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

Chapter 10

10

Grace found a parking spot on Riverside Road a few moments’ walk away from Ryan’s house. The rain was lashing down as she climbed out of the car, the summer storm whipping through the trees and sending torrents of water sloshing into the drains. Grace grabbed the umbrella she habitually kept in the car and made a dash for it to Ryan’s front door.

Even running at top speed and hopping over the worst of the puddles, she still got soaked thanks to the angle of the wind-driven rain. Grateful for the protection of the elegant canopy that hung over Ryan’s front door, she pressed the bell and shook out her umbrella.

Inside the house, she heard Stanley’s cheerful barking and when the door opened, the dog almost launched itself into her arms.

“Stanley!” she laughed, as the creature raced around her feet and bounced up and down on his back legs in an attempt to get closer. “This is quite a greeting!”

“Yap! Yap!”

Fending off another of Stanley’s frenzied attempts to climb up into her arms and lick her face, Grace set aside her dripping umbrella and took hold of the excitable mutt, placing her hands on his squirming body to keep him on the ground while giving him the pats and attention he was demanding. Her pleasure at the dog’s exuberant antics meant it took her a moment to register Ryan standing in the doorway.

He grinned down at her as she squatted beside the wriggling Stanley, amusement dancing in his eyes. Something about the way he was looking at her made her realise for the first time just how attractive he was, with his tall frame and broad shoulders and dark hair that looked carelessly scruffy but which was almost certainly cut that way by a skilled barber.

“He missed you,” Ryan said, nodding at the dog, who was now lying on his back on the front step in bliss as Grace gave him tummy rubs. “I don’t know how he knew you were on your way here, but he’s been staring out of the living room window for the last five minutes. When the bell rang, I thought he’d leave a dog-shaped hole in the door if I didn’t get there first to open it for him.”

Grace laughed at the image he’d conjured. “How did things go today while you were looking after him? Was he any trouble?”

“He was absolutely fine. I think he enjoyed hanging around here.” Ryan gestured inside the house. “Please, come on in.”

Grace straightened up and shook her head. “No, I’ve imposed enough on you already today. I’ll get Stanley out of your way and?—”

“Ah, you must be Grace!”

In the hallway behind Ryan, Grace saw an older woman walking towards them, drying her hands on a tea towel. The similarities between the two of them were immediately obvious, from the sharp blue eyes to the warm smiles they shared.

“I’m Ryan’s grandmother, Miriam,” the woman said once she’d reached the door. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Lovely to meet you, too,” Grace replied, shaking the woman’s outstretched hand.

“Well, come on inside,” Miriam said.

“Thanks, but I really should get home and take this one off your hands,” Grace replied, gesturing to Stanley, who was now sniffing around the doorstep.

“Don’t be silly,” Miriam replied. “It’s pouring with rain out there and Stanley will be drenched by the time you get him to your car, no matter how close you’ve parked. According to the weather forecast, this rain will clear up in the next hour, which gives you just enough time to come inside and enjoy dinner with us.”

Grace blinked in surprise. “Oh, that’s very kind, but I couldn’t impose.”

“You’re not imposing,” Miriam said with a wave of her hand, as if the idea was preposterous. “I’ve spent the afternoon enjoying myself in my grandson’s kitchen and cooking beef bourguignon for dinner. There’s enough to feed an army, and on a cool night like this, it’s the perfect meal. Come inside and eat with us and you can tell me more about how you ended up looking after that scrappy rascal there.”

“Uh, well…”

Grace glanced at Ryan, looking for guidance about whether he was on board with this unexpected dinner invitation issued by his grandmother. The smile on his face confirmed that he was.

“If you don’t already have dinner plans tonight, we’d love you to join us,” he said. “You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted my grandmother’s beef bourguignon.”

“I didn’t pay him to say that, by the way,” Miriam said, throwing a wink at her grandson.

Grace couldn’t help but be touched by the obvious affection the pair had for each other, and she remembered what Ryan had said that morning about his grandmother having been ill lately. Although Miriam looked fit and well, as far as Grace could tell, that didn’t mean she wasn’t still dealing with problems that weren’t obvious to the eye. Seeing the older lady standing there with her apron on and a tea towel draped over her shoulder and looking cheerfully flushed from the meal she’d apparently been preparing in the kitchen, Grace knew it would be rude to turn down the generous offer to stay and eat with them.

