Page 18 of Kate and Clara's Curious Cornish Craft Shop
‘Of course, yes. Will you have many there, do you think? Friends, family?’
‘Just a few fellow shopkeepers probably – maybe some local press if I’m lucky. There’s not much interest in someone opening an art shop, is there?’
‘Probably not.’So Jack didn’t have a family then, or a partner …
‘I could pull the wheelchair card, I suppose, to get some press attention, but I don’t really want to do that. As you’ve probably already deduced it’s not really my way of doing things.’
‘Really?’ I smile at him. ‘I’d never have guessed!’
Jack winks at me. ‘How’s your own business going? You looked deep in thought before I disturbed you a few moments ago. In fact, you looked like you had the worries of the world on your shoulders. I do hope I haven’t chosen a bad time to start a business in St Felix? That would be about my luck!’
‘Oh no, the business is fine. I’m sure your shop will do very well. As you know we get a lot of amateur and professional artists coming here to paint, and the Lyle Gallery attracts a lot of arty people too.’
‘So why the long face then?’
‘Got a few things I need to think about, that’s all.’ I didn’t wish to share with Jack the fact that yesterday morning a vintage sewing machine had left a mystery piece of embroidery for me when I came down to open up the shop.
‘I see. Should I leave you to it then?’
‘No, it’s fine. I’ll get to the bottom of it. It’s about time I headed back with Barney now anyway.’
‘Mind if I tag along next to you?’ Jack asks to my surprise. ‘I think I’ve done enough for one morning too. It’s my favourite part now – downhill!’
‘Sure,’ I reply, feeling happier about this idea than I would have expected to.
Barney and I walk alongside Jack back towards the shop.
I’m impressed at how skilful Jack is with his chair. He deftly manoeuvres round the tight St Felix bends and the infamous cobbled streets easily, just as though he was walking alongside us. In fact, as we chat I soon forget that he’s in a wheelchair at all until we come to a set of narrow steps that wind their way down in-between some cottages towards the harbour. Automatically I turn to go down them and then I stop myself.
I turn back to Jack. I’m about to say ‘Sorry’ again, when I stop myself and instead say jokily, ‘I don’t suppose even you in your fancy contraption can get down there!’
Jack shakes his head. ‘Nope, not easily anyway. I guess this is where we part ways.’
‘Not necessarily – Barney and I can go another way back instead.’
‘I don’t want to put you out.’
‘Don’t be daft. The truth is I forgot you were even in a wheelchair or I wouldn’t have tried to go down there.’
‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’
‘You should.’
We proceed a little way together in silence.
‘Oh, I know what I was going to ask you,’ I say, suddenly remembering as we pass the antiques shop. ‘You bought some old art equipment from Noah, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, but how do you know about that?’
‘I took the old sewing machine off him that came from the same house clearance.’
‘Ah … right.’ I sense Jack hesitating. ‘What sort of sewing machine is it?’
I’m surprised by his question. ‘It’s an old Singer, probably from the early part of the last century.’
Jack nods. ‘Where have you put it?’
‘In my shop. Why?’
