Golden Luckenbooth

Thirty-Six

"What precisely did she say?" I query.

"Just that."

"No. Her exact words," I prompt.

The wheels in his head are clearly turning as he glances at the ceiling, using one hand to stroke his beard and the other hand to tap on the table in front of him. "I don't remember, Anna." His words sound final.

Not that I believe him. Or perhaps I should. Maybe he's not as interested in my bestie as he seems.

None of your business, Anna. Stay out of it.

Rising, I smile at him. "I'm going to try to get some sleep before my alarm goes off in 90 minutes. Come on, girls," I whistle to the dogs. They race ahead of me up the stairs, probably relieved that we're finally heading back to bed. "I'll clean up in the morning, Arran. Don't worry about it."

When I rest my head on my pillow, my two girls packed closely around me now that Harry isn't here, I drift happily to sleep.

I arrive downstairs after the sun is out, dressed warmly in a brown and yellow cashmere cardigan that Harry happened to leave behind, wearing thermals under my jeans. I'll have to be careful not to stretch out his jumper with my increasing belly. Not that it's that big yet. But it certainly feels like it. There's no question that I'm pregnant. Despite my promise, Arran has cleared the table, and I put on a pot of coffee, expecting Paddy at any moment for his first official day of work.

Although I open the door and encourage them, neither of my dogs wants to venture outside without Harry. They sit on their haunches, whining and glancing back at the stairs as if my boyfriend (or I guess I should say - their boyfriend) is going to appear magically.

"He's not here, you numpties. So either go out on your own or keep your legs crossed all day."

"That's a wee bit harsh," Arran informs me as he enters the kitchen. "I'll take them out if you fix breakfast. Or you can take them out, and I'll make us some tattie scones with sausages."

My mouth waters at the thought of hot food as opposed to the yoghurt I was planning to have, so I put on my heavy coat and wrangle my feet into some wellies. Fully armed with gloves and a hat pulled low over my ears and taming some of the curls, I invite the pups outside with me. "Let's go, girls!"

The brisk weather immediately takes my breath away, and I'm relieved that the boiler is working now that Harry had it cleaned and serviced. I suppose I should have done it ages ago, but time just gets away from me, you know? The dogs race around to the front of the clinic, and I follow them to find a new gaggle of fans there.

"Oh, good morning!" I chirp, determined to be nice to them all. "You do know he's gone to London for promo, right?"

One of them scoffs, "I thought that's what he was doing when he's here."

"We're gonna watch his interview on our phones later," a girl I've seen before adds.

"Yep, we've already heard the new song," another chirps.

"You have?" I scratch my head, confused, as it's not been released yet.

"We hear almost all of his music early. We're real fans," sneers a young woman with blonde hair.

Determined not to roll my eyes at their entitlement, I attempt to continue with conversation, steering clear of my boyfriend as a topic. "Have you met my dogs? This is Piper," I smile, pointing out my older dog. "And this young pup is Shortbread."

Several of the girls gather round the two dogs, patting them on the head, cooing over them.

"Hey! Don't spoil them too much! They'll end up wanting to leave me," I joke.