The Little Book Café: Tash’s Story

Tash smiled tightly. She handed him his briefcase as he squeezed into the Porsche. She wasn’t the only one putting on weight. ‘Drive safely.’

‘Will do, don’t want to risk any more points on the licence. Cops spot this car and think it’s fair game. I’ll give you a ring tonight.’ He slammed the car door hard, revved the engine and gave a loud toot as he went.

Tash winced as she saw curtains twitch in the house opposite. It was very early. She wished Adrian would be a little more considerate sometimes. Giving a conciliatory wave to her neighbour who had opened her bedroom window and glared, she fled inside. She tried to ignore the flush of freedom that a few days without Adrian always produced.

‘This is more like it,’ Tash chatted to Benji as he scampered up the hill. She’d driven to a local spot popular with dog walkers on the outskirts of Berecombe. Once an old hill fort, it had spectacular views over Chesil Beach and towards Portland. As it was still early, there were few others about and a cool breeze softened the hot day which promised.

It had been a good summer. The town was full to bursting with tourists and the place was revving up for Lifeboat Month. Some complained the grockles got in the way, that you couldn’t walk along the pavements and there was never anywhere to park but Tash loved the buzz. As she’d driven through town yesterday, on the way to the office, the bunting was being strung up across the main street; she adored its frivolity.

She wandered to the eastern side of the hill and perched on one of the benches, enjoying the sight of the sea, a smudge of silvered pink in the early morning haze. Benji nosed contentedly around at her feet. Tash closed her eyes. She felt very peaceful and curiously free. She had two whole days to herself. Adrian wasn’t back until Thursday. She concentrated on the sound of a bird, a skylark maybe, high above her and the snuffle of Benji’s nose as he discovered fascinating new smells. His sudden bark had her eyes open in a flash.

‘Hello there.’

A man was standing a little way away from her. He had his hand on the collar of the most enormous dog Tash had ever seen. It was grey and rangy with a noble head. Not unlike its owner. ‘Kit. Hello.’

‘I’m sorry. Did I disturb you?’

The Westie had his hackles up and had begun to growl. ‘Benji, stop that,’ Tash scolded and clipped the terrier back on the lead. ‘Sorry, he can be a bit of a grump with other dogs sometimes.’

‘Not a problem. Merlin can look upon dogs smaller than him as prey but he’s very laidback most of the time. May I join you, or would you rather have the place to yourself?’

It seemed churlish not to share the bench so Tash shuffled up. Besides, she was curious about Merlin. ‘What breed is he?’ she asked, after he and Benji had sniffed each other thoroughly, decided there was no threat on either side and then gone on to ignore each other.

‘Irish wolfhound.’

‘Does he come across many dogs bigger than him?’

‘Sorry?’

‘You said Merlin treats dogs smaller than him as prey. I’m surprised he meets any bigger.’ She reached over and rubbed the dog’s head.

Kit laughed. ‘He’s a gentle giant but, when people meet him for the first time, he can come across as a tad alarming. I tend to be on the defensive.’

Merlin whickered in agreement.

‘He has the most intelligent eyes,’ Tash said. She pulled on the dog’s ears gently.

‘A wise old man’s soul in a dog’s body, this one.’ Kit ruffled Merlin’s head and his and Tash’s hands met.

Tash snatched hers away. Their eyes met and she felt herself blushing. Desperate to fill the charged silence, she blurted out the obvious. ‘Beautiful day.’

‘It is. Can’t argue with you on that. Hadn’t pegged you as a dog person.’ Kit nodded to Benji who had stretched out next to her feet.

‘Oh, Benji’s not mine. He belongs to my parents. Spoiled rotten too. I haven’t got a dog, Adrian doesn’t like the mess they make so I borrow Benji every now and again.’

‘Adrian?’

‘My boyfriend.’ Tash felt her face grow hot again. Why should she be embarrassed about admitting to Adrian?

‘Oh.’ Tash could see Kit processing the information. ‘Well,’ he conceded, ‘they can make an awful lot of mess. Lot of work too.’

