Maybe he’d call in to the salon later and check she was okay? He’d hate to be gloating over his good fortune if something was wrong.
‘Excuse the play on words, but you take the biscuit,’ Nora spat, and Elijah took a step back in surprise.
He’d done as he’d intended and had popped in on his way home from The Forever Home to check on her. She’d certainlylooked okay, since she’d been standing behind a lady who was seated in front of a mirror, with a comb in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, and had been chatting away. She’d looked animated and lively, less pale and drawn than recently, and it was nice to see her smiling.
Unfortunately, when she glanced at the door to see who’d entered, the smile was instantly replaced by incredulity, quickly followed by ire, and he wondered how she’d found out about him taking Biscuit for a walk. Had she phoned the kennels to check how his visit had gone?
‘That wassounderhand,’ she snapped.
Elijah shook his head in disbelief. She was being so unreasonable.
‘Anyway, what do you want?’ she demanded, her eyes flashing fire.
Crossly he said, ‘Nothing. It doesn’t matter.’ No way was he going to admit he’d called in because he was concerned about her – a concern that was clearly misplaced. There was nothing wrong with Nora Bunting that a good dose of manners couldn’t put right.
Angrily, he turned on his heel, but before he left, he called over his shoulder, ‘By the way, Biscuit had a lovely time on his walk. He didn’t miss you at all.’
Then he stomped out, Nora’s furious expression as she stared after him, emblazoned on his mind.
CHAPTER NINE
The atmosphere in the field at The Forever Home the following day was cold enough to be mistaken for the Arctic. Neither Nora nor Elijah had spoken to each other since they’d arrived, and the air was thick with tension.
Nora might be childish, but she was trying to pretend Elijah didn’t exist. Which wasn’t easy, since she was acutely aware of every move he made and every word he uttered. Not toher,obviously, but first to Jakob and then to Biscuit.
‘I believe it’smyturn to take Biscuit for a walk,’ she told Jakob. ‘Sincehe—’ She frowned at Elijah ‘— took him out yesterday.’
Elijah was quick to say, ‘If you’d been here, you could have come with us. It’s not my fault you missed it.’
‘Some of us had to work,’ she shot back, then wished she hadn’t when Elijah gave Jakob a significant look, as though to say thathehadn’t had to. Just in time, she remembered shewas the one who’d be able to take Biscuit to work, so she swiftly added, ‘Luckily, he can come the salon withme, so it doesn’t matter if I have to work or not – unlikesomepeople I could mention. So, about that walk?’
Jakob rolled his eyes and muttered something which sounded like, ‘Give me strength’, but Nora couldn’t be certain. ‘You can take him if you want,’ he said.
Nora clapped her hands in glee. ‘Yay!’
‘Together,’ Jakob clarified, and it was Elijah’s turn to look pleased.
Jakob’s expression was stern. ‘Do you think you can manage to take him for a walk without squabbling? Because if you can’t…’ He glared at them, his warning clear.
Nora felt remarkably like a child who’d just been scolded by a teacher. Contrite, she promised, ‘We won’t squabble,’ and followed it up with a meaningful glower at Elijah.
The way they were carrying on, they were risking not being able to see Biscuit at all, and maybe not even being allowed to adopt him. She, for one, wasn’t prepared to let that happen, even if Elijahwasan underhand sneaky scumbag.
His expression was apologetic, and he nodded his agreement. He even went as far as to step back when Jakob held out Biscuit’s lead so she could hold it.
Nora wasn’t taken in, though; he was only doing it to look good in front of Jakob, and she guessed he was still hoping Jakob might favour him when (or evenif) Dawn canvassed her colleague’s opinion. Elijah wasn’t taking any chances. And neither should she.
Determined to take full advantage of this opportunity, Nora wrapped the lead around her fist and set off. Biscuit fell into step, walking nicely by her side, and as long as she stared straight ahead, she could pretend Elijah wasn’t with her.
Until he started speaking and she couldn’t pretend any longer.
‘How’s the walking coming along?’ he asked.
‘Why do you want to know?’
‘Just making conversation.’
‘Well, don’t.’ Nora came to a halt at the entrance to The Forever Home and glanced up and down the road, wondering which way to go. Left would lead them back down Muddypuddle Lane, right would take them across the top of the mountain and the scrubby moorland. Despite having lived in Picklewick all her life, she’d rarely ventured up this way.
