Page 97 of Never Too Late to Date

The change in terrain under her feet made Dolly falter for a moment, but soon she was straining at the lead to go faster. Alex fished a treat out of his pocket and made her wait for it.

‘Easy, girl. Small steps.’

A noise behind them made Vicky and Alex turn and smile at each other, as Bruce bounded over to join the party. Dolly stopped pulling immediately, and after a thorough nuzzle with her best mate, continued her stately procession with the black cat at her side, purring away. Alex took out his phone and took a photo.

‘See, that’s all we needed. Some of Bruce’s superpower to keep things steady.’

‘They get on so well, although they’re very different personalities.’

‘Well, you know the saying, opposites attract.’

‘Mmmmm.’

Alex was in a strange mood this morning. The best word she could think of to describe it was ‘jaunty’. He was positively upbeat, which was certainly not always the case. For once it was she who was something of a Debbie Downer.

Alex watched Dolly walk and produced his million-dollar smile.

‘She’s putting her full weight on that leg, which is excellent. I think we can safely say that Miss Dolly’s on the road to a complete recovery. She’ll still need to stay in the cage at night for a couple more weeks, but the walks can be increased daily. We should give ourselves a big pat on the back. We did good!’

You didn’t want to give her a chance when she was brought in – you wanted to put her down was the ungrateful thought that flashed through Vicky’s head. The vet had worked tirelessly on Dolly’s recovery since and was almost as fond of the little dog as she was. What was the matter with her?

‘We certainly did. She’ll be running around in no time.’

With a frisson of shock, Vicky realised that Dolly’s sign-off with a clean bill of health would probably coincide with her leaving Greece and going back to England. She’d already started the paperwork to adopt the little dog, but returning to Liverpool suddenly seemed so close, unbearably close. It was hard to believe she’d already been on the island for two whole months; it really did feel like only a couple of weeks.

Dolly would have a very different life back in the UK, as would she. There’d still be beaches nearby and plenty of grass, but she couldn’t promise sun, and Dolly had never even seen rain. How would she cope with mud and slime? Her white coat would be dirty in no time.

But she was racing ahead. It was a pointless train of thought. They still had another month to enjoy all the island had to offer, and it was up to her to make the most of it. Living in the present was her aim, rather than obsessing over the past, or worrying about the future.

Alex stopped stroking Bruce and looked straight at her.

‘Time to head back, if that’s OK. I’ve got to check on a few cases here, and then clinic this afternoon. But I’ll be back this evening for the patrol. Let’s hope it’s our last and that all this nonsense is over.’

Vicky nodded and moved off with Dolly, followed by Alex and Bruce. They were a right little menagerie, like something out of a Gerald Durrell novel. They only needed a waddling pelican and a goat to complete the picture.

Her out-of-kilter feeling followed her throughout the day, and it was still sitting somewhere around her stomach when Alex turned up for the night patrol. Dolly was safely tucked up in bed, thoroughly worn out after so much unexpected activity.

Much of their walk was conducted in silence, which suited her. The moon was at its fullest, hanging majestically in the sky, and the silver pathway it created on the sea was worthy of a painting by an old master with its myriad shades of grey and shafts of dazzling light. There was no sign of anyone; they were the only two people for miles, insignificant dots on the landscape.

About to begin the return leg, Alex insisted they stop and have a cup of coffee and a square of karydópita, walnut cake made by his yiayiá. Vicky leant back against the wall and took a bite of the sweet treat along with her drink.

‘Oooh, this is gorgeous. I can taste nuts and cinnamon. I’m right about the cinnamon, aren’t I?’

‘You are.’

Alex poured her some more coffee.

‘It’s the most positive I’ve heard you all day. Is everything really OK? You seem a bit down.’

Vicky swallowed the last delicious morsel of cake before speaking.

‘I am struggling with something, but it involves two of the volunteers, so I can’t really talk about it, as it’s not my story to tell.’

‘Ah, that’s tricky.’

‘It also brings up all sorts of bad stuff for me from my past.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’