Page 9 of Snowflakes Over Micklewick Bay

Lachie took a seat at the nearest picnic table, uttering something to the dog who sat down, eyes pinned to the burger, its tail swishing happily. Hannah watched as the handsome stranger unwrapped his burger and took a few moments appraising it before he went in for a bite. She couldn’t decide if he had a cheek scrutinising it so closely or was pleased he was bestowing it with such attention. Either way, she was desperate for him to like it. He closed his eyes and chewed slowly, nodding to himself as if he was savouring every morsel and letting the flavours flood his mouth. The Labrador sniffed the air appreciatively, no doubt hoping for a scrap to come his way.

‘Ey up, looks like we’re about to witness a When Harry Met Sally moment,’ Gav said drily, making everyone laugh.

‘He does look as though he’s enjoying it in a very big way,’ said Trina, making no attempt to hide her appreciation. She worked at a local garden centre and regularly called to pick up a load of pre-ordered burgers for herself and her work colleagues. ‘It’d be a brilliant advert for your burgers, lasses, ’specially with him being so easy on the eye. He’s certainly rocking that kilt.’

Hannah was saved from having to comment when the unmistakable tang of burning hit her nostrils, making her jump to attention. ‘Argh! No! Gav, that’s your burger!’ She shot back over to the hob and hastily removed the charcoaled offering. There was no way of salvaging it, it was too far gone.

‘This is all Lachie’s fault.’ Colleen grabbed a tea towel and started wafting the smoke about. ‘He’s been a terrible distraction with all his handsomeness and looking so hot in his kilt! There’s no wonder we can’t concentrate.’

‘Auntie Coll! What have I told you about saying stuff like that?’ Hannah said, exasperated. ‘And, for the record, there’s nothing wrong with my concentration – I was dragged away from cooking duties because you decided you needed to wash your hands like there was no tomorrow.’ But she had to agree, Lachie was rather distracting.

When the excitement had died down and fresh burgers were added to the hotplate, Hannah apologised profusely to Gav and the rest of the waiting customers. Though Gav was insistent that he didn’t mind, he was given his order for free as a gesture of goodwill, while the other half-dozen people waiting got a portion of fries thrown in with no charge. Hannah and her aunt had decided early on that good customer relations was a priority for The Bougie Burger Company.

The handsome stranger was still sitting at the picnic table checking something on his phone by the time Hannah and her aunt had cleared the backlog of orders. She took the opportunity to have a quick tidy round and was wondering what to do with a cooked burger that was going spare – she’d miscalculated in her haste to catch up after burning Gav’s order – when a soft Scottish accent reached her ears, sending a shiver of delight up her spine. She turned to see Lachie at the hatch in conversation with her aunt. He caught her eye and smiled. Her heart skipped a beat as she smiled back. Was it possible that he’d grown even more handsome since he was last standing there not fifteen minutes since? Her dusty old desire was getting a right royal airing today.

‘I was just saying the burger was amazing. Your customers are right, it was the best I’ve ever tasted and the relish was to die for. Everything about it was perfect. I normally share my grub with Roly here, but I’m afraid he didn’t get a morsel; it was too good to share with anyone. He’ll be sulking with me for the rest of the day, won’t you, fella?’

Pushing her usual reserve to one side, Hannah headed over to the hatch and leant across the counter. She looked down to see a characterful, whiskery face gazing up at his owner with a pair of soulful amber eyes. Her heart melted in an instant. Not only was he adorable, but he was also the image of Prince, the Labrador cross her Auntie Coll and Uncle Len used to have when she was a teenager. ‘Oh, he’s so sweet!’ she exclaimed.

‘Aye, he’s not bad; bit scruffy looking.’ The handsome stranger ruffled Roly’s ears which resulted in a bout of frantic tail wagging that would make anyone think he’d been promised a lifetime’s supply of burgers rather than having a slight to his appearance. ‘He’s a Lab/Irish Wolfhound cross, hence the wiry coat.’

‘He’s a gorgeous lad, aren’t you? Looks just like one we had years ago, doesn’t it, Hannah?’

‘He does.’ Hannah nodded.

‘Did you say he’s called Roly?’ asked Colleen.

‘Aye, it’s short for Roland.’

Roland? Hannah couldn’t help but laugh at that. It always amused her when owners gave their pets human names.

‘Suits him.’ Colleen chuckled. ‘And I think you’re doing him a disservice, he doesn’t look much like he’s sulking from where I’m standing. Quite the opposite – in fact, he looks very happy with himself.’

‘That’s because he can smell the burgers; his hopes are high. As soon as we get back to the van, he won’t look at me. I’ll get the silent treatment for hours. I can’t lie, though, he’s generally an upbeat little guy.’

Hearing about Roly made Hannah realise how much she’d missed having a dog. She and her aunt had discussed getting one, but the logistics wouldn’t work with them having the burger van. They couldn’t keep one with them here, and neither could they leave one at home while they were out all day, it wouldn’t be fair. And Birdie wasn’t an option since she had a cat – Smudge – who didn’t like dogs.

‘One tick.’ Hannah left the hatch and headed to the back of the van. Reaching for the spare burger, she broke it into bitesize pieces and placed it on a paper napkin before returning to the counter. ‘Here, this is for Roly. I over-calculated how many I needed earlier; it would only go to waste. It’s cooled down, he might as well enjoy it.’

‘Whoa, Roly, did you hear that? Aren’t you the lucky one?’ Lachie reached up and took the napkin, popping a tiny piece of the burger into his mouth. ‘Sorry, couldn’t resist,’ he said, shooting Hannah a cheeky grin that made her heart do somersaults.

Just then a lively family of five landed behind him, the three children all making a fuss of Roly who only had eyes for the contents of the paper napkin.

‘Right, I think it’s time for us to get out of the way and let you enjoy your treat, fella.’ Lachie glanced at Hannah. ‘On behalf of Roly, thank you very much for this. I can’t guarantee it’ll hit the sides, he does have Labrador DNA, after all, but I meant it when I said your burgers are the best I’ve ever tasted. I’m looking forward to trying the Spicy Bougie next time, but, for now, I’ll let you get on with serving your customers. See you later.’ He gave her a smile that reached in and grabbed her heart, causing havoc with her emotions once more.

‘Bye.’ Hannah was surprised by how gutted she felt that he was leaving, though she tried to hide it from her aunt. If Colleen got so much as a whiff of how she was feeling, Hannah would never hear the last of it. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise her if she charged after him and pinned him down in a rugby tackle, only releasing him once he’d given her the date and time he’d return. Furthermore, she’d have him sign a legally binding document swearing to it.

‘Bye, Lachie, lovely to meet you, sweetheart,’ Auntie Colleen said, in her usual cheery way. As he walked away, she turned to Hannah, hitched her eyebrows and gave her a look that told her she knew everything that was going on in her niece’s mind. ‘Lovely lad, that. Made me think of that saying… what is it?’

‘I haven’t a clue, but I dare say I’m about to find out.’ Hannah dreaded to think where this was going.

‘Oh aye, I remember now. A way to a man’s heart is through his Labrador, especially when it comes to dishing out spare burgers – or something along those lines, anyroad.’ Colleen grinned before turning to the family waiting at the counter. ‘Right, folks, what can I get you?’

‘Very poetic, Auntie Coll.’ Hannah leant in to her and lowered her voice. ‘Remind me to have a word with you when we finish up tonight. I’ve got a few bones that need picking, big time.’

Colleen replied with a throaty chuckle.

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