Marcus’s eyebrows raised and he had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He looked towards Pippa and Tammy, who were sitting next to each other, gesturing towards them as he did so. ‘You are in luck, Mrs Calloway. Pippa has laid on tea and coffee for us all, and Tammy has brought along a platter of delicious sandwiches and a Victoria sponge.’
Mrs Calloway practically purred with delight.
‘That’s very generous’ ladies,’ Reverend Townsend said, as he smiled at Pippa and Tammy, ‘I’m quite partial to a bit of spongecake. Especially if it’s filled with jam and cream, and washed down with strong tea.’
Marcus lifted his clipboard, and ran his eyes down it. He looked back to the community members taking up most of the seats in The Cheese Wedge and Pickles. Everyone who had attended the first meeting to collate ideas for the dog competition was here, as well as a few faces he didn’t recognise. The only person who was missing was Rowan, but he was already at the beach, sorting out the marquee placement for the nervous dog zone.
‘Tammy, I have you down for handling the refreshments kiosk. Is that still okay?’
Tammy looked up on hearing her name. ‘Yes, I’ll do all the food prep tomorrow with Declan, then he’ll help me set everything up on the stall, before coming to work his shift here. Thankfully, Katherine has offered to run the tearoom for me while I’m at the competition.’
Marcus noticed smiles light up many faces on hearing Katherine’s name.
Reverend Townsend clapped his hands together, the sharp sound of it making Mrs Calloway jump in her seat. ‘Oh, the lovely Katherine is coming back.’ He turned to address Tammy. ‘She’s not taking back the tearoom is she, Tammy? I thought you were renting the business from her long-term.’
Tammy shook her head, ‘No, reverend. She’s just back for a visit. I think it’s her respite day.’
Reverend Townsend nodded. ‘Ah yes, she must get very tired looking after her mother full-time.’
Marcus needed to get the meeting back on track. ‘Reverend Townsend.’
‘Yes?’
‘We have a very small marquee set up for you for your dog blessings. Actually, it’s more like a tent than a marquee.’ Marcusrubbed the back of his neck. As much as he’d liked to provide a marquee for the reverend, funds just hadn’t stretched that far.
‘The Lord cares not where the ceremonies are performed, only that theyareperformed,’ smiled Reverend Townsend angelically.
Marcus nodded.
Veronica waved a hand to get Marcus’s attention. ‘I’ve been promoting the dog competition to the tourists who’ve been on my ghost tours. Is it still okay to do a haunted hounds tour? I know it will still be daylight, but I’ve planned a child friendly one, that will start on the beach, and finish on the seafront.’
Marcus smiled warmly at Veronica. He’d wondered how she was going to pull off a ghost tour in the middle of the day when she’d first offered to do it. ‘Sounds fun. I’m sure it will be a hit. And thank you for the free marketing.’
Veronica sat tall in her seat, looking very pleased with herself. ‘And, I know the competition is being organised by you this year, but I’m a great actress, so would it be possible to host a few of the competitions?’
Marcus hadn’t thought through the hosting part yet, and the offer took some of the burden off his shoulders. ‘Yes, of course. How about you do the first half, and I do the rest?’
Veronica’s face beamed. Her hands were theatrically animated. ‘At your service.’
Marcus noticed Pippa glancing in Veronica’s direction before talking. ‘Ollie and I have sorted the admin Christine asked us to help with, and Ollie has also maintained the online presence of the competition. I wish I could have just been more hands on physically.’ Pippa rubbed her hands over her swollen stomach, her mouth downturned.
Christine leaned across, and patted her knee. ‘You could have sat this one out, Pippa love. You did plenty last year. This time you earned the right to do as little as you like.’
Pippa giggled. ‘You always have a way of making people feel better, Christine. Thank you.’
Marcus glanced at his watch. ‘Right. I still need to speak to a lot of people confirming their part in the preparations and commitments for the day of the competition. But for now, let’s have refreshments before we go out to the beach, because there is still a lot to do today.’
An excited rumble of conversations started up all at once, taking over the quietness of the pub. Marcus poured two coffees into takeaway cups, and grabbed two slices of cake, wrapping them in a paper napkin, then he headed for the door, and then the beach, an excited flutter in his chest.
HOLIDAYMAKERS MILLEDaround the beachfront. It was mid-morning, but that didn’t put any of them off wanting ice cream. Marcus was grateful he’d had the foresight to only work half a day today in the run up to the dog competition, and all he had booked in for the afternoon was, a full groom for a Lurcher, an ear cleaning for an Alsatian, and nail clippings for a Boxer.
If he got everything sorted today, he’d be able to have a well-earned lie-in in the morning and then spend the afternoon finishing off his decorating. Then come the day of the competition on Sunday, everything should run smoothly—well that was the plan at least.
The pebbly section of the beach he’d claimed to hold the dog competition wasn’t very popular with the holidaymakers, so the showcasing ring and main marquee had been erected earlier that morning.
A beaming smile tugged up the corners of Marcus’s mouth as the beach came into view. It already looked splendid, with colourful bunting strung up from post to post, which wasblowing in the warm breeze, attracting attention from all who passed by.
Marcus spotted Rowan, Atlas close to his legs. He was hammering in pegs and wasn’t aware of Marcus admiring his brute strength as the pegs held no resistance.
