How Josie Greets Every Visitor at the Gate

There is a small white dog at the end of the garden path, and she is the real proprietor of this shop.

The gate

The gate is wooden and a little crooked. It squeaks. Josie knows the squeak the way a mother knows the sound of her child on the stair.

The tour

She will walk you up the path. She will pause at the rosemary so you can pause at the rosemary. By the time you reach the door, she has decided you are staying for tea.

Under the table

She settles under the long table where the linens are folded. She does not beg. She simply makes it clear that this is now where she lives.

A small white ambassador

Most people leave talking about Josie. She is the soft, four-legged heart of the curiously wonderful.