Читать книгу The Little Book Café - Georgia Hill - Страница 29

‘Oh, hello Benji,’ Emma crooned. She got up to help Tash with the dog bed. ‘We’ll put you just here, shall we?’ She took the bed off Tash and put it in the back corner of the office. Bending down she stroked his ears. ‘You won’t be any trouble at all, will you?’

‘Do you think this will be alright?’ Tash flung her briefcase onto her desk and went through to the kitchen to stow Benji’s supplies. ‘It doesn’t look very professional. Having a dog in the workplace, I mean,’ she shouted through. ‘Adrian said it might lose us clients.’

‘I think it makes us look friendlier,’ Emma replied, stoutly. ‘Besides, Berecombe’s known to be dog-friendly and all the tourists come in with theirs. If anyone is really bothered we can always put him in the kitchen.’

‘Poor Benji. He’s being pushed from pillar to post. He had us up both nights at the weekend. He’s just not used to sleeping on his own. Mum lets him sleep on her bed.’

‘And I expect Adrian won’t tolerate that.’

‘No need to be snippy.’ Tash returned and collapsed onto her chair. ‘You’re right though. Ade won’t hear of Benji being anywhere in the house apart from the garden and the utility. He must be so lonely. Mum dotes on him, spoils him rotten.’ The little dog trotted up to her and rested his nose on her knee. ‘I’d live at Mum and Dad’s while they’re away but Adrian won’t hear of it.’

‘I bet he won’t.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘He does like to keep tabs on you, doesn’t he?’

Tash thought about defending him and decided she didn’t have the energy. ‘You’re right. He does. But it’s only because he cares so much.’

‘Hmph.’ Emma went into the kitchen and clicked on the kettle. ‘You’ve got to have space though, Tash.’

‘Like you and Ollie, you mean?’

Emma poked her head around the door. ‘Oi. Nothing wrong with my relationship, thank you.’

Tash hadn’t had enough sleep for an argument. ‘Nothing that Aidan Turner wouldn’t solve.’

Emma grinned. ‘Think that man would solve anything.’ She disappeared. ‘But only dressed as Ross Poldark.’ She returned with a packet of crisps. ‘Breakfast?’ She offered Tash one.

Tash shuddered. ‘How can you eat cheese and onion at this hour?’ As the phone began to ring, she added, ‘And don’t give any to Benji!’ She picked up the receiver. ‘Oh, hello Ade. Yes, of course I got to work alright. Why?’

Emma rolled her eyes and crunched her way through the crisps while waiting for Tash to finish on the phone. Making faces at Benji, she slipped him the tiniest morsel. When Tash put the receiver down, she exclaimed, ‘I can’t believe he rang you. You’ve only just left the house!’

‘Accident on the A35. He wanted to check I was okay.’

‘You don’t even come that way.’

‘Oh. Yes. Hadn’t thought about that.’

‘Tash, are you alright? Have you got over that bug? You just don’t seem yourself. Haven’t for ages.’

‘I’m perfectly fine,’ Tash said repressively. ‘It’s just lack of sleep.’

‘Okay,’ Emma said, not sounding convinced. ‘Well,’ she went on more cheerfully. ‘This should buck you up. The Morrisons called and, guess what, we’ve got their business. They definitely want us to market their bungalow.’

‘Oh Em, that’s fantastic news. Well done.’

‘I’ll ring Biddy to say it’s definitely on the market, if she’s interested, and I’ll chase up the brochure and make sure the pic gets pole position in the window. I’m going over this afternoon. I promised to give them some staging advice.’

Tash thought of the cluttered bungalow with its floral wallpaper and mis-matched carpets and, despite her tiredness, giggled. ‘Good luck with that then.’

Emma laughed too. ‘Yeah. Not sure how I’m going to get them to de-clutter that collection of Beswick figurines but I’ll give it my best shot. You going to the book club next week?’

‘Is it next week? That’s come round quickly. I haven’t even read the book yet.’

‘I wouldn’t worry about that. I bumped into Millie on Friday and she said the same. Said I’d email her the SparkNotes. You want them too?’

Tash nodded gratefully. ‘Brill. Yes please.’ Then a thought struck. She’d have to face Kit. And she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.