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‘I’m happy. After making the decision to move down here permanently, I just…’ She glanced at him. ‘I see my future here. Here with Flora, Alex, Percy, Ginny, Sally and Susan. Here with Dougal and Ralph and all the other dogs. Here with the beach a short stroll away and… with you.’ She looked at him, their eyes meeting.
Mack stepped towards her, clasping her hands in his. ‘I for one am glad you’ve decided to stay. In fact, I wanted to say…’
‘Watch out, Dougal’s out. Is the gate shut?’ Ginny called across the courtyard.
Mack glanced down before looking across the courtyard towards the gate. ‘Yep, the gate’s closed. He’s safe.’
‘Hello, you. Have you come to help?’ Bending down, Poppy waited as Dougal barrelled towards her and fussed him behind the ears, his favourite spot.
‘Right, let’s get this done and then I’ll make everyone a nice cuppa. I’m parched.’ Susan unplugged the fairy lights.
Picking Dougal up and cradling him in her arms, Poppy watched the small bulbs flicker off. Christmas was well and truly over now.
‘Spring next!’ Ginny said as she began to unravel the string of fairy lights. ‘My all-time favourite season of the year.’
‘Oh, yes. I do love spring. It’s full of hope, isn’t it? Hope of things to come in the new year.’ Sally smiled as she helped Ginny with the lights. ‘I love planning out my year, what I want to achieve, places I want to visit.’
Poppy nodded. ‘I like that idea.’
When she’d been with Ben, she’d just seen spring as the start of another year, another year doing the same things, going to the same places. Now, though, she felt free. According to Melissa he was apparently happy with Davina, and she was definitely happy their relationship was over. And she had Mack. She grinned as she watched him help with the tree. She felt as though she’d stepped into a new chapter in her life. Yes, she liked Sally’s way of thinking.
‘Well, you lot can take your spring. Now Christmas is over, I’ll be waiting for summer.’ Alex moved the stepladder closer to the tree. ‘Pub garden weather, shorts, holidays. They’re my idea of fun.’
‘Are you taking the lights off from the top?’ Ginny crossed her arms and tilted her head, her eyes fixed on the stepladder in Alex’s hands.
‘I was going to, yes. Why?’
‘No reason, just try not to get quite so tangled up again.’ Ginny laughed. ‘Getting in a tangle on the ground is one thing, doing it halfway up a ladder is another.’
‘Don’t worry. I know one broken leg in the Wagging Tails family is quite enough.’ Alex grinned as he climbed the ladder.
‘Have you heard back from that supply agency yet, Poppy?’ Susan dropped a length of the fairy lights and bent to pick them up.
‘Yes, they contacted me yesterday. They’ve invited me for an informal chat. So, all being well, I should get hired. The woman said they have loads of supply work going at the moment too.’
Dougal fidgeted in her arms.
‘You want to get down?’ Lowering him to the ground, she grinned as he ran across towards Mack.
‘That’s great then. It sounds very promising.’
‘Yes, hopefully. I’ll miss working at this place, though.’ Poppy looked across the courtyard towards the reception building and dog kennels.
‘Well, you’ll be living with Flora for the time being, so you won’t get away from us that easily.’ Ginny grinned. ‘I bet you’re looking forward to getting back into the classroom and doing what you love, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, I am.’ Poppy nodded.
And it was true. She was.
‘That’s all we can reach. Alex, you’ve got the rest, okay?’
Susan helped Sally and Ginny place the lights into the plastic box, leaving a trail of fairy lights trailing upwards towards Alex.
‘I do indeed. In fact, here’s the last of the lights.’ Alex nodded towards the mound of fairy lights in his arms.
‘I’ll take them.’ Reaching up, Poppy took the lights from him and packed them away. Bending her knees, she picked up the box and grimaced. It was heavier than she’d thought it would be.
‘Hold up, I’ll help you carry it.’ Mack placed Dougal back on the ground and ran towards her, grabbing the end of the box and taking half the weight.
