“Are you okay, Miriam?” Grace asked when they reached her.
“I’m fine,” Miriam said. “Just a little damp, that’s all.” She smiled when she saw Stanley at Grace’s feet. “You found him. I’m so relieved.”
“He ran off into the woods behind the pub,” Grace explained. “A nice couple who were sitting in the beer garden helped us search for him, or we might still be out there.”
Miriam patted the dog’s head and then set aside the damp paper towels she’d been using against her blouse.
“Well, the bar manager came over and apologised profusely for the upset and inconvenience of having that tray crash to the floor right beside us,” Miriam said. “He offered us free drinks with our meal to make amends, which was very nice of him. However, I am unfortunately quite sticky and rather uncomfortable from having almost an entire glass of beer poured all over me, along with goodness know what else. If you two don’t mind, I think I’d rather skip lunch and go back to Ryan’s house so I can get changed.”
“Of course we don’t mind,” Ryan said, already pulling out his car key. “Let’s go.”
They were soon piling back into the car, their pub lunch outing brought to a swift close. After settling Stanley in the boot, Grace sank into the front passenger seat with a sigh, notrealising how shaken up she was by all that had happened in the last fifteen minutes until she was glancing out the window at the passing scenery and trying to stop her hands from shaking.
Ryan pulled his attention from the road for a moment and looked her way. Clearly reading her mood, he reached across and squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile before returning his eyes to the road.
She was grateful for his smile and for his touch, and for the comfort both those things gave her.
She was grateful too for the little dog currently sitting in the back of his car, peering out the window and looking very much at home.
Grace realised at that moment that she had a big decision to make.
No, that isn’t true,she realised.I’ve already made the decision.
As understanding and acceptance dawned, Grace found she couldn’t keep the smile of happiness from her face.
When they arrived back in Hamblehurst, Miriam insisted that Grace and Stanley have lunch at Ryan’s house. Miriam had wanted to treat them all to a slap-up pub meal, and it wasn’t their fault that events had conspired to derail those plans. As they were all still hungry, they agreed that sandwiches at home were the order of the day.
While Miriam changed her clothes and freshened up, Grace and Ryan prepared sandwiches and fed Stanley, who scoffed his bowl of food in record time, no doubt famished after his high-speed dash into the woods.
By the time they’d eaten their very late lunch and topped Miriam up with her essential Earl Grey tea, it was almost time for Ryan’s grandmother to catch her train to Bournemouth. After packing her small suitcase, they piled back into the car for the short drive to Hamblehurst station.
On the platform, Miriam pulled Grace into a warm hug.
“Thank you for your wonderful company over these last few days, my dear,” Miriam said. “I’m sure spending your precious time off with an old lady like me wasn’t quite what you had in mind, but I’ve loved every minute of it.”
“Me too,” Grace said, and meant it. “Thanks for letting me gatecrash your time with Ryan, and thanks for your dog-sitting help, too, when Stanley first came on the scene.”
Releasing her from the hug, Miriam waved off this remark. “Both you and that silly rascal of a dog have made this week such fun.” She cut her gaze to where Ryan was standing nearby, waiting for his turn to say goodbye, and then pulled Grace close again to whisper conspiratorially in her ear. “You’ve lit up my grandson’s life, too.”
Grace blushed, and was grateful when Miriam laughed softly and kissed her cheek, and then turned to Ryan to say goodbye.
Stepping away to give grandmother and grandson a moment of privacy, Grace tugged Stanley’s lead to stop him fussing around their feet while they said their goodbyes. Ryan and Miriam hugged at length, and as they separated, the train arrived on the platform. Miriam ruffled Stanley’s ears and gave Grace one last kiss goodbye before stepping into her train carriage and taking the suitcase Ryan handed to her.
“Goodbye, my dears!” Miriam said. “I hope I’ll see you both again very soon!”
“Bye, Grandma!” Ryan called out as the train doors closed.
The train slid away from the platform. Miriam waved from the window, and Grace and Ryan waved back until she vanished from view.
They left the station and returned to the car park.
“Will you drop me off at my house on your way home?” Grace asked as she once more loaded Stanley into the boot of the car, a process with which the little dog was now quite familiar.
Ryan gave her a thoughtful look as he opened the passenger door for her, as if he was weighing up what he wanted to say.
“Come back to my house,” he said. “There’s something I want to share with you.”
Intrigued, Grace nodded, wondering what lay in store.
