Practically Perfect by Katie Fforde Page A

first she thought her wrist was being wrenched from her arm and then suddenly it was released as Caroline reversed out of her beautiful wide collar and set off for home. Anna’s carrier bags slipped out of her hands, sending everything to the ground. Apples bounced behind peaches, grapes were crushed by potatoes and a grapefruit, going for a strike, landed in the gutter. For a second she dithered: should she pick up her things or go after Caroline? One glance in Caroline’s direction made up her mind. Small children, most of whom had probably tried to pat her, were sitting in the road, howling; a woman with a wicker basket, loaded and dressed like Little Red Riding Hood, fell back as if the wolf himself had gone rushing past; and a group of teenagers lounging against the wall shouted in glee: ‘Look at that dog go! Fast or what?’
    Anna, struggling to catch up with her, fought her way through the mêlée, ignoring the fallen children and overturned shopping trolleys alike. She had just come across a small roundabout and was wondering if she could clamber over it, or go round, when she spotted a man holding Caroline.
    Relief flooded over her along with perspiration. Her mouth was so dry she could hardly speak. ‘Thank you,’ she rasped out, seeing that he had Caroline on a blue nylon lead.
    She wasn’t expecting him to be angry. ‘What do you think you’re doing having a dog you have no control over?’ he stormed at her.
    Anna opened and closed her mouth, still finding speech difficult. Behind her she was aware of Aidan of the bushy beard and his son Ocean gathering up her belongings.
    ‘Now hang on,’ Aidan said, handing Anna most of her shopping. ‘It wasn’t her fault!’
    ‘Well it’s not the dog’s!’ said Caroline’s rescuer.
    ‘No, but …’ agreed Aidan, and helped his son hand Anna her bowling-ball grapefruit.
    Anna took it gratefully. She was painfully aware that she was in for an earful and although she felt it was not undeserved, she was putting off the moment of hearing it.
    ‘Will you be all right, love?’ asked Aidan.
    ‘Oh yes. Thank you so much for rescuing my shopping.’
    Aidan’s teeth appeared for a moment amid the forest of his beard and then he swung his son back up on to his shoulders. They strode off into the crowd, the size of a giant. Anna watched them go regretfully, then turned reluctantly to her accuser.
    ‘Don’t you realise that these dogs are very sensitive?’ Caroline’s rescuer, free of the inhibiting presence of a tall man and a small child, got into his stride. ‘A lot of them are terrified of bangs. You should never have taken her out among all these crowds on that bloody ridiculous collar!’
    Anna was already upset. Caroline getting away from her like that had been a dreadful shock, but she also felt guilty and certainly didn’t want to have a row with a complete stranger in such crowded circumstances.
    ‘Thank you very much for catching my dog,’ she said with as much dignity as she could manage, given that she was surrounded by carrier bags and people. ‘It was very lucky you had a spare lead on you, but if you could just let me have her, we’ll get off home now.’
    The man took her arm, then dropped it. He picked up the bag full of cheese and the fruit one and then took hold of her again. He didn’t let her have Caroline, but more or less frog-marched her out of the crowd and beyond the village.
    Anna protested as much as she could. She wasn’t being kidnapped, obviously – in fact, she was being helped – but she didn’t like it.
    ‘I can manage!’ she insisted crossly. ‘You don’t have to come home with me. Caroline’s fine now.’
    The man halted and looked down at her. ‘Maybe, but by the looks of you, you need a cup of coffee. So do I. You owe me,’ he added less fiercely.
    Anna chose to ignore the twinkle that had appeared in the corner of his eyes, which, now she came to look at him, obviously twinkled often.
    ‘You can’t just