Page 70 of The Little Porto Book Club

Something tells me Chess Man won’t be letting Bruno out of his sight when they’re reunited. What a rush it is solving my first ever mystery. Well, technically solving two of them, because now I know who Chess Man is crooning to and why Bruno wears an eye patch.

‘I know this is asking a lot, but is there any chance we can do it now? He’ll be desperate to be reunited with Bruno.’

A quick flash of annoyance crosses her features before she nods. ‘Sure. I bet he’s missed him terribly. Meet back here in half an hour? I’ll bring the paperwork and we can meet up with him. As long as it all checks out, he can take Bruno.’

‘Thank you!’

With thirty minutes to fill, I wander around Porto. First, I post a letter that’s been sitting in my handbag for a week or so. I’m not sure how it will be received but my hope is that they’ll understand the motivations behind it. If not now, maybe later they will.

I text Mum to cancel our bookshop meet-up, sure she’ll be relieved to get off her feet and sneak herself over to Alfonso’s place.

I walk without much thought and find myself at Rua das Floras and glance up to the old woman on the balcony. This evening she’s sitting inside her apartment at the dinner table with a man, the warm glow of a table lamp lighting up her face as they eat and chat. It’s such an improvement to the long months before. She’s almost animated, the way she refills their wineglasses, the gentle way she taps his hand, as if they’re firm friends. Is it her neighbour? When she throws her head back and laughs, I know that she’s going to be all right. And I leave the street, my heart light.

At Jardim da Cordoaria, we let Bruno off his very long lead because it’s at risk of snapping clean off when he spots Chess Man packing up his pieces. The furry creature goes absolutely nuts and bounds towards his person, barking to announce his arrival. Chess Man’s mouth falls open as Bruno launches himself into his arms.

‘I guess that’s confirmation enough they know each other,’ the boutique owner says, wryly.

I’m not above a good ugly cry every now and then and seeing Bruno reunited with Nuno is one of those times. It’s a heartwarming sight, as Chess Man sobs, and soon the boutique owner is crying too.

After an age, Chess Man looks my way. ‘I never thought I’d see him again. Thank you, Viviane. Thank you,’ he says to the boutique owner. ‘Clearly Bruno has been well loved by you.’ Chess Man laughs at the sight of Bruno not only wearing his eye patch but now also doggie apparel. ‘He’s so dapper.’

A dapper dog, well now I’ve heard it all.

‘He has been very well loved and I’ll miss him.’ The woman gives Chess Man a lingering glance. Do I detect love in the air?

‘Maybe you could meet up at the park, and visit with him?’ I say. ‘Play a game of chess while Bruno has his zoomies?’

‘I’d love that,’ Chess Man says.

‘I’d love that too,’ she says, blushing.

Chapter Forty-Seven

The next morning my work schedule is interrupted by a visit from Zeliá. It was only a matter of time before the drop-ins started. I’m going to have to set firm boundaries about this, because otherwise this will become the norm and soon the aunties will join in and then the cousins and I’ll never wrench control back.

‘You reunited your friend with his lost dog?’ Zeliá asks, as she sips her tea, looking every inch a part of the family as if she regularly stops by to visit. ‘Tiago was telling me all about it.’

‘Yes, what a strange bit of luck. Now I’ve got to get back to—’

‘Sorry, darling, I know you’ve got work but I was in the area. And I wanted to ask, how are things going with you and Tiago? Like really going?’ She narrows her gaze, it’s quite unsettling.

I frown. ‘Going?’

‘Well, I can’t help but hope that a summer wedding is on the cards. If we want to secure the cathedral for next year we have to get in quick.’

I wish for the ground to open up beneath me. To avoid all this unnecessary wedding malarky. ‘Zeliá, I will not be getting married in the foreseeable, or maybe ever. I’d like to keep my autonomy and—’

‘What?’ She clutches her heart and skitters backward in her seat. It’s all rather theatrical and expected. ‘NEVER?’

I have told her this, I made my feelings about matrimony and its exorbitant costs known. Bad investment, no two ways about it. ‘Does marriage really matter in the scheme of things?’ As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them. This will not go down well, not with my mother either, when it eventually feeds back to her.

‘Does marriage really matter? MARRIAGE.’

I can’t help but hear her speak in capitals which makes me shrink inside myself. ‘It’s still very early on to be thinking about nuptials. Far too early.’

‘But Tiago told me he knew he loved you the moment he saw you. That he had sat at that little pastelaria trying desperately to think of a way to approach you. All he could come up with was the book angle.’

I double blink. ‘What?’