Page 41 of A Snowy Seaside Christmas
‘You’re only worried cos you care.’ Stella fixed Lark with a pointed look, and Lark tried to ignore what she saw in her friend’s ice-blue eyes.
TWENTY-SIX
SATURDAY 6TH DECEMBER
Lark woke to the sound of her dad whistling along to the radio and the aroma of frying bacon. She blinked sleep from her eyes and let her thoughts slowly filter into her mind. It was still dark outside and her bed was nice and toasty, perfect for snuggling under for another half hour or so. But she was eager to find out how her dad’s date with Louisa had gone – though she reminded herself not to refer to it as a “date” when she was speaking to him. For the moment, “meal” or “get-together” was a much better way of putting it.
She threw the duvet back and slid her feet into her slippers, then pushed herself off the bed, grabbing her dressing gown as she passed the door. It registered with her that there was no sign of Luna, nor the usual dent in the duvet at the bottom of her bed.
Downstairs, Lark was surprised to see the wood burner had been cleaned out and re-laid, and now a lively fire danced behind the glass, the hearth swept clean. Luna was curled up in her favourite armchair, savouring the warmth being thrown out into the room. Lark smiled fondly.Ah, so that’s where you are, miss.
Lark headed into the kitchen, her smile growing wider as she saw her dad bopping along to an upbeat song that was playing on the radio, his back to her as he flipped bacon rashers in a pan.Like yesterday morning, he was still in his pyjamas, his blond hair uncombed. She leant against the door frame, observing this light-hearted version of him she hadn’t seen for years. She bit down on a giggle as he gave an exaggerated hip-wiggle.
As if sensing he was being watched, Silas turned, his eyes widening before his face broke out into a smile. ‘Morning, sweetheart. What d’you think of my funky dance moves?’ He proceeded to strut around the kitchen, fish slice in hand, just as he used to do when she was a child and he was trying to make her laugh. It worked every time. And today was no exception.
She giggled – he’d always been uncoordinated which he’d blamed on being tall, but him losing so much weight only seemed to emphasise the fact. ‘Morning, Dad. If you want my honest opinion, I reckon you shouldn’t give up your day job.’
‘Shame you say that. Especially with me about to give up teaching. I was planning on offering my services as a freelance dancer or even choreographer. Show the young whippersnappers a thing or two about body-popping, break dancing and the like. What’s that expression?Dance like nobody’s watching. I live by that mantra.’ He attempted a dubious looking body-popping move, which had Lark doubled over with laughter.
‘No, Dad! Please stop! Much as I love you to bits, I reckon you should save your dancing for when nobody is actually watching. And, anyroad, isn’t body-popping and break dancing a bit outdated?’
‘Ah, well, I’m thinking of bringing it back.’ He tried his hand at a couple of robotic moves, his arm catching the bottle of ketchup and sending it whizzing across the kitchen floor, which only fuelled Lark’s guffaws.
But Silas was undeterred and continued with his hip wiggling as he briefly turned his attention back to the frying pan. ‘You of all people, as the owner of a vintage clothing company, shouldknow that you can’t beat a bit of retro.’ He turned to face her again, treating her to a quick display of more crazy dance moves.
Luna sauntered into the kitchen to see what was going on, pausing to watch Silas. The disapproving look she gave before turning and walking out had both father and daughter creased with laughter.
Lark wiped tears of mirth from her cheeks. It felt so good to laugh with her dad like this. He’d always had a well-developed sense of fun, and watching him fool around, his smile reaching all the way up to his eyes, felt just like the old days.
‘Well, if you’re not impressed with my dance moves, how about I get you a cup of tea? Allow me to at least redeem myself with that.’ Silas grinned at her, his cheeks flushed as much from the warmth of the kitchen as his exertions.
‘That sounds more like it, and I can say, hand on heart, your tea making skills are excellent.’
‘Phew! That’s a relief.’
Over yet another hearty breakfast – this one was comprised of bacon, scrambled eggs, fried tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms and chunky doorsteps of granary toast, so different from her usual granola and Greek yoghurt or porridge with honey, not that she was complaining! – father and daughter chatted about the previous night at the Jolly. As fond as she knew her dad was of Nate, Lark decided to keep her concerns about him to herself. She didn’t want to put a cloud over her father’s newly restored happiness, especially when she knew it was at such a potentially delicate stage. In fact, she was determined to do all she could to encourage it. And besides, she reminded herself, her friends had helped assuage her worries about Nate. She really needed to convince herself they and her theory of him absorbing the energy of his second-hand clothes and furniture were right.
Her dad told her how he and Louisa had not only talked about their shared interest in local history, but that theirconversation had continued on a more personal level, with them sharing that they’d both lost someone close. Though Lark didn’t say anything, she knew talking about Greer to someone else was a huge step for her father, and she resisted the urge to rush over and wrap her arms around him, not wanting to interrupt his flow or trigger tears.
Instead, she listened intently as he told her that Louisa’s husband had died of Motor Neurone Disease three and a half years ago. It had cruelly taken him less than a year after his diagnosis, though she’d said watching him deteriorate had been the hardest part. Like Silas, she’d hidden away and thrown herself into work, but unlike him she had no children, or family close by. It was moving to Micklewick Bay that had been a turning point for her. She was ready to make a fresh start and her role at the heritage centre fitted in with her new plans perfectly.
‘She said she’s looking at it like it’s a new chapter in her life, one she can look forward to, which is exactly how I feel about moving back home.’
Her dad’s use of the word “home” hadn’t gone unnoticed by Lark. It gladdened her heart that he thought of Micklewick Bay that way.
With her being right about Louisa, and that she’d sensed the curator had experienced a painful loss, it made Lark wonder about Nate once more. Could she be right about that, too?Ugh!She really needed to stop to-ing and fro-ing with this. She pushed it to the back of her mind for now while she concentrated on her dad.
‘So, what are your plans for today? More house-hunting?’ She picked up her mug, peering over the rim at him as she took a sip.
‘Well…’ He set his knife and fork down on the edge of the plate. ‘Louisa’s invited me to take a look around the heritagecentre. She’s going to show me her plans for the new exhibition, as well as the suitcase you and Nate donated.’ He looked at her. ‘But if you have anything planned for us, I can always postpone until next time I’m here.’
‘Honestly, Dad, I think the heritage centre visit sounds like a fab idea. You should definitely do that, it’s amazing.’
A look of relief flittered across his face. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind? After all, the reason I’m here is to see you, not go gadding about.’
‘’Course I don’t mind. I think Louisa’s lovely.’ There was no way she was going to make her dad change his plans, especially when spending time with his new friend was clearly doing him good. That it might also be helping Louisa move on from her loss confirmed her thoughts. They were a breath of fresh air for one another. ‘And you never know, you might unearth something interesting about Crayke’s Cottage or the stuff in the suitcase.’
‘I’ll do my best,’ Silas said, smiling. He picked up his knife and fork and started slicing into some bacon. ‘So how was your night?’
