Summer at Coastguard Cottages: a feel-good holiday read

‘You married?’

‘Sort of. It’s complicated,’ Guy muttered. Damn. Why hadn’t he just said the truth? Yes, I’m married. He waited for the inevitable questions to follow.

Instead Bruce regarded him thoughtfully before saying, ‘I’m going into town this morning, at about eleven. Want a lift?’

Guy shook his head. ‘No, thanks. Thought I’d take a walk along the coast.’ He drained his mug and placed it on the table. ‘Thanks for the coffee.’

‘Any time. Something stronger on offer at sundown if you want.’

Guy smiled, raising his hand in acknowledgement before turning away and making for No. 3.

Standing under the shower, relishing the needles of hot water hitting his body and washing away the lingering chlorine smell after his swim, Guy closed his eyes. Not since he was at college had he spent so much time navel-gazing.

Sitting around doing nothing had always been totally alien to him. Once he’d hit the big wide world of photo-journalism in his early twenties, he’d revved up the speedometer of his life, allowing precious little time for reflection. The harder he worked, the more recognition he gained, the more money he earned, the more successful he was in the eyes of the world. Now the years had disappeared, while life had happened to him and around him almost without him noticing.

This solitude he’d desperately felt in need of was wearing thin. Cabin fever was getting to him, he decided. Ten minutes later, decision made, he was closing the cottage gate and making for the coastal path. His walk came to a premature end, though, when he heard a whimpering in the hedge just one hundred yards from the cottages. Cautiously he approached and discovered a small black and white dog huddled into the undergrowth, its body trembling and regarding him with frightened eyes.

Carefully Guy moved his hands over the dog’s body. ‘Steady. I won’t hurt you. I wonder if you can stand?’ Gently he lifted the dog onto its feet but it could barely stand and made no effort to move. Guy sighed. He was pretty sure the female dog had nothing broken but was painfully thin and weak. Nothing for it but to pick the poor thing up and carry it back to the cottages and get some help.

He went straight to The Bosun’s Locker in the hope that Bruce would still be in.

‘D’you have a number for a taxi?’ he said as Bruce appeared. ‘Found this poor dog up on the path. Need to get to the vet’s.’

‘I’ll take you,’ Bruce said, grabbing his car keys from the hook.

Ten minutes later they were in town and Bruce pushed open the vet’s door as Guy gently carried the dog into the crowded waiting room.

‘What’s happened to her?’ the receptionist said, looking at the dog.

‘No idea. I found her out on the coastal path,’ Guy said.

‘Take a seat and I’ll push you through as quickly as I can.’

‘I’m next in line, the dog can take my place,’ a woman called out. ‘My cat’s only here for her annual check-up. She can wait.’

Bruce and Guy smiled their thanks before following the receptionist into a small consulting room and placing the dog on the table in front of the vet, who briefly introduced herself as Holly before turning her attention to the dog.

‘Mmm,’ Holly said ten minutes later. ‘I can’t find anything broken. She’s very thin and dehydrated. I’d say she’s about eighteen months old. Not micro-chipped so I suspect she’s been dumped and has been struggling to survive for some time. I’ll give the local refuge a ring and get them to pick her up. They’ll nurse her back to health before rehoming her.’

‘No,’ Bruce said. ‘I’ll keep her. Get her well again.’

Both Guy and the vet looked at him, surprised by the steely note in his voice. ‘I’m sure the refuge is excellent and would do a good job but it would only be temporary. If I take her, she gets her forever home straight away.’

Gently he stroked the dog’s head and trusting brown eyes regarded him. ‘How about it, girl? Fancy coming home with me?’

Holly smiled at him. ‘Okay. I’ll give her a booster injection. Small meals to start with. Plenty of water. Bring her back in a week. We’ll check her over again, micro-chip her and do the necessary annual injections when she’s stronger.’

Driving back to the cottage, with the dog again on Guy’s lap and a car full of dog food, shiny new bowls, a comfy basket, a collar and lead, all bought in the shop at the vet’s, Guy said, ‘Can’t help feeling guilty about this. Happy to help with expenses.’

‘No need to feel guilty,’ Bruce said. ‘This little girly is in sore need of a good home right now. We always had dogs when I was growing up but my wife was allergic, so…’ He shrugged. He didn’t add that he’d be glad of the company or that Girly would be someone to talk to. He laughed.

‘What?’

‘No idea what her name was but I’ve just christened her Girly.’

Back at the cottage, Guy carried Girly into her new home while Bruce filled the water bowl and put food in the dish before disappearing upstairs to find an old blanket to line the basket with. The two of them watched as Girly ate the food and lapped at the water before making her way on wobbly legs towards the French doors and flopping down on the carpet in the sunshine with a sigh.

