Wellies and Westies Read Online Free PDF

Cat said. Her mind was whirring – it hadn’t stopped since Elsie suggested that she could strike out on her own and do something she really believed in. ‘But I’ve also heard he does quite a good job of prettying up websites.’
    ‘Ah.’ Polly’s thin, pearly lips lifted at the corners. ‘Yes, he does have that going for him, whatever his insecurities are. And he is throwing himself into work to take his mind off things.’

    ‘So his heartbreak could play to my advantage?’
    ‘It could, but I wouldn’t start your negotiation with that. “Hi, Joe, seeing as you no longer have a girlfriend to spend time with, could you just…” Maybe focus on his skills as a designer, his great visionary mind, his intellect in general.’
    ‘Good plan.’ Cat leaned forward and fist-pumped Polly. ‘The two of us could really make a go of this dog-walking thing!’
    ‘Two of us?’
    ‘Of course. If you want to be a part of it?’ Cat and Polly had lived together at university in York ten years earlier, and discovering that they had grown up only a few miles apart had made their friendship stronger. After graduating, life had inevitably got in the way, but they’d remained firm friends, meeting up regularly. Cat had jumped at the opportunity to move the short distance from Brighton to Fairview and move in with Polly, and including her in her business idea was the logical next step. Polly was calm, measured and organized. Cat thought they would be a perfect match.
    Polly chewed her lip. ‘I – I’d love to, but at the moment I have so little time. Studying, the work placement. I’m so close to graduating now, I can’t mess it up.’
    ‘Just get involved when you can. And it’s not all about the walking. There’ll be admin, marketing, accounts. There’s loads of things to consider – it’s not going to be a walk in the park. Now,’ Cat raised her eyes to the ceiling, ‘which clever person told me that?’
    ‘All right,’ Polly laughed, ‘you’re on. I’d love to be involved. And first, the most important decision for any new business.’
    ‘What’s that?’
    ‘A name. What, Cat, is your dog-walking business going to be called?’
    ‘“@PoochPromenade. For all your dog-walking needs in the Fairview area of Fairhaven. No dogs too small (or big).” What do you think?’

    ‘Sorry?’ Joe turned over a page of the newspaper, his head bent towards it as if trying to block out the rest of the world. He was sitting at the dining table which, along with the sofas, was in the house’s one giant living space. Cat thought it must have been two rooms that had been knocked through by some previous owners, or maybe the landlord Joe rented the house from.
    ‘For my bio, for Pooch Promenade. I’m setting up Facebook and Twitter accounts.’
    Joe took a moment – Cat thought he was probably counting to three – before looking up at her. She was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, her laptop balanced on her knees. ‘Read it again,’ he said.
    She did. ‘So, what do you think?’
    He nodded, lips pressed together. ‘I’m impressed. Hardly any flippancy at all, a bit of humour, striking the right balance between friendly and businesslike.’
    Cat grinned. ‘Thank you.’
    ‘Apart from the name, of course, which could still do with some work.’
    ‘But your suggestions were worse than ours!’ Cat said. ‘This one feels right.’
    It had been a week since Pooch Promenadehad been born, though it had taken a further four days to come up with a name. Polly had texted her suggestions from work: Doggy Daycare, Wonderful Walkies, Puppy Perks.They had interrupted favourite television shows, and Cat had woken in the middle of the night when an idea pushed its way to the surface. Joe had even got in on the act, though Cat wasn’t sure the Post-it note he’d left for her to find when he’d gone out for a run had been a serious suggestion. It said Bitchin’ Walks , next to a brilliant cartoon of a dog, lead in mouth,