‘What are you smiling about?’ Roxie asked as she and Lila walked away from the café and towards the village green. When they got there, Roxie placed her bag on a bench, got Glenda out and clipped her lead to her collar then set the dog down on the grass.
‘Oh… just things.’
Lila watched as Glenda roamed around, head down, flat nose pressed to the grass as she sniffed hard. Life was so much simpler for dogs like Glenda, all she wanted was a warm bed, good food and a daily walk or two. She didn’t care about marriage or relationships; she adored her human companions and trusted them implicitly. It must be wonderful to be able to have such complete faith in someone, to be free of the burdens of anxiety and insecurity that could plague human beings. Of course, Lila knew that dogs could have complicated personalities too, she wasn’t oversimplifying things, but Glenda, as an example, seemed so content.
Lucky Glenda.
‘Things? Things like… a handsome young man who we just saw at the café?’ Roxie nudged Lila. ‘The more I see of Ethan Morris, the more he grows on me. He’s quite a dish.’
Lila shrugged, not wanting to admit that she had noticed how muscular Ethan’s legs were in his running shorts, how broad his shoulders were and how his face glowed as he’d entered the café. He really was easy on the eye.
‘He’s okay, I guess. But my interest in him is strictly professional.’
‘Of course it is, darling.’ Roxie giggled. ‘And soon you’ll be able to watch him up a ladder in your bedroom in as professional a capacity as you like.’
‘Roxie! He hasn’t emailed me the quote yet so I don’t even know for sure that he will be doing the work. If not I’ll have to find someone else.’
‘His quote will be reasonable, I don’t doubt it. I saw the way he was looking at you just then and that man likes you too.’
‘What do you mean too?’ Lila grimaced, hoping her face was hiding how flattered she felt. Roxie thought Ethan liked her. What if that was true?
She shook herself. It really didn’t matter because whatever Ethan’s thoughts and feelings about Lila were, she did not have any for him. There would be no ogling the painter and decorator at all!
‘I bet he’s good with his hands.’ Roxie pulled a small plastic bag out of her pocket and scooped up Glenda’s deposit from the grass. ‘Goodness, Glenda, we must keep you off the eggs.’
The dog peered up at Roxie, her pink tongue dangling from her mouth, her black eyes bright and shiny.
‘The only reason I care about whether he’s good with his hands is if he’s good at painting, Roxie. Now please cut it out.’
‘Oh love, I’m just teasing you.’
Roxie slid her free arm around Lila’s shoulders and hugged her. The poo bag dangled precariously close to them and Lila held her nose. ‘Roxie get rid of that, it stinks!’
‘It does, doesn’t it?’
Poo bag dropped into poo bin, Roxie pulled a small clear bottle from her bag and squirted hand sanitiser on her palm then rubbed it over both hands.
‘Right, I’d better head home and find out if Fletcher plans on spending any time with us this weekend. What are you up to this afternoon?’
They were walking in the direction of Sunflower Street with Glenda plodding on ahead, her curly tail held high, her flexible lead allowing Roxie to pull her closer or give her more freedom.
‘I have a hot date with a bubble bath and a book, then I’m going to get on with another crochet greyhound while I watch some Saturday evening reality TV.’
‘Sounds relaxing.’
‘It will be. That’s one of the good things about being single; I don’t have to sit through football matches or zombie movies that I’d prefer not to watch. Ben loved football and I spent so many Saturdays enduring it on TV and cheering him on from the sidelines as he played with his work team.’
‘And now someone else is having to watch it with him and freeze on the sidelines as she watches him run around.’
‘I hope for her sake that she likes football. I know lots of women do. But as for me, I just can’t get into it.’
‘Cricket is okay, tennis too and I love rugby, but football has no allure for me either.’ Roxie shortened Glenda’s lead as they slowed down then stopped outside Lila’s cottage.
‘You know where I am if you need me, Lila.’
‘I do.’
They hugged then Lila opened her front door and Roxie walked away. Lila entered her hallway and closed the door behind her, enjoying the familiar scents of home and doing her very best to be positive about her freedom.
7
Ethan had emailed his quote to Lila and she’d replied asking when he could start. He was delighted to have secured his first job and, when he allowed himself to admit it, delighted by the thought of spending more time with her. They’d agreed that he could start the following Monday and now that day had arrived. It was a beautiful morning and as Ethan carried some of his equipment over to Lila’s cottage, he breathed deeply of the sweet morning air. March had brought spring to Sunflower Street and it was glorious with pink buds on trees, daffodils, snowdrops and tulips creating rainbows of colour in borders and pots, and birds singing happily in the trees. Everything looked so much better in the sunshine and it lifted Ethan’s spirits too.
He had bought a small white van to transport his equipment around but seeing as how Lila lived on the same street, he didn’t need to drive to get there. It was strange knowing that she was just a few doors away, and he found himself looking for her every time he left his mother’s house. He’d seen her several times and they’d waved, but apart from that, they were still basically strangers. He hoped he’d have the chance to get to know her a bit better while he worked at her cottage, although that thought also brought with it a certain amount of guilt.
Getting to know another woman wasn’t a simple process. It was something he hadn’t thought he’d ever want and it felt as though he was betraying Tilly, even though he was fairly certain he didn’t want anything from Lila other than friendship. Tilly was, and always would be, in his heart and mind, but he found it so hard to let go of her and to fully accept that she wasn’t coming back.
Outside Lila’s cottage, he rested his ladder against the front wall and knocked on the door. It swung open almost immediately, as if Lila had been waiting for him in the hallway, and she smiled up at him.
‘Good morning.’
‘Morning, Lila.’
In faded jeans, fluffy slipper boots and a white shirt with her hair pulled into a short ponytail and her face free of makeup, she was breathtaking. Some women could pull this effortless look off so well and Lila did it with gusto. He realised he was staring when her cheeks flushed and she stepped back into the hallway.
‘Come in. Where are you planning on staring… I mean starting?’
‘I thought I’d work from the top down if that’s all right with you?’ he said, trying to pretend he hadn’t noticed that she’d mentioned his staring.
How embarrassing!
‘Of course. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?’