Pearl Baptiste walked into Bee Cottage and engulfed Joe Moon in a loving hug. He was hoping she wouldn’t feel the jewellery box that he had just shoved in his pocket as she pressed against him. He adored the ring but as an afterthought was going to take it back down to Star to get it engraved with their names before he wrapped it and hid it under the Christmas tree.
‘Blimey, what have I done to deserve this?’ he asked, coming up for air.
‘Just for being you, my Joey.’
Just then, Bob the Dog came bounding in to greet her, and jumped up at the woman’s thighs. ‘He’s going to be a handful, this one,’ she said, giving him a stroke.
Joe planted his hand on her voluminous bottom in a resounding smack. ‘No more than you are, my love.’
‘Oi, mister!’ Pearl laughed her loud infectious laugh. ‘How are you feeling about everything today?’
‘A bit better.’
‘She loves you, Joe, and that’s all that matters. You’ve been more of a parent to her than most birth fathers are, I tell you that for nothing.’
‘But what about grandchildren?’
‘What about grandchildren? How lovely that will be. Me and you will be the best grandparents ever to those little Dillon babies when they come. I may not be blood, but I love your daughter, no, let’s make that daughters, now that Jen has shown us her true light, at last, and with Star being related to Kara, she’s a daughter too. We’re all part of the same big, happy family.’
Bob the Dog started barking relentlessly. ‘Here.’ Pearl opened a tin of dog food and put some down for the noisy hound.
‘We spoil him,’ Joe warned her.
‘What’s the harm, he’s only just finding his paws here, so we need to show him a whole lot of love too.’ As Pearl got up, she noticed the bulge in his trousers. ‘Ooh. Is that a dog bone in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?’ Playfully, she went to grab the bulky object.
‘Oh no you don’t,’ Joe said, play-fighting with her, ‘it’s private.’
They were having fun, but then Pearl managed to grab the little red jewellery box and as she was lifting it above Joe’s head in triumph, the ring suddenly shot out and flew up into the air, in the direction of Bob the Dog’s food bowl.
‘Oh my God, Joe, what have I done! Is that what I think it is?’ Pearl gasped and put her hand to her heart.
Joe’s face was stern. ‘Yes, it was what you thought it was, with was being the operative word.’ He lifted up the now empty dog bowl to check it hadn’t rolled under it and then started shaking with laughter. ‘He’s only gone and bloody eaten it – and I wanted it to be so special.’
As Pearl fell into a bout of hysterical infectious laughter, Joe managed to splutter, ‘It’s not funny. I wanted to make it romantic and lovely and in a special place.’
‘It is in a very special place! In Bob the Dog!’ They both collapsed again, but eventually Pearl wiped her eyes then gave her future husband a tender peck on the lips. ‘We will never forget this moment.’
She was right, Joe thought.
As Pearl watched wide-eyed, he went down on one knee on the kitchen flagstone tiles and said, ‘Sod a special place. Anywhere is a special place with you, Pearlette Joy Baptiste. From the minute I saw that beaming smile of yours in the car park of the Ferryboat and you went on to tell me that the name of your perfume was Desperation, I knew you were an amazing woman. I don’t want to spend a day of my life without you, so will you please do me the honour of becoming my wife.’
Pearl helped him up off the floor, and with her beautiful brown eyes melting into his, she said, ‘Yes, of course I will – but we’d better ring the vet before we start on the celebrations.’