“If you’re sure there’s enough to go round, then I’d love to join you. Thank you.”

Miriam beamed and beckoned her inside. “Good. I can see from here that you are a little wet from the rain. Come on in and get dried off. Ryan, fetch the girl a towel.”

Ryan threw a mock salute to his grandmother, to which Miriam responded with a playful swat on the arm. Grace stepped inside the house with Stanley close by and tried not to gape at the beautiful interior with its high ceilings and aged wooden floor and the elegant staircase that led to the rooms above.

Thrilled to discover they were staying, Stanley raced up and down the hallway in delight, his paws scrambling over the deep rug spread across the floor at the base of the staircase before planting himself at Grace’s side once more.

“I need to go and check on my potatoes,” Miriam said, already walking along the hallway. “Come and join me in the kitchen once you’re ready.”

Ryan ducked in through a door off the hallway, which Grace saw led to a small guest bathroom, and returned with a plush towel, which he handed to her.

“Thanks,” Grace said, rubbing the towel over the legs of her trousers where the rain water had penetrated during her race from the car to the house.

Once she was done, she returned the towel to Ryan. Their fingers brushed together as he took it from her, sending a hot little buzz across her skin.

“This is a wonderful house, Ryan,” she said, to cover the blush that had suddenly warmed her cheeks.

“Thanks,” he replied, tossing the towel into a linen hamper in the guest bathroom and closing the door again. “The place needed some modernisation when I bought it, and it ended up being a little more work than I thought it would be, but it was worth it in the end.”

She followed him as he gave her a quick tour on their way to join his grandmother in the kitchen on the other side of the house. Grace admired the large living room with its original fireplace and enormous bay windows, and the small study-den with its cosy armchairs and state-of-the-art entertainment system. They passed another door further down the hallway, which Ryan brushed off as his ‘messy work room’, and which he assured her she wouldn’t be interested in seeing. Grace accepted his explanation with a nod, understanding it was a polite way of explaining he liked to keep his work private.

A moment later, they reached the end of the hallway and stepped into a large kitchen-dining area which had Grace gasping in admiration the moment she set eyes on it.

“Wow, this is gorgeous,” she said. “It must be amazing to spend time cooking in here.”

“Do you enjoy cooking?” Ryan asked.

“I don’t mind it, but I also I don’t make much time to enjoy it, either. I work a lot and to be honest, once I get home I don’t have much energy left to potter at the stove. But if that was my stove,” she said, nodding to the eight-burner range on the far side of the kitchen, “then I’d definitely get my act together.”

Ryan laughed as Grace took in the kitchen space with its stunning range cooker, vibrant wall tiles, marble countertop, painted wooden cabinets, and expansive island unit lined with sleek bar stools. In the middle of the space was an aged oak dining table with an eclectic mix of chairs.

On the far side of the room was a comfortable seating area with soft blue sofas around a distressed white wood coffee table, and bespoke white wall-to-ceiling shelving on which were displayed an expansive collection of books and music, framed art and various objects, all perfectly illuminated thanks to the integrated lighting. In the middle of the shelving there was a television, turned on to an old black-and-white film which was currently on mute.

Music played quietly from a sound system, the warm and mellow tones of a piano filling the room. Windows and two sets of French doors looked out over the back garden, where the rain continued to fall from leaden skies. The pale wooden flooring was softened with thick rugs in the seating and dining areas.

It was a jaw-droppingly beautiful room in an even more jaw-droppingly beautiful house. Grace had admired the place from the street earlier that morning, but the outside barely did justice to what lay within.

Ryan had obviously made a huge success of his music career to afford to live in a place like this. Grace was intrigued to learn more about the music he wrote and the creative talents he possessed.

Miriam appeared just then, having vanished into what Grace guessed was a pantry tucked off to the side of the kitchen along a narrow corridor. The older lady set down the ingredients she’d brought with her before turning her attention to the pots on the hob.

“The food smells wonderful, Miriam,” Grace said.

“Thank you.” Miriam smiled as she opened the oven door and peered inside. “It won’t be long now. Ryan, would you be a dear and lift this pot out of the oven for me?”

“Of course, Grandma.”

While Ryan helped his grandmother, Grace glanced around the room again, and this time noticed that Stanley was now curled up on a cosy dog bed beside one of the blue sofas in the seating area.

“You bought a bed for Stanley!” she said. “That was thoughtful of you. He had to make do with a rolled-up blanket at my house last night. How much do I owe you for purchasing that nice bed?”

