They changed in the toilets and then walked along. Their clothes wouldn’t all fit in the bag Carrie had brought with her so she was laden down with the bag, two pairs of shoes with socks stuffed in them and an armful of clothes as Poppy skipped along beside her.
Carrie glanced down at her pasty pale legs: she really should have applied some self-tan before she’d bared her body to the world. She was quickly distracted by Poppy showing her a pretty shell she’d found and put aside her self-consciousness.
They reached the end of the beach and walked around the headland to another bay. They clambered over some rocks and around another headland to reach their destination. It was deserted just as Carrie had hoped.
“Race you to the water, Mummy!” yelled Poppy and she began to run towards the sea.
Carrie laughed. “You rotter!” she called after her daughter as she dumped their belongings and chased after her little girl, catching her just as she reached the water and receiving a splash for her trouble, making her shriek with how cold it was.
They messed around in the water together and soon got used to its chill.
“Oh look, Mummy! It’s that little dog from yesterday,” Poppy cried, pointing to where a figure accompanied by a dog was coming down the steps on the other side of the cove to where they’d entered. They must have been walking along the coastal path around the clifftops and were coming back down on to the beach. Poppy was right: it was indeed the dog from the previous evening and his stressed-looking owner.
Poppy went back to showing Carrie how she could float on her back. When she stood up in the water, Carrie said,“Pumpkin, you’re freezing! Look at all the goose pimples on your arms. I think we should get out of the water and get you dry.”
“Just five more minutes . . .” begged Poppy.
“Auntie Mary left us some pizzas that we can have for tea...But we can’t put them in the oven until we’re home...”
“OK, we can get out now! Can we go in the sea again tomorrow?”
“If it’s warm enough,” promised Carrie. They trudged out of the water and on to the beach. The man and the dog were almost across the cove now. The dog was nosing around happily when it spotted them and came running over to say hello. It was so excited it overshot them and went careering around, landing on the pile of their clothes. Which it began to attack. The owner, spotting what was happening, began running over but the dog grabbed hold of something and went tearing off down the beach with it. Carrie’s mouth hung open in shock as she realised it was her bra. And not even a nice bra at that, one she’d owned since before Poppy was born but was still comfy and she’d never bothered to throw it out.
She was mortified as the man chased after his dog, her tired bra hanging from its mouth, its strap dragging along the sand. Knowing it was being chased, the dog decided its best option was to run into the water. The man followed, soaking his trousers as he attempted to grab the dog’s collar. “Monty. Come here!” the man yelled. The dog changed tack and raced out of the water, looking like it was going to head up the steps he’d come down, but he got distracted by what was presumably a wonderful smelling piece of seaweed and he stopped to examine it...dropping the bra in the process.
Carrie ran over, closely followed by Poppy, and gingerly picked up the mangled remains of her underwear. The man raced to them and attached a lead to the dog’s collar.
“I am so sorry!” he panted, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “I can’t believe he did that! He’s never done anything like that before.”
Oh, why couldn’t the ground just open up and swallow her?
He stopped for a moment, looking at Carrie as if trying to place her. Recognition seemed to pass across his face and his eyes widened. So it wasn’t just her who thought they’d met before. Well, she certainly wasn’t going to hang around to discuss it now! He opened his mouth to speak again but Carrie interrupted as she quickly scooped up all her belongings. “Don’t worry! These things happen. Come on, Poppy, let’s go.”
She hurried back the way they’d come at a near jog with Poppy scurrying behind her. How she wished she was wearing more than a swimsuit!
“The dog didn’t mean to eat your clothes, Mummy. He was just excited!”
“I know, Pumpkin. I’m not cross,” Carrie said, slowing down to smile reassuringly at her daughter — and chancing a glance across the beach. Thankfully the man hadn’t followed.
“Let’s pop your T-shirt and shorts on to walk back,” Carrie said, feeling the redness of her cheeks begin to subside.
“But my swimming costume’s all wet!” Poppy explained.
“We’ll be back at the flat in only five minutes,” Carrie promised. “And then you can have a nice hot shower to warm up.”
They pulled on their clothes and wiped their feet with a towel to get the worst of the sand off before putting on their shoes and socks.
“I can’t wait for that pizza,” said Carrie, trying to behave as normally as possible. She didn’t want her poor daughter to think she’d gone completely crazy.
“Me too,” said Poppy with a grin.
They held hands as they walked up the hill to the bookshop.
Poppy hopped in the shower as soon as they got back and Carrie got the oven heated up and unpacked their things. She couldn’t face examining what was left of her bra so just threw it in the bin. She put the pizzas in the oven and had her turn in the shower, wishing she could wash away the embarrassment of having her underwear chased down by a handsome stranger.
They ate their pizza on the sofa as a treat and watchedEncantotogether cosily, before Carrie read to Poppy in her bed and the little girl went to sleep.
Carrie was planning to settle down with her book when her phone pinged with a WhatsApp message from Davina:Are you free for a chat?Carrie smiled, finished making her camomile tea and called her friend from the comfort of the sofa.
