As I left her shop, I wondered why everything had changed when I told her I was Maddie’s sister. I recalled Maddie telling me that Frank disliked the people of Harp Brook. Knowing Frank, he’d probably shouted at one of them.
Despondent, I went into the next shop. It was a pharmacy and given the number of people waiting for their prescriptions, I decided to go find Grandpa instead. He was back looking at the church noticeboard and not searching for Humphrey.
We decided to drive back towards the Manor House. I was feeling anxious. Where was Maddie’s dog? We were past the first cottage when Grandpa suddenly shouted, ‘HUMPHREY,’ and pointed into the garden of the second cottage, before the gates to the Manor House. I pulled over, turned off the engine and bolted from the car. Humphrey was standing in the garden by a little girl. She had blonde plaits which were sticking out of a red bobble hat, and they reminded me of Kate. Humphrey was wagging his tail and gazing up at her with his large brown eyes.
‘Humphrey, come here,’ I said, entering the garden with my hand outstretched.
The little girl grinned at me. ‘He is my friend.’
‘He’s a naughty dog,’ I said, getting closer to Humphrey and praying he didn’t decide to make another break for freedom.
‘I was sad,’ the little girl announced. ‘He made me laugh.’ Her eyes were like large blue buttons, and she had a sweet, heart-shaped face.
‘Why were you sad?’ I asked, noticing Humphrey was transfixed by her. The little girl nudged a stone with her red welly boot. I didn’t like to press her, so I changed tactic. ‘This dog is called Humphrey.’
She smiled. ‘Humph-wee.’ The way she pronounced it made me laugh.
‘Excuse me, who are you?’ A male voice called out, making me jump. A man was striding towards me. ‘Is this your dog?’
I nodded. ‘Sorry, he escaped, and I have been–’
He was tall and wore a grey woollen hat. At the edges, I could see wisps of brown hair sticking out. His chin was coated in stubble and as he got closer, I was taken aback by his captivating green eyes. The man didn’t let me finish. ‘Can you keep your dog under control? I don’t like finding my daughter, Rosie, with a strange dog.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, grabbing Humphrey’s red collar.
‘Daddy, don’t shout at the lady,’ his little girl said, tapping him on the leg. ‘I like this doggy. Can we keep him?’
‘No, Rosie, we can’t keep him.’ The man took a closer look at Humphrey and glanced at me. ‘This dog looks familiar.’
‘He’s my sister’s dog,’ I said, guiding Humphrey back towards the car and wishing I’d grabbed his lead from the back seat.
‘You could try putting a lead on him,’ the man called out in a patronising voice. ‘That would be a start in controlling him.’
Turning my head back I glared at him. ‘Thanks for the advice.’
Humphrey climbed into the back seat of my car and sat wagging his tail and panting.
‘He’s had fun,’ exclaimed Grandpa, turning around in his seat. ‘Look at him, he’s a happy chap after his adventure.’
I climbed in the front, yanked my door shut and refused to look at Humphrey. He’d caused me enough stress for one day.
CHAPTERTWELVE
In the afternoon I made us all a slow-cooked casserole with beef, vegetables, and my handmade horseradish dumplings. Maddie was right when she told me the house was fully stocked with food. In the utility area, behind a door in the kitchen, was a row of giant American fridge-freezers, stocked with every food imaginable. There were also cupboards filled with tins, soups, pasta, rice and an array of flavourings, spices and herbs.
Later Grandpa and Layla laid the wooden table in the corner and kept praising me for the delicious smell coming from the casserole. Earlier I’d asked Layla what she’d been eating, and she said that she often went hungry as buying Zac baby food and nappies was her priority. She felt bad about asking the people who let her sleep on their sofa for food.
After I’d served us all a bowl of casserole and offered everyone a piece of crusty bread, we all dived in. To see Layla wolfing down my casserole brought tears of happiness to my eyes. Blinking them away I glanced at Baby Zac playing in his travel cot and Humphrey asleep in his basket by the kitchen island. That was not where his dog basket normally lived but given what had happened earlier, I’d decided to not let him out of my sight. The house felt peaceful and calm.
‘So, Layla, have you always been a cleaner?’ I asked, feeling the warmth from the casserole engulf my body.
She shook her head. ‘I started out doing a hairdressing apprenticeship.’
Grandpa mopped up some casserole sauce with a piece of bread. ‘Why did you stop?’
She smiled and pointed at Zac. ‘I needed a job which fitted around him. Cleaning houses in the mornings worked in the early days when he was tiny as he would sleep a lot. Ryan didn’t have to do much when he looked after him for me.’ She took out something from her handbag which was slung over the back of the chair. ‘I still carry around my hair dressing scissors and combs.’
‘You should go back to it,’ Grandpa suggested.