“Nothing,” Ryan said, having lifted the cast-iron casserole dish from the oven and set it on the counter for his grandmother’s inspection. “It’s my little gift to Stanley. He deserves it after being a stray on the street for who knows how long.”

“We enjoyed a visit to the pet shop and enjoyed ourselves even more spoiling him with treats and whatnot,” Miriam chipped in. She dipped a spoon into the casserole dish and sampled the food she’d prepared, before giving a nod of approval. “Perfect, even if I do say so myself. Ryan, pop that dish onto the back of the hob and it can stay there in the residual heat until I’m ready to serve everything. Now, Grace, can I pour you a glass of wine?”

“Oh, no thanks, Miriam. I have to drive home afterwards.”

“Nonsense,” Miriam said with another of her trademark airy waves. “Ryan tells me you live only a short walk from here. Surely you can leave your car parked where it is overnight, and share a small glass of wine with us?”

Miriam held up the bottle that was open on the counter. “We bought this beautiful burgundy at the special wine shop on the high street, because I needed it for my beef casserole, and thankfully we also had the presence of mind to buy a second bottle for drinking with the meal. I promise you will enjoy this wine, Grace.”

Grace rarely drank in the evening when she was due at work the next day. She liked to have a clear head and get out of bed bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and ready to jump into her shift with energy. But, yet again, she found it hard to say no to the kind yet somehow also fierce older lady who was peering at her from across the kitchen, with the wine bottle poised for pouring.

“Well, okay, you’ve twisted my arm,” Grace said.

“Good,” Miriam said, obviously pleased.

She poured a serving of wine for Grace and then topped up the other two glasses already sitting on the counter. Once they all had a glass in hand, Miriam raised hers in a toast.

“To our new friends, Grace and Stanley,” she said.

Grace smiled, feeling touched by the warm welcome she had received from these people who were strangers, and on whom she’d imposed so rudely when she’d conscripted poor Ryan into helping her deal with the Stanley situation.

“To new friends,” Grace echoed, and clinked her glass against Ryan’s and Miriam’s in turn before taking a sip of the red wine. “Oh, that is really good,” she said, impressed with the complex flavours of the pinot noir. “Great choice, Miriam.”

“I’m glad you like it. Now, why don’t you two take your wine over to the sofa and sit down, and I’ll finish preparing dinner. Go on, scoot.”

“I said I’d help with the potatoes, Grandma,” Ryan protested.

“I have everything in hand. Off you go and let me enjoy my final bit of pottering at the stove.”

Ryan looked ready to insist again on helping, but Miriam shooed him away. “You will be more help by keeping young Stanley out from underneath my feet. Once I’m serving this casserole, I suspect he will be darting around in the hope of a spoonful or two, and the last thing I need is to go head-first over the scrappy little dog in my moment of culinary triumph. Now, off you go and keep our guest company.”

With a reluctant nod, Ryan left the kitchen area, but Grace noticed the enigmatic look he exchanged with this grandmother first. She wondered what message they’d given each other in that look—Grace was sure there was one, even if they had tried to hide it from her.

Once they sat down, Ryan kept an eye on his grandmother’s work in the kitchen while still being a courteous host to Grace. She could tell he was watching his grandmother’s movements carefully, and the flicker of concern on his face was impossible to miss.

Once more, Grace wondered about the older lady’s health. She might only have met her a few minutes ago, but she already liked Miriam a great deal and hoped all was well with her.

“So, how was your day?” Ryan asked as Grace settled into the deep sofa.

“It was busy,” she replied. “It’s always busy at the hotel, to be fair, but today was even busier than usual as we had events booked in every one of our function rooms this evening, which means there’s always extra work to ensure things go to plan and everyone sticks to the agreed schedules. I was in charge of coordinating the largest of the functions, a special wedding anniversary meal and party, and managing the staff beforehand and making sure the kitchen was ready for once the guests were seated and…”

Grace caught herself and offered Ryan an apologetic look. “Sorry. I tend to get a little carried away once I start talking about my job.”

“You must enjoy it, in that case,” he said and smiled. “It sounds like it might be a bit like a military operation behind the scenes.”

“That’s not a bad analogy. In a five-star hotel, the service has to be perfect, better than perfect, actually. Even when things are going wrong behind the scenes, we can’t let the guests know about it. When people are paying the sort of money charged by a place like the Hamblehurst Manor Hotel, they don’t want to know that things aren’t going to plan. They just want to be treated like royalty. We live and die by our ability to do that.”

