Page 81 of Winter at Wishington Bay
‘You having a nice evening?’ I asked, heading back towards the counter, doing my best to keep my tone light and conversational, despite the lack of friendliness in Corinne’s own eyes.
‘Yes, thanks. I’m just waiting for my date.’
‘Oh, right.’ Corinne never was one to hang around but I got the feeling, from the quick look she threw at Nate, that this comment was more for his benefit than mine. ‘Have you been round the fayre already or just heading out now?’ I was aware of the inanity of my words but I seemed the only one there attempting to make any sort of effort. Nate’s shoulders were back welded to his ears, and Corinne was busy lazing over the counter, flipping through the magazine Flora had left stashed under there.
‘Yeah,’ she replied, not looking at me and clearly not listening to me. I met Nate’s eyes. He issued a small shrug and I gave up.
‘God, that looks just like Holly’s place. Don’t you think?’ Corinne turned the magazine to face Nate and I felt my face colour, suddenly realising what Corinne was looking at.
Nate looked down at the picture under the gossipy headline about the mystery of the popular house-proud account. ‘I guess. Lots of places look the same though now, I think.’ He flicked a glance at me and met my eyes. He knew. ‘They’re all styled just to get Likes and stuff.’ He shrugged as Corinne looked up at him. ‘Or that’s what my ex-wife was always saying.’ I could have kissed him. And not just for the obvious reasons.
‘I guess,’ she replied. ‘Although do you reckon this could be Holly? I mean, I only saw the place when I came round to see you so I haven’t exactly got intimate knowledge of it.’ She lowered her voice on the word and gazed up through a teasing look. ‘But it really does look like it. I know Holly has a lot of individual pieces since she started that sideline of revamping furniture and that cabinet just seems so familiar.’
‘I think she’s got an account so maybe she posted something and someone’s copied the idea. I guess that happens?’ Nate’s tone was nonchalant.
‘Yeah, I s’pose. Shame. It’d be cool to get in with a proper influencer. She might be able to help me boost my own account. I’d love to do something like that. But with clothes and make-up, obviously. They get all this stuff given to them for free! And sent all over the world, staying in top hotels. I’d be so good at that.’
‘I’m sure you would.’ He smiled at her, and she returned it, pacified, it would seem. Or else just basking in that smile, which I totally understood too.
‘Ready, babes?’ The Peaky Blinder lookalike who’d just entered the shop took in Corinne still standing close to Nate, and we both saw the assessment in his eyes. ‘Didn’t you have something in that jeweller’s you wanted to show me?’ The platinum pinky ring, set with an exquisitely cut ruby, together with the very un-period Rolex hinted that Corinne’s date had more money than his market trader accent initially suggested.
Corinne’s eyes lit up. ‘Oh hi! Yeah, let’s go. I’m dying to show you. I mean, it’s way too expensive but I’m hoping to save up for it.’ His arms wrapped around her as she reached him. He threw a glance back at Nate. Nate smiled, no hint of jealousy on his face. The other man studied him for a moment, and it was hard to work out whether he seemed pleased about that or not.
‘Bye, Nate.’
He raised his hand briefly as they left the shop.
‘Bye, Sophia,’ I mumbled in a high-pitched voice, glancing over at him. He grinned.
‘Just be thankful she’s gone.’ He pointed to the magazine. ‘This is your account, isn’t it?’
I let out the breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding. ‘Yes. Thanks for covering for me. Corinne’s the last person I want finding out that’s mine. I’m still thinking it might be better to take it down completely.’
‘Do you want to?’
‘Not especially. I enjoy doing it. I’ve just no interest in making it a big thing. I know to people like Corinne not wanting to be “discovered” might seem impossible to understand but it’s never been about that for me. It’s merely a bit of fun.’
‘So keep it then. This will all blow over. You know how long an attention span people have these days.’
I let out a sigh. Well, as much as I could in this damn corset. ‘Yes, I suppose you’re right. I don’t really want to be dictated to as to what I can and can’t do. But I don’t want the attention either.’
‘Would it really be so bad if you did get some?’
I thought of my mother finding out I knew one end of a toilet brush from the other. I’m not sure she’d ever recover. And of course, then she’d know where I was, which was far worse.
‘Yes. It really would.’
Nate shifted his weight and looked at me. ‘You’re not on the run, are you?’
I let out a breath that was part laugh. ‘No. I promise.’
‘Shame. I could have done with a bit of living dangerously.’
‘I’m sorry to disappoint you.’
Nate reached out, hooking one of the curls that had escaped the myriad hair grips I had plunged into my updo earlier and tucked it behind my ear.
‘Now that is something you definitely don’t do.’
