with a stiff neck at six o’clock.
She has lain in bed reading for an hour, then come downstairs to be met by an excited Humphrey and Dharma, who jump all over her then run to the front door whining, their tails wagging furiously.
Pulling her coat over her pyjamas, she looks for her boots by the front door, realizing she has left them upstairs. She can’t be bothered to run back up, so she slips her feet into Harry’s huge Timberlands, grabs one of Emily’s hats, pulls it down firmly over her ears, and clips the leads on the dogs as she tries to shush them before quietly going outside.
It’s a beautiful morning. The air is cold and crisp, the frost glitters on the grass, and the sky is a bright clear blue. Crunching over the lawn, Alice pushes open the gate and leads the dogs into the field. She bends down and unclips their leads, smiling as the pair of them eagerly take off, racing round in circles, tongues hanging out of their mouths with joy.
She had forgotten just how wonderful the view is, how much she loves being in open spaces, breathing fresh air. She crosses her arms to keep out the cold, and follows the dogs, sliding her feet across the lawn to stop the huge boots falling off.
Twenty minutes later she’s about to die of cold. Calling the dogs as quietly as she can, she clips the leads back on and leads them across the country lane back into the house to make some coffee and warm up.
‘Morning!’ Harry’s sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of steaming coffee. He’s wearing jeans and a large sweatshirt, and Alice is relieved to see that his bare feet seem to be completely normal.
‘You look disgustingly happy for first thing in the morning,’ Alice laughs, knowing that a night of sex will do that for you. As it happens, Alice is a morning person herself, has always had the ability to bound out of bed wide awake, without the need for caffeine to give her that first boost of the day.
‘I’m always good first thing,’ Harry smiles. ‘I saw you outside walking the dogs. I hate to be the one to tell you this but I think your boots are a little too big for you.’
‘Ah yes. They’re yours, actually. I couldn’t find mine so I borrowed them. Do you mind?’
‘Not at all. Glad to have been of service. And the hat suits you too. Can I get you some coffee?’
‘Mmm, that sounds lovely.’
‘So how did you become a dog-trainer?’ Alice is clearing up the cereal bowls while Harry stands by the stove cracking eggs into a frying pan.
‘I was supposed to be a vet,’ Harry laughs, ‘but I didn’t have the discipline.’
‘You mean you went to veterinary college?’
‘Yup. I dropped out half-way through my second year.’
‘But that’s terrible.’
‘Is it? Why?’
‘You were so close. Don’t you have any regrets?’
Harry hands Alice the packet of bacon to open, then slaps six rashers into the pan. ‘Sometimes. But I don’t think I’m the sort of person who would be happy working in a nine to five job.’
‘Do you think being a vet constitutes a nine to five?’
‘Actually it’s longer, you’d have to be on call all the time even when you weren’t at your practice, but it’s more about routine. I didn’t have the discipline to do the same thing every day, and although I do sometimes think I should have finished, just to have got the qualifications, on the whole I’m very happy with my life.’
‘And is dog-training everything you thought it would be?’
Harry laughs, walking over to the table and sliding the eggs and bacon on to plates as Alice puts a pile of toast on the table and sits down. ‘Dog-training is fantastic, but best of all is the time it gives me to do other things.’
‘Such as?’
‘Such as gardening. And pottering round the house. And I’m a bit of a dab hand at woodwork.’
‘What kind of woodwork?’
‘Bookshelves. Benches. That kind of stuff.’
‘For yourself or for other people? God, this is delicious! I don’t even remember
She has lain in bed reading for an hour, then come downstairs to be met by an excited Humphrey and Dharma, who jump all over her then run to the front door whining, their tails wagging furiously.
Pulling her coat over her pyjamas, she looks for her boots by the front door, realizing she has left them upstairs. She can’t be bothered to run back up, so she slips her feet into Harry’s huge Timberlands, grabs one of Emily’s hats, pulls it down firmly over her ears, and clips the leads on the dogs as she tries to shush them before quietly going outside.
It’s a beautiful morning. The air is cold and crisp, the frost glitters on the grass, and the sky is a bright clear blue. Crunching over the lawn, Alice pushes open the gate and leads the dogs into the field. She bends down and unclips their leads, smiling as the pair of them eagerly take off, racing round in circles, tongues hanging out of their mouths with joy.
She had forgotten just how wonderful the view is, how much she loves being in open spaces, breathing fresh air. She crosses her arms to keep out the cold, and follows the dogs, sliding her feet across the lawn to stop the huge boots falling off.
Twenty minutes later she’s about to die of cold. Calling the dogs as quietly as she can, she clips the leads back on and leads them across the country lane back into the house to make some coffee and warm up.
‘Morning!’ Harry’s sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of steaming coffee. He’s wearing jeans and a large sweatshirt, and Alice is relieved to see that his bare feet seem to be completely normal.
‘You look disgustingly happy for first thing in the morning,’ Alice laughs, knowing that a night of sex will do that for you. As it happens, Alice is a morning person herself, has always had the ability to bound out of bed wide awake, without the need for caffeine to give her that first boost of the day.
‘I’m always good first thing,’ Harry smiles. ‘I saw you outside walking the dogs. I hate to be the one to tell you this but I think your boots are a little too big for you.’
‘Ah yes. They’re yours, actually. I couldn’t find mine so I borrowed them. Do you mind?’
‘Not at all. Glad to have been of service. And the hat suits you too. Can I get you some coffee?’
‘Mmm, that sounds lovely.’
‘So how did you become a dog-trainer?’ Alice is clearing up the cereal bowls while Harry stands by the stove cracking eggs into a frying pan.
‘I was supposed to be a vet,’ Harry laughs, ‘but I didn’t have the discipline.’
‘You mean you went to veterinary college?’
‘Yup. I dropped out half-way through my second year.’
‘But that’s terrible.’
‘Is it? Why?’
‘You were so close. Don’t you have any regrets?’
Harry hands Alice the packet of bacon to open, then slaps six rashers into the pan. ‘Sometimes. But I don’t think I’m the sort of person who would be happy working in a nine to five job.’
‘Do you think being a vet constitutes a nine to five?’
‘Actually it’s longer, you’d have to be on call all the time even when you weren’t at your practice, but it’s more about routine. I didn’t have the discipline to do the same thing every day, and although I do sometimes think I should have finished, just to have got the qualifications, on the whole I’m very happy with my life.’
‘And is dog-training everything you thought it would be?’
Harry laughs, walking over to the table and sliding the eggs and bacon on to plates as Alice puts a pile of toast on the table and sits down. ‘Dog-training is fantastic, but best of all is the time it gives me to do other things.’
‘Such as?’
‘Such as gardening. And pottering round the house. And I’m a bit of a dab hand at woodwork.’
‘What kind of woodwork?’
‘Bookshelves. Benches. That kind of stuff.’
‘For yourself or for other people? God, this is delicious! I don’t even remember
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