Aimee Harper - Dream Dogs - Poppy

“Oh, Bella,” she said. “Why is a proper small dog-bath so expensive? We’ll have to think of a way to make more money for the salon if we’re ever going to buy one.”

The phone rang. Bella answered it.

“Mum?” she said, covering the receiver. “It’s Jamie’s dad. He wants to know if we can pick Louie up at the Dolphins in town in half an hour?”

Suzi checked her watch. “That’s fine,” she said. “My next appointment isn’t until two o’clock. Come on. We can get a bite to eat down there. It’s lunchtime, and I’m starving.” Pepper barked in excitement as Bella took down his lead. Suzi shut up the salon. They walked together along the seafront, towards the town and the Dolphins shopping centre.

Bella liked the Dolphins. It had only been built two years ago, and was full of brightly lit shops and colourful window displays. There were cafés, a bookshop, a shoeshop, several homeware shops and the town’s pet shop, Paws ’n’ Purrs. It was spread out over two floors, with a big glass ceiling that let in lots of light.

Louie was at the burger bar on the first floor with Jamie and Jamie’s dad. They were all still eating their lunch, so Suzi went up and ordered some food as well. Bella sat down with Pepper at her feet and waited. Her tummy was rumbling. She eyed her little brother’s chips.

“Can I have one of your chips?” she said hopefully.

“No!” Louie said. It came out as “Moof!”

“Sorry, Louie, can’t hear you,” Bella said, and pinched a chip.

Suzi put a burger, chips and a bag of carrot sticks down in front of Bella. “It’s quiet in here today,” she said, looking around.

“There’s something going on down at the far end of the shopping centre,” Jamie’s dad explained. He had a blob of ketchup on his chin. Bella looked away, trying not to giggle. “Photographs or something.”

Bella craned her neck, wondering if maybe they were filming something interesting. But she couldn’t see round the corner.

“Hey,” she said indignantly as she looked back at her plate. “My chips!”

“Sorry, Bella,” Louie giggled, munching madly. “I can’t hear you!”

After lunch they said goodbye to Jamie and his dad. As there was still a bit of time left before Suzi had to get back to Dream Dogs, Bella persuaded her mum to take them down to the far end of the Dolphins, to see what was going on.

A group of people were standing around, watching a photographer snapping pictures of a girl in a long yellow satin dress.

“Lovely! Smile a bit more, Princess!” called the photographer. “That’s great – just great…”

Bella stared. The girl was standing in front of a backcloth painted with a castle. On her redgold hair was a tall pointed hat with a floaty veil down the back. Above her head hung a sign that said: Princess for a Day.

“It’s Amber!” Bella gasped, recognising her best friend. “Hey, Amber! What are you doing?”

Amber looked round. Her face lit up. “Hi, Bella!” she giggled. “I’m Princess Amber today. Mum’s giving me a photo. Isn’t it great?”

“You can be a princess with your friend if you want, love,” said the photographer, smelling a sale. “There’s a pink dress, a blue one – all sorts to choose from. You can pop them on in the booth, if your mum says you can. Only four pounds ninety-nine!”

Bella stared at the rack of princess clothes. “Can I, Mum?” she said eagerly.

“Go on then,” Suzi sighed, breaking off her conversation with Amber’s mum, Claire.

Louie looked horrified and muttered something about girly dressing-up. Bella could tell that he wished he was still playing with Jamie. Ignoring him, she snatched up the pink dress and rushed into the booth. She put it on. It felt wonderfully silky and heavy. She stared at the selection of hats and crowns in the booth before choosing a tall crown studded with fake diamonds.

“Gorgeous!” said the photographer, snapping away as Bella came out shyly to stand beside Amber. Louie pretended to be sick in a nearby planter. “It’ll look lovely in a gold frame. Frames are an extra five pounds, madam,” he said sideways to Suzi. “That’s it, Princesses! All done!”

Bella and Amber reluctantly went back into the booth to take off the lovely princess dresses.

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