Page 12 of An Ill Wind in Seabury
‘Save me a piece for after my round?’ he begged.
‘You’ve got it!’ chuckled Kate.
It felt a bit ridiculous to hop back into his van for the super-short drive back to the end of North Beach and All Things Woolly, but he had a whole bunch of boxes for the little shop. They weren’t at all heavy—he guessed they were probably packed full of yarn—but theywerebulky. There was no way he’d be able tototter along the seafront with them in his arms, even if it would probably give everyone a good giggle to see him try.
It took all of thirty seconds for him to pull up in front of All Things Woolly. As he wasn’t planning on staying longer than it would take to drop off the boxes and issue a friendly warning about Seabury’s new arrival, George decided to risk the double yellows.
Peering in through the windows, he was greeted by the golden glow of the lamps and the sight of Connie lounging in one of the squashy armchairs in the knitting corner, bouncing Melody on her knee.
George grinned, his heart instantly melting at the sight of the chubby baby, who looked like she was busy blowing bubbles and giggling at her mum in turn.
Hurrying to the door, George let himself in and whispered a gentle greeting so as not to startle mother or baby.
‘No, don’t get up!’ he said quickly, as Connie started to bundle the tot into her arms. ‘You guys look super comfy. I’ve got some boxes for you. Just tell me where to stack them and I’ll bring them in.’
‘Oh George, you’re a saint,’ said Connie, doing her best to stifle a yawn.
‘You doing okay?’ he said, concern lacing his words as he noted the dark circles around Connie’s usually bright eyes, and the way she seemed to sag even further into her chair as Melody wrapped a spit-soaked fist into the neckline of her top.
‘I’m fine,’ said Connie with a tired smile. ‘This little madam just decided to channel her inner werewolf last night and howled the house down for hours. Right as rain now though, aren’t you madam??!’
‘Well, you sit tight,’ said George firmly.
‘Actually… you wouldn’t mind taking her for five seconds, would you?’
‘What?’ said George, taking an involuntary step backwards. ‘You mean… babysit her?’
‘No!’ chuckled Connie. ‘I’m just desperate for a pee, and it would really be rather pleasant to do it solo for the first time all week.’
‘Oh, right… of course,’ said George, with a longing backwards glance at his van.
‘She won’t bite, I promise. She might dribble all over your uniform, though.’
‘Sounds like you’ll make an even bigger mess if I don’t hurry up,’ said George, giving himself a little shake for being so daft and holding his arms out for the chubby little scrap. She instantly reached for him, her podgy hands making grabby motions.
‘Aw, I think I’m in love!’ he said, settling her chunky, warm weight against his chest, and jiggling her in his arms.
‘Tell me that at two in the morning when she’s at full volume, and I might take you more seriously,’ said Connie with a wink as she scurried through to the back of the shop.
‘I bet you were just practising, eh, Mel?’ cooed George, as the baby stared at him, wide-eyed. Suddenly, George felt like the luckiest, most interesting person in the world. ‘Are you going to be a musician like your uncle? Maybe an opera singer with those lungs?’
Melody babbled at him and then blew a bubble.
‘My thoughts exactly,’ he laughed, bouncing her on his arm and earning himself a gurgling laugh.
‘I think you’ve got a fan,’ said Connie, reappearing so fast George could hardly believe she’d been gone. A strange pang of disappointment hit him in the chest. He wasn’t sure he was ready to hand over this warm little bundle so soon.
‘Well, feeling’s mutual,’ he said. ‘She’s just… gorgeous.’
‘I know!’ said Connie, tickling her daughter’s cheek. ‘But I have to say that—I’m biased.’
‘Well, I’m not,’ said George, dropping a kiss onto the baby’s head before handing her back to her mum. ‘Right, I’d better get those parcels. Where do you want them?’
‘Over in the corner, please,’ said Connie, sinking back into the chair. ‘They’re for the commission Ewan’s working on at the moment. He meant to put the house address on them, but only realised he’d made a mistake when it was too late to change it. He’ll just have to come down and pick them up later.’
‘They’re going up to Seabury House?’ said George.
Connie nodded.