After Guy had left, saying he was going for the walk he’d intended to take that morning, Bruce made himself a cup of coffee and, opening the French doors, went out on the terrace. Girly watched him as he passed her but didn’t move. Sitting there, enjoying his coffee in the sunshine, Bruce looked back at the dog. The vet had confirmed his initial feelings that Girly was a collie.

Had he been a bit impulsive saying he’d keep her? When he and Gabby had first got together, all those years ago, he’d looked forward to turning into a happily married family man, with everything the phrase implied. Gabby’s allergies, though, had scuppered his original plan for them to get a dog. Initially he’d missed having one around, but then life with Gabby and work had taken over. Before he’d realised it, both the no-pets hole and the childless pit in his life had been seamlessly sealed and had disappeared over the years.

But the blueprint of his comfortable existence had been torn up with Gabby’s death. He’d never felt so alone as he had over the past few months. And if he was honest, the last week hadn’t been easy either. He kept expecting to see Gabby enjoying a glass of wine on the terrace, or sunbathing down by the pool with Karen and Hazel. He kept sensing her presence everywhere. It was all well and good telling Karen he was going to change his life by coming down here to live – but what if it was the wrong thing to do? Maybe he needed somewhere completely new.

As he turned and looked at Girly sleeping on the carpet, her body twitched and she grunted in her sleep. Bruce smiled, hoping the grunt indicated she felt safe and was having a happy dream.

Having a dog to walk and feed would inject a new routine into his days, that was for sure. Take him out of himself. Maybe that was why he’d been so impulsive at the vet’s. He couldn’t help feeling the dog had turned up for a reason. They needed each other.

*

Carrie took one last look around the flat. It was as clean and tidy as she could make it for the locum who was arriving that evening. She’d de-personalised it as much as possible. Most of her clothes were in the two suitcases by the door, ready to take with her back to the farm. Personal papers, passports, etcetera were in her briefcase and her laptop was charged and ready to go.

She’d debated about leaving her houseplants in situ but in the end had taken them down to reception where they’d joined the other spider plants and orchids on the shelf by the window.

Quickly she scribbled a welcome and thank you message to her temporary replacement, wishing them luck, telling them to help themselves to the food in the fridge and where to find clean bed linen, and propped it against the kettle.

Right, time to go. A quick glance at her phone in case she’d missed a call from Dom. Nothing. Perhaps she should call or text him? At least tell him she was taking a sabbatical. Her fingers hovered over the keys for several seconds, undecided. She was about to shut down when the phone beeped. Her heart lifted as she read the text message.

‘Lunch? Usual place 12.30. I have news. x’

Carrie hesitated. As much as she longed to see Dom, it would mean arriving at her parents’ later than she’d intended, but the chance to spend an hour with Dom now he was back couldn’t be missed. Besides, she was curious to know what his news was.

Dom was locking his car as she drove into the pub car park and strolled across to meet her after she’d parked up. Carrie sensed a certain tenseness about him as, unusually, he gave her only a quick kiss on the cheek instead of a lingering kiss and an all-enveloping hug.

‘You going somewhere?’ he asked as he saw the suitcases in the back of her car.

‘Long story,’ Carrie said. ‘I’ll tell you about it over lunch.’ Still smarting from the low-key welcome from Dom she said, ‘Good holiday? You look well.’

‘Brilliant,’ Dom said. ‘We all had a great time.’

Then why the tension, Carrie thought but didn’t voice. Had something happened between him and his ex?

A month after they’d met, Dom had introduced Carrie to both Sophie, his ex-wife, and the children. Briefly and awkwardly, it had to be said, but having met the children she’d expected Dom to want her around on the weekends he had them staying. He hadn’t. When she’d tentatively suggested joining them on a visit to the local theme park so she could get to know them, Dom had brushed it aside.

‘It’s enough they know I have you in my life. It’s too soon for you and them to start bonding.’

Carrie had heard and understood the hidden implication in the unspoken words ‘in case we break up’. Now, four months later, she was beginning to wonder whether he would ever start to include her on the weekends his children stayed.

Before taking Dom home to meet her parents, Carrie had tried to explain his marital status to them. He was currently going through a very civilised break-up for the sake of the children, and staying friends with his wife was very important to him. And no, it would be a few months yet until his divorce was finalised. Both Elizabeth and Malcolm had given her old-fashioned looks, but apart from telling her they didn’t want to see her hurt, they’d wisely kept their own council. The tension on that visit had been palpable and she hadn’t taken him home since. She hadn’t told them either about Dom going on holiday with his children and his soon to be ex-wife.