Lost and Found on Foxglove Street (The Foxglove Street #9)

Chapter 7

7

After completing the return drive back into Hamblehurst, Ryan directed Grace towards where he lived on Riverside Road. When she pulled up at the kerb, he saw the way her eyes widened at the sight of his house with its graceful aspect and established gardens.

“This is a beautiful place, Ryan,” she said. “You’re quite the gardener, too, I see.”

“I’d love to take the credit, but I hire someone to come and deal with the garden,” he admitted. “If it were left to me, the whole place would descend into an overgrown wilderness.”

She laughed at his quip, then nodded towards Stanley, who already had his nose pressed up against the passenger window and was eager to get out of the car.

“Are you absolutely sure you’re okay looking after Stanley?” she asked.

“Yes, I think I can probably cope,” he said with a wry smile.

“And are you sure you don’t want me to drive round to my place to pick up the dog food that Olive gave me last night?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Stanley and I will walk to the shops and stock up on his various provisions. I promise you, he won’t starve to death on my watch. Now, don’t you think that instead of continuing to quiz me about whether I’m up to the challenge of looking after a daft dog for a few hours, you ought to get yourself to work?”

“I know, I know, you’re right,” she sighed, waving her hands in the air. “Okay, I’ll shut up and stop fussing.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll come here straight after I finish work at seven to pick Stanley up, by which point I’ll hopefully have a plan in place for how I’ll look after him for the rest of the time he’s with me.”

“Great. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Stanley!” Grace waved as Ryan got out of the car and set the dog down on the pavement. Stanley rushed to sniff at the fence line outside Ryan’s front garden, his tail wagging.

With a quick wave goodbye, Ryan closed the car door and Grace drove off, tooting her horn in farewell as she disappeared down the road.

Stanley hurried over to the kerb in alarm and looked off into the distance at Grace’s car. He let out a whimper before peering up at Ryan with what he swore was a baffled look on his little canine face.

“Grace has gone to work, Stanley,” he explained to the dog. “She’ll be back later to collect you. In the meantime, you’re stuck with me, I’m afraid. But don’t worry, my grandma is staying with me for a few days, so she’ll keep us right.”

Stanley whined again, then glanced back at the road, his expression forlorn.

“You really like her, don’t you, little guy?” Ryan said. “I can understand why.”

He frowned at the admission he’d just made and frowned again when it occurred to him that he was standing out here on the pavement conducting a conversation with a dog.

“Come on, Stanley,” he said and gave the lead a gentle tug. “Let’s go inside and you can meet Grandma Miriam.”

With a final unhappy look along the road in the direction Grace had vanished, Stanley followed him into the house, where Ryan unclipped the dog’s lead from his collar. Stanley’s mood perked up when he got into the hallway and found an entire rack of shoes and boots to sniff at, and perked up even more when Grandma Miriam appeared from the kitchen at the other end.

“Well, who do we have here?” Miriam said, smiling in delight as the scruffy dog hurtled towards her.

“This is Stanley, the little lost dog I told you about,” Ryan said.

“Of course it is,” Miriam replied, leaning down to allow the animal to greet her with excited yips and licks. “I’m guessing that your trip to the vet’s surgery to have the dog scanned for microchip details didn’t end in success?”

Ryan summarised the events of the morning for his grandmother’s benefit. When he explained how they’d fled the boarding kennels in horror, Miriam frowned in dismay.

“I’m sure you did the right thing,” she said. “That place sounds awful. And to think that people are paying to board their pets there. What on earth must they be thinking?”

In the kitchen, she filled a bowl of water at the sink and set it down on the floor for Stanley. The dog lapped it up, splashing water droplets all over the tiles before dashing off to explore the kitchen and dining area.

“Grandma, I hope you don’t mind me offering to look after the dog today,” Ryan said. “I know we said we’d go and enjoy some lunch at that fancy restaurant you liked the look of just off the high street, but with Stanley here now, that might not be an option. Sorry.”

