Page 33 of A Second Chance in Seabury
‘Very good call,’ said Lou with a nod. ‘Can I recommend making it a cold treat, though? Ice cream… or maybe a large cup of ice cubes?’
Hannah chuckled and headed for the door, then she paused and peered back at Lou. ‘Hey… do you fancy getting together for a glass of wine one evening?’
Lou’s eyes lit up. ‘I’m there with bells on!’
CHAPTER 14
By the time she reached Moore Bikes, Hannah had a feeling she’d gone from medium roasted to chilli-hellfire. She paused at the door to wipe her face on the back of her sleeve. She was still clutching David’s jacket and winced as she realised that it was damp from her hot hands.
‘Welcome to Moore Bikes!’
A woman was grinning at her from a squatting position in the middle of the room. She had a bike upside down in front of her and was busy putting the chain back in place.
‘Thanks!’ said Hannah, though it came out more like a winded puff of exhaustion. ‘You must be Lizzie?’
‘That’s me!?’ said Lizzie, straightening up. ‘What are you after?’
Hannah eyeballed her dungarees, momentarily distracted. ‘Okay - I’m loving the look!’
‘Thanks!’
‘And… erm… it’s awhoI’m after rather than a what,’ said Hannah. ‘Is Jason about?’
‘JASON!’
Hannah jumped, but Lizzie just grinned. ‘Sorry for the volume… the lad’s probably got his headphones in.’
‘What’s up, boss?’ Jason appeared in a doorway at the back of the workshop. Sure enough, he had a pair of earbuds dangling around his neck. ‘Oh, hi Hannah! You okay? You look a bit… warm.’
Hannah smiled at him ruefully. ‘I’m okay. I walked down, and I’m not used to the exercise, that’s all. Sorry to bother you at work.’
‘Don’t be daft…’ Jason shot a questioning glance at Lizzie, who promptly shrugged. He was clearly at a loss as to what she was doing there.
‘I was looking for your dad just now to give him his jacket back,’ said Hannah. ‘Anyway, I went to see if he was in your garden… and Bernard’s gone. I stopped to see if he’s at the King’s Nose—your dad, that is, not Bernard, but?—’
‘Breathe!’ laughed Jason, holding his hands up in surrender. ‘Dad’s up at the lighthouse.’
‘Oh,’ said Hannah, blinking in surprise. ‘Would you mind calling him and telling him Bernard’s awol?’
‘No need,’ said Jason. ‘Bernard’s with dad.’
‘At the lighthouse?’ said Hannah, bending forwards and putting her hands on her thighs, willing her heart rate to calm down a bit. She was regretting not taking Lou up on the offer of a glass of water.
Jason nodded. ‘Kate and Mike offered to take him for a bit. They’ve got a paddock up there with a decent fence and Dad didn’t want Bernard causing havoc in your garden again!’
‘Oh… I… well, that’s good,’ said Hannah. ‘That he’s safe, I mean.’
Jason nodded.
‘I still need to give this back to him, though.’ She waved the slightly damp jacket at him. ‘I guess I’ll leave it at the house?’ She was feeling more than a little bit ridiculous for her mad dash through town now.
‘Depends,’ said Jason, cocking his head. ‘Lizzie’s given me the afternoon off and I’m going to take Sarah’s bike back up to her at the lighthouse. Fancy coming with me to see how Bernard’s settling in? You can give Dad his jacket back while you’re at it.’
‘Well… sure… okay, that’d be great,’ said Hannah. A lift up to the lighthouse would be a nice distraction from having to get on with things back at the house. Plus, it meant she’d get to see David after all. Maybe she could even persuade him to join her for a coffee as a friendly thank you for last night.
‘Let’s get you sorted, then,’ said Lizzie, straightening up.
‘Sorted?’ said Hannah, raising an eyebrow.
