Page 42 of Kate and Clara's Curious Cornish Craft Shop
‘All right?’ she asks, looking at me. ‘You must be Jack,’ she says, holding out her hand to him. ‘Mum’s told me a lot about you.’
‘Guilty as charged!’ Jack says, shaking her hand. ‘And you are Molly! Your mum has told me a lot about you too.’
I stare at them both. Was no one going to say anything about what had just happened?
‘What’s up, Mum?’ Molly asks. ‘You look like you’ve been slapped a few times with a wet mackerel from one of the fishing boats on the harbour.’
‘Niceevening?’ I enquire as casually as I can.
‘Yup, the best actually!’
‘Good … and who was that you were with just now?’ I look back to where Molly and the boy had been a few moments ago. ‘The boy you came out of the hall with?’
‘Oh … that’s Chesney,’ she says keenly, her eyes lighting up. ‘I met him tonight.’
‘Chesney,’ I repeat, without quite as much enthusiasm. ‘And how old is this Chesney?’
‘Erm … seventeen, I think.’
‘Seventeen …’
‘Why are you repeating everything I say?’ Molly asks. ‘She’s not normally like this, Jack. Please don’t let it put you off.’
‘Molly!’ I scold, coming to my senses at last. ‘Stop teasing Jack.’ Jack just smiles. ‘I didn’t expect you to appear from the hall with a boy, that’s all – especially not one that kisses you on the cheek.’
Molly grins. ‘Good job you didn’t see us earlier then!’
‘Enough!’ I say, holding up my hand. ‘What is it you always say to me … TMI. Yes, that’s it. Too much information, Molly, I can’t cope.’
‘Should we head back now?’ Jack suggests, ‘Everyone seems to be leaving.’
‘I’ll just say goodbye to Emily!’ Molly says, spying her friend talking to a man I recognise as Emily’s father. ‘Back in a mo!’
‘I’m sorry,’ I apologise to Jack as I watch her skip across the gravel. ‘I left a little girl at this party earlier, and now suddenly a young woman is being returned to me – what on earth happened?’
Jack smiles kindly. ‘Tell me about it. Although, it must be even worse with a girl, even more to worry about.’
I nod. ‘It only seems moments ago since she would emerge shyly from a party with a gift bag and piece of cake wrapped in a napkin. Now she’s coming out with a boy on her arm instead!’
Molly says her goodbyes and returns to us.
‘Right, let’s go,’ she says happily. ‘Now you’ve heard about my evening, I want to hear all about you guys on the way back. What did you get up to together – anything interesting?’
I glance at Jack and he smiles ruefully back at me.
‘That good, eh.’ Molly says with delight.
‘Let’s just say our evening was … revealing.’ Jack smiles knowingly at me. ‘Wouldn’t you say, Kate?’
‘Informative and possibly even illuminating!’ I reply beaming, as I remember our magical pictures coming together.
Molly looks at us. ‘You two are weird!’ she says goodnaturedly, ‘but it kind of suits you both, and if it makes you happy then I say the weirder the better!’
Fifteen
‘Have you got another picture?’ I whisper into my mobile phone while I’m downstairs in the basement sorting out some new stock. Anita is upstairs minding the shop, and I’ve taken this moment to call Jack because overnight a new embroidery has magically appeared in my sewing machine again, and I’m hoping that he too might have a new painting to share with me.
‘I have, yes,’ Jack replies. ‘Is yours of a beach?’
