MADE IN ESSEX. Laura Ziepe

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ at the beginning, but he’d just ignored her. Who could blame him? She was surprised she hadn’t seen him around and could never go out without searching the bar or club for his familiar face. She knew her parents just wanted to see her happy again, and if a dog was the very thing to do that, then so be it.

      Lisa had decided to get Jade and Kelly to look after the dog in the daytime when she was at work. Seeing as their business, Vajazzle My Bikini, was home-based, it wouldn’t be any trouble for them to dog-sit. They would be so excited about her new puppy, she just knew it. Kelly’s mum had a Chihuahua, Lord McButterpants, and they all adored him; now Jade and Kelly had their very own gorgeous puppy as their mascot. Lisa thought they were so lucky working together and their business was such a good idea. She couldn’t wait until they started making the swimwear so she could get some for her next holiday.

      ‘What are you going to call her?’ the lady questioned.

      ‘I think I’m going to call her Cupcake,’ Lisa said, her heart melting as she stared into the dog’s little coal-coloured eyes.

      ‘I can tell she’s going to be spoilt rotten,’ the woman said with an easy smile.

      ‘Most definitely.’

      Lisa could tell that the lady found it difficult letting the puppy go. She could see why though. Who wouldn’t get attached to this cute little thing? She placed her in the new pink dog bag she’d purchased, on the soft white blanket, and put the dog on the floor on the passenger side of her car. Cupcake sniffed around inquisitively, and Lisa felt guilty as the dog began to shake and cry when she pulled away.

      ‘There, there,’ Lisa soothed in soft tones, ‘now stop that crying. You’re going to be just fine, I promise. I love you lots already.’

      She couldn’t stop looking at her new pet the whole journey back. She even got beeped by another car because the traffic lights turned green and she hadn’t noticed, being too engrossed with Cupcake. Just looking at her and stroking her silky fur made her smile. She was the most beautiful dog in the world and she couldn’t wait for Jade and Kelly to meet her. They’d be so happy that they’d get to look after her every day! How lucky they were, Lisa thought.

      Her parents had agreed to dog-sit tonight because Lisa had a date. Now she’d found her perfect pet though, she actually felt like cancelling and spending the night with Cupcake. It’s too late to drop out now, she told herself, she’d agreed to this date and she’d have to go. If only she could remember exactly what he looked like? She’d met Alex in London after work one night, but had been quite tipsy when they’d exchanged numbers. Hopefully he’s as nice as I remember, she thought. Lisa had lost count of the amount of times she’d given her number to men and agreed to meet them – only to be greeted by someone she didn’t find one bit attractive. She was learning that alcohol, dark bars and clubs were definitely not a good mixture when it came to dating. It was so much fun though, and getting to meet new people all the time was exciting. She had no one else to worry about apart from herself. It was a weird feeling at first, but one she was really enjoying. She couldn’t believe she had really thought at one point in her life that Jake was the one. She’d have missed out on so much!

      She was so happy since her friend, Nicola, had joined the television company she worked for. She, too, was single and lived in Essex and they had hit it off straight away, often having to work together on projects and new TV shows. They were always out after work meeting new men and Nicola had just asked her earlier that day to move into her new flat. After picturing how much fun they would have together, Lisa had known she couldn’t say no and she was planning on telling Nicola her answer on Monday morning.

      She dialled Jade on her car phone. She wanted to show off Cupcake as soon as possible. Getting the dog had been a slight spur of the moment thing after her parents had finally agreed, and she’d seen the advert online only yesterday. The girls had no idea about it.

      ‘Hi Lisa,’ Jade answered in her friendly voice.

      ‘Hi babe. Where are you at the moment? At home?’

      ‘Yeah. Me and Kelly are just doing a bit of work before our meeting in an hour. Why?’

      ‘Just wanted to check you were in. I have a surprise for you both.’

      ‘Really?’ Jade replied excitedly and Lisa could tell she was smiling.

      ‘Yep. Will see you in five.’

      Not long after, Lisa was standing on Jade’s front doorstep with Cupcake safely in the bag, which was half zipped up so the girls couldn’t see straight away.

      ‘Hi, come in,’ Jade said as she answered the door, not noticing the bag.

      Lisa followed her upstairs to the office where Kelly was sitting.

      ‘You alright, hun?’ Kelly smiled fondly when she walked in.

      Lisa looked around the office and couldn’t believe the transformation. ‘Wow. Love what you’ve done in here, girls.’

      ‘It was Kelly,’ Jade nodded in her direction.

      ‘I’d never have guessed,’ Lisa smiled warmly.

      ‘Come on then, what’s the surprise?’ Kelly beamed.

      No sooner had she asked, Cupcake started to cry, unfamiliar with her new surroundings.

      ‘Oh my God. What’s that in your bag?’ Kelly asked eagerly, standing up.

      ‘Girls,’ Lisa pulled the puppy out of her bag, ‘meet Cupcake.’

      ‘Oh she’s gorgeous!’ Jade said in shock, her voice high pitched as she moved nearer to stroke the dog.

      ‘Oh. My. God. Shut up! I’m in love! Where did you get her? Please say she’s yours? She is beauts!’ Kelly practically grabbed her out of Lisa’s hands.

      ‘My mum and dad finally agreed to let me get a dog!’ Lisa said happily, ‘which is quite strange actually, because I’ve just decided to move in with Nicola.’

      ‘What? Where to? It better not be anywhere far away?’ Jade asked quickly, slightly worried.

      ‘It’s not. Nicola has bought a flat in Chigwell and it has a spare room I’m going to rent.’

      ‘Hello, gorgeous little girl,’ Kelly was saying in a squeaky baby voice as she stroked the dog lovingly.

      ‘She’s so cute!’ Jade said, tickling her behind her ears, ‘let me have a hold.’

      ‘So when are you moving?’ Kelly said, passing the dog reluctantly to Jade.

      ‘Well I think Nicola is moving in straight away. So I suppose I can go as soon as I want. I haven’t even told my parents yet, but I’m sure they’ll be fine about it. She only asked me today and I’ve decided to definitely do it.’

      ‘What’s the flat like?’ Jade enquired, her eyes remaining firmly on the puppy.

      ‘I don’t even know yet. I think it’s meant to be quite big though. Nic’s bought it and I’ll be paying her rent each month.’

      ‘That’s great,’ Kelly said before she turned back to look at the dog, ‘you can have a moving-in СКАЧАТЬ