Page 43 of A Snowy Seaside Christmas
‘Ugh!’ Lark shuddered as she went to fill the kettle at the sink. ‘He soundsawful.’
‘Aye, he’s not my favourite customer, I have to say. He even said he was going to pay the workshop a visit to check on progress.’ He raked his fingers through his hair. ‘I’m beginning to regret selling the flaming things to him. Seemed like a good thing at the time, but dealing with the pair of them, with their never-ending phone calls and texts, has started to take the pleasure out of my work. Would you believe he rang three times yesterday? And that doesn’t factor in the texts, reminding me what wax finish they want and stuff like that. It’s not as if I’m likely to forget with the amount of times they remind me.’
‘I’m really sorry to hear that.’ Nate usually loved his job, and you rarely heard him complain, so things must be getting him down. Her mind went to what Florrie had told her when they were at the Jolly. It matched what Nate had just shared and made her think her friend’s theory could be right, which was slightly bittersweet. Much as she didn’t want him to be ill, she didn’t like the thought of an obnoxious customer piling stress onto him. ‘But a break will do you good, help recharge your batteries. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help, won’t you?’
‘Thanks, Lark. So, how’s things with your dad? He seemed to be enjoying himself with Louisa on Thursday night.’ It was clear Nate was ready to change the subject.
‘He’s doing really well, actually,’ she said over her shoulder as she gathered a brace of mugs from the cupboard.
‘That’s good to hear. I thought he looked chirpier the other night at The Cellar. He’s lost a fair bit of weight, mind – not thatI’m saying it to worry you. It’s probably more noticeable with him being so tall.’
‘You’re not saying anything I hadn’t spotted myself. Though from the way his appetite’s returned since he got here, I think he won’t be too skinny for much longer. You wouldn’t believe the breakfasts he’s been making for us both.’
They shared a pot of tea as she filled him in on everything that had happened with her dad since Thursday night, including catching him dancing in the kitchen that morning which had tickled Nate no end.
‘Now that would’ve been worth seeing – your dad body-popping!’
‘It was hilarious, Luna looked at him like he’d lost the plot.’ She smiled at the image in her mind of the cat’s look of disapproval. ‘He’s at the heritage centre right now, actually. From what I can gather, Louisa seems to be as taken with my dad as he is with her. I only hope she doesn’t have a change of heart. They’re both in quite a delicate place right now. I wouldn’t want anything to set him back when he’s come this far.’
‘I reckon he’ll be all right. She seems a decent person and I certainly didn’t get the impression she’s the sort who’d mess with anyone’s head,’ Nate said casually.
Lark’s brow crumpled, his words striking an unexpected chord. Did Nate think that’s what she did with him? Mess with his head? She knew some people struggled to understand how they were able to be such close friends when it was obvious Nate would rather it was so much more. But then again, she told herself, she’d made her feelings clear right from the start. He could’ve walked away, kept her at arm’s length if being nothing more than friends was something that wouldn’t work for him. And they were good friends. Close. Comfortable together. She flicked a quick glance his way. He seemed okay with her, seemed content with things. Surely he wouldn’t be there if hewasn’t? And then there was what appeared to be a throwaway comment to Buddy after Luna had swiped at him, about women “keeping you on your toes”. Is that how he thought of her? That she was deliberately… what? Did he think she was keeping him dangling?
Guilt started to swirl in her stomach. Was she being selfish, putting her own feelings first? That was never what she’d intended. She cared deeply for Nate.
And what exactly are your feelings?
She rubbed her brow with her fingertips as something started inching forward from the dark corners of her mind. The place she tucked the issues and thoughts that were never easy to resolve, the ones that gave her emotions an exhausting workout. Wasshecontent with being just friends? Or was she ready to take things further? She groaned inwardly. Now really wasn’t the time to be thinking about it. There were so many other things going on, what with her dad dipping his toe in the dating pool. The potential risk that it might not work out, the fallout from that – not that she wanted to be negative, but Lark wanted to be there, just in case. She wanted to be able to give him her full attention, especially since he was ready to face the world again which had been a massive step for him. It was important that her father knew she was there to support him, and the last thing she wanted was for him to think she was too wrapped up in her own life or too busy for him to talk to her, or share his worries.
And if that wasn’t enough, she still felt unsettled after the events at Crayke’s Cottage and the suitcase incident. Even after doing all she could to clear any residual negative energy using her knowledge of crystals and cleansing rituals, she was still conscious of a sense of unease thrumming away in the background. It had never taken so long to shake anything off.
Taking everything into account, Lark decided it was probably for the best if her relationship with Nate remained as it was.Being able to call him her friend was a good thing. Maybe when she had more headspace, she could give it the consideration it deserved, but jumping in right now wasn’t a good idea, and it wasn’t her style.
Before she had a chance to close the subject down in her mind, another thought sneaked in. Maybe she should talk it over with her friends? She hung on to the notion for a couple of seconds before dismissing it.What are you thinking?!She could only imagine the excitement that admission would generate, not to mention full-on encouragement and the ensuing grilling session, with them wanting to know every teeny-tiny detail of when her feelings had changed. She’d witnessed it enough times when one of them had been in the hot seat.Nope, sharing with her friends was a seriously bad idea.
‘What’s up?’
Lark blinked to see Nate looking over at her.
‘You were miles away.’
She pushed up a smile. ‘I was just thinking about what you said about Louisa being a decent person. I’m glad you think so too. I warmed to her straight away and, so it seems, did my dad.’
‘Aye, he did, and from where I was standing, it was mutual. I hope it all works out for both of them.’ Nate drained his tea and set his mug down.
‘Me too.’ His words were the perfect cue to move away from the subject of romance. Lark seized on it. ‘So, have you made any progress with finding out who Buddy belongs to?’
‘Well, that’s actually what I’ve come to tell you.’ There was a note of intrigue in his voice.
‘Ooh, sounds interesting. Would I be right in thinking this calls for another pot of tea and a slice of Christmas tiffin?’
‘You’d very definitely be right, especially the part about the tiffin.’
‘Two ticks.’
With fresh tea poured and them each having a chunky slice of tiffin in front of them, Nate set about filling Lark in on what he’d discovered.
‘As you know, I put a post on the town’s social media pages and included a photo of Buddy.’