Miriam waved this off. “We can go out to lunch another day. I’m just glad you jumped in and offered to help out with this furry rascal. It sounds like this new friend of yours, Grace, is quite taken with him, and I’m sure she’s grateful that you’re lending a hand.”

Ryan thought about the way Grace’s face lit up whenever she looked at the little dog. He wondered if she realised she’d fallen head over heels for the daft canine.

When the vet had scanned Stanley and failed to find a microchip that would provide details of ownership, Ryan hadn’t missed the look of relief that had flashed across her face, and when they’d arrived at the dreadful boarding kennels, he was sure the lacklustre conditions they’d encountered there had simply provided Grace with the good excuse she’d needed in order to hold on to Stanley for a little longer.

He had no idea how the dog warden would react to Grace’s determination to keep Stanley in her care for the time being, but Ryan was touched by her desire to do the right thing by the dog and make sure it was being properly looked after. Offering to help by looking after Stanley for the day was the least he could do in the face of her compassionate act for the scrappy stray dog.

Although quite how she planned to look after the animal after today remained a mystery to him. From what she’d already told him, Grace was completely committed to, and passionate about, her career at the hotel where she worked, and it didn’t sound like the sort of job where flexible working-from-home was possible.

Which was why Ryan had known from the moment they’d scarpered from the awful boarding kennels that if Grace was committing to looking after Stanley, then that meant he was committing to looking after him, too.

It was impossible not to think of the obligation he’d stumbled into without a smile spreading across his face. The little dog was full of character and fun and charm, and he was amused as he watched the animal scooting around the kitchen and dining area, poking his nose into every nook and cranny and wagging his tail non-stop.

He couldn’t help smiling when he thought about the look of sheer gratitude on Grace’s face when he’d offered to look after Stanley today. He was glad to help out and do his bit in aid of the stray mutt, and the warm expression Grace had favoured him with when she’d accepted his help was a welcome bonus.

“So,” his grandmother said, interrupting his thoughts. “If we’re not going out for lunch today so that we can keep an eye on this rascal, then perhaps I’ll use the opportunity to make my famous beef bourguignon for dinner tonight. I’d hoped to enjoy a day pottering around here in your beautiful kitchen, Ryan, so perhaps that day ought to be today?”

“That’s a great idea, Grandma,” he said, already anticipating the delicious stew which was one of his grandmother’s many culinary specialities. After yesterday’s balmy midsummer heat, today had turned cooler and greyer, and beef stew would be the perfect meal for later. “If you feel up to some exercise, we could wander over to the high street and pick up the ingredients you need.”

“I feel more than up to some exercise and shall enjoy the walk. Let me make a quick shopping list and that way I won’t forget anything and have to send you back out again once I’ve already started cooking.”

“We’ll take Stanley with us,” Ryan said. “I don’t want to leave him here alone after all the upheavals and comings and goings he’s had going on since last night, and I’m sure he’ll enjoy the stroll.”

It occurred to him that it would be a good opportunity to buy some supplies for the dog, too. There was a pet shop on the high street, and although Ryan had never had any cause to shop there, he remembered from their window display that they seemed to stock a wide range of items for domestic pets.

He’d need food, bowls, and maybe a few toys for the dog to enjoy. As he watched Stanley sniffing around the dining area before turning in a circle three times and plonking himself on the floor beside the sofa along the far wall, Ryan realised he probably ought to buy a bed for the creature, too.

Ten minutes later, his grandmother had completed her list of ingredients after surveying Ryan’s cupboards to check what stocks he already had to hand. Anticipating a trip outside, Stanley rushed to the front door and sat waiting patiently for his lead to be reattached to his collar.

“He’s a good little soul, from what we’ve seen so far,” Miriam commented as she pulled on a light jacket and tucked her handbag over her shoulder. “Judging by his lovely and polite behaviour, I feel sure there must be someone out there who sorely misses this dog.”

