Page 82 of Kate and Clara's Curious Cornish Craft Shop
‘So, what are you going to study at university?’ I ask to change the subject. ‘Jack said you were off there in October.’
‘Medicine,’ Ben says. ‘I want to be a doctor.’
Jack looks proudly at his son.
‘That’s wonderful,’ I say. ‘Any particular field?’
‘I’d like to be a surgeon, if I’m good enough – trauma and orthopaedics. I saw how they saved Dad’s life and I want to be able to do that for someone else’s father one day.’
Jack and Ben exchange a tender look, and I feel my heart leap into my throat.
‘Ah, Molly, you’re back,’ I say as she arrives at the table again, and I notice she’s brushed her hair while she’s been gone and applied some lip gloss.
‘Hi,’ Molly says, looking shyly at Ben.
‘Hey,’ Ben says, giving her a quick look. ‘How’s it going?’
‘Good, thank you,’ Molly says in a high-pitched girly tone I’m not used to hearing from her.
‘Ben was just telling us how he wants to be a surgeon,’ I say. ‘He’s going to study medicine at university.’
‘That’s so cool,’ Molly says. ‘That might be something I’d like to do in the future too.’
This is the first I’ve heard of it!
‘Aren’t you a bit squeamish for that?’ I ask. ‘You almost fainted when you had to dissect that frog in biology.’
Molly glares at me.
‘What? You did!’
Molly glances hurriedly at Ben to see his reaction, but Ben just looks back at us with a slightly amused expression.
Suddenly it clicks. Molly likes Ben!
‘Shall we order some food?’ Jack asks, diffusing the moment.
‘Yes, let’s.’
We order our food at the bar, and then we sit back to talk again while we wait. Ben is a lovely boy, and chats happily about himself and his dad, telling us some hilarious stories about Jack’s time in the army, much to his embarrassment.
‘I knew I should never have introduced you to some of my army mates,’ Jack says, rolling his eyes. ‘It was never going to end well for me.’
‘They miss you, you know?’ Ben says, serious for a moment. ‘I bumped into Dave Bryant the other day at the cinema. He was asking how andwhereyou were?’
‘And what did you tell him?’ Jack asks uneasily.
‘I told him you were well, and you’d moved to Cornwall, but I didn’t tell him anything else. He was pretty surprised to hear you’d moved down here though.’
Jack just nods.
‘I don’t know why you don’t just tell everyone,’ Ben says. ‘People are asking after you all the time. It’s not like you’re hiding out or anything. You’re running a legitimate business down here. It is all legit, isn’t it?’ He glances at me.
‘Of course it is!’ Jack says. ‘Why would you think otherwise?’
Ben shrugs. ‘I dunno. You and Kate were in a mighty hurry to cover up something the other day when I arrived … and you’ve been a bit shifty around the shop, Dad.’
Jack glances quickly at me.
