Page 11 of Finding Love at the Magical Curiosity Shop
‘I don’t thinkanyonelikes dragon fruit enough to desire a table made in its likeness. No wonder she threw it out, and if your story is anywhere near true, then it probably took place not long before divorcing her husband for his terrible gift-giving choices. Probably the first case of its kind where “side table” is cited on the divorce papers.’
I giggle, and he stares at me for a moment, and then he starts laughing too. ‘I want to say that’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen, but Iknowthere are weirder things lurking in here, and this shop is an endless parade of weird things that will continue surprising me.’
‘I like weird things. Plenty of other people like weird things too, otherwise I wouldn’t still be in business.’
‘Some peopleareweird things.’ His blue eyes meet mine and he stops laughing and looks away quickly. I don’t think he meant it as an insult, but it didn’t come across as a compliment either.
Before things have a chance to get awkward, Ava squeals, ‘Ooh, this is it! This is what I want!’
She comes back, carrying a wooden chest that’s clearly very old and looks like it was made by hand from sea-battered driftwood. It’s always even smelled of the ocean, and it’s decorated with a selection of shells, pearls, and painted ropes, and has got a padlock on it in the shape of a hand-carved anchor. You can imagine Ariel herself keeping treasures from the human world inside it.
Ava looks like she’s staggering under the weight, and plonks it down on the counter, panting for breath. ‘It’s soooo beautiful!’
Ren comes over to examine it and eventually gives a nod of approval. ‘That’s not bad actually.’
He lifts the lid and pulls open the two drawers with wooden starfish handles at the bottom, checking it over for flaws before he checks the price tag. ‘It’s heavy and well-made, and you can store things in it. And nottooextortionate. Okay, we’ll take it.’
‘I love it! And it will always remind me of Mickey with the shells!’
‘Good choice,’ I say, blushing that she wants to be reminded of me as I put the price into the till. ‘I loved it so much when I saw it, I nearly kept it for myself, but I knew it would find someone who’d love it even more than I did.’
Ava catches sight of my mermaid tattoo and reaches over to touch my arm. ‘You didn’t wash it off.’
I glance down at the colours on my arm. ‘Full disclosure, I kept my arm out of the shower last night because I liked it so much.’
‘Awww! I can always come and colour it again for you! Can’t I, Dad?’ She pointedly cuts off the ‘no’ that was about to come out of Ren’s mouth before he has a chance to form a single letter.
‘You’re welcome here anytime.’ I grin at her and then at Ren. ‘Him, on the other hand…’
‘Let me guess, only if I bring tea and cake and pay for my daughter’s purchases?’ He gives me a sarcastic smile and holds a twenty-pound note out, and when I go to take it, the tips of my fingers brush against his. I hadn’t realised my hands were cold, but his are warm and the heat makes me jump like static electricity has sparked between us. I look up into his blue eyes and blink for a few moments in silence as a flushy, blushy, feeling of bubbling warmth floods my body.
Suddenly the money is dangling limply in my fingers as he yanks his hand back and shakes it, like the touch has burnt him, and it takes me far too long to pull myself together.
‘Works for me,’ I say shakily, in response to the question he asked… hours ago? In reality, it was only moments, but it feels like an era has passed.
What am I doing, feeling sparks? There should be no sparks, no sparkles, no fluttery feelings withanyone. Especially someone who doesn’t get me at all, and is clearly off-limits. Very, very off-limits.
All relationships begin with sparks and then fade into nine years of building a life together that ultimately goes nowhere and leaves you feeling like a needy, clingy basket case. Been there, done that, got the uncomfortable T-shirt.
I wait for the till to print his receipt, because he’s definitely the kind of man whoalwayskeeps the receipt, and slap it down on the counter and push it towards him, because I’m not risking a repeat of handing anything else to him again, ever.
‘Yes, right. Thank you for the interesting showcase of the world’s strangest items. We’ll, er…’
‘I want to come back tomorrow!’
‘Let’s see if we’ve got time in our busy schedules, eh?’ He gives Ava a tight grin, and looks like he’s hurriedly trying to come up with a vast itinerary of other summer holiday activities to fill their time rather than coming back here.
‘This is ridiculously heavy. Way heavier than it should be.’ He grunts as he picks the wooden crate up and shakes it around in his arms. ‘And there’s something banging around inside it. I’m not paying full price for something that’s defective.’
‘I’ve checked it over, Ren. It’s in perfect condition. Maybeyou’redefective!’
‘Maybe I am.’ He pulls both the drawers out from the bottom, and when he lifts it again to give it another shake, there’sstillsomething clonking around inside.
He puts it down again and reaches in, and there’s a hollow clunk as his knuckles knock against the base, and Ava bends down so she can look through the spaces where the drawers were. ‘There’s something in there.’
‘This is a false bottom.’ Ren tries to prise open the inner base of the chest as Ava reaches a hand in through the drawer hole and pushes upwards, and there’s a creaking noise of swollen wood being moved for the first time in averylong time, and the base separates from what I thought was a solidly wooden chest.
We all peer in, and hidden inside the bottom of the chest is a book. A very, very, very old book. The scent of aged paper and the ever-present smell of the sea that accompanies this chest fills the shop, stronger than ever after being shut away for so long.
