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‘Sure.’
‘How are the pub’s renovations coming along?’ Suzie asked Holly, as they all sauntered out of the tepee to collect Ariel and Max before making their way to the car park where Holly had left the rust-blistered Volvo she shared with Oscar, Max’s owner, whom she’d met whilst on a dog-sitting assignment in Hawaii.
‘Swimmingly! We’ve scrubbed the place from top to bottom, polished the floorboards, then painted every wall in a coat of brilliant white, and now Oscar’s having the time of his life choosing the commercial kitchen appliances, as well as all the other culinary paraphernalia a high-end restaurant needs. I never knew deciding on a toasting fork could be so important.’
Holly laughed and Suzie couldn’t help but smile at the sparkle she saw in her friend’s eyes. She deserved her chance at happiness after the loss of her dog-grooming business in the boardwalk fire, as did her friends Tilly, who had settled into a new life in Tuscany, and Freya, who was running an aromatherapy studio in the grounds of a château in the south of France.
‘What about the kennels?’
‘Oh, Suze, I can’t tell you how excited I am about opening my luxury hotel for dogs. It’s a dream come true, and I’ve got lots of fantastic ideas, but for the time being we’ve got to concentrate on getting the restaurant up and running.’
‘Need any help?’ asked Suzie, unable to keep the hope from her voice.
Since the loss of her business, along with most of her jewellery-making tools and raw materials, there had been very little for her to do apart from walk Archie, and unless she kept busy, her demons would start to poke their noses above the parapet to taunt her.
‘Always grateful for another pair of hands,’ said Holly, stopping next to the Volvo and turning to wrap her arms around Suzie, followed by Beckie. ‘Okay, I’ll see you—’
‘Hey! Who’s that!’ cried Suzie, pointing to the woodland on her left.
‘Where?’
Holly drew Ariel and Max’s leashes towards her as they had started to bark, either from sensing a stranger in their midst or from Suzie’s sudden and unexpected exclamation.
‘Over there, behind that oak tree.’
A whoosh of alarm, mingled with a soupcon of fear, flooded Suzie’s chest and her heart crashed painfully into her ribcage, causing her breath to catch in her throat.
‘I’m sorry, Suzie, I can’t see anything,’ said Rachel, shielding her eyes with her hand.
‘I thought I saw the flash of a camera.’
‘It’s probably just a rambler who took a wrong turn. I’ll go and check it out.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ said Holly.
Holly produced a couple of home-made dog biscuits from her pocket and gave Ariel and Max one each. Their barking ceased immediately, and she followed Rachel through a wooden gate to the footpath that separated the glamping site from the horses’ paddock, taking care to secure the gate behind them.
‘Are you okay?’ Beckie murmured, linking her arm through Suzie’s.
‘I definitely saw someone, Beckie.’
Suzie swallowed down hard in an effort to stem the rising panic. After inhaling a few steadying breaths, she felt her anxiety start to subside and she realised that – once again – she’d overreacted. It was something she had been working on, but so far, she’d not had much success, which was one of the reasons she preferred to keep herself to herself in her little tepee on a glamping site for long-term residents at the end of a rocky farm track.
‘I’m sure you did, but…’
‘But what?’
‘Not every stranger is filled with malicious intent,’ said Beckie, her voice gentle. ‘You can’t go on like this, Suzie, hiding away up here because you’re frightened that some random paparazzi will snap your photograph. What happened in London last year wasn’t your fault.’ Beckie paused, clearly deciding whether to continue. ‘And you can’t keep surrounding yourself with more and morestuff; it’s people you need to share your life with, not belongings. Maybe if you—’
‘Beckie! Suzie!Look out!’ Rachel shouted.
‘What the—’
‘Run!’
Chapter Two
Suzie looked across the wildflower field to where Holly and Rachel were waving their arms frantically in the air, jumping up and down like a pair of over-caffeinated Tiggers, except their faces were filled with alarm.
