; something a bit more manageable?’
‘What makes you think I won’t be able to manage Biscuit? Jakob thinks I can. He’s all for me adopting him.’
‘Whoa, I didn’t say that,’ Jakob protested, and Nora blushed as she realised she’d gone too far.
But once again, she rallied. ‘Depending on Dawn at the Thornbury Centre giving me the go ahead,’ she amended, adding, ‘I can’t see any reason why she won’t.’
