16
For the secondday in a row, Grace spent her shift clock-watching, albeit it for different reasons. Yesterday, she couldn’t wait to finish work in order to check that all was well with Stanley, having left the stray dog in the care of a neighbour she’d only just met.
Today, she couldn’t wait to finish work because she simply wanted to get away from the hotel. That was a new experience for her. The unexpected outcome of her promotion process had not only left her disappointed; it had left her needing to escape from the hotel and from the place she’d always thought of as a second home.
Perhaps Clive was right when he’d said she would appreciate the extra time off he was forcing her to take in order to use up her annual leave entitlement. The idea of an entire week away from the hotel had grown on her as the day went on. She needed time to absorb the news about her failed promotion and wondered if that might best be done away from the hotel into which she’d invested so much energy and love.
When her shift finished at five o’clock, Grace was already removing her belongings from her locker. Many of her colleagues were huddled in the staff area, discussing theshocking news they’d all received that afternoon about the pay freeze and promotion suspension and the big changes afoot in the business, but Grace sidestepped their questions and gossip with a little white lie about having an after-work doctor’s appointment she had to get to and hurried to her car.
She didn’t want to talk to anyone about any of it. She just wanted to go home.
It was only as she reached the outskirts of Hamblehurst that she realised that going straight home wasn’t an option, at least not yet. First, she had to pick up Stanley from Ryan’s house.
Thoughts of the little dog instantly cheered her. Stopping herself from dwelling on her stalled promotion hadn’t been easy during the day, and her mind was tired from the effort it had required to appear pleasant and happy while interacting with the hotel guests. Now that she was done for the day, it was nice to think of Stanley waiting for her with his cute face and wagging tail and sweet canine character.
And it was nice to think she would have company at home tonight, even if that company was just a stray dog. The idea of curling up on the sofa with Stanley and forgetting about the horrible news she’d heard today was incredibly appealing.
Grace drove to Riverside Road and found a parking space near Ryan’s house. She’d neglected to check her phone before leaving work, and did so now, wondering if the dog warden had got back in touch yet, either about her continuing to keep Stanley in her care or about the photographs she’d sent that morning of Stanley to help the warden locate any owners who might be searching for him.
There was a voice mail on her phone, and when Grace listened to it, she discovered it was from the dog warden.
“It’s against procedure to keep a stray dog,” the warden admonished her on the message he’d left. “We’ll have to get back to you and sort out this situation, because this won’t do. In themeantime, I appreciate you sending photos of the dog for us to use. We’ll try to match them to our reports of missing dogs. I’ll be in touch.”
That was it as far as the message was concerned. The warden sounded as harassed as he had done when they’d first spoken. She briefly wondered what the warden meant when he said he’d get back to her to ‘sort out this situation’ and whether she was in any trouble over all of this.
Slipping her phone into her bag, she dismissed the thought. She had enough on her mind already as it was.
When she rang the doorbell at Ryan’s house a few moments later, she grinned at the sound of Stanley barking as he raced towards the door along the hallway. When the door opened this time, she was ready for the little creature and happily welcomed him as he launched his sturdy little body towards her.
“Hello, Stanley!” Grace said, rubbing the dog’s ears as he wriggled around her feet and clambered up her legs. “How was your day?”
“Yap! Yap!”
“Good. At least one of us had fun.”
She intended this last comment to be no more than a silly whisper in the ears of the cute dog as it raced around her feet, but when she glanced up and saw Ryan at the door, the look on his face told her he’d heard what she said.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, his smile dimming.
“Everything’s fine,” she said with an easy wave of her hand. “It was just busy today, that’s all. I’ll grab Stanley’s things and get out of your way.”
“Sorry, but Grandma won’t allow that,” Ryan said, his smile returning. “She insisted on making dinner again and has also insisted that you join us.”
“Oh, no, I can’t impose two nights in a row.”
“Nonsense,” came Miriam’s voice from the back of the hallway.
Grace peered around Ryan and saw Miriam poking her head out of the kitchen at the far end. “It’s nothing fancy tonight, just a cold pasta salad, and some ripe tomatoes and basil, and a beautiful crusty loaf we bought at the baker’s while we were walking Stanley this morning. You must join us. I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“But—”
“We’ll eat at six,” Miriam interrupted. “In the meantime, why don’t you two take Stanley for another walk to make sure he’s comfortable before we all sit down later.”
Miriam disappeared from view, and when Grace looked back at Ryan, she saw the amused expression of resignation on his face.
“When it comes to my grandmother, I find it’s easier just to do what she says,” Ryan laughed.
“I feel bad turning up to be fed two nights in a row.”
