Pippa blew out from inflated cheeks as she opened the kitchen door and walked out into the pub lounge. Ava was already there, a hand resting on Oliver’s shoulder and laughing with her head tilted back. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back in perfect curls, as if she was fresh out of the salon.
Oliver’s face was beaming, and it was hard to miss his hand resting on Ava’s hip. Had she interrupted an intimate moment? Her chest tightened.
Oliver looked in her direction, and his face registered surprise. His hand dropped quickly from Ava’s hip. ‘It’s only been five minutes. Have you finished in the kitchen already?’
Ava turned to look at Pippa. Was that a smug smile? She made no attempt to drop her hand from Oliver’s shoulder. It was as if she was making a point and staking her claim on him. ‘Hello again.’
Pippa smiled. ‘Hello Ava. It was good of you to step in and help us. Thank you.’
Ava patted Oliver’s shoulder. ‘Anything for Ollie.’
Pippa’s smile pulled tight. She returned her attention to Oliver. ‘Yes, but I’m not actually ready to go over things yet. I still need those twenty-five minutes. Declan changed the menu and I have to print off new ones.’
Oliver’s face clouded. ‘He’s not causing you more work is he?’
Pippa was quick to shake her head. ‘No, it will actually make things simpler for us.’
Oliver nodded. ‘Good.’
Pippa pointed to the door leading up to the living quarters above the pub. ‘I’d better get the menus changed. I won’t be long.’
***
When Pippa reappearedwith the new menus, Oliver, Ava, Declan and her Aunt Morgan were sitting around a table in the pub’s lounge waiting for her.
Morgan smiled. ‘Isn’t it lucky we have the lovely Ava here to help us today, Pippa?’
Pippa forced another smile. She could tell by the way her aunt’s eyes twinkled that she’d taken a shine to Ava, and Declan was watching her with a smile plastered on his face as if he was smitten too. Was she the only one who hadn’t been cast under Ava’s spell? ‘It is.’
Forty minutes later, after finding it difficult to concentrate while explaining the agenda of the day and the competition, as she tried to ignore the glances Ava was periodically making in Oliver’s direction, the meeting was over and it was just minutes until opening time. They could already hear the different tones of dog barking outside, as the owners and their pets waited patiently outside the pub.
Pippa’s chest fluttered with nervous excitement as Oliver turned around to look at them all getting ready as he slid back the dead bolts, ready to open the door. ‘Ready?’
Pippa nodded. ‘Ready.’
Pippa’s eyes widened when Oliver opened the door and she saw at least twenty people and a dozen dogs. She saw two terriers, three spaniels, a handful of mixed breed designer dogs, a staffy and a greyhound. She looked past the line of people and saw more cars pulling into the carpark.
She turned to look at her Aunt Morgan who was standing by her side with her pen and clipboard ready to take down entry details. Her aunt handed her the entry numbers to click onto the dogs’ collars and smiled. ‘Looks like we’re in for a busy day.’
***
The competition wentabove and beyond Pippa’s expectations. She looked on as Ava called out the overall winner. There was rapturous applause as the winning dog and its owner walked up to Ava, who proudly presented them with the prize.
Oliver stepped forward with his camera and took a photo of a beaming Ava with the winner, who was the daughter of a neighbouring farm and her sheepdog, an English Shepherd. Bozer the sheepdog had amazed everyone with his tricks, obedience and utter cuteness.
As soon as everything had settled down, there was a rush for the bar. Thankfully. Brett was there behind the bar with Oliver to help out, Morgan was in the kitchen with Declan dishing out bowls of smoked sausage casserole for both the dogs and their owners, and Pippa was the server.
It gave Pippa the first real chance to catch up with the locals she hadn’t had a chance to speak to yet, and to thank the competition entrants who’d stayed for a drink and a bite to eat.
Pippa noticed a couple of her friends from school had stayed behind to order food. They waved her over to their table where there were warm long hugs exchanged.
‘Pippa, it’s so lovely to see you back here. It’s not the same just hearing your voice on the other end of a line. I like to see those baby blues, too,’ said her friend Mina.
Her other friend Hayley, elbowed Pippa softly in the ribs. ‘What’s going on? We’d heard Oliver was working here, but we didn’t believe it until we saw it with our own eyes.’
Pippa crossed her arms, feigning anger. ‘You tell me. How long has he been back in England from America? And why didn’t you tell me he was back in the village?’
Mina shot Hayley a knowing smile. ‘Told you.’
