“LikeMoana?” asked Poppy, excitedly.
“Moana’s fine,” Carrie said.
“Cool, we won’t be gone long and my phone’s on if there are any problems,” Michael said.
Carrie went to get her purse and a couple of shopping bags from her flat while Michael got Monty ready and they met outside the bookshop.
“I do appreciate you agreeing to be seen in public with my dog, by the way,” said Michael as they set off on a roundabout route to the supermarket by heading down to the beach first.
Carrie laughed. “He’s adorable.”
“Let’s face it, he’s probably the ugliest dog either of us have ever seen. I don’t know what Peter was thinking of choosing him.” He bent down to give the dog an affectionate scratch between the ears.
“Maybe he felt sorry for him,” said Carrie, “or realised what a lovely temperament he has. You shouldn’t talk about him like that when he can hear you!”
“That’s fair. I’m sorry, Monty. You know I love you really, even if you do make me feel terrible if I’m not medicated.”
“That really is unfortunate,” agreed Carrie.
“It has got better than it used to be,” admitted Michael. “I think my body must be somewhat used to Monty and Tabby being around.”
“And now you have three more cats,” Carrie pointed out.
“Yes.” Michael sighed.
“Have you decided what you’re going to do with them?”
“No, but four cats is a lot. I think we’ll let them stay with Tabitha until they’re old enough to leave her and then find good homes for them.”
“That sounds like a sensible solution.”
“I’m not sure Poppy will be too impressed with it.”
“We’ll be long gone by then,” Carrie pointed out. “Back in London.”
“Of course.” Michael nodded before going quiet for a moment.
They walked along the top of the beach, letting Monty off the lead so he could have a sniff around, and chatted about Michael’s business.
“I worked for an accountant for years, but when Peter offered to take me on as his apprentice, it seemed the perfect choice for Layla and me. It certainly wasn’t the most obvious thing for me to end up doing after a degree in maths, but I love it. I love working for myself and living in this little town and having plenty of time for Layla. It’s an added benefit having Mary’s bookshop next door, I must say. She’s great to work with.”
“I bet,” said Carrie with a smile. She hoped her aunt would be pleased with how she’d looked after things, especially if she managed to bring some new business in.
They left the beach and made their way up to the supermarket and Michael waited outside while Carrie went in and got a pile of pizzas, a salad kit and a large punnet of strawberries.
Michael insisted on carrying the shopping back so Carrie took Monty’s lead. She worried his little legs were tired when he began lagging behind, but Michael assured her he was fine and just enjoyed putting it on sometimes so he’d get carried the rest of the way home. Of course, Carrie lasted about a minute after this before she picked him up. Something she regretted almost instantly as he was still soaked and sand covered from the beach and she hadn’t set out on the walk intent on entering a wet T-shirt competition...
But Monty did look very sweet in her arms as he snuggled in with his snaggy tooth sticking out of his upper lip, gazing up at her adoringly.
She managed to hide her soggy front while she turned on Michael’s oven to preheat and then snuck off up to her flat to change into a dry top, accompanied by Monty who seemed to have decided that he loved her and needed to stay by her side.
She returned to Michael’s kitchen brandishing the second bottle of prosecco so kindly left in the fridge by Aunt Mary. “I thought it would be nice to wet the kittens’ heads,” she said.
“That,” said Michael, “is an excellent idea.”
Michael opened the prosecco for them while Carrie put the pizzas in the oven. He handed her a full flute and they clinked their glasses. “To kittens,” he said, his eyes focusing intently on hers.
“To kittens,” Carrie repeated, suddenly feeling warm. He had brown flecks around his pupils, she noted. And he smelled of leather again. Neither of them looked away or took a sip of their drink. Michael gave a little gulp.
