Page 75 of The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday
‘Nuisance isn’t a strong enough word for what I’m going to be.’ They exchanged smiles and Sylvia put a hand on Ben’s arm, seemingly oblivious to the downpour. ‘Look after yourself, and that girl.’ She gestured to Thea. ‘I’ll expect updates on the bookshop too!’ she called over, and Thea waved a hand in acknowledgement.
Then Marie pressed the button, closing the window, and, with a quick wave, drove Sylvia away from the Old Post House, the red glow of the tail lights vanishing, leaving behind the unnatural darkness and the rain.
‘Get in the van,’ Ben said. ‘I’ll check it’s locked.’
Thea climbed onto the bench seat, wishing she had a warm, furry dog to cuddle up to, but they’d left Scooter at Sunfish Cottage, not convinced that it was safe for him to come. Everything was damp and cold, and she had to wipe the fogged-up windscreen to see Ben huddled by the door, then running over to climb in alongside her.
‘Are you happier now that Sylvia’s left?’ she asked.
‘Much.’ He sighed. ‘Though I would have been even happier if we hadn’t had to do it like this. She’s lived here for decades, so many years with Eric, and to have to rush her out of her home in the dark, in the middle of a storm …’ He shook his head.
‘She’s lucky she had you looking out for her.’
‘And what about you?’ Ben leaned over to wipe a raindrop off her cheek.
It felt so good when he touched her: even that one, tiny gesture. She felt desire, a longing that was getting fiercer, but also comfort and certainty. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt that with another person.
‘Me?’ she asked.
‘What Sylvia was saying, about you turning this place into your bookshop. Have you really been considering it?’
‘In a fanciful, flighty way,’ she admitted. ‘It hasn’t been anything more than that, really. Or it wasn’t, until we came to investigate the bats, and I saw what it was like inside. But I have no idea how Sylvia picked up on it. Tonight, I was mostly thinking about the storm and the bat guano and the spiders – I’m sure I saw one in a corner, though maybe it was the ghost.Ugh. How she realised I actuallylikethe place, I have no idea.’
‘She’s very perceptive,’ Ben said, starting the engine and turning the van around on the gravel. ‘She stays quiet, then reveals what she knows at the worst possible moment, so she can torture you.’ He paused, then said, ‘You could see it as your bookshop, despite the bats and spiders?’
‘I mean, it would have to be fixed up alot. But maybe bats eat spiders, and that part would fix itself?’
‘It’s like the old lady with the fly,’ Ben said. ‘The bats eat the spiders, which is good, but they also destroy the roof, which is bad. And they need to be protected, so it’s not remotely easy to clear them from the building and repair the damage they’ve caused.’
‘That isnothinglike the old lady with the fly, except for the spider part,’ Thea said, laughing. She felt a surge of joy,despite the storm and how cold and wet she was – and knew it was because of this man: a man who, just over two weeks ago, she hadn’t even met.
‘You know what?’ Ben said, brushing his hand over hers, then returning it to the steering wheel.
‘You’re about to tell me that I’m right, and that your comparison was woeful?’
‘I’m about to tell you that you’re right, and that the Old Post House would make a really great bookshop.’
‘You think?’ She had to clear her throat, to remove the lump that had formed there.
‘It’s obviously a long way from being fit for anything at the moment, but if we could petition Anisha and her team, somehow get the work paid for, give it a major overhaul, then it could really work. When it was the post office, it was the heart of the town, and isn’t that where a bookshop should be?’
‘You honestly think I could do this? That it’s not a stupid, outlandish idea?’
Ben shook his head. ‘You can do anything you set your mind to, Thea, and I think that building is perfect. So much better than a commercial box on Main Street.’
‘Thank you,’ she said. She hoped that, despite the driving rain, he could hear the sincerity in her voice.
They were quiet after that, Ben focusing on steering through the storm. Thea’s thoughts tumbled over each other like crashing waves. How had Sylvia known what she’d been thinking? Did Ben really believe she could set her sights on the Old Post House instead of a small, manageable building like the one on Main Street? It would be a muchbigger undertaking, a huge challenge, but could the finished result be worth it?
The windscreen misted up and Ben turned the heater up to the max, trying to clear it. They were both soaked, and Thea could feel the cold working its way into her bones.
The whole day felt overwhelming. So much had happened, somehow, though the shifts were as much in her mind as anything: how she felt about Ben, her understanding of him and her desire for him growing; the idle daydream of inhabiting the Old Post House becoming a tangible, spoken possibility. The power was still off, and she wanted Ben with her, in Sunfish Cottage. She wanted to show him how she felt: how much he meant to her.
He turned onto the driveway and pulled into the space outside Oystercatcher Cottage, then shut off the engine.
‘Are you coming inside?’ she asked.
His smile was lopsided. ‘If you’ll have me?’
