I turned and called out, ‘The dog.’
He froze.I saw the muscles in his back shift before he turned around, a neutral expression on his face.
I looked at the little golden dog, still being fussed over by the ladies.
‘Is it yours?’
‘Pat decided I should get a dog,’ he said dryly.‘Who was I to disagree?’
I gave a huff, nodding.Of course Pat had something to do with it.
‘Her name is Peggy.’
My eyes snapped to his and I could swear his ears went pink.
Grainy memories developed before my eyes.A little brown toy dog, worn but cherished.The scruffy thing had seen it all – teddy-bear picnics, dirty puddles, classrooms of children.Then, one day, I left it on the bus.I burst into tears.Ren hadn’t hesitated, sprinting to not one but two bus stops, ignoring Mum shouting after him.He was determined to catch the driver and rescue it.He retrieved it, running back to me, clutching the dog like a prize.His grin had been so wide, so proud, that I’d broken the sacred ten-year-old rule of ‘boys are gross’ and kissed him on the cheek.
‘Peggy,’ I muttered idly.The toy’s name had been Peggy.
Ren’s brown eyes flickered with awareness as if we were both watching the same film.
As if we’d summoned her with her name, Peggy appeared, having wrestled out of the grip of Amy, who shouted an apology.Ren crouched down and Peggy wagged her tail, licking his face.
‘She’s naughty.But she’s cute, so she gets away with murder.’ Ren ran a hand through her long fur.His eyes were soft and gooey.God, he was gone for this dog already.
I crouched down too, unable to resist her big brown eyes and panting face.
‘She is very cute.Aren’t you?’ Peggy nuzzled her nose into my palm.‘Yes, you are.’
I could feel Ren’s eyes on me.
‘Peggy is another reason I came on the trip.She loves off-lead adventures, and her recall is good, so Mandy said she could just canter along with us.Wales and Scotland might be a bit of a push, but the Peaks is dog-friendly enough.’
Peggy rolled on to her back, her stubby legs waving in the air, her tongue lolling out.I rubbed her belly and her tail wagged.Shit!I was a sucker for a cute dog.If I sent Ren packing, Peggy would probably go with him.Her sweet, panting face might be the only thing keeping me from losing it out in the wilderness.
I stood up, my hands on my hips.Ren stood too, his hand wrapped around Peggy’s lead.
‘Did you bring enough food for her?’
Ren’s lips quirked.‘Yes.’
‘Treats?’
He nodded, his smile shy but genuine, making something inside me stir despite myself.
I sighed, ‘Then you can’t disappoint her.You can come along.But,’ I raised a finger, daring him to challenge me, ‘that doesn’t mean we’re friends, Lawrence.I’m serious.Stopsmiling.Give me my space and I’ll give you yours.If you can respect that, we’ll make it through this without your murder making the front page of theEverly Heath Gazette. You know Bob loves a story.’
‘New carpets at Everly Heath High was the last front page,’ Ren said, his eyes glinting in amusement.‘Just think how excited he would be about my death.’
I hummed.Joking about Bob and his boring stories was teetering too near friendly for my liking.
‘We’re in agreement then.Keep out of my way and I’ll keep out of yours.’
I ignored the way his words echoed back to me.
I want your friendship back, Lydia.
I ignored the way it made my palms sweaty, turned sharply on my heel towards the group of women, examining trees and guzzling water like they hadn’t been watching our every move.
