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Authors: Christine Stovell
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need to be discreet about the restaurant, he’d rubbed him up the wrong way over a dog.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, returning to the bed and putting his arm round Frankie’s shoulder. ‘That was unfair of me. Tell you what, I’ll ring the vet’s to make amends.’
Frankie smiled. ‘Well, that would be a start.’
Kirstie glanced up but couldn’t raise the energy to make a further nuisance of herself. Perhaps a Doggy Choc had disagreed with her, because she really was beginning to feel quite unwell.
Chapter Six
‘Harr-ee!’
Seeing Trevor waving frantically from the other side of the road, Harry resisted her first impulse, which was to pretend she hadn’t seen him. Since he was wearing a pink floral shirt opened halfway down his hairy chest, she had to admit that this would be a difficult claim to pull off. Reluctantly, she waited whilst he crossed over, wondering if she would be able to hide her disappointment from him. She hadn’t quite forgiven Frankie for making a business proposition to Matthew right under her nose – and straight after she’d expressed her own disapproval of the man.
‘You don’t look very happy, what’s the matter?’
‘I’m fine!’ Harry lied. After another tense morning trying to negotiate more time to pay her bills and cheaper prices from her suppliers, she had walked into town to clear her head. The fact that there was nothing in the deal for the suppliers considerably reduced her bargaining power. For a little while she’d even considered sobbing down the phone, but since she’d always been proud to run with the big boys it was an underhand tactic and certainly not one her dad would have respected.
Still, there was no point in depressing Trevor, who was prone to being a bit morose himself. Since he had to put up with Frankie, that was understandable. As much as she liked Frankie, who could be both charming and bitchily amusing, no one would ever describe him as a rock of support. But at least she only had to worry about Frankie’s business propositions; unlike Trevor, who had to live with him.
‘You know, Harry, it’s never too early to think about a little Botox here and there,’ he beamed at her. ‘It’ll just freshen you up a bit and stop you looking quite so down in the mouth.’
Smiling through gritted teeth, Harry thought it best to change the subject. Kirstie was cradled in Trevor’s arms, looking like the cat who’d got the cream or whatever it was that spoilt dogs got. ‘What’s up with Madam? Is she too grand to walk anywhere?’ Now that she looked closer at Kirstie, the lack of exercise was definitely showing. ‘Gosh, Trev, you are going to have to be careful about doggy obesity. She’s getting positively porky!’
Two sets of accusing eyes turned on her. That’s for the Botox dig, Harry thought, her face a picture of innocence.
‘Well!’ Trevor confided, clearly so desperate to tell her something that he was prepared to overlook any slight to his pride and joy. ‘I’ve only just come out of the vet’s and I really should wait to tell Frankie, but all I’ll say is that it’s not fat.’
‘Congratulations!’ Harry said uncertainly. ‘When’s the happy event?’
‘Not a word,’ said Trevor, raising a finger to his mouth. ‘My lips are sealed.’ He looked at her closely. ‘I know you’d prefer us not to have accepted the contract to do the flowers for Matthew Corrigan’s restaurant, Harry, but business is business. I’m not sure how happy I am about the whole thing either. I mean, we’ve lived very quietly here. But Frankie needs this. He’s desperate for a new challenge and I don’t think I can hold him back. It wouldn’t be good for us.’
Harry eyed Kirstie who smirked at her. ‘One way or another Frankie’s going to have his hands full. So, you didn’t get round to taking Phil for his little operation, then?’
‘Oh, we did, poor thing, and he was quite grumpy about it –’
Harry watched as Trevor stopped
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, returning to the bed and putting his arm round Frankie’s shoulder. ‘That was unfair of me. Tell you what, I’ll ring the vet’s to make amends.’
Frankie smiled. ‘Well, that would be a start.’
Kirstie glanced up but couldn’t raise the energy to make a further nuisance of herself. Perhaps a Doggy Choc had disagreed with her, because she really was beginning to feel quite unwell.
Chapter Six
‘Harr-ee!’
Seeing Trevor waving frantically from the other side of the road, Harry resisted her first impulse, which was to pretend she hadn’t seen him. Since he was wearing a pink floral shirt opened halfway down his hairy chest, she had to admit that this would be a difficult claim to pull off. Reluctantly, she waited whilst he crossed over, wondering if she would be able to hide her disappointment from him. She hadn’t quite forgiven Frankie for making a business proposition to Matthew right under her nose – and straight after she’d expressed her own disapproval of the man.
‘You don’t look very happy, what’s the matter?’
‘I’m fine!’ Harry lied. After another tense morning trying to negotiate more time to pay her bills and cheaper prices from her suppliers, she had walked into town to clear her head. The fact that there was nothing in the deal for the suppliers considerably reduced her bargaining power. For a little while she’d even considered sobbing down the phone, but since she’d always been proud to run with the big boys it was an underhand tactic and certainly not one her dad would have respected.
Still, there was no point in depressing Trevor, who was prone to being a bit morose himself. Since he had to put up with Frankie, that was understandable. As much as she liked Frankie, who could be both charming and bitchily amusing, no one would ever describe him as a rock of support. But at least she only had to worry about Frankie’s business propositions; unlike Trevor, who had to live with him.
‘You know, Harry, it’s never too early to think about a little Botox here and there,’ he beamed at her. ‘It’ll just freshen you up a bit and stop you looking quite so down in the mouth.’
Smiling through gritted teeth, Harry thought it best to change the subject. Kirstie was cradled in Trevor’s arms, looking like the cat who’d got the cream or whatever it was that spoilt dogs got. ‘What’s up with Madam? Is she too grand to walk anywhere?’ Now that she looked closer at Kirstie, the lack of exercise was definitely showing. ‘Gosh, Trev, you are going to have to be careful about doggy obesity. She’s getting positively porky!’
Two sets of accusing eyes turned on her. That’s for the Botox dig, Harry thought, her face a picture of innocence.
‘Well!’ Trevor confided, clearly so desperate to tell her something that he was prepared to overlook any slight to his pride and joy. ‘I’ve only just come out of the vet’s and I really should wait to tell Frankie, but all I’ll say is that it’s not fat.’
‘Congratulations!’ Harry said uncertainly. ‘When’s the happy event?’
‘Not a word,’ said Trevor, raising a finger to his mouth. ‘My lips are sealed.’ He looked at her closely. ‘I know you’d prefer us not to have accepted the contract to do the flowers for Matthew Corrigan’s restaurant, Harry, but business is business. I’m not sure how happy I am about the whole thing either. I mean, we’ve lived very quietly here. But Frankie needs this. He’s desperate for a new challenge and I don’t think I can hold him back. It wouldn’t be good for us.’
Harry eyed Kirstie who smirked at her. ‘One way or another Frankie’s going to have his hands full. So, you didn’t get round to taking Phil for his little operation, then?’
‘Oh, we did, poor thing, and he was quite grumpy about it –’
Harry watched as Trevor stopped
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