Page 21 of Daydreaming at the Boathouse Cafe

Del hopped from one foot to another, looking fidgety.

‘Is everything all right, Del?’ asked Dotty. ‘You look harassed.’

‘Only from his unhappy customers,’ said Ben, still looking disgruntled.

‘Nah, it’s not that,’ said Del. ‘It’s this little fella.’ He gestured at the dog which Hannah was now stroking. ‘Nan can’t deal with him. She keeps forgetting that she’s ninety and lives in an upstairs flat! Anyway, I had to take him off her hands two days ago. She was that upset but she couldn’t handle him. I’ve not had a moment to myself since.’

‘Poor Tiny,’ cooed Hannah as the dog looked up adoringly at her face and then gave her a gentle lick. ‘What are you going to do with him, Del?’

‘Find him a good home,’ replied Del. He suddenly looked brighter, as if he had suddenly realised where he was. ‘Hey! I know! This place is big enough!’

‘No!’ said Ben and Walter in unison.

Del immediately turned his laser vision onto Alex. ‘Super things, dogs,’ he carried on, going into what appeared to be a very rehearsed sales pitch. ‘They’re very good for the mental health, aren’t they?’

‘Unless they break your foot,’ muttered Alex.

‘Tiny didn’t break it,’ said Hannah, frowning. ‘He just hadn’t been trained properly and ran out because he was excited.’

‘Exactly!’ said Del, leaping on her words. ‘Someone who’s used to a rigid training schedule sounds perfect as a dog owner, I reckon.’

‘How can I train him with a broken foot?’ asked Alex, hoping that was the end of the matter.

‘Well, he don’t need much walking at his age, does he?’ replied Del. ‘Think how good he’d be when you’re training for all those races.’

Alex shuffled in his seat, uncertain that he wanted the news that he had given up competitions to go any further than the family.

‘He’s so friendly,’ cooed Hannah, giving the dog a cuddle.

‘He’s a smashing lad,’ said Del, nodding and smiling at the appreciative audience. Lily, Faye and Dotty had all got up to fuss over him. ‘But then again Labradors always are. Such family dogs, ain’t they?’

‘What age is he?’ asked Faye, stroking the puppy’s head.

‘Nan didn’t know,’ replied Del. ‘He’s only a couple of months old, we reckon.’

‘But he’s enormous for three months! What are you feeding him?’ asked Walter. ‘Everything? He’s a right porker.’

‘Aww,’ said Lily. ‘Don’t say that! He’s cute.’

‘All Labrador puppies are cute,’ said Dotty with a frown. ‘Is he a flat-coated retriever because Labradors don’t normally have long fur like this?’

Del quickly nodded. ‘Nan got him from some chap she met at bingo but that’s what I thought, love.’ He looked across at Alex. ‘So? What do you think? Do you want him?’

‘I can’t, Del,’ said Alex, shaking his head. ‘I live in a flat in London. I’m only here for a week or two whilst I recover.’

‘Well, you can stay here a bit longer, can’t you?’ asked Del. ‘Best place I can think of to get yourself well.’

Ben looked at Alex. ‘You know, for the first time in history, Del might just be right. It’s been great having you here these past few days. Why don’t you stay on for the full six weeks?’

The family immediately burst into excited chatter.

‘Oh, that’s a great idea,’ said Faye. ‘You’ll be fighting fit by that time.’

‘Didn’t know he’d be having company though,’ added Walter, with a smile.

‘He needs cheering up, I reckon,’ said Del, gently taking the dog from Hannah to plonk him into Alex’s lap.

Suddenly Alex was holding a quite heavy puppy on his legs. Not that the dog seemed to mind. He merely looked up at him with big sorrowful dark eyes and panted, leaving a trail of drool across Alex’s arm.