Page 20 of Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay
‘You must be Amelia,’ Tom says, smiling as he takes hold of my outstretched hand in a firm grip. I notice now I’m close to him he’s not quite as young as I’d first thought. There are distinct laughter lines around his blue eyes, which only deepen as he smiles, and a few odd grey strands at his temples that pepper his otherwise jet-black hair.
‘I am,’ I reply, a little surprised he knows my name. ‘How do you know that?’
‘Benji sent me.’
‘He did?’
‘He said you might be in need of my services. So here I am!’
‘And what services are they, exactly?’ I ask, a little suspiciously now. Why hadn’t Benji said he was sending someone over?
‘Here.’ Tom reaches into his top pocket and pulls out a business card. ‘This is me.’
I look at Tom and then I look down at the card:
Tom Barber
Antique furniture restoration service.
All types of work undertaken.
15 years’ experience.
Member of the British Antique Furniture
Restorers’ Association.
‘Benji seemed to think I might be of some help here,’ he says, looking at me. ‘What do you think, Amelia; might I be of some service to you?’
Nine
‘Amazing view,’ Tom comments as he glances out of one of the tower windows. ‘You’ve fallen on your feet here.’
‘Some might say,’ I reply, pacing back and forth across the circular room as I wait for Benji to answer his phone.
‘Well, I’d definitely be one of them.’
I watch Tom as he sits down on one of the armchairs and waits for me to finish my phone call. I’d thought of him as well built when I’d first seen him follow Charlie out of the tower, but now I’m closer I can see that he’s extremely fit, with toned, well-developed muscles that sit neatly under his well-fitting clothes. He looks up at me watching him, and smiles before taking a sip from the mug of tea I’ve just made him.
Hesitantly I smile back.Come on, Benji, where are you?
Eventually Benji’s voicemail cuts in.
‘Hi, Benji; it’s Amelia,’ I say into the phone. ‘Er . . . ’ I glance at Tom again. ‘Could you call me when you get this, please?’
‘Busy man,’ Tom says as I hang up the phone.
‘Yes, he is, isn’t he?’ I pick up my own mug and cross the room to sit down opposite him. ‘Is your tea all right? Only I haven’t had a chance to get out and stock up yet on food – so my teabags are courtesy of Dorothy, who you met before in the courtyard.’
‘Perfect, thank you,’ Tom says, raising his mug at me.
‘So, tell me about yourself,’ I ask awkwardly. ‘And just why you’ve come here to Chesterford?’
‘Is this a job interview?’ Tom asks, grinning. ‘I’d better sit up a bit straighter if it is.’
‘No. Well, possibly. What I mean is, there is a possibility we might need someone to restore some furniture here. To be honest, I haven’t had a chance to look into things like that just yet.’
‘I see. Benji probably thought I wouldn’t come so soon, but I didn’t really have much on so I thought I might as well come straight away.’ He smiles again.
