Page 77 of Kate and Clara's Curious Cornish Craft Shop
Clara nods. ‘Take it slowly though. There’s no rush.’
Maggie beams at her mother. She pulls herself up from her chair and then begins to walk very slowly, leaning heavily on a wooden walking stick, across to the shop, while Clara and Arty watch her.
‘Thank you,’ Clara says, smiling gratefully at Arty, ‘for offering to take Maggie tomorrow. I’m sure everything is fine with this Freddie, but you never know, do you? You hear things …’
‘No need to explain,’ Arty says hurriedly, still watching Maggie until she is safely in the shop. ‘It’s not a problem at all. I’m sure we have nothing to worry about, but I’d still like to check it out. Now,’ he says, turning his gaze fully to Clara, ‘I’ve got my photographs, which I hope will turn out to be as wonderful as their subject when I have them developed.’
Clara blushes again.
‘But I believe I still owe you a favour?’
Clara shakes her head. ‘No need,’ she says, smiling at him. ‘What I was going to ask of you, you’ve already offered to do tomorrow with Maggie, and I’m very grateful.’
Arty looks puzzled for a moment, and then he grins. ‘Great minds, eh?’ he says.
‘Indeed,’ Clara replies. ‘We’re obviously more alike than I realised, Arthur.’
I sit back from the painting of Clara standing outside her shop.
‘Arty obviously did paint Clara then,’ I say casually, not really looking Jack in the eye. ‘It’s clear that this painting you have must have been done from one of the photos we saw him taking.’
‘Yes, that’s what I was thinking. Do you think all the paintings have been Arty’s? There’s no signature on them – I’ve checked.’
‘Yes, I do. This easel must have belonged to him, and I bet the sewing machine was Clara’s too. It all fits in with the house now, doesn’t it?’
At the mention of our visit to the house, Jack’s lips purse together.
In the end I’d bitten the bullet and texted Jack about my newest finding. After a long wait he’d texted back and confirmed, as I suspected, he too had received another painting overnight, and we’d very formally (for us) agreed to meet that evening to compare them.
So far we’d been polite towards each other, but nothing had been said about our visit to the house with the blue door, or about what had happened afterwards.
‘Yes, I suppose it does.’ Jack says. He glances at me, and for the first time since I arrived tonight, looks properly into my eyes.
‘I’m sorry about the other day,’ he says.
‘I’m sorry about how I spoke to you,’ I say at the same time.
‘Go ahead,’ Jack says, holding out his hand.
‘I was going to add, I’m sorry about walking off and leaving you, but you made me really cross.’
‘I know I did, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did about Julian.’
I nod. ‘Heisjust a friend,’ I tell him. ‘Whatever you might think, I’m not interested in him like that, even if he is in me.’
Jack raises an eyebrow as if he’s going to say something, but then he thinks better of it. ‘That’s good to know,’ he says instead.
‘Is it?’
Jack nods slowly, and we hold each other’s gaze for a few seconds longer this time. Then Jack sighs and looks down at his chair. He shakes his head angrily.
‘What’s wrong?’ I ask.
‘It’s this thing. All I want to do right now is let you know how much what you said means to me, but as usual this stupid thing is preventing me from doing what I really want to.’
‘What is it you really want to do?’ I ask quietly.
Jack looks at me. ‘Wrap you in my arms and kiss you so hard you’ve no doubt how I feel about you.’
