‘I have, actually. Got interested in baking at school. A Victoria sponge.’
She smiled. ‘I had a toy head for Christmas when I was six.’
‘A what?’ Elijah blinked.
‘It’s a doll’s head with hair you can style.’
‘Just thehead?’
She nodded.
‘Gruesome.’
Her laughter rang out. ‘I suppose it is, but I loved it. I’ve been playing with hair ever since.’
‘Andrea tells me you’ve always lived in Picklewick.’
‘Ah, yes,Andrea.’ Her voice was frosty and the atmosphere took a sudden nosedive.
Elijah had no idea why. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘You could say that. I don’t appreciate you sending your staff around to play the sympathy card on your behalf.’
‘I’m sorry… What?’
‘Please don’t insult my intelligence by pretending you don’t know what I’m talking about.’
‘I don’t.’
Nora snorted in disbelief and came to a halt. Putting her hands on her hips, she pressed her lips together. Biscuit whined, sensing the tension. Elijah glanced at him, concerned, however Nora ignored the dog. She was on a roll about something, but Elijah had no clue what.
‘Andrea,’ Nora said slowly, as though spelling out the syllables to a child.
Perplexed, Elijah asked, ‘What about her?’
‘She was in the salon yesterday.’
‘So?’ Andrea had told him she’d been getting her hair done there for years, so what was unusual about her going to the salon?
Nora was shaking her head, anger flashing in her eyes. ‘As you well know, she tried to get me to change my mind about adopting Biscuit by trying to make me feel sorry for you. I mean, I do – a bit – but that’s beside the point. You’re not the only person with problems. Maybe you should think about that!’
Biscuit whined again as she huffed and strode past them up the path.
Elijah was conflicted. Should he go after her and plead his innocence, or should he let her go and give her time to cool off?
Remembering Jakob’s warning and recalling that his own default setting of conflict avoidance hadn’t helped in the past, Elijah decided to go after her. Biscuit seemed to agree, because he was pulling on the lead and whining pitifully, while shooting Elijah anxious, pleading glances. His tail and his ears were down, and his worry was evident.
‘You’re not happy, are you, boy? I’ll let you into a secret – neither am I. Come on, let’s go catch her up.’
When he fell into step next to Nora, Biscuit nudged her on the leg, forcing her to slow down and acknowledge him.
She halted briefly to stroke the dog’s ears, then carried on walking.
‘Nora, listen to me,’ Elijah urged. ‘I don’t know what Andrea said to you, but I didn’t put her up to it. In fact, I’m rather annoyed she said anything to you at all. It’s nothing to do with her. I’ll have a word with her in the morning,’ he added crossly.
Nora stopped. ‘Please don’t. I’m sure she was merely looking out for you.’
Elijah wasn’t mollified. ‘I don’t need looking out for. And you’ve changed your tune. I thought you’d be happy that I didn’t have anything to do with it.’
