Page 20 of Finding Love at the Magical Curiosity Shop
‘I was shopping on my own at thirteen. My dad would park the car, go his own way and I’d go mine, and we’d meet back at the car park at the agreed time. And that was before the days of mobile phones, so at least she can get hold of you if she needs to.’
‘Well, your dad was clearly more laidback than I am too. It seems likeeveryoneis more laidback than I am.’ It doesn’t sound like he means it in a favourable way to himself.
‘So you teach Ava’s class?’ I ask because I’d been wondering about that.
‘I teach history to every year group from year seven to eleven, including hers.’
‘Is that as awkward as it sounds?’
He looks down and blinks like he can’t focus on me at such close proximity. ‘Excruciating. She blanks me in every lesson, and I know the other kids tease her about being “teacher’s pet” and say she’s going to get a 100 per cent pass grade on every exam and an A-plus on every assignment, but I have to be objective. She hates me for not giving her an easy ride, but it doesn’t help her in the long run to give her good marks on something she clearly hasn’t understood. I just hopeshe’llsee that one day.’
‘She will.’ Without thinking, I reach out and rub his arm because he sounds really unsure of himself, and I get the sense that Ava’s aversion to being seen with him has upset him more than he’s letting on.
I want to say something reassuring, but I don’t know this manorAva, and I’m only imagining the feelings playing out behind his blue, blue eyes.
The one thing I’m not imagining is the look of horror on his face as he peers down at my hand on his arm with a look fiery enough to scald me and I yank my hand back with such force that I clonk my elbow on the doorframe behind me. What the heck was I thinking in touching someone so standoffish?
The girls across the street are about to go into the shop and clearly assume Ava’s going with them, and she throws a worried glance in our direction and then follows them inside.
Ren breathes a little sigh of relief and steps out of the doorway, and I think it’s quite sweet that he stayed hidden for so long just to avoid embarrassing her.
‘Do you want to go?’ He’s scuffing one sensible black loafer against the other and trying to avoid eye contact. ‘If you need to get back to your shop, I can stay here and wait. I don’t know if you’ve ever witnessed a group of thirteen-year-olds in Claire’s Accessories before, but it’s like the Tardis in there. They could be missing for hours.’
I think about it. I’ve been in Claire’s Accessories while there are teen girls on the loose and thereisa good chance they’ll get lost in the space-time continuum and we won’t see them again until late afternoon, but I’m also not ready for today to end yet. ‘No, it’s okay. It’s nice to be out of work for a change. All I do is man the shop and go to auctions or car boot sales. I can’t remember the last time I had a Saturday morning off.’
‘I know that feeling.’
‘You go to a lot of auctions and car boot sales?’
I meant it as a joke, but it goes straight over his head. ‘No, I mean with work. Marking books, planning lessons, preparing materials… It feels like all I ever do is work – and embarrass everyone who knows me.’
I follow his gaze to the doors of Claire’s Accessories again. ‘Don’t take it personally. Ava’s thirteen. If you’re not in a boyband, you’re not cool. Are you now, or have you ever been, in a boyband?’
‘I have not.’ He laughs and gives me an appreciative look, like he knows I was trying to cheer him up. Awkwardness hangs in the air, only broken when a customer goes to come out of the doorway we’re standing in and we both jump aside to let her pass, and then look up at the building itself.
It’s a café, and inside there’s floral bunting and fairy lights and quaint chairs and tables covered by dainty tablecloths, and glass display cases of delicious-looking cakes.
‘Do you want a tea or something?’ Ren sounds surprised, like he didn’t intend the words to pop out but they did anyway. ‘Or are you duty-bound to never buy a hot drink from anywhere other than the Wonderland-themed place?’
I can’t help smiling on Cleo’s behalf. She’ll love knowing she’s made an impression. ‘Morally bound, not duty bound, but my morals are weak when it comes to tea, and have you seen that chocolate cake in the display case? Morals don’t apply when it comes to chocolate cake.’
He looks at the cake I point out and then smiles a wide, unguarded smile that makes my stomach do a little flip. ‘I could be tempted by that. Shall we?’
I go to walk in, but he stops me by reaching out and touching a tendril of my red hair that’s escaped from my bun. ‘You look really nice today.’
‘Thanks, I think…’ I feel like a statue, frozen to the spot, wondering if the doorway of this café is some sort of parallel universe or if we’ve suddenly stepped onto a different plane of existence where he says things like that.
He drops his hand quickly. ‘Just in case you thought I didn’t know how to say nice things. I’ve been practising. Avamademe practise.’
It makes me giggle as he pulls the door open and holds it for me to go through first and I get a little flutter at that chivalry, even though I’m quite capable of opening doors for myself.
Inside, the café is cosy and smells of brewing coffee, and the sound of other diners chattering fills the air. Ren and I both go up to the counter and order a cup of tea and a slice of chocolate cake each, but when I go to get my purse out, he stops me. ‘Don’t even think about it. This is on me.’
I thank him and take my cup and plate and make my way to a table near the window so Ava will see us when she comes back, but I can’t help liking that gentlemanly vibe again. He seems older than he is, with values that come from a time before our own, but in a nice, respectful way.
I’ve already sat down when he comes over and takes the seat opposite me, and I find it nigh-on impossible to take my eyes off him. He’s beautiful in an introverted and bookishly intelligent sort of way, but it’s not just because he’s nice looking, there’s something more about him than that.
Thick dark hair that’s neatly parted, but would probably be unkempt and tousled if it wasn’t for the product holding it flat against his head, and I’d love to know what kind of clothes he wears when he’s not wearing the officewear-style blue button-up shirt, the sensible black trousers, and the jacket that hereallydoesn’t need on a sunny day like today.
