Page 78 of Kate and Clara's Curious Cornish Craft Shop
I feel a shiver of pleasure run through me at the thought of him doing just that.
‘How strong is your chair?’ I ask.
Jack looks puzzled for a moment, then he smiles.
‘Strong enough for two if that’s what you mean?’
‘I won’t hurt you if I sit on you?’
Jack shakes his head. ‘No, you won’t hurt me, but I must warn you I do still have some feelings down there. I’m not completely immobile …’
He grins at me, and I smile as I stand up in front of the easel and move from my chair to Jack’s. I’m about to sit on his lap when I pause. ‘Did you hear something?’
‘No, definitely not …’ Jack says, still gazing at me.
I go to sit down again but footsteps make me stop.
‘There’s someone downstairs in the shop,’ I say, looking with horror at him.
‘There can’t be. I left the inside door to the shop unlocked so you could bring the easel up, but the street door is secured for the night. There can’t be anyone down there.’
But again I hear something. ‘Wait there.’ I tell him.
‘Kate, no!’ Jack protests, spinning himself around as fast as he can in his chair and following me as I head for the stairs. ‘Kate, wait! I need to tell you something …’
I look around for something to grab and see a pair of rarely used crutches. I grab one and I’m already thundering down the stairs before Jack can reach me. No one was going to break into Jack’s shop and get away with it!
I burst through the inside door, kicking it open like I’m in some sort of cop show. ‘Stand back, I’m armed!’ I shout, as I bound in brandishing the crutch.
A tall young man wearing a black hoody spins around, looking at first surprised and then amused by what he sees in front of him.
‘Hey,’ he says, holding up his hands in mock surrender. ‘Don’t beat me with your crutch, lady! I’m innocent!’
‘H … how are you innocent?’ I ask suddenly, wondering what I’d hoped to gain by this. It was now me against the intruder. What was I going to do? Hopefully Jack had called the police from upstairs already.
‘I didn’t break in, did I?’ he says, stepping forwards, but I hold the crutch out like a bayonet in front of him to keep him back. ‘I let myself in with a key,’ he continues, stepping back again, ‘via the front door in the corridor over there. I thought I’d have a look around the new shop on the way in.’
‘How do you have a key?’ I begin, but then I notice the intruder looking over my shoulder.
‘All right, Dad,’ he says grinning. ‘Quite some security guard you’ve got yourself here!’
Twenty-six
I look back at Jack, who’s managed to get himself down the stairs now and into his second chair, then I turn and stare at the boy in the hoody, and slowly I lower the crutch.
‘Hi, I’m Ben,’ he says, stepping forwards again smiling at me. He holds out his hand. ‘Dad obviously didn’t tell you I was coming?’
‘Er … no, he didn’t,’ I say, shaking his hand. ‘I’m Kate, pleased to meet you.’
I turn and glare at Jack.
‘Sorry,’ he says, ‘I did try to warn you, but you set off at such a speed down those stairs I couldn’t stop you.’
‘It’s good to know someone’s watching out for the old fella,’ Ben says. He heads over to Jack and leans down to hug him. ‘Good to see you again, Dad.’
‘And you,’ Jack says, hugging him extra tightly. ‘It’s been too long, son.’
Suddenly, I feel a little awkward standing here, still holding Jack’s crutch.
