AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Well everyone knows you work far too hard.’ She gave her a swift hard hug. ‘But I’m made up for you. He seems a lovely bloke and is dead sexy.’ She shivered. ‘Look, I’m going to go, too cold to stand around. I’ll see you next month. Text me, you hear? I want all the goss.’
‘I will. And looking forward to catching up with you after your cruise gig. Have a fabulous time.’ Honor waved as her friend jogged up the hill. It must be cold if Tamara broke into a run. She usually glided everywhere, serene and immaculate.
She turned and bumped into someone male and very solid. Jago’s arms came round her. ‘Just the person I wanted to see above everyone else.’
‘Hi, Jago,’ she gazed up at him. The cold air had pinked up his cheeks and highlighted the enviable cheekbones. He smelled heavenly.
‘Hi, Honor. It’s been too long.’ He bent and kissed her.
‘It’s beenfartoo long!’ She giggled, kissing him back.
He nuzzled her nose, then backed off and grimaced. ‘Could you bear to do me a favour before we start our evening proper? Would you mind?’
Honor, putting her arms around his waist, thought she’d grant him anything. ‘What’s that?’
‘Could you bear to start our date with going to see the Dog Fancy Dress competition? Only Merryn has entered Ivy and she wants us there.’
Honor giggled some more. ‘Only if you buy me some roasted chestnuts on the way.’
‘Deal.’
They bought the chestnuts from a vendor selling them from a brazier contraption which looked as if it had been constructed from a large tin can, and walked slowly along the prom messily sharing them. The first few were almost too hot to peel, but the wind whipping off the sea soon cooled them.
‘Look at my hands,’ Honor cried, holding them up for Jago to see, her fingertips were grey with charcoal. The white coat didn’t seem such a good idea now.
He took one finger and put it very deliberately into his mouth and sucked, all the time making eye contact.
‘I don’t think it’s legal to feel quite so turned on in public,’ she gasped.
He gave a wicked grin, fished out a snowy-clean handkerchief and handed it over. ‘Maybe it would be safer, for both of us, for you to use this instead.’
‘Very possibly.’ She took it and wiped her hands. ‘I never had you down as the cotton hankie type.’ Handing it back she added, ‘You’re full of surprises, Jago Pengethley.’
He bent down and kissed her nose gently. ‘And you’ve only just scraped the surface.’
The arrogance took her breath away, or it could have been the gust of wind that wrapped itself around her legs. Her teeth began to chatter. She told herself it was the cold. ‘Think we’d better get to the fancy dress competition.’
He backed off, a twinkle in his eye. ‘Better had.’
The competition was being held on the prom in one of the huge shelters there. In summer, people rented deckchairs and sat out of the sun relaxing. In winter folk huddled on the benches trying to get out of the vicious wind that sliced off the sea. In the evenings, it was the favourite haunt of teenagers who felt they had nowhere else to go. Now, it was lit up, with Christmassy music playing quietly in the background, and quite a crowd had gathered. Cones marked off a circle which created an arena for the dogs to parade in, with an entrance path from the adjacent shelter. Honor could hear barking from it, so she supposed it was the makeshift holding pen.
As Honor and Jago found a spot to stand in, out of the wind, Austin Ruddick took to the microphone, his German Shepherd clinging to his side. ‘Good evening, ladies and gents, boys and girls and four-pawed pals, from me and Gretel. As organiser I welcome you to Lullbury Bay’s very first Fancy Dress Competition for our Canine Companions.’ He cleared his throat, looking emotional, and Gretel whined to comfort him, putting her nose against his leg. ‘It’s wonderful to see so very many of you here. I hope, after this, you’ll go into town to buy those last-minute presents, treat yourself to one of Gladwin’s turkey pasties and enjoy the brass band. And now, speaking of brass bands, as it’s right brass-monkey weather tonight, I’ll start proceedings without further ado. Rules are simple, folks, dress your dog up in something Christmassy and the representatives from the council here will decide a winner. I’ll now hand over to Maisie who owns the very dog-friendly Sea Spray Café and who will introduce each dog and owner.’ He passed the mike to Maisie and nodded to his granddaughter Alice who looked to be in charge of music. She pressed a button on the large and battered CD player and Carols from King’s changed into ‘All I Want for Christmas is a Beatle’. One or two in the crowd tittered.
‘Hi, everyone,’ Maisie said, her dark hair blowing in the wind. ‘Thank you, Alice, can you turn it down a little? Much as I love Dora Bryan, she’s a little loud to talk over. All our music tonight has been chosen especially by Austin, so I’m taking absolutely no blame.’ There was more laughter. ‘Our first entrant is Mitzi the Chihuahua who is owned by the Lawrences from Sandy Shores B&B and is being shown by Michael.’ As Michael Lawrence walked Mitzi into the circle and paraded her round, Maisie continued. ‘Mitzi has come as The Ghost of Christmas Present. A very clever idea as you can see.’
The Chihuahua preened as if understanding. Michael Lawrence took her to the middle of the circle where she could be admired by all. The dog wore a pale grey coat with chiffon strips floating from it and which was festooned with glittery red and green wrapped presents. They dangled and caught the light as the chiffon strips flew in the wind. Dog and owner paraded three times and then posed on a low box covered in red velvet in the centre.
‘Thank you very much, Michael and Mitzi.’ To a ripple of applause, dog and owner left the arena.
‘Next, we have Benson, a Great Dane entered by Sid Grant from Grant’s Farm Shop and Dairy.’ Maisie giggled. ‘Magnificent Benson is entered as a Christmas pudding.’
To laughter, built-for-rugby Sid and his equally enormous dog ambled into the ring. Benson, looking about as embarrassed as a dog could, wore a papier mâché globe from which his gangling legs protruded. It was nominally painted a shiny dark brown with a white felt splodge of ‘icing’ stuck on. A wreath of holly adorned the dog’s ears, or it did until Benson shook his huge head and it slipped off to be retrieved by a frustrated Sid. The Great Dane then rolled over and smashed the Christmas pudding. Getting up, it gave a goofy grin, tongue lolling and pulled its owner out of the arena like a steam train.
Everyone roared with laughter. ‘That’s a Great Dane for you, always the clown,’ Maisie said, spluttering with laughter. ‘Thank you, Sid and Benson.’
Alice changed the music. ‘No one Loves a Fairy when she’s Forty’ rang out which made the crowd laugh even harder, and one or two ran into the circle to collect the broken shards of Benson’s costume.
‘I’m not sure what I was expecting,’ Jago laughed, ‘but it wasn’t this.’
