Page 50 of A Snowy Seaside Christmas
‘Sounds intriguing.’
‘Crystals,’ she said, by way of explanation. ‘Powerful ones.’
‘Ah.’
‘For the next time you go to Crayke’s Cottage. Come to mention it, have you decided when that’s going to be? I know you’re keen you get Mr Thurston’s key back to him.’
‘It’ll be early next week. I’m going to try and get hold of him, see if he can meet me there seeing as though I don’t know where he lives. I can hand him his key back once I’ve had a last check round. You’re welcome to join me – no pressure.’ He raised his palms. ‘Though I’ll understand if you’d rather not. I know it’s not your favourite place after all the weird goings on last time. And, for the record, I didn’t give you the box to guilt trip you into keeping me company there.’
‘I didn’t think that for a second,’ Lark said and meant it. ‘I’m okay to give you a hand. And don’t forget I performed a cleansing ritual last time we were there, and there’s nothing to stop me doing another one.’ It somehow didn’t feel right letting him go there on his own when he looked so drained and had a backlog of work to contend with. If two people hunted aroundfor any hidden cupboards or doors, then it would take half the time. She’d be sure to replace the malachite crystals in her pockets before they set off for the cottage – and make sure Nate had some in his – and take her sage stick just in case.
‘You sure you don’t mind?’ he said, looking pleased at the prospect.
‘Not at all. The sooner we get it done, the sooner you can get the house key back to Mr Thurston and the one from the case to Louisa.’ Lark still wasn’t keen on Nate hanging on to something from the smaller case after the weird vibes it had contained. She couldn’t shake the feeling he was absorbing some of its negative energy.
‘True. And hopefully, there’ll be no peacocks on the roof sending spooky messages down the chimney this time.’
‘Ugh! Don’t,’ she said, pulling a face of faux horror.
‘That was amazing and sure beats the ham sandwich I was going to have. I’ve got loads of delicious flavours running around my mouth now.’ Nate smacked his lips together and rubbed his hand over his stomach. ‘Your dad missed out big-time there. I sincerely hope the food he’s having at Oscar’s is tasty. Mind, I don’t think I’ll be able to eat for at least a week.’
‘Yeah, I feel stuffed too. I’m glad you enjoyed it though.’
They’d finished their meal and migrated through to the living room which looked inviting and cosy. The table lamps cast their soft light around the room, added to by the warm glow of the wood burner. An abundance of fairy lights twinkled from the Christmas tree to the others that were strung around the room all year long. Lark plonked herself on the sofa while Nate negotiated the tangle of Bobby and Luna as he went to throw another log on the wood burner. That done, he flopped on the sofa beside her, stretching his arm out along the back.
‘I wonder how your dad and Louisa are getting on?’
Nate’s question triggered an unexpected flutter of nerves in her stomach. The way her dad had spruced himself up, including a spritz of woody cologne, clearly had some significance. Louisa, too. She’d looked lovely at the reading on Thursday night, but she’d clearly made an extra effort this evening. And now Lark thought about it, tonight had all the hallmarks of a first date.
The nerves jiggled about some more.Oh my days!
‘I hope they’re both having a wonderful time.’ She wondered how it would be when she picked them up from the restaurant. Not that she wanted to dwell on it too much, but would her dad and Louisa maybe want to finish their evening with a kiss?Yikes!And if so, how was that going to happen if she was dropping Louisa off at her house before bringing her dad back here? The prospect of playing gooseberry on her dad’s date was not at all appealing. Ordering a taxi for them crossed her mind, but she dismissed that thought quickly, knowing the taxi company wouldn’t be impressed at such a small fare.
She kept her concerns to herself; if she mentioned it to Nate, he’d offer to collect them and bring them back, and she didn’t want to put him out. Plus, though it wouldn’t be as bad, it would put him in an awkward situation too. And she didn’t want to push the problem onto him. She’d just leave things as they were and deal with the situation when it arose.Ifit arose.
An hour and a half later, Nate yawned and stretched his arms above his head. ‘Ah, man, it’s so warm and cosy in here and I’m so full of food, if I don’t heave my backside off this sofa, I’m in serious danger of falling asleep.’
Lark gave a relaxed sigh. ‘I know what you mean. That walk along the beach fettled me, all that cold air. There’s no wonder Bobby’s shattered – he must’ve run miles today.’
‘He had a whale of a time.’ He peered down at the Labrador and Luna, baking themselves in front of the stove. Bobby was now laid flat on his back, his legs splayed and head thrown back. ‘And have you seen the state of him? Talk about making yourself at home.’
Lark followed Nate’s line of sight, laughing at the image that greeted her. ‘He’s certainly got bags of character.’
‘Aye, he has that all right.’
‘I’ve heard it means a dog feels safe or content when they sleep like that,’ said Lark. ‘Something about not having to worry about protecting their delicate organs, which is what they’re doing when they curl up. It’s left over from when they lived in the wild and had to keep themselves safe when they were sleeping.’
‘Well, I think it’s time I took Bobby and his delicate organs home,’ Nate said dryly.
Walking to the door, Nate stopped and turned. He looked down at Lark, his eyes like pools of chocolate in the dim light. Resting his hands on the top of her arms made her heart skip a beat. ‘Tonight’s been great. In fact, despite all the stuff with Crayke’s Cottage, the rest of the week’s been great, too. I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent together.’
Unable to speak, Lark felt her heart thudding as his gaze drifted to her mouth. Before she knew what was happening his lips were on hers, soft and warm and delicious. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be swept up by the waves of emotion that washed over her. Her stomach flipped and her knees threatened to buckle at any minute as what felt like a riot of explosions went off inside her. Lark had never experienced a kiss with such intensity before. Never knew they could make her feel this way.
Bobby barked, breaking the spell in an instant. Lark stepped back, looking at Nate in disbelief. She clapped her hands to her face. ‘Oh no! What have we done?’
Nate looked crestfallen. ‘What do you mean? I thought… I mean, it felt perfect to me.’
‘We shouldn’t have done it, Nate. It was a mistake. I don’t feel that way about you. We can’t be anything more than friends. Sorry.’