“Maybe, although the fact he had no microchip and no collar makes me wonder how much any owner must have cared about his safety. Anyway, once Grace talks to the dog warden again and hopefully gets him to agree to her keeping the dog for the statutory period required to allow any owner to come forward and claim him, I suspect she’ll have to supply some photographs of the dog to help identify the owner, and then it will just be a matter of waiting.”

Miriam ruffled Stanley’s head as they all headed out of the house. “Well, Stanley, we don’t know how you ended up lost in the first place, but you’d better not run away once we set off on our shopping trip, because I’m not up to the challenge of chasing you down.”

She laughed as she said it, but Ryan heard the tone beneath his grandmother’s words. “Are you feeling okay today, Grandma?”

“I feel fine and I’m looking forward to our little jaunt to the high street. But running after a loose dog is, I’m afraid, beyond me now thanks to all that awful cancer treatment. I was just making a silly joke.”

Ryan knew that the treatments Miriam had endured had taken a heavy toll, and that her energy levels weren’t where they once were. Until the diagnosis, it had been easy to forget that his grandmother was in her late seventies thanks to her busy and active lifestyle. She’d always been on the go, socialising with friends and getting involved in any number of activities.

It was only three years ago that she’d completed a five thousand metre charity run after taking up the sport late in life. Even after the crushing blow of losing her husband, Ryan’s beloved grandfather, Miriam had faced the loss with bravery and sensibly maintained the active life that helped give her some respite from the grief.

When Miriam had crossed the finish line in that charity run, Ryan had been there to cheer her on, proud that his amazing grandmother had taken on such an immense challenge. After the physical and medical traumas of the last year, however, he knew that such a remarkable feat would be impossible for her to tackle now.

For someone like his grandmother, whose passion for life had always been insatiable, it must be hard to accept limits where there had been none before.

His thoughts must have betrayed him, because his grandmother gave him a look and a playful slap on the arm.

“Now, don’t go worrying yourself about me, Ryan,” she insisted. “I’m absolutely fine. So what if I can’t go dashing down the street anymore? It’s no great loss. I’m perfectly content doing the things I am doing, including enjoying spending this precious time with my wonderful grandson—who, I would imagine, is perfectly capable of running after that little scrap of a dog should he slip his lead. I’m sure you wouldn’t need me in such an emergency.”

“I’ll always need you, Grandma, whether I’m in an emergency or not,” he said, giving her a quick hug as he locked the front door.

“You’re a sweet boy to say that,” she replied, obviously pleased with the affectionate words. “Remind me again why you are still single, when you are so sweet and kind?”

“And on that note, I think it’s time to get this shopping trip underway.”

Miriam laughed at his easy sidestep around the question he’d asked, although knowing his grandmother, she would circle back to the subject in due course, time and again. It peeved her to see her grandson still alone at this point in his life, despite Ryan’s repeated attempts to convince her that it was entirely by choice.

With the cheerful Stanley trotting along between them and looking cute, Ryan was relieved when his grandmother’s attentions returned to the dog, and she soon began a commentary on how lovely the little town of Hamblehurst was as they turned along Foxglove Street on their way to the high street at the other end. Miriam commented on the pretty front gardens and the lovely houses they passed, commending Ryan on choosing to live here in the bucolic South Downs town, where life moved at a slower pace.

Ryan was glad he lived here too, he thought to himself as he passed Grace’s house further along the street and recalled how they’d met the evening before thanks to the stray dog he was now in charge of looking after for the day.

Conversation with his grandmother continued all the way to the high street, and Stanley proved himself to be well-behaved on the lead. Ryan wondered if some passer-by might recognise the dog and help solve the puzzle of who the animal belonged to, but although plenty of the people they passed returned Stanley’s canine smiles with grins of their own, no one stopped in their tracks to declare that they knew the dog and also knew the rightful owner who was searching for it.

