Pepper

Special thanks to The Happy Dog Grooming Parlour, Farnham

Table of Contents

Cover Page

Title Page

Dedication

Introducing…

One What a Mess!

Two A New Friend

Three The Trouble with Lies…

Four Making Things Worse

Five Trouble Bubble

Six Where’s Pepper?

Seven Friends Again?

Eight Detective Work

Nine Party Time!

Top tips from vets!

Dream Dogs SASHA

Acknowledgements

Copyright

About the Publisher

Introducing…

Name: Pepper

Breed: Norfolk Terrier

Age: 3

Colour: Brown

Likes: Bones, cuddles, smelly blankets, walks

Dislikes: Vacuum cleaners, white vans, sitting still

Favourite game: Hide-and-seek

Most likely to be mistaken for: A large scrubbing brush

One What a Mess!

“Come on, Louie!” Bella called. She jumped with excitement. “Mum wants both of us to switch on the sign!”

Bella’s brother Louie put down his football and joined Bella by the light switch.

“Ready,” he said, grinning up at her.

Bella looked out of the big glass window. She could see her mum, Suzi, standing outside. Her heart thumped. The Dream Dogs sign was about to light up for the first time!

“Go!” Suzi called through the window.

Bella and Louie pressed the switch together.

Louie stared around the room. “Nothing happened,” he said in disappointment.

Bella giggled and pointed to where their mum was jumping up and down on the pavement with her thumbs up. “The Dream Dogs sign is outside, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” Louie said. “I forgot.”

Suzi flung open the door and beckoned Bella and Louie outside. “Come and see, kids!” she said. “It looks fantastic!”

Pepper sat up in his basket and pricked up one brown ear. The other ear hung loose and floppy as usual. Bella bent down and ruffled his fuzzy head.

“Let’s go, Pepper!” she said, kissing him on the nose. Picking him up, Bella tucked him under her arm. He fitted like a neat brown parcel, and tried to lick her ear. Pepper loved cuddles. He liked putting his paws round Bella’s neck and hugging her.

Bella dashed outside and joined her mum and Louie on the pavement. The curly pink Dream Dogs sign over the window of their new dog-grooming parlour was shining brightly in the dark afternoon. It was the coolest thing that Bella had ever seen!

“Well, kids,” Suzi said happily, “we’ve done it. Our dream is finally coming true. This time next week, the best dog parlour in the world will be open for business!”

Bella felt her smile wobbling at the edges. The sign was lovely, but the view through Dream Dogs’ window was awful. And anyone who walked past would see!

There were pots of paint and piles of boxes everywhere. A heap of rubbish bags lay in the middle of the floor. The walls were still a sludgy green colour from the florist’s that had been here before they moved in, and the carpet was worn.

“Brilliant, Mum!” said Louie.

Pepper barked like he was agreeing.

Bella gulped. “Really good,” she said, trying to sound happy.

“You don’t sound very excited,” Suzi said in surprise. “I thought you’d love it!”

Bella swallowed. “Sorry,” she said. “It’s just – well – nothing is ready, is it? And we’re supposed to open on Saturday!”

“Everything will be fine,” Suzi promised. “You’re such a worrier, Bella!”

Bella knew it was true. She did worry about things. She couldn’t help it.

She followed her mum and her little brother back inside. Suzi switched on the radio in the corner and Dream Dogs filled with funky music.

Pushing the rubbish bags to one side, Suzi and Louie started dancing.

“Come on!” Suzi laughed, reaching out her hand to Bella. “Dance with us! Let’s celebrate!”

Bella grinned. She loved this song. Louie was spinning round like a top, getting dizzy. Putting Pepper down, Bella took her mum’s hand. Suddenly it didn’t matter that everyone could see them from out in the street. Pepper joined in, racing round in circles like Louie and barking.

“Woo-oo-oof!” Louie sang.

“Woof woof!” Pepper barked back. Bella couldn’t help laughing.

When the song finished, Suzi flopped down on top of some boxes. Pepper and Louie were so dizzy that they both fell over. Bella put her arm round her mum’s waist as Pepper struggled to his feet, jumped up on a box and licked her chin.

“I’ve taken some bookings for next week,” said Suzi, pulling Bella in for a cuddle. “I couldn’t believe it when the phone started ringing yesterday. That advertisement in the paper was a brilliant idea.”

Bella gulped. Her mum was taking bookings already? But there was still so much to do!

“What if Dream Dogs isn’t ready?” she said, biting her lip.

Suzi took Bella’s hands. “It will be,” she insisted. “Trust me, love.”

Bella gazed into her mum’s eyes. They were kind and warm and brown, just like Pepper’s. Pepper wriggled in between them and rested his head on Bella’s lap.

Suddenly the box they were sitting on broke. Towels and plastic containers fell out, adding to the mess on the floor. Pepper yelped and ran through the door which led up from the parlour to the flat upstairs. Louie roared with laughter, and so did Suzi.

But Bella didn’t.

There’s no way Dream Dogs will be ready to open next week, she thought with a sigh as she bent down to pick up the mess. Mum must be crazy!

Two A New Friend

Bella opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. For a minute, she couldn’t remember where she was. Then it all came back to her. Sandmouth. Their new home town!

She sat up and sniffed the air. It smelled salty. Dream Dogs and their flat were only two streets away from the beach! She felt a rush of excitement that blew away all of yesterday’s worries. You couldn’t be upset near the sea.

“Are you up yet, you two?” her mum called from across the hallway. “School today, remember?”

