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‘Thank you for organising that, Alex. We do appreciate it.’ Flora smiled before standing up. ‘Right, I’d better get on. I’m going to brave the weather and take Ralph down to the cove. That’s one advantage of the rain. The beach should be pretty quiet.’
Poppy nodded. Ralph was a complete softie with them, but was terrified of other dogs and reacted when scared, so it was best he was walked at times when the likelihood of running into another dog was low. Poppy looked down into her mug, the coffee now barely enough to cover the ceramic bottom. She’d been that thirsty after her morning of cleaning.
‘I’d also better get on,’ Percy said. ‘I need to fix that tile on the roof of the cottage. If it cracks any more, you’ll have rainwater flooding through your ceiling.’ He nodded towards Flora before downing the dregs of his coffee.
‘Oh, no you don’t.’ Flora tutted at him. ‘Your responsibility is Wagging Tails, not my home.’
‘If you and Poppy get poorly from living in damp conditions, then it affects Wagging Tails.’ Percy held the door open for her. ‘Besides, I’ve already got my ladder out ready, and you know what a muddle the storage shed is in. It took me half an hour to find it.’
‘I can’t expect you to fix the tile on my cottage.’ Flora shook her head.
‘You’re not expecting me to, I’m offering.’
And with that, they both walked out, Percy shutting the door behind them with a click.
Susan chuckled. ‘I’m assuming Percy is up to his old tricks again with the swapping of names?’
‘Oh, yes. Indeed, he is.’ Slumping back in his chair, Alex laughed.
‘What do you mean?’ Poppy looked from Susan to Alex and back again.
‘You don’t know?’ Alex raised his eyebrows, trying and failing to stop laughing.
‘Know what?’ She looked across at Ginny, who ran her index finger and thumb across her lips pretending to zip her mouth shut.
‘You can’t not tell her now.’ Grinning, Sally shook her head. ‘I’ve only been here a few months, but I noticed it pretty quickly.’
‘Tell me what? Yes, come on, don’t keep me in suspense.’ Leaning back in her chair, Poppy crossed her arms.
‘Okay, okay, but don’t shoot the messenger.’ Alex held his hands up, palms forward.
‘I won’t, I promise.’ Poppy laughed. ‘Not unless it’s really bad, that is.’
‘We do Secret Santa every year and every year Percy takes out a name, looks at it and then makes up some excuse to pop it back in the hat to take another one out. This little tradition continues until he’s found the name he wants.’ Alex tapped the pads of his fingers against the edge of the table.
‘I think last year was the worst, wasn’t it?’ Susan looked around the small group. ‘He put the slips of paper back that many times he must have gone through all of the names until he found the right one.’
‘Yes! Yes, I remember. He was getting that flustered, he just kept mumbling under his breath and putting his hand back in the hat.’ Alex shook his head.
‘Why?’ Poppy asked.
‘He wants Flora’s name.’ Alex slumped back in his chair dramatically.
‘Really? Why?’ Poppy frowned. There was something more to this, she could tell just by the way they were all acting. They’d been working together for years, longer than anyone else at Wagging Tails but judging by Alex’s expression she had a feeling that wasn’t the reason.
‘Buying for her isn’t the only thing he likes,’ Susan loud-whispered across the table.
‘What? Oh, he likes Aunt Flora? Like that?’ Poppy’s eyes widened. Percy had been caretaker for her whole life. Well, since shortly after her Uncle Arthur passed away, somostof her life. How had she never picked up on the fact he liked her aunt? ‘Are you sure? I’m sure I would have noticed. How long has he liked her?’
‘Forever?’ Alex held his arms out and shrugged. ‘Susan? You’ve been here the longest. How long have you been here? Has he always liked her?’
‘Umm…’ Susan counted on her fingers, ticking them off as she counted. ‘I must have been volunteering for at least twenty years now. No, longer than that. I remember seeing you, Poppy, running around the paddock with some dog or other when you were only this high.’ She held her hand up against the tabletop. ‘Maybe twenty-five, twenty-seven years. Though I’m not sure how long he’s had feelings for her. Definitely over fifteen years.’
‘Wow. Seriously? Why has he never said anything?’ Surely Aunt Flora would have noticed if everyone else had?
Susan shrugged. ‘I remember him asking her out once, years ago, ten, maybe more, but she assumed he was joking so brushed him off. He’s not built up the courage to ask again.’
‘Why? Aunt Flora wouldn’t hold it against him even if she said no.’ Her aunt was one of the kindest people she knew, both to the dogs she rescued and cared for and the people she came in contact with. Unless they’d harmed a dog, that was. Then her fiery side came out, but she’d always been nothing but kind to everyone else, strangers, family and friends alike.
