‘Last question, I promise; do you need to obtain a landlord’s permission to have a dog on the property?’
‘No, it’s mine, I own it.’
‘Great. All done.’ Jakob sat back, and Nora let out a sigh.
She’d never been arrested, but she could now easily imagine what being grilled by the police would feel like, thanks to Jakob and his twenty questions.
‘Oh, I forgot to ask,’ he began, and when she rolled her eyes, he grinned. ‘What sort of dog are you thinking of. Large? Small? Smooth haired? Fluffy? Male or female? And would you consider re-homing a puppy?’
She didn’t mindthosequestions. They were fun. ‘Definitely not a puppy, because I can’t have it doing wees and poops in the salon while I’m cutting someone’s hair. Not if I want to keep my customers.’
‘Okay, house trained,’ he murmured to himself.
‘But not too old,’ she continued, ‘because, you know, I’ll get too upset when—’ She broke off. ‘A girl, I think, and smooth haired. I do enough styling and primping in the salon.’
‘So,’ he began, counting off points on his fingers. ‘Friendly, confident, active, likes cuddles?’ He glanced at her for confirmation and she nodded. ‘A female, not too old but not a puppy, and smooth-coated. Have I missed anything?’
‘I don’t think so. Do you have a dog like that?’
‘We do. Her name is Shona, and she’s a Whippet.’
‘Don’t Whippets need loads of exercise?’ Nora asked worriedly. ‘I mean, I’ll be taking her out twice a day, but in between she’ll need to settle and behave herself.’
‘Don’t let her looks fool you. Yes, she’s quick, but Whippets also love lounging around on the sofa. Would you like to meet her?’
Nora gave a little clap. ‘I’d love to.’ She could imagine it already, the dog lying on a pink bed, calmly accepting strokes and scritches from her clients. Shona sounded perfect.
‘Follow me,’ Jakob instructed, and Nora jumped to her feet.
As he led her along a row of kennels, she tried not to look inside; she didn’t want to see their poor little faces begging her to take them home and love them, and she tried to close her ears to the barks and whines. But it only took one look, just one sideways glance out of the corner of her eye, and she was immediately smitten.
‘Wait,’ she said, coming to a halt. ‘Is this one available?’
Jakob stopped and turned to look at the dog she was pointing at. ‘Yes, but—’
‘What’s her name?’
‘Biscuit, and she’s a he. Not only is he the wrong gender, he’s large and fluffy. Not what you were looking for.’
The dog was staring at her with big brown eyes, his expression solemn. Then he slowly lay down and rolled over, showing her his tummy.
‘Aw!’ she cried.
‘He keeps doing that.’
‘He’s adorable.’
‘And he knows it.’ Jakob was shaking his head, but his eyes were kind.
‘Hello, Biscuit,’ she crooned, and the dog lumbered to his feet. So much for wanting a smooth, short-haired, smaller animal. This dog came up to the top of her thigh and his mostly black coat was long, with feathers down his legs, and a plume of a tail. But he was so handsome, with his white chest, the white markings on his face, and tan legs, and he had such a loving expression. A bit goofy, too.
When he licked her hand, Nora’s insides turned to mush. ‘He likes me!’ she exclaimed.
‘He likes everyone.’
‘That’s a good thing, isn’t it? He’ll fit right into the salon.’
‘He won’t be too big?’
