Page 48 of A Wish For Jo
Jo put on her glasses, and the headline and accompanying image came into sharp focus.
'Star of primetime dramaChasing ShadowsHarley Dempster accused of stalking and harassing his 23-year-old co-star, Abby Kinsella.' Below was a photo of Harvey (Harley) staring moodily into the camera, the image emphasising the scar on his cheek. Jo had never asked him about it, and doubted she ever would now.
'I'll give ye a wee recap so you don't have to read the whole thing,' said Janette. 'Turns out our not-so-nice neighbour had taken to following the lass home after work, sending her flirty notes and pestering her to go out with him. Eew, what 23-year-old would want to go out with an old creep like him?'
Jo's first random thought was:He's only fifty-two, for goodness’ sake!Her second thought knocked the first one sideways:He's old enough to be her father. She shuddered, her eyes still drawn to the photo. Next to it was a picture of his accuser, Abby Kinsella. Another professional shot of a young woman with a geometric blonde bob, expertly made up, with lips that might well be surgically enhanced.
'Did it … was he… I mean, what happened?' Part of Jo wanted to snatch the magazine from Janette and sprint home to read the whole sordid story on her own. Or go round to Brae Cottage and whack Harvey repeatedly over the head with it.
'I'm no' sure, hen, but I think the lassie refused to press charges. Said she didnae want to ruin his career, although I'm pretty sure he left the show soon after. Never watched it myself. Can't be doin' with those moody things that look like they've been filmed with a 60-watt lightbulb. And all that foul language and gratuitous sex, no thank you. Give me a good old-fashioned romance or an episode ofCountryfileany day.'
Jo flicked back to the front cover and scanned it for the date. Just over six months ago. Harvey had arrived in Cranley two months ago. What had happened in the interim? She'd heard ofChasing Shadows,but like Janette, had never watched it. Obviously, or she'd have known immediately who he was.
'Erm, I'll just pay for these.’ Jo gestured to the biscuits and noodles. 'And these, too.' She added a pack of plasters and counted out the right change as Janette rang up the items on the till.
'Who'd have thought, eh? A famous person living in our wee village, even if he is a sleazy old pervert.' Janette bundled Jo's meagre shopping into a flimsy plastic bag and handed it over. 'Can't believe it took me so long tae put two and two together.'
Jo headed for the door, and Janette called after her, 'Far be it from me to gossip, but a little bird told me she'd seen him round at yours on more than one occasion. None of my business, but I hope you'll proceed with caution from now on.' She tapped her nose, adding a wink for good measure.
'But if she didn't press charges, he wasn't convicted of anything.' Jo fumbled with the stubborn door handle, desperate to get home and switch on her laptop. Whatever the truth about Harvey, she'd find some answers on the internet.
'Aye, but you know how the old saying goes,' said Janette. 'There's no smoke without fire.'
CHAPTER46
'What haveyou got to lose, man?' Harvey scoured his shower-warm skin with a towel more suited to sanding down floorboards.
He'd slept fitfully last night, his mouth drier than the Sahara and his empty stomach emitting rumbles of self-pity. After checking the clock every hour on the hour from two am, he surrendered and shuffled out of bed at six.
Now, his inner dialogue was switching between reasons to visit Jo and reasons why that would be an act of award-winning stupidity.
'The worst that can happen is that she refuses to see you. Or makes derogatory comments about your sexual prowess. No, that wasn't the problem. You being a major dickhead was the problem.'
Back and forth his thoughts scurried, Alka-Seltzer and paracetamol barely scratching the surface of his stomach problems and thumping headache. Still, he deserved the pain. At least he felt something, instead of the numbness that had followed Lindsey's death. Meeting Jo had taken an ice pick to his frozen heart and chiselled away until he felt something again. Something that felt a lot like love…
'Ach, you daft old sap, it's too soon to be thinking of the L word. Which is probablyloathing, as far as Jo's concerned.' Harvey slapped on the dregs of a bottle of aftershave, a brand Lindsey had bought him every birthday and Christmas. Once this one ran out, he'd try something different.
Just after eight. Jo would be at the café, unless she'd handed over the reins to her young assistant. A strange girl, but if she helped lighten Jo's workload, who was he to criticise?
Dressed in a favourite shirt and dark jeans, Harvey paced around the cottage. To go or not to go, that was the question.
Are you waiting for a thumbs up from me? Or a middle finger, seeing as you're moving on?
Lindsey again, but somehow different. Not her beautiful, melodic voice, but a version that jarred his ears. Harvey's own voice, in fact. No whisperings from the grave, just his thoughts seeking airspace.
'You were never really here, were you?' Harvey choked back a sob as he stood in front of Lindsey's photo. 'Our conversations were all in my head. Of course they were, because however much I yearn to talk to you again, it will never happen. I can't keep chasing ghosts or shadows. I need to move on, Lindsey, and I know you'd give me your blessing.'
Before he could change his mind, Harvey removed the photo and took it upstairs. He slid it into the drawer of his bedside cabinet, next to a box containing Lindsey's engagement and wedding rings and the bundle of birthday, Christmas and Valentine's cards she'd given him over the years. Always quirky, often downright rude, but so very, very Lindsey.
'Sleep tight, my love. Out of sight, but never out of mind. If I'm going to have any chance of fixing things with Jo, I need a clean slate. I'll tell her everything — about Abby, my career collapse, and my propensity for opening my mouth before engaging my brain. If she gives me another chance, I'll snatch it like a drowning man tossed a lifejacket. She's … well, she's a good 'un.'
Eulogy over, Harvey grabbed his coat, put on his shoes, and gathered up his phone, wallet and keys. His cold heart defrosted another degree or two at the thought of seeing Jo and begging her to listen, to understand, and to accept that, damaged though he was, he believed in them. Two lonely people, colliding in a world mired in misery, who'd found a mutual attraction. Harvey had found true love before; was it too much to hope for a second chance?
* * *
Peeringthrough the window of A Bit of Crumpet, Harvey spied a handful of customers tucking into their drinks and snacks. There was no sign of Jo, just Aaliyah, stomping around with a sour face and a damp cloth.
Harvey greeted Aaliyah with a cheery smile. 'Is Jo not around?'