This was Bella and Louie’s second week at their new school, Cliffside Primary. Bella jumped up and pulled on her uniform. Her new school sweatshirt was still soft and fleecy, and she liked the purple colour. She felt a bit nervous though. Everyone had been nice to her last week, but she didn’t have a best friend yet. She really hoped she’d find one soon.

“Purple’s for girls,” Louie grumbled, getting out of his bed on the other side of the room and putting on his uniform like it was made of slime.

“Maybe we should start calling you Lulu!” Bella said cheekily.

She pulled her head through her sweatshirt and reached for her hairbrush. Soon, her chin-length brown hair was straight and neat. Louie didn’t bother with his brush. His hair stuck up like hedgehog bristles, no matter what he did.

“Pepper’s determined to catch his first wave today,” Suzi told Bella and Louie as she put some bread into the toaster.

Cliffside Primary was down by the seafront. They had to walk along the beach to get there. Pepper hadn’t got used to the sea yet, and chased the waves as if they were rabbits. But he hadn’t got his feet wet once. Bella patted him on the head.

“You were a bit rubbish at catching waves last week, weren’t you, Peps?” she grinned. “Were the waves too fast, or just too scary?”

Pepper sneezed and licked Bella’s hand.

The toast popped up. Suzi hooked out the slices with two long pink-painted fingernails. All of Suzi’s clothes were pink today, Bella realised. Even the silk scarf in her long brown hair.

“You’re very pink today, Mum,” Bella said.

“Pink is the Dream Dogs colour,” Suzi said dreamily, admiring her nails. “I’m going to be a walking advertisement for our parlour. In fact, I’m thinking of getting some Dream Dogs T-shirts printed. Pink ones, of course, with the lettering just like our sign. What do you think?”

“I’m not wearing one,” Louie said.

Suzi stroked Louie’s bristly hair. “I was thinking more like a uniform for me to wear in the parlour,” she explained. Then she gasped.

“Overalls! Yes. Pink overalls, with the Dream Dogs logo. Then I can get as wet as a fish and it won’t matter a bit!”

Bella frowned. She didn’t know much about overalls with special logos, but she guessed they took a long time to make.

“Shouldn’t you have ordered them already, Mum?” she asked. “If we’re opening next week, I mean?”

Suzi pulled a face. “I suppose you’re right,” she said. “Never mind. I’ll order them now and they’ll just be a few weeks late.”

Bella felt all her worries coming back. Her mum was so disorganised. She could never do anything on time. The ironing. The phone bill. Nan’s birthday present last year. It was impossible to believe that Dream Dogs would be ready. The opening party would be terrible. No customers would come.

The Dream Dogs dream was turning into a nightmare!

Fifteen minutes later, Bella, Louie and their mum were walking along the beach to school. Pepper sniffed under a row of beach huts and charged at the waves. His tail was wagging hard.

“Come on, boy!” Bella called.

Pepper backed away from one last wave and trotted over to Bella.

“Nice dog,” said a voice just behind her.

Bella turned round. A tall girl with long blonde hair had appeared beside her. Bella recognised her. They were in the same class at school.

“Thanks,” Bella said shyly. “His name’s Pepper.”

“I’ve got a black dog,” the girl said. “He’s called Snowy.”

Bella giggled. “Seriously?” she said.

“Yes,” the girl grinned. She had smiley blue eyes. “I guess I have a weird sense of humour. I’m Amber. You’re Bella, aren’t you?”

Bella nodded.

“Have you just moved here?” Amber asked.

Bella nodded again. Then the words just came out.

“My mum’s got a dog-grooming parlour called Dream Dogs,” she said.

As soon as she’d said it, Bella wished she’d kept quiet about Dream Dogs.

“Wow!” Amber said. “You lucky thing. It must be brilliant. Do you get loads of dogs in all the time?”

“It hasn’t opened yet,” Bella admitted.

Amber’s face fell. “Oh!” she said.

Bella really didn’t want Amber to be disappointed. She had high hopes that Amber could be her new best friend. “It’s opening on Saturday,” she said quickly. “We’ve got a bath for the dogs and special hairdryers and potted plants and music. Everything’s pink, and our sign lights up. It’s like a hairdresser’s, but better.”

What was she doing? Bella knew she was telling lies, but she couldn’t stop.

“Fantastic,” Amber gasped. “Have you given Pepper a makeover yet?”

“Not yet,” Bella tumbled on. “But we’ll give him one soon. Mum’s ordered this special lavender dog shampoo.”

“Can I bring Snowy one day?” Amber said eagerly.

Bella felt sick. “Come to the opening party on Saturday,” she said. Why couldn’t she stop? “It’ll be fantastic. There’ll be loads of people there. And snacks for dogs too, of course.”

“Brilliant!” said Amber, her eyes sparkling.

“Amber!”

A woman with blonde short, spiky hair and a large black spaniel was waving at Amber.

“Hurry up!” the woman called. Her voice got a bit lost in the wind. “We’ll be late!”

“Gotta go,” said Amber, starting to trot away. “Mum needs to get to the shops before school. Dream Dogs sounds really cool! I hope we can come on Saturday! See you in class. I’ll save you a seat!”

Bella watched Amber run off down the beach. She had a funny mixture of feelings in her tummy. She was pleased that Amber liked her. But at the same time, she’d never felt so worried in all her life. She’d made Dream Dogs sound amazing, but Amber was going to be really disappointed when she found out the truth…

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