Page 64 of Kate and Clara's Curious Cornish Craft Shop
‘Which one of your many beaus is it this time? The rugged ex-soldier or the suave sophisticated man about town? Or is there a third I don’t even know about yet? And before you say anything, I don’t mean Joel!’
‘Very funny. Shouldn’t you be at school by now?’ I ask, looking at my watch. ‘Wait, don’t tell me – a free period?’
‘Yep, plus there’s not much going on now it’s the last week of term. Hardly worth going in at all …’
‘Nice try. You’re going. You’re as bad as Sebastian always trying to get a day off.’
‘Did someone say “day off”?’ Sebastian asks, springing into the shop.
‘No, no one is having a day off!’ I snap.
‘Ooh, did someone get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning?’ Sebastian asks, looking at Molly.
‘Men trouble,’ Molly says, nodding.
‘I do not havementrouble!’
‘Which one is it?’ Sebastian asks Molly as if I’m not here. ‘The soldier or the suit?’
I shake my head and carry on pricing up some of my own work with the tiny white card tags we attach with cotton. This is a particularly lovely line I’ve created of small zipped bags that can be used as make-up bags, pencil cases or however the purchaser wishes.
‘She won’t say,’ Molly whispers.
‘Maybe it’s both?’ Sebastian whispers back.
‘I can hear you, you know?’ I tell them.
‘So which is it then?’ Sebastian asks. ‘I’m kind of hoping it’s the soldier. I like Jack.’
‘Bothof the gentlemen you are referring to are my friends, andonlymy friends,’ I reply adamantly. ‘And neither of them are giving me grief, as you put it.’
‘Are they giving each other grief then?’ Sebastian asks hopefully. ‘Ooh, duelling at dawn over the fair maiden?’
I sigh. ‘And why would they do that when we’re justfriends?’
‘I think the lady doth protest too much,’ Sebastian says, with a knowing look towards Molly, who nods her head in agreement. ‘Though why you’d want to be only friends with Jack is beyond me. Julian – yes, I’m surprised you even went out with him again after the first time. I would have thought an evening with him would have been one too many in anyone’s lifetime.’
‘Now, stop right there,’ I say seriously, putting down the pricing labels on the counter. ‘I told you, Julian is misunderstood. Once you get to know him he’s actually quite nice.’
Sebastian nods slowly in a disbelieving fashion.
‘You’ll have to take my word for it then. He is. The only reason I went out with him again – platonically, I might add! – is that he’s trying to change and make some new friends, and possibly even a new life for himself. I know how hard it is to do that, so I think we should support him, not make a joke of him.’
‘Mum’s right,’ Molly says. ‘It was really hard for us when we moved here not knowing anyone. If Mum says he’s not as bad as he seems then I trust her judgement.’
‘Thank you, Molly,’ I say appreciatively.
‘Yeah, I’m sorry too,’ Sebastian says, ‘but you can’t blame us for taking an interest in your love life. I wish I evenhada love life for someone to joke about.’
‘I wouldn’t mind if I had a love life either,’ I tell them. ‘When I say these two men are only friends I genuinely mean it.’
‘Really?’ Sebastian asks. ‘Nothing with either of them?’
‘Nope.’
‘Would you like there to be, Mum?’
I look at Molly. She deserves an honest answer.
