‘It wasn’t my fault this time. Myrtle needed to go out.’
Mary sliced the corner off a waffle. ‘And that’s why you should never have pets.’ She popped it in her mouth decisively.
Gino shook his head. ‘But that makes no sense. You work with animals all day. You go out at all hours to rescue them, and when you get time off, you spend it checking on them.’
‘But that’s different. They’re wild animals trying to fend for themselves and live freely in a world where the oddsare increasingly stacked against them. They don’t seek human company, and I do my best to ensure they can keep their independence and return to their natural habitat.’
Mary’s words and passion made Ava think of her mum. Not wanting to get emotional, she changed the subject.
‘Myrtle’s just used to our routine. So am I, to be honest. I love to have breakfast early, shower and be out in time to watch the sun come up. The orange glow of first light spreading across the land and—’
‘Oh, God, she’s off.’ Mary put her knife and fork down.
‘Oi!’ Ava hit her playfully on the arm.
‘I’m teasing. You know I love the way you see the world in pictures to be painted, and for the record, I love Myrtle — she’s the coolest pet I know.’
‘Well, she loves you too.’ Ava smiled. ‘And, honestly, the sunrise over the grounds of Dapplebury House is beautiful. You should come and see it sometime.’
Mary picked up her cutlery, returning her attention to her breakfast as she spoke. ‘Getting out of bed to see the sunrise on a day when I’m not on call sounds like torture. But Gino might be a taker. Fancy seeing the sun come up with Ava, Gino?’
Ava kicked Mary under the table and hoped Gino wouldn’t notice the flush she could feel spreading across her cheeks as she said, ‘The sunrise is stunning. Worth a look if you’re ever up at that time.’
Gino glanced up from his plate. ‘Sure, though I’m more of a late-night than an early morning type, me.’
‘Sunset then?’ Mary raised an eyebrow at Ava who decided to change the subject.
‘Talking of late nights, now you’ve had plenty of time to reflect on it, how did the 50s night go? It seemed a real hit from where I was sitting. I know Mary did quite well out of it. Didn’tyou say you learned some new moves from your dance partner?’ Ava giggled.
Mary poked her tongue out. ‘Well if you must know the night culminated in a very satisfying threesome.’
Gino choked on a piece of bacon and reached for his coffee.
Mary patted him on the back and giggled. ‘Just me and my good pals Ben and Jerry,’ she clarified.
Ava laughed. ‘How about you, Gino? Was it a success for The Brown Dog?’
Gino put his knife and fork down and took a quick swig of his coffee. ‘It was good. Not quite the money-spinner I’d hoped for, but good.’
‘Really? But you’d drawn in a crowd. We couldn’t believe how busy it was when we got there.’
‘Yeah, but busy dancing and busy drinking are two different things. What I need is to come up with a plan that gets bums in seats, and people eating and drinking. That would be a winning combination in terms of money in the till.’
‘And we all need more of that,’ Ava put in.
‘OK, so . . . like what? Come on, start by running your ideas by us. Together, we might be able to come up with something. Ava’s creative.’ Mary shifted in her seat, keen to hear Gino’s ideas.
‘I’m not sure my largely unused degree in Fine Art is going to help.’ Ava bit into her toast.
‘You know what I mean.’ Mary tutted, turning her attention back to Gino.
‘Well, the theme seemed to go down well. I just didn’t pick the right concept.’
‘So a theme you can connect with a meal? Eighties night, cheese and pineapple or prawn cocktails to start?’ Ava offered.
‘No not decades. I think no matter which I pick, the evening will be about the music rather than the food and drink if we godown that route.’ Gino pushed his plate back and folded his arms on the table.
‘So a theme, where the music is secondary to the food and drink?’ Mary wiped the last piece of waffle around her plate, mopping up the remaining maple syrup, before putting it in her mouth.
