Chapter 99

Outside on the street, Jackson toddles ahead to put the bags in the boot of our car, and the smell of a hot dog vendor further along the pavement catches me. I haven’t had a street dog in so long, and the scent makes me instantly crave what I cannot see. Waving to Jackson that I’m heading left, he quickly rushes to throw the bags in and follows me at speed.

It’s not often I walk around the streets on a shopping trip; we usually head for my favourite stores, and he’s very good at car-to-door transport when Wes is with us and can deposit and collect us without parking issues.

Jackson spies the hot dog vendor and gets that same face when we visit the sorbet shop. Wide-eyed childish excitement, and I can practically see him drooling. The guy likes to eat, and despite great DNA, he is a lot more padded around the midriff than his cousins. The family resemblance is strong, but Jackson is a lot cuddlier than most of the hard-bodied people in his family. I am guessing that the f