came bustling up and swept her up into a hug. ‘Gorgeous, gorgeous dress,’ she said. ‘So glad to see you having a night out.’
‘We had another busy day in the café today,’ Lizzie told her. ‘The fish pie I made from your recipe was a sell-out. And we’ve already got customers asking us to put your strawberry sponge cake on the regular menu.’
‘Only serve that cake when strawberries are at their finest,’ Maura advised. ‘It’s at its best with the freshest, sweetest strawberries. Anything else is a compromise and the flavour will suffer.’
Lizzie smiled. Maura truly was a woman after her own heart when it came to food. ‘I’ll keep that advice in mind,’ she said.
‘I’m pleased about that, dear. But we’re not here to talk about cooking. There’s someone I want you to meet.’
Lizzie followed Maura up onto the platform where the dogs were waiting to play their roles for the evening with varying degrees of good behaviour.
‘If we can appeal to people’s hearts for adoptions tonight that will be grand,’ said Maura. ‘If we can get them to open their wallets, too, that’s all the better.’
Lizzie suppressed a smile. It appeared the Morgan family were born businesspeople. That augured well for the future of Bay Bites—and her own security in Dolphin Bay.
Maura led Lizzie to where a puppy snuggled with a teenage girl. ‘He’s sad, Mrs Morgan,’ she said. ‘He misses his brother and sister who got adopted.’
‘Sad? Maybe a little lonely,’ said Maura. ‘But he’s quiet because he’s exhausted from being run around the yard all afternoon.’ She turned to Lizzie. ‘Meet Alfie.’
At the sound of his name, the puppy sat up. He was black with a few irregular white patches, soulful dark eyes and long floppy ears that made Lizzie think he had some spaniel in him. He gave a sweet little whine and lifted up a furry paw to be shaken.
Lizzie was smitten. ‘Oh, he’s adorable.’ She shook the puppy’s warm little paw.
‘Mother, are you up to your “get the puppy to shake paws” tricks again?’ Jesse spoke from behind her and Lizzie turned. Her heart missed a beat at the sight of how devastating he looked in a tuxedo. She hadn’t thought he could look more handsome than he did in his jeans and T-shirt but he did. Oh, yes, he did.
‘And if a few tricks help a homeless animal find his way into someone’s heart, who am I to miss the opportunity?’ said Maura with the charming smile that was so like her son’s.
‘He’s won my heart already—can I pick him up?’ Lizzie asked.
As soon as he was in her arms the puppy tried to enthusiastically lick her face. Lizzie laughed. ‘Jesse, isn’t he cute?’
‘He is that,’ said Jesse with a smile she could only describe as indulgent.
‘Amy would adore him.’
‘Yes, she would,’ said Maura. ‘A dog can be a great friend to a little girl.’
‘Her grand-maman in France has a little dog that Amy loves. She’s heartbroken every time she says goodbye to her. It might help her to settle here if she had a dog of her own.’
‘But is it practical for you to have a puppy?’ Jesse asked.
‘Not right now,’ Lizzie said reluctantly, kissing the puppy’s little forehead. ‘Who knows what the future might bring for us? But he’s utterly enchanting.’
She turned to Maura. ‘Amy will be here on Wednesday. If Alfie hasn’t found a home by then I’ll bring her to see him.’ She gave the puppy one more pat, to which he responded with enthusiastic wagging of his tiny tail, and reluctantly handed him back to his carer.
Maura put her hand on Lizzie’s arm. ‘You have to do what’s best for you and your daughter. But a dog brings such rewards.’
If Lizzie stayed in Dolphin Bay a dog would be possible. For one thing, she’d be happier if Amy had the comfort of a puppy while she settled into her new home and made new friends. But it was still early days yet.
It wasn’t just the possibility of something serious with Jesse that made her hesitate. She only had a job here if the café was a success. Otherwise she’d be back in Sydney flat-hunting in a difficult rental market with the added hindrance of a dog in tow.
And then there was Jesse’s career. If they had a future together, where might it be?
‘Don’t you have to give your speech soon, Mum?’ Jesse said.
‘Yes, of course I do,’ said Maura. ‘You just keep little Alfie in mind, Lizzie.’
Jesse put his arm casually around Lizzie’s shoulder as he led her down from the platform. ‘Don’t let her talk you into something you’re not ready for. A dog’s a big commitment.’
‘Don’t I know it,’ she said.
She was silent for a long moment. Holding the squirming little bundle in her arms had brought back memories of Amy as a baby. Amy often asked if she could have a little brother or sister, but another baby had never been on the agenda. Why was she thinking about it now?
* * *
As the evening progressed Lizzie couldn’t help being overwhelmed by that déjà vu. They were in the same room as the wedding reception. She was enjoying the opportunity to wear a beautiful dress, do something special with her hair—she loved the effect of having it straight—and wearing more make-up than usual.
With the Parisian dress she felt she had donned some of her old Lizzie party-girl spirit. That Lizzie had been pretty much smothered by maternal responsibilities and anxieties. She loved Amy more than she could ever have imagined loving another person. But there were times she wanted to be Lizzie, not just Mummy or Chef. This was one of them. She was determined to enjoy every second of the evening.
She even enjoyed the speeches. She wasn’t the only one near tears when Maura spoke about the homeless dogs and cats in the area and the maltreatment some of them received before they got to the shelter. Someone else spoke convincingly about spaying and neutering to help bring down the number of unwanted kittens and puppies.
When Maura returned to the table after the speeches, she saw the pride in Jesse’s father’s eyes as he helped his wife of heaven knew how many years back into her chair. She realised Jesse had been brought up in a family where love and kindness ruled.
How very different from her family, where her father, a specialist anaesthetist, believed in excessive discipline, rigorous academic achievement and ruthless competition. No wonder both she and Sandy had rebelled. No wonder her mother had eventually divorced him and moved to another state.
Her father hadn’t been a part of her life for a long time but he had asked to see her when she’d brought Amy back to Australia. She’d hoped he’d regretted the way he’d treated her, maybe wanted to make up for it by developing a relationship with his granddaughter. But no. He wanted to pay to send Amy to an exclusive girls’ boarding school where she could develop her academic potential, away from her mother’s influence. Needless to say, Lizzie had declined the offer.
The
