‘Ah,’ he said. ‘That depends. Do you have a couple of hours to spare?’ He glanced down at his watch. ‘Actually, I don’t have time to spare right now myself. I’m going to be late for my shift. Listen, could I get your number and take this up with you again another time?’

‘Yeah, of course. My name’s Andrea, by the way.’

‘Shaun,’ he replied, offering her his hand.

She noticed he had a good, strong handshake without squeezing too hard. The combination of his warm handshake and friendly manner put Andrea right at ease.

They exchanged phone numbers and before turning away he looked her right in the eyes. ‘I’m glad someone else is there for Violet. I reckon she needs lots of people on her side. Thank you.’

Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Monday 14 December

Darren

‘Look at you!’ said Darren, crouching down to welcome Doggo as the groomer brought him out from the back. ‘Aren’t you a handsome fella? Aren’t you a good-looking doggo?’

The dog’s matted fur had all been clipped away and his coat now looked shiny and new. The groomer had also left him with a fluffy ball at the end of his tail, which was perhaps a bit of an odd choice considering he wasn’t a poodle, but Doggo managed to pull it off.

The woman above him cleared her throat and Darren stopped fussing over the dog and stood up. ‘Sorry, I didn’t realise how he’d look. He’s like a completely different dog.’

‘Yes, well, maybe don’t leave it so long next time before you get him groomed.’

Darren clenched his jaw, about to defend himself to the judgemental groomer, but before he could a younger woman sprang up from behind the counter.

‘Claudia! He didn’t! This is the guy who found a stray and took him in.’

Claudia blushed. ‘Oh, right. Sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.’

‘All good,’ said Darren. He paused then added a little stiffly, ‘You did a great job with him.’

It wasn’t until he was on his way out of the grooming place that he remembered he’d been planning on dropping into the medical centre for the health check-up that Charlotte and Steph wanted him to have. He’d meant to do it while Doggo was being groomed but instead he’d taken a long walk, convincing himself that the walk would clear his mind. That ideas for his book would fall into his lap. They hadn’t.

Never mind, he’d have to find another time for the check-up. Charlotte and Steph had only just asked him on the weekend, surely they wouldn’t be calling him for a donation right away, would they?