Ryan asked a few more questions about her job and her work at the hotel, and Grace reminded herself not to chatter on endlessly about it all as she answered. Ryan wouldn’t be the first person she’d bored senseless with her enthusiasm for the hospitality sector in which she worked. Eventually, she found a way during one of her answers to direct the conversation back onto safer terrain.

“One of the very small disadvantages of working in a place like the Hamblehurst Manor is that staff aren’t allowed to use their phones while they’re working,” she said, digging around in her bag for her mobile. “Obviously, that rule makes sense because we can’t have staff forgetting about the guests because they’re glued to their phones. But it meant that I wasn’t able to phone the dog warden again today to speak to him about the two of us fleeing the boarding kennels earlier with Stanley. I was able to sneak away during my breaks and make sure you hadn’t been in touch about any problems with the dog, but I had no time to ring the warden.”

“I thought you left a message with the warden’s service before you dropped me off here this morning?” Ryan said.

“I did, but I expected to find at least a few missed calls from him by the time I finished my shift,” she said, scrolling through her phone. “I even expected to find a voice message, telling me off for failing to follow the procedures. But I don’t have any missed calls or messages from him at all.”

She checked the phone logs again, just to be sure, but there were definitely no calls while she’d been working, at least not from the dog warden.

“You said the warden sounded rushed when you spoke to him today,” Ryan said. “Maybe he didn’t have time to get back in touch yet.”

“You’re probably right. He did sound harassed and fairly grumpy when we spoke, and said there were lots of other stray dog calls he had to attend to.”

“Well, maybe it’s a good thing you don’t have any irate messages from him. We didn’t want to leave Stanley at those boarding kennels, and the last thing either of us wants is to be harangued into taking him there.”

“Which we’re definitely not doing.”

“Agreed.”

“Having said that…”

When she trailed off, Ryan gave her a curious look. “Go on.”

“Nothing. It’s not your problem.”

His gaze raked across her face for a moment, his deep blue eyes searching hers and making her fidget in her seat beneath his intense scrutiny.

“I think I know what you were about to say,” Ryan said.

“You do?”

He nodded. “You were about to say that while you definitely don’t want poor Stanley to get hauled off to the boarding kennels from hell, you’re not entirely sure what you’re going to do with him while you’re at work.”

Grace let out an amused sigh and sipped her wine. “That just about sums it up. I didn’t really think it all through when I dashed out of the boarding kennels and took Stanley with me. I couldn’t face leaving him in that awful place, but I’ll have to think fast to come up with a solution for looking after him. I have a couple of days off work after tomorrow, but I need to organise something for the rest of the time. Speaking of which…”

She set down her wine glass and waved her phone in the air. “If you don’t mind, I’ll just do a bit of research to find out if there are any doggy day care services around here I could use tomorrow, and that could fit Stanley in at short notice.”

Grace tapped on her phone, her fingers flying across the screen. It took her a few moments to realise Ryan was still staring at her across the coffee table, and when she looked up, she saw that the amused look on his face had only deepened.

“Why don’t I just look after Stanley tomorrow?” he said with an easy shrug.

“No, that wouldn’t be fair,” Grace insisted, resuming her phone search. “I dumped Stanley with you today because of my own rash decision. I’m not doing it again tomorrow.”

“You’re not dumping him with me. I like the little guy. He’s cute and fun and behaves himself. Well, he mostly behaves himself.” Ryan laughed and then gave another shrug. “Leaving him here with me tomorrow is the easiest option, right?”

“Well…” It was the easiest option. There was no denying it. But that didn’t mean she should take advantage. “Surely you have plans already? I thought you said something about spending time with your grandmother and getting out and about together while she’s staying here with you?”

“We do have plans, but nothing that can’t be moved around a little.” Ryan laughed and shook his head. “You’re determined to make this harder than it needs to be, aren’t you?”

“No, I just don’t want you to think I’m being irresponsible. I’m the one who refused to leave Stanley at the kennels, so I’m the one who has to deal with the consequences.”

His eyebrows lifted and he gave her a mystified look. “Grace, you’re not being irresponsible. You’re being anything but irresponsible. I’m glad you want to look after Stanley while the warden finds out if there’s an owner out there searching for him, and I want to look after him, too. Why wouldn’t I? He’s a fun dog to be around.”

