He crouched down in front of Doggo and gave him a scratch around the ears. ‘You don’t look like a Freddie to me, just saying.’ He paused. ‘And you would have had a bloody awesome time up at Nords. This Tia chick better take you for lots of walks and feed you the good stuff.’

Doggo sniffed at his face then licked his cheek.

‘Thanks for that, mate. You know you’re the only one who knows my shitty news? And now you’re just going to leave me all alone with it.’

Doggo licked him again.

‘Your breath stinks, you know that?’

The potentially bad news had come in the form of a phone call a few hours earlier. And it was one of the reasons he was in a such a foul mood. He almost hadn’t answered it, seeing it was from an unknown number. But then he’d relented and picked it up.

‘Hi Darren, this is Angela from the Fig Street Medical Centre.’

This was it. The call about that bloody mole on his neck.

‘Doctor Clermont asked me to book you in for a follow-up appointment. When are you available to come back in?’ the cool voice of the receptionist had continued.

‘Why?’ he blurted out. ‘Is there a problem with my results?’

‘Unfortunately, I don’t have that information. But let’s get you booked in and Doctor Clermont will be able to explain.’

He’d made the appointment and was frustrated to discover that because of Christmas, he wasn’t going to be able to see the doctor until late next week. He wished they’d just tell him the results over the phone instead of making him wait.

But really, considering his track record with bad news these past few days, skin cancer wouldn’t really come as a surprise.

Doggo continued to pant in his face.

‘Your breath really is disgusting, buddy. But I guess Tia can get your teeth cleaned for you now.’

The vet had suggested a proper teeth cleaning was in order for the dog after Darren had found him, but after paying for his shots, check-up and groom, the expensive dental procedure hadn’t quite been in his budget just yet.

And according to the email he’d received from his agent the other day, it probably wasn’t going to be in his budget any time soon. There was no way he’d be able to get a manuscript delivered by March. Two months to write a book that was currently nothing more than a blank Word document was impossible. Not when he had zero ideas, motivation or inspiration.

And he needed to find out if Sage was the same Sagittarius who’d written that review. Although it seemed more than likely. Sagittarius was hardly a common name. So had she lied when she said she was a ballet dancer?