Page 96 of Never Too Late to Date

Aoife was still on Vicky’s mind when Alex turned up at the clinic for his volunteer shift a couple of hours later and produced a pink jewel-encrusted dog collar and lead from his pocket.

‘I saw it in a shop and couldn’t resist.’

The sparkling item in his hand caught the sun and threw it straight back at her.

‘It’s for Dolly, for her first walk today.’

Vicky forced herself to focus and move on from whatever had gone on in the bedroom along the corridor. She couldn’t just barge into the young woman’s life.

Alex put the bundle into her hand.

‘It’s just a little present.’

‘It’s lovely, thank you. Dolly’s going to look great in it. Let’s get her out of her cage, shall we?’

Dolly’s joy at being let out was unbounded, and when Alex placed her on the ground for the first time since the accident, her barking was off the scale.

Vicky crouched down and attached the collar and lead, while Alex held her still and felt the dog’s leg all the way down before letting her go.

‘I’d say only up to the first field and back, but let’s give it a try. Don’t let her run, even if she tries to.’

‘Yes, that’s fairly obvious.’

And don’t teach your grandma to suck eggs were the words she wanted to add, but she felt odd about referring to herself as his grandmother, so she kept quiet. The age difference between them was always there in the background, for her at least.

She’d spoken more sharply than she intended, and he put his hand on her shoulder for a moment.

‘Are you OK?’

‘Yes, sorry. Just a little nervous about Dolly putting pressure on the broken leg.’

He seemed satisfied with that explanation. There was no way she could tell him what was really bothering her.

‘Don’t worry. The latest scan showed that her leg has healed nicely. Let’s just take it slowly.’

Dolly pulled against the unfamiliar collar and lead for the first few seconds, but a handful of treats helped calm her down. Alex bent down to give her a thorough stroke.

‘OK, Dolly. Let’s go.’

When Vicky walked the little dog outside, they were met with a flashmob. All the volunteers working that day, plus Maeve and Seamus, were shouting and cheering as Dolly took her first tentative steps.

The tears swam in Vicky’s eyes at the sheer pleasure on everyone’s face. These people really cared.

‘Thank you, thank you, on behalf of Dolly.’

The dog added a few barks of her own, which made laughter echo round the courtyard.

Vicky looked across at Alex.

‘Did you organise this?’

‘Might have had a little word earlier.’

He was full of surprises. Not every one was a winner, but this one most definitely was.

‘Well, it’s a lovely idea, thank you.’

Vicky bowed to her audience one last time, and keeping Dolly on a tight rein, stepped from the stone-flagged courtyard onto the uneven surface of the first field.