Page 30 of Could It Be Magic?
‘Can I see them?’
Cora’s face showed she was weighing up the options. ‘All right.’ She reached for her phone and scrolled through her photo gallery. ‘Look. See.’
Thea took the phone from her daughter, and as she saw the image Cora had selected, she experienced such a flood of different emotions, she wasn’t quite sure where to start. There was a picture of the boy, and standing next to him was someone else. Someone who Thea realised had moved on with his life, if this picture was anything to go by.
‘All right,’ she said softly. ‘I believe you. The question is, what happens next?’
‘I was hoping you could tell me, Mum,’ Cora said, and then, much to Thea’s shock and heartbreak, her daughter started to cry.
25
‘Well, I won’t say I haven’t missed you, sis!’ Nick said as Annabelle’s smiling, tanned face appeared around the front door of the shop on Monday evening. It was closing time, and Nick was itching to get away, and had already stowed the produce from outside safely in the doorway.
‘I’ve missed you, too,’ Annabelle replied as she came around the counter and gave him a hug. ‘I couldn’t resist popping in before tomorrow to make sure the place is still standing.’
‘As you can see, it most definitely is.’ Nick tried not to feel put out. Annabelle was only ribbing him, but he felt as though he’d done more than enough over the past two weeks to keep the shop on an even keel, especially with the film crew.
‘Perhaps I ought to go away more often,’ Annabelle teased. She looked rested, relaxed and as if the holiday had done her a lot of good.
‘Nah,’ he replied. ‘Place wasn’t the same without you glaring at me.’
Annabelle grinned. ‘Well, it’ll be business as usual from tomorrow, anyway, so you can relax for a bit.’ She paused. ‘How did things work out, staffing wise, while I was away? Did Thea get the hang of things?’
‘Yeah,’ Nick replied enthusiastically. ‘Thea was great. I’m so glad she agreed to cover a couple of days or I’d really have been pushed, especially since the agency couldn’t get anyone out here at such short notice.’
Annabelle regarded him speculatively. ‘Must have been nice… having Thea around all the time.’
Nick didn’t rise to Annabelle’s unspoken insinuation. ‘It was nice to have her helping out, yes. She’s a good friend.’
‘I know.’ Annabelle’s eyes met his. ‘It’s nice to think of the two of you getting close again.’ She paused, before adding, ‘you’ve always had a bit of a thing for Thea, haven’t you? I mean, out of all of the group, she’s the one you’d do pretty much anything for.’
‘Like I said, she’s a good friend, and she means a lot to me,’ Nick said firmly. ‘History counts for a lot, you know.’
‘I know,’ Annabelle replied. ‘But, oh, I don’t know, don’t you ever wonder if, now that she’s finally moved back to the village, you should make a move once and for all? Just so you know for sure if she likes you, too?’
‘Christ, you sound like Mum!’ Nick snapped. ‘And you make me sound like a right pathetic loser. It’s not like I’ve been pining for Thea all these years.’ He’d had his fair share of relationships; admittedly nothing serious since Thea had moved into Observatory Field, but that didn’t mean he was holding out for her… just that he hadn’t met the right person yet.
Nick could feel Annabelle’s eyes on him, and winced when she added, ‘Well, super stud, if you weren’t going to make a move on Thea when she was right under your nose, did you decide to pick up where you left off with Tally, then, since she was down this way again?’ She laughed. ‘Come on, Nick, I’ve been in a gossip-free zone for two weeks… spill the tea!’
‘Tally’s not my type,’ Nick muttered. ‘Not any more.’
‘What, a gorgeous, confident, independent, creative woman isn’t for you? Jesus, Nick, what are you actually looking for?’
‘Not that!’ Nick could feel himself getting irritated, and his sister hadn’t been back in the country for more than a few hours. ‘She’s great, but she’s not…’
‘She’s not Thea?’ Annabelle suggested gently. ‘Seriously, Nick, you’ve got to get Thea out of your system. Either ask her out or give it up.’
‘It’s all right for you,’ Nick countered, still irritated. ‘You and Jamie have always been the perfect couple. Ever since school, he loved you and you loved him. You never had anything to lose.’
‘That’s not true,’ Annabelle retorted. ‘We’ve had our ups and downs, as you well know. But we’ve never been anything other than honest with each other. You need to be honest with yourself, and with Thea, if you’re ever going to move forward.’
‘How can I be honest? If I tell her how I really feel, it’ll end our friendship for good, and I can’t take that risk.’
‘Not necessarily.’ Annabelle’s voice grew calmer again. ‘I mean, you’ve been mates for thirty years – who’s to say she doesn’t want to try taking things to another level? You’ve always got on well together.’
‘That’s exactly why I can’t say anything to her,’ Nick said. ‘What if she never wanted to speak to me again? I can’t lose her friendship if what I’m feeling really is one-sided.’
Annabelle sighed. ‘I don’t think you need to worry too much about that.’
