Page 13 of A Snowy Seaside Christmas
Yikes? Jeepers? Have you been watching a lot of episodes of Scooby Doo recently, Nate?
She chuckled, awaiting his response.
Is it that obvious? “Those pesky kids…” Am I okay to pop in this morning and if so what time’s good for you?
Yes, it def is that obvious!! And of course. Is 8-ish okay? I’ll do us some breakfast xx
She watched the screen anticipating his reply.
Jeepers! Yikes! Yep, 8-ish is cool with me x
Laughing at his playful response, she found herself looking forward to his visit.
ELEVEN
Lark was feeling calm and relaxed after her thirty-minute yoga session, just as she did each morning. It set her up well for the day ahead, clearing her mind and leaving her feeling energised. Wearing a pair of lined dungarees in shades of plum and green, with a thick purple sweatshirt beneath, she’d made sure to dress warmly for the visit to Crayke’s Cottage. She’d fastened her hair into two plaits and arranged them on top of her head in a bid to keep any spiders from finding their way into her waves. She’d be sure to keep her hat pulled firmly over her head this time.
Once she’d finished texting Nate, Lark turned her attention to Maggie’s message. She replied, telling her of her plans to help Nate and how she wasn’t sure what time they’d get finished so didn’t want to keep Bear waiting. Maggie’s reply had come through five minutes later, saying Bear didn’t mind hanging back and that Lark was to give them a shout when she was ready to leave.
‘Ahh, thank you, Maggie and Bear,’ she said to herself as she sent a heart tapback. She felt blessed to have such good friends.
She was sitting at the kitchen table sewing beads onto the Christmas decorations she’d made the previous night, the sweet tones of The Mediaeval Babes Christmas compilation playing in the background, when a knock at the door pulled her out of her thoughts.
She opened it to find Nate filling the frame, a broad smile on his face. ‘Morning,’ he said in his usual cheery tone, his breath curling out around him as he briskly rubbed his gloved hands together. ‘By ’eck, it’s parky out here.’ From her quick appraisal Lark noted his nose and the apples of his cheeks were bright red, suggesting he’d been out in the freezing seaside air for some time. His eyes, however, betrayed that he was a little sleep-deprived.
‘Ooh, come in, you look absolutely nithered.’
‘Thanks. You’re not wrong. That wind’s savage, but at least it’s stopped snowing.’ He kicked the snow off his wellies and stepped into the tiny vestibule where he heeled them off. Lark brushed past him as she closed the door, shutting out the cold, noting the smell of frosty air that clung to him. Before she knew what was happening, her wayward mind leapt unexpectedly to her waking thoughts that morning, imagining the feel of Nate’s lips on hers.Oh!A flurry of butterflies jumped to attention in her stomach and her cheeks flamed.Calm your jets, missus!
‘I’ll just go and clear the table – I was working on the fabric Christmas decorations. I’ve got stuff everywhere.’ Her words came out in a gabble and she hurried off in the direction of the kitchen, willing her insides time to calm down and hoping Nate hadn’t noticed her blushes.
‘Aye, righto.’ He hung up his coat and woolly hat and followed her through the living room and into the kitchen at the back, ducking to avoid the beams as he went.
‘You sure you don’t mind giving me a hand at Crayke’s Cottage?’ he asked, taking in the sewing clutter piled on thesmall table and nearby worktop. ‘I’ll totally understand if you’re too busy. There’s not that much to clear, so I could manage it myself.’
‘No, not at all. I’m expecting the shop to be quiet so I’ll take this lot to work with me. What I don’t get done there, I’ll finish here tonight.’ She kept her head down, pushing everything into a fabric bag, as if she was focusing intently on clearing the table. She hoped the lack of eye contact and her still-warm cheeks wouldn’t make him think there was anything wrong. ‘And besides, it shouldn’t take us long to get the rest of the stuff out of Crayke’s Cottage. It’s pretty much ready for us to just lift out.’
When it had become obvious that they were running out of time and light, not to mention being so cold it had become difficult to actually do anything, they’d made the decision to stack the remainder of the items in the living room. It would save them from having to hunt around the cottage for the rest of the stuff, or lug things downstairs.
‘True,’ he said, bending to stroke Luna who’d followed him into the kitchen and was brushing up against his long legs, purring loudly. ‘Now then, miss, what’s this I’ve been hearing about you?’ He scooped the cat up in his arms, cradling her like a baby. She lay there, gazing up at him, her purring going into overdrive.
Lark giggled. ‘What are you like, Luna?’ She’d noticed Nate had a way with animals. Her friends’ dogs all loved him. Being an animal lover herself, it was a trait she found appealing, though he was more of a dog person than she, and had mentioned several times of his wish to own one. Lark was fond of dogs too, but she had always been drawn to cats.
‘So, tell me about the suitcases,’ Nate said. He was now rocking Luna from side to side. ‘So many things have been going through my mind after what you said about the smaller one. I assume since Luna seems okay, it’s still in the shed.’
Lark nodded. ‘Yep, it’s still there. I didn’t fancy bringing it back into the house, to be honest.’ She sat the bag of decorations and fabric out of the way in the corner. ‘How about I make us some breakfast first? I can tell you all about it while we’re eating. Then I’ll show you it afterwards, though I’d rather not bring it back in here. Would you mind if we took it back to Crayke’s Cottage, so I can show you the stuff there, rather than opening it up again here?’
‘’Course, I completely understand. We don’t want Luna getting herself all het up again, do we, lass?’ Nate said kindly, tickling the cat under the chin.
‘Thanks, I appreciate that.’ Lark knew he’d be understanding and wouldn’t think she was making a fuss over nothing. ‘Scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast accompanied by a rasher or two of bacon and an unlimited supply of tea do you?’
‘Perfect.’ He beamed at her, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners and making her heart perform an unexpected leap. ‘What can I do to help?’
What can you do to help?Her wayward mind headed straight back to thoughts of his kisses and she could feel the colour rising in her cheeks once more. She really needed to get this under control before he guessed something was the matter.
‘Um, you can set the table, provided Luna doesn’t mind you putting an end to your cuddles, of course.’ She quickly made for the fridge in yet another bid to hide her blushes.
Soon the kitchen was filled with the aroma of bacon frying and bread toasting. As she stood at the oven, Lark shared what had happened the previous evening, including the feelings the suitcase had triggered in her and how she’d felt compelled to carry out a sage burning ritual.