‘Yes, doubt if I could cope, what with working full-time.’ Tash tried to keep the longing out of her voice. She’d happily put up with a bit of disruption if it meant she could have a dog. It was Adrian who had flatly refused to have any kind of pet. He’d even put his foot down about the idea of a hamster. ‘They smell,’ he’d moaned.

‘Probably best to borrow one once in a while then. Dogs like someone around and it’s tricky if you work.’

‘Do you? Work, I mean?’ It wasn’t just Merlin Tash was curious about.

Kit chuckled. ‘I have a dog, two cats, a brood of argumentative chickens, one or two goats and three donkeys. Plus an orchard I can’t decide what to do with on top of an awful lot of land. I count that as work.’

‘But you haven’t always had the farm, have you? What did you do before?’

She felt Kit’s gaze, hot on her face. He leaned nearer. He smelled of old-fashioned coal tar soap, with an earthy undertone. It wasn’t unpleasant and a world away from Adrian’s sluiced-on Paco Rabanne.

‘Can you keep a secret?’

‘Oh yes,’ Tash smiled. ‘I’m good at keeping secrets.’

‘Part of your job, I suppose?’

‘Well, client confidentiality is important.’ It wasn’t what she had meant but she let it go. ‘What’s this secret then?’ This was fun, she realised. It was almost like flirting.

‘I had a lottery win.’

‘No! Really?’ Tash was delighted, it seemed so incongruous. ‘Why keep it secret though?’

Kit shrugged. ‘I’m a private kind of a person. Mum is too. I bought the winning ticket but gave it to her for a birthday present. She persuaded me to buy the farm with the half she gave me. It was great at first. Then we got the piles of begging letters. Some were obviously fake but most were genuine. Mum decided to donate what she could but couldn’t cope. So we shut the doors and decided not to tell anyone.’ Kit picked a grass seed out of Merlin’s coat, frowning. ‘Money changes how people react to you. Not always for the better. Not that I’m complaining though. Mum’s got a nice home, I get to do what I’ve always wanted to. Have a bit of land, a few animals. Thinking about what to do next.’

‘What were you before you won?’ Tash was agog. She’d never met a big-time lottery winner before. She wondered how much money was involved but it seemed rude to ask.

‘That’s the other secret.’ Kit gave an impish grin. ‘I was a dentist.’ He shrugged. ‘Not sure which is the more unpopular. Estate agent. Dentist. The two most loathed professions.’

Tash roared. She hadn’t laughed so much in ages. When she’d calmed down, she said, ‘Dentists, estate agents, we get some real stick, don’t we?’ She looked at him properly, for the first time. Still no better looking, she decided, but she couldn’t deny he was sexy. With his shabby beanie hat and scrubby stubble she couldn’t imagine a less likely dentist, though. She said as much.

‘Oh, I agree,’ he said, affably. ‘I enjoyed it while I did it but the hours were epic and I was stuck in a surgery all day looking down people’s throats.’ He grinned. ‘I was glad to get out of it. Much prefer the fresh air and freedom.’

‘So now you spend your day with animals instead. At least you’ll know what to do if one of the donkeys has toothache.’

‘Ha ha. As far as I know, animal dentistry is a whole other ball game. And if anyone had walked in to my surgery with teeth like a donkey, I think I would have run. Speaking of which—’ he glanced at his watch ‘—that’s what I have to do now. It’s getting too hot for Merlin and I’ve got the donkeys to muck out.’

‘Now that is hard work,’ Tash agreed. ‘I used to help out at a stable when I was a horse-mad teenager. Aren’t they out to pasture at this time of the year though?’ They stood up and began to walk back to the car park.

‘Rescues,’ Kit said, as a way of explanation. ‘Someone attacked them one night and they still get spooked being out in the paddock when it’s dark. Owner couldn’t cope so I re-homed them.’ He sighed. ‘Have to stable them at the moment.’

‘That’s awful!’ Tash stopped dead and looked up at him, her mouth open in disgust. She hated any cruelty to animals.

Kit shrugged. ‘I’m trying to find ways of gradually getting them used to being outside but nothing’s working at the moment.’

‘Maybe get in touch with the donkey sanctuary over at Sidmouth?’