From his cosy dog bed, Stanley let out a muffled grunt at this, as if he knew what Ryan was saying about him and was voicing his agreement. Grace couldn’t help laughing.

“Look, I’ll take care of Stanley tomorrow,” Ryan said, his smile reassuring. “If you’re off work for a couple of days after that, then you can look after him then. Who knows, maybe by that point the warden will have found Stanley’s owner and his tale of adventure will have a nice happy-ever-after ending.”

Grace glanced at Stanley, knowing she wanted only what was best for the little dog, but also realising that she’d be sorry to say goodbye to the scruffy creature if his owner was located and the time came for them to part.

Still, there was no point thinking about any of that right now. The immediate problem was sorting out Stanley’s care while she was looking after him. Judging by the look on Ryan’s face, his offer to help was as genuine now as it was earlier today. She’d be mad not to take him up on it.

“Are you’re sure?” she said.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Ryan laughed, and the soft twinkle dancing in his eyes reassured her that he meant it.

Miriam wandered over to the seating area just then. “Come on over to the table, you two. Dinner is ready to be served.”

“Brilliant, Grandma, I’m starving,” Ryan said, getting up from the sofa.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt your conversation?”

Ryan shook his head. “We were just negotiating custody of Stanley for the next few days. We’re on dog duties again tomorrow, Grandma, if that’s okay?”

“It’s more than okay,” Miriam said with a grin as she ruffled Stanley’s ears. “We’re already fast friends aren’t we, Stanley?”

The dog scrambled to his feet as everyone moved towards the dining table. Stanley was clearly excited with the activity and made a beeline for the other side of the table, where Grace had earlier noticed two pet bowls had been set out on the floor for him.

“The food smells wonderful, Miriam,” Grace said.

“Thank you, dear. You two young things can carry the serving bowls to the table and I’ll top up everyone’s wine glasses.”

In the kitchen, Grace looked at the steaming bowls of food waiting to be carried over. There was the glossy and aromatic beef bourguignon in the casserole pot, a dish containing a mound of buttery, herby potatoes, and a third bowl of bright green beans.

Grace reached for the potatoes at the same time as Ryan and their hands brushed together. Another buzz of heat pulsed across her skin at his touch, just like it had earlier when she’d returned the soft towel she’d used to dry off after getting caught in the rain.

They both pulled their hands back from the bowl and laughed, but when Ryan’s eyes met hers and lingered for a long beat, Grace’s laughter caught in her throat.

On the surface his gaze was warm and amused, but the hot spark that danced beneath it scattered every sensible thought inside Grace’s head.

“Sorry,” Ryan said after a moment, his easy smile making her wonder if she’d imagined what she’d just seen in his eyes. “You grab the green beans and I’ll grab everything else. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Picking up the bowl of vegetables, Grace turned for the table, her skin still tingling from Ryan’s touch, her thoughts still racing from the look she’d caught beneath the deep blue of his eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such a foolishly girlish reaction to a man.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had any reaction to a man at all. In pursuit of her career, she’d closed down that part of her life because there simply wasn’t time for it.

There isn’t time for it now, either, she reminded herself. So get yourself under control.

Once the serving bowls were set out on the dining table, Ryan added dry dog food to Stanley’s bowl while his grandmother spooned some beef casserole over the top. Grace laughed as Stanley planted his bottom on the floor and whimpered while his meal was prepared, before racing around Ryan’s feet as he carried the bowl back to the dog’s feeding spot across the room.

Noting the dog bed and the food bowls and the toys she’d spied on the floor, not to mention the dog food, Grace realised how much stuff Ryan had purchased for Stanley today. His generosity touched her.

The moment Ryan placed the food bowl on the floor, Stanley shoved his face into the meal and began chomping.

“Well, I’m glad my beef stew has the seal of approval from Stanley,” Miriam laughed as she took her seat.

“It will have the seal of approval from us all, Grandma,” Ryan said.

“You haven’t even tried it yet,” Miriam said.

“I don’t need to.”

“You are a charmer, Ryan Lewis,” Miriam laughed.

Yes, that’s just what he is, Grace thought, before swiftly dismissing the thought before it grew roots and took hold.

“Okay, everyone, tuck in,” said Miriam.

They all dug into the serving bowls and piled their plates with the delicious meal waiting to be enjoyed, and Grace was grateful for the distraction from the man sitting across the table.