Page 28 of A Snowy Seaside Christmas
‘Aye, she does that.’
A thought crossed her mind. ‘You know you mentioned about going back to Crayke’s Cottage to investigate that loose panel?’
‘I do, why?’
‘I just wondered if Mr Thurston would mind you going back now we’ve got all the stuff out.’
‘He’ll be fine, he actually asked me to have a last check round in his phone message so I was sure I’d got everything out. Come to think of it, I’ll need to get the key to the cottage back to him, but he didn’t give me his address.’ He turned to her, his nose glowing red. ‘Don’t suppose you know where he lives, do you?’
Lark shook her head. She recalled Nate telling her that Mr Thurston had told Nate to meet him at Crayke’s Cottage to hand over the key. Nate said the older man hadn’t even set foot inside and simply handed the key over. ‘I don’t, now you come to mention it.’
‘Looks like I’ll have to give him another call. Let’s hope he doesn’t bite my head off this time!’ He caught her eye and chuckled.
A spark of electricity danced between them and Lark’s heart skipped a beat. There was that feeling again.
NINETEEN
THURSDAY 4TH DECEMBER
‘Dad! It’s so good to see you!’ Lark’s words came out in a plume of condensation. She hadn’t been able to wait for her father to arrive and had headed down to the car parking reserved for locals and their guests in anticipation. She’d spotted him climbing out of his grey metallic Range Rover and rushed over, almost losing her footing on the icy ground. She flung her arms around him, absorbing his familiar “Dad” aroma that she’d always found instantly soothing.
‘Hello, sweetheart, it’s good to see you too,’ he said, chuckling affectionately at the enthusiastic greeting.
Lark pressed a kiss to his cheek, which was still warm from the car and was a striking contrast to the chilliness of her own. Releasing him from her hug, she stepped back, her eyes roving his face. Even under the dim glow of the vintage-style streetlamps, she could tell he’d lost weight since she’d last seen him – there was a gauntness to his face, and his cheekbones were more pronounced. It triggered an ache in her heart, and she made a mental note to make sure he had plenty of hot, comforting meals while he was in Micklewick Bay.
‘You made good time.’ She pushed her concerns away and smiled. Despite his sunken cheeks, it really was good to see him.
‘Aye, I put my overnight bag in the car first thing so I could set off straight from school. Mind, the roads weren’t as bad as I expected, which helped; we haven’t had as much snow as you have here. And it was good of the head to let me leave an hour early.’ He closed the car door and made his way round to the boot, his feet crunching over the frozen, churned-up snow. ‘What time did you say we need to be at the bookshop?’ He heaved his overnight bag out and slung it over his shoulder.
‘Five forty-five for the festive window reveal. The reading follows on from that at six o’clock. It should give us enough time to have something to eat before we head up to town. Maggie says she and Bear’ll call at around quarter past five; they’re scooping us up in the Landie en route.’
‘Good stuff.’
‘There’s a chicken, sage and leek casserole bubbling away in the oven as we speak. And there are some cheeky herby dumplings and mashed potato to go with it.’ Knowing this evening was going to be a quick turnaround, Lark had prepared the dish the night before. All that had been left to do today was peel and boil the potatoes, which she’d already done. She’d then added butter and a splash of cream before mashing them until they were smooth and fluffy. They were currently keeping warm in the oven on the shelf below the casserole.
‘Mmm. Sounds perfect for a chilly winter’s night like tonight.’ Her dad smiled over at her.
‘Yep, that’s what I thought. Should warm us through before we head out.’ She beamed back at him, the wind lifting her hair. She’d made the dish knowing it was a favourite of his. She’d got some of his preferred Double Gloucester cheese to grate on top of the dumplings, too. He used to rave about them. ‘Can I help carry anything?’
‘There’s just this.’ He handed her a small paper carrier bag before closing the boot and locking the car with a beep of his key fob.
A gust of icy wind appeared as if from nowhere, whipping around them.
‘Brr! I’d forgotten how cold it can get down here in Old Micklewick.’ Silas shivered.
‘At least we don’t have far to go.’ Lark linked her arm through his and they trundled off through the snow. She didn’t like to say his weight loss probably meant he could feel the cold even more.
Arriving at Seashell Cottage, Silas kicked off his boots and hung up his coat, the comforting aroma of the casserole dominating the usual greeting of aromatherapy oils. ‘Mmm. That smellssogood.’ He inhaled deeply. ‘And it’s so toasty in here too.’
‘It’s the wood burner, Dad. It’s made a massive difference. I’ve been really glad of it this last week.’
‘I’m not surprised.’ He stepped into the living room, bending his head to avoid the beams. ‘And you’ve got it looking very cosy and inviting, with your Christmas tree and fairy lights dotted about. I can feel myself relaxing by the second! I think I need to steer clear of that sofa for a while or I’ll be in serious danger of nodding off,’ he said, laughing.
‘That’s probably best saved for when we get back after the reading, then you can snooze away to your heart’s content.’ She smiled. It felt good to have her dad back in Micklewick Bay.
A miaowing caught their attention. ‘Ah, this must be Luna.’ Silas beamed down at the cat who was giving him a thorough check over, nudging against his legs. He bent down to stroke her. ‘Hello there, miss. I do hope we can be friends.’ Luna responded with a loud purr.
‘I think we can safely say that’s a given.’ Lark chuckled as she watched the cat close her eyes, savouring the attention from Silas. ‘Can I get you a cup of tea, Dad?’
