“How about a fruitful long-standing working relationship?” Lisa said, pushing her luck.
He chuckled. “I have a feeling you’re not one to take no for an answer, so yes, let’s toast to that. It may not be long-term, but it could certainly add some time onto your stay.”
69
“Hi.” Stella opened the door to find a short, stocky woman in her fifties with bright red hair looking up at her. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, I believe so. Are you Stella Castillo?”
“That’s me.” Stella opened the door wider.
“I heard you found two Lab-like puppies who need a home. The owner of the café opposite told me, and I happened to be looking for a dog for myself, so I thought I’d just ring the bell.”
“Oh…” Stella managed a smile but in truth she wasn’t ready to let them go. The woman seemed nice enough at first glance, sweet even, with kind eyes and a genuine smile, and a couple of weeks ago she’d been delighted with someone like her enquiring. Now, all she felt was dread. “Sure,” she said, hiding her discomfort. “They’re upstairs. Why don’t you come in for a coffee and meet them?”
“Thank you so much. My name is Mary. I live nearby, right at the top of the hill, close to the park.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mary. Close to the park sounds perfect for two hyperactive puppies.” Stella led Mary up the two flights of stairs and onto the roof terrace where Lisa was working at the dining table. As usual, Butters was sleeping on the chair next to her—he always made sure to stay right by her side—and Meatball was fighting with a tug-toy, throwing it up into the air and shaking it between her teeth in between playful growls. “Lisa, this is Mary,” she said when Lisa looked up from her laptop. “She heard about the puppies.”
“Hi, Mary.” From the expression on Lisa’s face, Stella knew she felt the same. There was no enthusiasm whatsoever, but she smiled politely and stood up to shake Mary’s hand. Butters immediately jumped off the chair and sat down by her heel. “This is Butters, my shadow, and that one over there is Meatball. She’s a little more independent than her brother; he’s not very brave.”
“Oh my, they’re so cute.” Mary kneeled in front of Butters and scratched his neck. Meatball ran over to her too, her tail wagging so fast it was barely visible as she jumped up at Mary for attention.
“They’re sort of toilet trained but they still have accidents now and then and we use a puppy pad at night. Their recall is good, especially Butters’; he wouldn’t dare stray more than two meters from us,” Lisa joked. “We’ve taken them out in the past two weeks as they’ve just had their jabs and although we tend to keep them on the lead when there’s traffic, they’re fine off the lead on the beach and in parks, and even on the promenade. They do steal food though, if they get the chance. Chubby Meatball here is quite greedy.”
“Yes, you are a chubby girl,” Mary cooed, fussing over them. “But you are the cutest chubby girl in the whole world. Look at that big, fat, pink belly. And so are you, little one,” she said, turning to Butters. “You’re such a sweetheart, I can tell already from those big eyes of yours.”
Stella’s eyes met Lisa’s and they exchanged a knowing look. This woman seemed so nice, yet neither of them felt the relief they’d anticipated at finding Butters and Meatball a loving forever home. “Coffee? Tea? Something cold?” she offered.
“A coffee would be lovely, thank you. Can I pick them up?”
“Absolutely, they love a cuddle.” Lisa looked defeated when Butters started licking Mary’s face after she sat down and pulled him onto her lap. “I think he likes you.”
“Well, guess what? I like him too. He’s adorable.” Mary then lifted Meatball up and their tails wagged rapidly with joy. And you, girl. And you.”
Stella watched Mary kissing their little noses through the kitchen window and winced. “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath, cursing herself for being so emotional about the puppies since they had only been with them for a month. Butters and Meatball seemed to like Mary just as much as she liked them. She made three coffees, placed them on a tray and added a sugar bowl, a jug of milk and some dulce de leche cookies, and her heart sank when she took it outside and saw the sad half smile on Lisa’s face.
“I see you’re getting along,” she said, handing Mary a mug.
“Oh boy. Initially I just wanted to have a look but now I want them.” Mary held up her hand in an apologetic gesture. “Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. You probably have tons of other people lined up but they’re just so cute.” She sighed deeply. “I just got divorced, my husband moved back to the UK, and I live on my own now. It would just be nice to have some company and a reason to go out on long walks every day.”
“I’m sorry about your divorce,” Lisa said. “And yes, I’m sure a dog would do you the world of good.” She glanced at Butters lovingly, then picked him up from Mary’s lap and held him close against her chest. “I love him. I love them both but he’s my baby, for sure. God, I’m going to miss you, little one.”
Stella swallowed hard as she watched Lisa with Butters. Since they’d found them, they’d been like a weird little family, training them and introducing them to the world. Lisa was smitten with the puppies and so was she, even though she hated to admit it. “The thing is, Mary,” she said hesitantly. “You seem like the perfect person to adopt them, and I trust you already. My cats hate the puppies with a passion, the house is total chaos with seven pets and it’s really not a good time for us to have dogs in the first place, but I think we’ve gotten more attached to them than we anticipated.”
Lisa’s face lit up and she gave her a subtle nod, letting her know they were on the same page. “Honestly, I thought I would be fine but now that the time has come, I don’t want them to go.”
“Oh.” Mary smiled at them as she stroked Meatball’s round belly. “I understand. It just happens, doesn’t it? I fostered a Jack Russell twenty years ago. He was a total nightmare to be honest with you, quite a temper and it was only meant to be for a month, but I couldn’t let him go either. He died a very happy old man at the age of seventeen.”
“Yes, it happens.” Stella took Meatball from Mary and kissed the top of her head, inhaling the scent of puppy that she’d grown to love so much. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, don’t be.” Mary shrugged. “I can go to the shelter. Plenty of dogs there that need a home.”
“That’s true.” Lisa turned towards the kitchen, then back to Mary. “Well, now that you’re here, I was just about to fix some dinner. Would you like to join us?”
70
“Ican’t believe those two,” Stella said after Lisa had filled her in on yet another meeting with Marcy and Zoe that had ended in an argument. They were walking along the shore of Altea beach with Meatball and Butters, who as always, were beside themselves with joy at being off the lead and free to roam. They rolled around in the sand and played; Butters always sure to run up to Lisa whenever they lagged behind. She felt good about keeping them now. They were more than a handful, but they were also incredibly sweet and entertaining, and it brought her pure joy to see them so animated. It was hard to believe that only five weeks ago they’d been weak, skinny and scared. Now, they were happy, chubby pups who trusted them blindly and they were even starting to obey a little. Just a little.
