‘You are not a cloud, you are putting on weight,’ she murmured to the dog, feeding treats and talking doggie nonsense so Cloud would not be scared as the water started.
Twenty minutes later, Cloud and Pepperpot were clean, about six dirty towels destined for the boil wash were on the floor and everything she was wearing was wet.
Since there was nothing of either Grace’s or Esmerelda’s she could wear, she was going to be wearing this outfit for the evening.
Grace was at the door when Ginger let the dogs out.
‘Esmerelda, let them out!’
The dogs whizzed past Grace and down the stairs, a blur of wet fur.
‘Now, I have two things to show you,’ said Grace, leading the way to her bedroom.
On a desk sat a computer where Grace liked to order things from the internet, but tonight it was set up to a social media site.
‘Look,’ said Grace.
‘I didn’t know you were into social media,’ said Ginger, peering.
‘I don’t do that Instamatic thing or the Twitters but I like this one. I have some old friends on it and I like looking at the rubbish people put up. A lot of people lie, you know.’
‘So I’ve heard,’ said Ginger.
It was Facebook and she realised the page was Liza’s.
Moving swiftly back, she said: ‘I don’t want to look at this.’
‘No, do,’ insisted Grace.
Unwillingly, Ginger looked at where Grace was pointing a spindly but manicured finger.
‘See: single. They’ve split up. Her and that big idiot. Pair of idiots, really.’
Grace was Facebook-stalking her former best friend.
‘I should never have told you,’ she said, half laughing. ‘Stalker.’
‘I thought I might keep an eye out. She has no privacy settings, but then she never did have an ounce of sense. Silly girl. Well?’
Still wet, Ginger sat down on the bed. ‘Well what?’
‘How does it make you feel?’
Ginger considered it. The previous June, knowing that Liza and James had split up would have seemed like divine intervention, but now she merely felt sad for her former friend. Now that she had real friends, good friends, she understood that Liza had never been one.
‘I feel sorry for them both,’ she said.
Grace beamed at her.
‘You are a wonderful girl, Ginger Reilly. Just wonderful. You deserve all happiness in life.’
‘Yes, and wet dogs in my car,’ laughed Ginger.
‘They can come in my jeep,’ said a deep voice.
‘You haven’t met my new dog walker,’ said Grace, her grin truly devilish. ‘Should I fire him? You decide.’
Ginger turned and saw Will stood at the door of Grace’s bedroom.
