Grandpa gave her a knowing nod. ‘I’ve been doing the same.’
Dorothy turned to him. ‘Really?’
‘My wife passed away years ago and all I do is sit at my living room window and watch the world carry on without me.’
‘Eric,’ she gushed, her eyes dancing with excitement at him. ‘That’s exactly it – watching the world carry on without us.’ She pointed to Humphrey. ‘Well, I was having my morning cup of tea and this little chap turned up.’ She stroked Humphrey under his chin which he clearly loved. ‘I don’t know how, but he managed to get upstairs, but he did! And you wouldn’t believe this, but he came downstairs with one of my silver sandals in his mouth.’
Grandpa laughed and clapped.
Dorothy chuckled. ‘It was a sign. My daughter thinks I am mad viewing things as signs. Seeing him gently place the shoe by my feet did something to me. I rose from my armchair and went to choose an outfit.’
The band started to play ‘It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas’ and Grandpa stood up. He offered his hand to Dorothy. ‘Shall we?’
Her eyes widened. ‘Are you sure, Eric?’
‘Dorothy,’ he said, in a suave voice, ‘I’ve been known to cut a rug in my time. This song is perfect for a slow fox-trot.’
‘Oh, Eric,’ gushed Dorothy, as Grandpa led her by the hand onto the dance floor.
To my amazement, they both assumed their positions with their arms high, like they’re told to do onStrictly. Grandpa started with his left foot forward, right foot forward and then they did a quick step to the left. They started slowly but soon they were gliding effortlessly around the floor. I leaned forward in my chair watching Grandpa dance like a pro. It was like seeing a different version of him. He and Dorothy were so good, other couples stopped to stare at them.
Grandpa and Dorothy never returned to the table until the final song had finished. They were the stars of the event, and everyone applauded them at the end. As they made their way back to the table, I sneakily put Humphrey on his lead and gave him a pat for doing something nice for Dorothy.
Grandpa and Dorothy began talking to each other as soon as they sat down. It was like they were long-lost friends.
Grandpa was clearly enjoying himself, so we stayed until the event organisers started asking us to leave. We walked Dorothy out and I noticed she had looped her hand through Grandpa’s arm.
I placed Humphrey in the back of the car and waited for Grandpa to finish saying goodbye to Dorothy. Her daughter was picking her up, so I assumed he was being a gentleman and making sure she got a lift safely.
A car pulled up and I noticed it was the lady from the gift shop. She beamed at Dorothy and Grandpa before glancing at me. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened. ‘It’s you, you’re–’
‘Maddie Baxter’s sister. We met in your gift shop. That’s my grandpa.’
The woman frowned and quickly led Dorothy away from Grandpa. ‘Come on, Mum. These are not the kind of people you should be fraternising with.’
Dorothy glanced back at Grandpa and cast him a sad look. Grandpa had hung his head. He was crestfallen.
‘Grandpa, get in the car,’ I ordered.
‘Why did her daughter take her away like that? Dorothy and I have had a wonderful time.’
I started the engine and swung out of the car park. ‘Not sure – but we will get to the bottom of it.’
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Overnight the snow returned. We all awoke to a thick layer of snow outside and giant snowflakes pattering against the windows. My bed was warm and cosy, so I allowed myself to spend an extra twenty minutes in it.
Propping up my pillows behind me I took out my phone and saw that the Met Office had issued several weather warnings in the area. Waiting for me in my email inbox were a slew of job application rejections which made me groan. My redundancy money would soon come to an end, and I would be forced to use my savings if I didn’t find work.
On the general family WhatsApp chat Maddie had shared several photos of the fabulous house Frank had hired out for their Christmas in Malibu. It commanded a view across the shimmering blue ocean and was hemmed in by palm trees.
In one Maddie was standing by the pool like a swimwear model with her enviable slim figure and her golden curly hair. My sister looked relaxed and happy. Her bikini was a gorgeous burnt orange colour and reminded me of the bedding I was laid on. Our cousin Fay had been busy reviewing the photos overnight and had posted:
Great pics, Maddie. I bet Rachel is jealous as hell seeing these whilst caring for Grandpa and your dog back in Harp Brook.
‘Fay, mind your own business,’ I murmured, stopping myself from replying to Fay’s comment with something salty and inflammatory.
Distracting myself, I moved on to Facebook and saw that I’d been accepted by the admin to join the Harp Brook town group. Scrolling down I saw Darren’s post about Humphrey from yesterday.
