like, awesome?’ she swooned.
I was saved from having to comment by the sound of the bell for afternoon lessons.
9
A Canine Plan
I couldn’t wait to get home. Jazz had spent the whole bus journey holding court to anyone who would listen about how she and Danni Minnow were such close mates and how she was going to email her that night about Kezia’s auditions. I looked out in vain for Fergus until I remembered that he had been at another band rehearsal.
I let myself into the house to find Bex waiting for me, as she had promised. It felt good to see her smiling face – so good, in fact, that it occurred to me I must have been crazy ever to think I didn’t want Dad getting to know her. If he was going to have anyone as a girlfriend, I was beginning to realize I was glad it was someone as warm-hearted and kind as Bex.
‘Hi!’ she called out cheerily, coming down into the hall with Jaffa in her arms. ‘How did the rest of your day go?’
‘Much better, thanks,’ I said. ‘How’s little Jaffsie?’
‘Jaffsie is very happy with the lovely Bexy lady,’ my cat purred, yawning and shaking her ears.
Bex laughed. ‘Anyone would think you two understood each other!’ she joked.
I bit my lips to stop myself from laughing too. If only she knew!
‘Hungry? I made some biscuits this afternoon – didn’t really know what to do with myself while I was waiting for you.’
‘You can come here any time!’ I said, following her into the kitchen, where the aroma of baking filled my nostrils.
As I tucked into some delicious chocolate-chip biscuits Bex sat opposite me with Jaffa curled up, fast asleep, on her lap.
‘You might think I’m crazy suggesting this,’ she said, ‘but, you know I said it was almost as if Jaffa was hiding from something?’
I nodded, my mouth full of crumbs.
‘Well, I’ve been thinking, and, I suppose it’s a long shot, but . . . maybe that’s exactly what she’s been doing. Maybe something has been getting into the house and terrorizing her – and causing all the chaos,’ she added.
I must have looked alarmed because Bex reached over the table to put a hand on my arm and said gently, ‘Don’t worry, it’s not that I’ve seen anything . . . but the thing is, with a cat flap . . . well, put it this way, if Jaffa can get in and out, other animals could as well, couldn’t they?’
I swallowed the mouthful of biscuit and said, ‘Another cat, you mean?’
‘That would be the obvious answer, yes,’ said Bex. ‘Although I wonder if Jaffa would be so scared by another cat . . .’
A worrying thought was forming in my mind. ‘Oh no! You don’t reckon a dog could get in, do you?’
Bex pulled down the corners of her mouth and reflected for a moment. ‘No. No, I don’t think that’s likely,’ she said finally. ‘I mean, a large dog such as a Labrador or a collie – or a Springer spaniel, come to that – wouldn’t be able to fit. They’d get their head in and that would be that.’ She sniggered at the idea. ‘And if you’re thinking of smaller breeds, such as a Jack Russell, a chihuahua or even a Border like Sparky, well, I just can’t see it happening,’ she went on. ‘For a start, where would it come from? Even if a dog was a stray, it would have to find its way into your back garden somehow, which would be tricky, seeing as the side gate’s always shut.’
I nodded. That made sense. Plus I didn’t actually know a whole lot of people in our area with dogs. There was only Mr Bruce with his two King Charles spaniels, but they were either kept indoors or on a leash because they were so bouncy. I couldn’t see Mr Bruce letting his ‘two boys’, as he called them, out of his sight for an instant.
I wished Jaffa would simply be honest with me and tell me what was going on, I thought miserably.
‘Wait a minute!’ said Bex, cutting into my gloomy thoughts. ‘All this talk about dogs has given me an idea. Now, I don’t know how your dad would feel about this
I was saved from having to comment by the sound of the bell for afternoon lessons.
9
A Canine Plan
I couldn’t wait to get home. Jazz had spent the whole bus journey holding court to anyone who would listen about how she and Danni Minnow were such close mates and how she was going to email her that night about Kezia’s auditions. I looked out in vain for Fergus until I remembered that he had been at another band rehearsal.
I let myself into the house to find Bex waiting for me, as she had promised. It felt good to see her smiling face – so good, in fact, that it occurred to me I must have been crazy ever to think I didn’t want Dad getting to know her. If he was going to have anyone as a girlfriend, I was beginning to realize I was glad it was someone as warm-hearted and kind as Bex.
‘Hi!’ she called out cheerily, coming down into the hall with Jaffa in her arms. ‘How did the rest of your day go?’
‘Much better, thanks,’ I said. ‘How’s little Jaffsie?’
‘Jaffsie is very happy with the lovely Bexy lady,’ my cat purred, yawning and shaking her ears.
Bex laughed. ‘Anyone would think you two understood each other!’ she joked.
I bit my lips to stop myself from laughing too. If only she knew!
‘Hungry? I made some biscuits this afternoon – didn’t really know what to do with myself while I was waiting for you.’
‘You can come here any time!’ I said, following her into the kitchen, where the aroma of baking filled my nostrils.
As I tucked into some delicious chocolate-chip biscuits Bex sat opposite me with Jaffa curled up, fast asleep, on her lap.
‘You might think I’m crazy suggesting this,’ she said, ‘but, you know I said it was almost as if Jaffa was hiding from something?’
I nodded, my mouth full of crumbs.
‘Well, I’ve been thinking, and, I suppose it’s a long shot, but . . . maybe that’s exactly what she’s been doing. Maybe something has been getting into the house and terrorizing her – and causing all the chaos,’ she added.
I must have looked alarmed because Bex reached over the table to put a hand on my arm and said gently, ‘Don’t worry, it’s not that I’ve seen anything . . . but the thing is, with a cat flap . . . well, put it this way, if Jaffa can get in and out, other animals could as well, couldn’t they?’
I swallowed the mouthful of biscuit and said, ‘Another cat, you mean?’
‘That would be the obvious answer, yes,’ said Bex. ‘Although I wonder if Jaffa would be so scared by another cat . . .’
A worrying thought was forming in my mind. ‘Oh no! You don’t reckon a dog could get in, do you?’
Bex pulled down the corners of her mouth and reflected for a moment. ‘No. No, I don’t think that’s likely,’ she said finally. ‘I mean, a large dog such as a Labrador or a collie – or a Springer spaniel, come to that – wouldn’t be able to fit. They’d get their head in and that would be that.’ She sniggered at the idea. ‘And if you’re thinking of smaller breeds, such as a Jack Russell, a chihuahua or even a Border like Sparky, well, I just can’t see it happening,’ she went on. ‘For a start, where would it come from? Even if a dog was a stray, it would have to find its way into your back garden somehow, which would be tricky, seeing as the side gate’s always shut.’
I nodded. That made sense. Plus I didn’t actually know a whole lot of people in our area with dogs. There was only Mr Bruce with his two King Charles spaniels, but they were either kept indoors or on a leash because they were so bouncy. I couldn’t see Mr Bruce letting his ‘two boys’, as he called them, out of his sight for an instant.
I wished Jaffa would simply be honest with me and tell me what was going on, I thought miserably.
‘Wait a minute!’ said Bex, cutting into my gloomy thoughts. ‘All this talk about dogs has given me an idea. Now, I don’t know how your dad would feel about this
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