Page 161 of The Making of Jonty Bloom
By the time Devan returned, he was bouncing. “A parcel’s arrived for me. I’m frightened that Brad’s sent it.”
“It’s a present from me.”
“Oh God. Please tell me it’s not all your filled condoms. Though the parcel’s not big enough.”
“That’s your first thought?”
Jonty grabbed the scissors. “I’m so excited!”
“Don’t get too excited. In one way, you won’t approve of what’s in there, but I’ve had an idea and you need what’s inside for that idea to work.”
“It’s not a sex swing then?”
“No.”
Jonty cut across the top of the packet and tipped the contents onto the table.
“Ooh. Sea glass. Wow.” Each pack contained a different colour.
“Obviously, it’s not sea glass. But it looks like sea glass. My idea is that you make things with these and sell them. You’ll be less attached to them because you didn’t find the glass yourself. I want you to make pieces for the new hotel. There’ll be a shop inside and we can sell your work there too. There’s a market for your art, Jonty.”
“You think?”
“I know.”
Jonty smiled. “I need frames.”
“I’ve thought of that too. Ikea. Frames are not the only things we need. We have to buy furniture, kitchen equipment, a couch, bed…”
Jonty’s heart leapt. “You’re going to stay up here?”
Devan took his hand. “We’re going to look for a place to rent for a year. You want to stay near Tay and it’s easier for me to come to you. I can work remotely some of the time. If I need to travel, you can come too.”
Jonty moved into his arms. “And I’ve been thinking that I’d come to London with you when our month here was done. I’d train in your hotels like you wanted or I’d find another job and every two weeks, we’d come up here for the weekend and I could see Tay.”
“Which would you prefer?”
Oh God.It meant so much to Jonty that Devan was willing to disrupt his life to live up here. But he needed him to want a life in Northumberland, just for a while.
“I don’t want to choose,” he whispered.
“Then we’ll stay here. You’ve still not shown me the tenth wonder of Northumberland.”
I think that wonder is you!
THEY FOUND A NEWLY BUILTrental property in Seahouses that faced the water. When Jonty had read that it had a hot tub, he didn’t want to check out anything else and convinced Devan it was perfect. It was. Not that Jonty could have afforded it, but Devan didn’t seem to think it was expensive.
On the last morning at Sunshine Cottage, they’d packed and had everywhere cleaned by ten. Mike was due in an hour to collect Jonty’s board and the one Devan had purchased at Mike’s shop. Mike would also take the things they’d not been able to wedge in Devan’s car that they’d bought for their new place, and help them move in.
“I’m already worried about leaving you on Sunday,” Devan said.
“We can have Skype sex three times a day. Four if you’re desperate.”
Devan laughed.
“You could keep looking to see if Braddidput pictures of me online.”
“He didn’t. Stop worrying.”