Once they reached the high street, Ryan led his grandmother to the butcher’s shop, where they bought a cut of beef for the casserole Miriam planned to cook, along with other provisions prepared in-store by the prize-winning team who worked there. They stopped off at the mini-market for other supplies, at the bakery for some lunchtime goodies, and at the speciality wine shop where Miriam took her time choosing the perfect burgundy for the beef bourguignon recipe.

Eventually, they made it to the pet shop, where Stanley was treated to a gravy bone from the staff behind the counter and fussed over, much to his obvious enjoyment. Ryan explained about the dog’s status as a stray and asked if any of the staff recognised the animal from previous visits, but none did.

He felt an odd sense of relief when they failed to identify him as belonging to any of their regular customers. Although he knew it was only fair that the dog should be returned to its rightful owner, should one happen to be looking for him, he also couldn’t stop thinking about the look he’d seen on Grace’s face whenever she interacted with the little dog. She was already smitten with the creature, Ryan was sure of it, and if his inquiries at the pet shop had unexpectedly solved the mystery of who Stanley’s owner was, then telling Grace about it would’ve left him feeling conflicted.

On the one hand, Grace probably did want to get the dog back to its owner. She was a good person who only wanted what was best for the animal.

But on the other hand, he felt sure that if she was being honest with herself, she was almost certainly also in two minds about relinquishing the dog that she’d come to care for.

Selecting dog food from the brands on offer at the pet shop, Ryan shook his head at this insight, if it even was an insight, and not simply the strange internal rantings of someone who was as charmed with the woman who’d barrelled into his life last night as that woman herself was charmed with the stray dog that had set all this in motion to begin with.

At the counter, Ryan paid for his purchases while the assistant loaded the dog food, pet bowls, and toys into a bag. He’d also bought a comfortable plush bed for Stanley, and watching as the shop assistant squeezed the item into the already overstuffed bag, he was glad that Stanley was only a little dog who required a little bed instead of one of the enormous sizes designed for large breeds, and which looked more like life rafts rather than pet beds.

By the time they left the pet shop, Ryan reckoned he ought to have brought the car for this excursion, considering all the shopping bags now in his possession. Refusing to let his grandmother carry anything heavier than the soft bread rolls and dainty cakes she’d selected at the bakery, they set off for home once more, with Stanley leading the way as they retraced their steps along the high street.

While his grandmother chatted about this and that, and paused to admire the displays in the shop windows that lined the street, Ryan realised that this wasn’t quite how he’d imagined spending this precious time with his grandmother. He’d planned on whisking her to the seaside for a day trip, and treating her to a fancy lunch in a posh restaurant, and taking her on a tour around the New Forest to see the ponies and soak up the lush countryside, and any number of other fun things besides. Those were the sorts of activities she’d expressed an interest in doing when they’d arranged this time together, and Ryan had been ready for a busy few days chauffeuring his grandmother around the area.

Meandering along his local high street after doing a bit of shopping hadn’t been part of his plans. And yet the quiet simplicity of the everyday shopping task shared with his grandmother was far more enjoyable than he’d imagined it could be.

“I must say, I’m having fun, Ryan,” Miriam said, as if she’d read his thoughts. “This is nice, isn’t it? Just taking things easy together and sorting out a bit of shopping and having a nice wander up and down this lovely high street.”

Ryan smiled. “It is nice, Grandma. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

Trotting between the two of them, Stanley let out a soft bark and wagged his tail.

“And I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself too, Stanley,” Ryan said, which earned him a warm rumble of laughter from his grandmother as she slipped her hand inside his arm.

“I’m looking forward to pottering in the kitchen once we get home and making my famous beef bourguignon,” she said, and then gave him a thoughtful look. “There will be plenty in the pot, I should imagine. Perhaps you ought to invite your new friend, Grace, to join us for dinner when she comes round to pick up Stanley later?”

“Hmm,” Ryan responded, mulling it over.

Now, there was a thought.