Page 9 of Could It Be Magic?
Thea’s hand was still on Nick’s arm, she realised, with a self-conscious jolt, and she hastily removed it. Clearing her throat, she took a step towards the counter again, and slid behind it, creating a bit more of a barrier between them. ‘Shall I look after here while you do what you need to do?’
Nick nodded. ‘Sure.’ He also looked a bit flustered. ‘There’s a delivery from the bakery coming in any time now, and another from the wholesalers, so I’ll do a quick stock check of the fruit and veg, and the baked goods sections, and then I’ll have to put the surplus from the wholesalers in the barn. If you can keep an eye on the till, and, if you get the chance, check the stock in the dairy fridge, that would be a great start.’
‘Will do, Boss!’ Thea quipped, trying not to overthink the pleasant frisson of tension that had developed between them. She needed to stay focussed on the job, even more so now that it looked as though it was just going to be herself and Nick running the place for the next few days.
‘It’ll be fine,’ Nick said as he headed off to check the stock. Thea wasn’t sure if he was talking to her, or to himself, but she promised herself she’d do her best to help him out as much as she could. That was what friends did for each other. And that’s what she and Nick were. Friends. She tried to forget the way she’d felt when she’d seen him shifting the spuds just now, and the way her hand had just settled so naturally on his arm when she was trying to reassure him. And the way they’d gazed at each other when he’d been doing the same for her. They’d been friends for so long, now, it would be daft to think of him as anything else. Wouldn’t it?
8
Thea was feeling pleased with herself by the time the hands of the large clock behind the counter edged towards lunch. She’d got the hang of the till quickly, and in the lull between customers had managed to sort out the dairy fridge as well as rearrange some of the biscuits and other sweet treats so that they looked their best on the shelves. Thea rather got the impression that, with Annabelle away, Nick and Rob had been doing the heavy work but not had the chance to keep the interior of the shop looking at its best, and so she was pleased she could help.
In the run up to Christmas, and especially with the film crew arriving, Thea wanted to make the inside of the shop as camera-worthy as possible. Annabelle had put up some fabulous wreaths at strategic points, but behind the counter Thea had found a box of artificial pine fronds that would look festive and enticing hanging from the oak beams that crisscrossed the shop’s roof, and also a smaller box of decorations that must have been meant for the real Christmas tree that Nick had placed to one side of the counter. She was gradually sorting through these in the quiet spells.
Nick was making frequent trips back to the shop from the barns, where he’d been shifting the bulkier items from the wholesaler since they’d arrived about an hour earlier. He’d left her with a walkie-talkie so that she could contact him if she ran into a problem, or a question she couldn’t answer, and he could make a sharp return to the store. So far, though, everything had been pleasingly straightforward.
Just as she was wondering if she dared nip out to the loo, which was, rather conveniently, situated near the back office, a large van drew up in the car park and shortly after a couple of guys in polo shirts got out. Assuming they were contractors stopping in for a quick bite to eat before their next job, Thea welcomed them with a cheery smile and a hello.
‘All right?’ the first guy said. ‘Is the gaffer about? We’ve come to set up the equipment for the film crew.’
‘I’ll just see if I can get hold of him,’ Thea said, and then radioed through to Nick. Thankfully, he wasn’t far away, and within a minute or two he’d arrived back in the shop.
As Nick and the two men talked through where they could set up, Thea took the opportunity to slip out to the loo. Being as quick as she could, she was relieved to see that there hadn’t been any customers when she’d left the counter and Nick was still chatting. Thea took some time to observe Nick, who seemed perfectly at ease as he spoke to the men from the TV company. She figured that he, like a lot of people, probably felt more relaxed when he was hiding behind his ‘official’ role as co-proprietor of a very desirable farm shop, than when he didn’t have that context. She liked seeing him in action and observing how knowledgeable he was.
‘The rest of the crew and the talent’ll be here after lunch,’ the other of the two men was saying. ‘So I daresay there’ll be some changes, depending on what Jez and Tally want to do, but we’ll try not to get in your way too much.’
‘That’s great,’ Nick said. ‘Just let me know what you need from us – we’re happy to help.’
‘Cheers, mate,’ the first guy said. ‘And sorry to hear about your old man’s back. Bet he’s gutted not to be on camera this time!’
‘I think he probably is, secretly!’ Nick laughed. ‘He grumbled about the intrusion last time, but I actually think he enjoyed his fifteen minutes of fame!’
Thea lost the thread of the conversation then, as she served a customer who’d come in and had quite a bundle of shopping. She did feel a bit nervous, though. With Rob and Maggie Saint out of action, and Annabelle and Jamie on holiday, it seemed it was down to her and Nick to be the faces of Saints’ Farm Shop for the television, and she wasn’t sure that was what she’d signed up for. Suddenly, her vision of just being in the back of shot was feeling far less realistic. She hoped that the focus would be on Nick for most of it, and that she could still manage to fade into the background.
The rest of the morning went smoothly, and by the time she was due to have her lunch break of half an hour, Thea felt as though she’d settled in well to the job. Nick had checked in frequently and had spent the past hour or so on the shop floor, ready to step in if she needed him. Thankfully, though, she was able to handle most things by herself, although she was ready to sit down for a bit out the back and have a well-deserved cuppa, and the sandwich she’d brought from home.
Just as she was about to head to the office at the back of the building, she was distracted by the sight of a tall, willowy and undeniably attractive blonde woman hurrying through the front door of the shop.
‘Nicky, darling!’ The cry sounded straight out of central casting, and Thea watched, fascinated, as the woman, who appeared to be in her late twenties, hurried across the shop floor and threw her arms around Nick before he could respond to her call.
‘It’s so good to see you! You look just as gorgeous as I remember, and it’s been too long.’ The blonde’s ringing voice commanded everyone’s attention, and Thea saw the two customers who were picking up items from the bakery counter craning their necks, intrigued.
‘Hi Tally.’ Nick’s voice was slightly muffled because he was still caught in the blonde’s very enthusiastic embrace. ‘It’s good to see you again, too.’
‘Don’t try to schmooze me,’ Tally teased. ‘I was hoping you might give me a ring, you naughty thing, after we wrapped here last time, but no, it wasn’t to be.’
Finally released from her hug, Nick took a step back from the woman, obviously keen to put a little distance between them. Thea’s curiosity was piqued; it seemed as though Nick and Tally had been a little more than acquaintances on a TV shoot, from the broad grin on her face when she looked at him.
‘Oh, you know,’ he said quickly. ‘Things have been busy. Really busy. I’m sure you’ve been really busy, too.’
‘Yes, that much is true! But now I’m back, perhaps we could squeeze in a little drink before I have to bugger off again. What do you say?’
‘Yeah, sure,’ Nick agreed, although Thea sensed he wasn’t completely committed to the idea. She wondered what the story was there. Tally was all over him, but it could just be showbiz blarney. Perhaps she was just as effusive with all of the people she worked with.
‘So, I’m staying at the Star and Telescope again tonight,’ Tally continued. ‘They’ve given me the same room as last time.’ She raised an eyebrow at Nick. ‘You know the one…’
Thea tried to look as though she was counting the number of Wookey Hole leaflets on the counter as Tally continued to talk. As Nick responded to Tally’s endless chatter, she felt intrigued by what she was seeing. Nick hadn’t mentioned an involvement with any members of the crew, but then he might not have wanted to divulge it to her, she supposed. She was surprised to feel a little bit put out, though, that he hadn’t.
Eventually, irritated by Tally’s prattling, she called out to Nick.
