Page 54 of The Little Flower Shop By the Sea
As Jake and Lou disappear into the house, I have no choice but to follow. I’m not sure what I’m expecting to find as I enter Lou’s pretty cottage and we walk through to her living room, but it’s certainly not a brown-and-white spaniel lying in her dog bed in the corner. Blankets and towels surround her, and she’s panting and looking very hot and bothered.
‘Have you called the vet?’ Jake asks, kneeling down next to Suzy and stroking her head.
‘Yes, but he’s up at Monkswood Farm with a cow that’s having birthing difficulties. It seems all the animals in the area want to be born on May Day! I’ve delivered litters before, though,’ Lou says calmly. ‘I know what to do. I’m prepared.’
Another dog barks from outside.
‘That’s Basil,’ Lou says, seeing me look towards the back door. ‘He’s the puppies’ father, and he knows it too! He’s been pacing the house for days, waiting – a bit like me.’
‘Ah, right.’ I look at Suzy again. ‘How long before the puppies come?’
‘Could be minutes, could be hours,’ Lou says. ‘They’ll come when Suzy’s ready. So what was it you both called round for?’
‘Oh, it doesn’t matter now,’ I say. Seeing all this going on has made my temper tantrum seem less important. I’ll speak to Lou when she has less on her plate. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ I look down at poor Suzy; she’s panting hard, and I’m sure it won’t be long before the puppies start coming.
‘You could take Basil out for me?’ Lou says. ‘Like I said, he’s completely on edge about the puppies, so a quick walk would do him good. Whether he’ll go is a different matter though.’
‘Sure, I can try.’
‘Is that wise?’ Jake asks, ‘after… I mean, are you sure you feel well enough?’
‘Oh, what happened?’ Lou asks.
‘Nothing, really, I’m fine.’
But Lou turns to Jake for an answer.
‘She almost passed out, in the supermarket,’ Jake tells her. ‘I had to practically carry her out.’
‘Oh, you poor thing.’
‘I’m absolutely fine now,’ I insist, annoyed with Jake for telling on me. ‘I feel perfectly well enough to walk Basil for you, Lou, really.’
‘Well, you know best, lovey,’ Lou says, patting my arm. She heads towards the door. ‘Just watch Suzy for me, Jake, will you? I’ll be back in a tick. This way, Poppy.’
Lou leads me through to her kitchen, where she collects a red dog lead and some plastic bags, then we hurry out through the back door so Basil can’t get in.
Basil is the elderly basset-hound I’d seen Lou with outside the fish and chip shop the first night I arrived in St Felix. He looks up at us with large, doleful, very knowing brown eyes as we enter his garden.
‘Hey, Basil, want to go walkies?’ Lou asks, brandishing the lead in front of her.
‘Woof!’ Basil bounds over to us, and Lou attaches his lead to his collar.
‘He’s no trouble on walks,’ she tells me, ‘but he’s getting on a bit, so he doesn’t need to go for miles and miles any more.’
Basil sniffs around my feet. Then he sits down in front of me and looks up in that same knowing way he had when we’d entered the garden.
‘You seem to have made quite an impression,’ Lou says. ‘He doesn’t always like strangers. Perhaps he realises.’
‘Realises what?’ I say, eyeing Basil from above. It’s not that I have any issue with dogs, or any animals for that matter. I’m just not used to them these days.
‘That you’re related to Rose. Oh, don’t you know?’ she says, clapping her hand to her forehead. ‘I assumed someone would have told you. Basil was Rose’s dog. When she was taken into hospital, I said I’d look after him. After all, I had Suzy, and they already knew each other, so it seemed the ideal solution. Then of course when Rose didn’t return…’ As if Basil knows what she’s saying, he lets out a low howl. Lou crouches down and strokes his ear. ‘I know, fella, I miss her too.’
Basil nuzzles into her hand, and Lou rubs a little harder.
‘So he’s kind of hung around ever since, haven’t you, Basil? Him and Suzy get on fine – a bit too fine, actually, which is why I’m about to deliver goodness knows how many puppies. I thought old Basil was a bit past all that kind of thing and I didn’t need to worry, but it seems there’s life in the old dog yet – eh, Basil?’
I’m sure I see Basil smile.
