‘And Andrew?’
‘I just thought that was a really cool name for a puppy.’ He’s smiling fondly at his own childhood innocence and it makes me smile too.
We’re just a few metres from the waves. They’re rougher than I thought they’d be and splashing cold spray into the air. ‘You don’t have any pets now?’
‘Not exactly.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘I have some animals. My parents are looking after them, I think.’
‘You think? Don’t you know?’
‘They are, they’re looking after them.’
I’ve turned my trousers up by this point and am wading into the cold water. My skin tingles at the chilly sensation. It’s rather wonderful really. The reflected lights from the sea wall and the pub break up, rippling and shimmering on the surface of the gentle waves. ‘You can’tnotcome in for a paddle. Get in here.’
I’m pretty sure he rolls his eyes, although it’s hard to see in this light, but he still throws off his shoes and joins me up to my knees in the chilly surf.
‘So this is the wide Atlantic then?’ I say, goofily.
‘Next stop Newfoundland. Granted, you might run into a few Scilly Islands on the way.’
‘Sounds nice. I’ve never been anywhere apart from here,’ I admit. ‘Except for in books; I’ve been twice around the globe and half way across the galaxy in books.’
‘Thank goodness for books,’ he says.
‘Right? I think our little bookshop came along at just the right time for me, Elliot.’
‘You saidourbookshop. Does this mean you’re getting used to having me around?’
‘I don’t have much choice, do I?’ I hope he can see me smirking.
‘Charming!’
‘You know it’s true. Anyway, I’m glad you were here today. I don’t think I’d have braved examining Aldous by myself. In fact, I doubt I’d even have thought of it, and who knows what could have happened to him if you hadn’t suspected something was up.’
Elliot’s looking down to his feet under the dark water. ‘The bookshop came along at just the right time for me too. Thank you for letting me stay.’
‘No problem,’ I tell him. I lift my face to look at him and his dark hair is a glossy, metallic blue under the scant harbour lights, strands lifting in the breeze around his face. He must see me goggling at him because he looks up at the sky suddenly, remarks on how there’s no moon tonight, and shifts a little further away. Why that wounds me, I don’t know. He told me he’d keep his distance, and I’d insisted upon it too, so I’m getting what I wanted.
I make my way to dry land again, pins and needles tingling in my chilled feet. ‘I should probably call it a night,’ I say. ‘I have cupcakes to make in the morning.’
Later, as he drags the mattress down the spiral stairs, this time knocking a ceiling light so it swings perilously in its fitting, I can’t bring myself to look at him, and I pretend to brush the sand from my feet and make a fuss about how it’s getting everywhere, and we say our usual awkward goodnights.
While I brush my teeth and get into my jammies I can’t help but let my mind wander all over the place.
Maybe it’s the sea air? They say it changes you, don’t they? Makes you hungry for fried fish and helps you sleep deeply at night. Maybe it also makes you ever so slightly fancy big, nerdy, high-achieving, muscly holiday-crashers who you don’t know the first thing about and who have it in their power to save helpless creatures’ lives and… No.No, I’m not doing this.
There’s eleven days of my Clove Lore escape left and I’m here to enjoy it, drama free, like Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine running off to Greece. Oh no, that’s a bad example. She ends up in bed with that sly geezer, doesn’t she? No, I’m more like Bathsheba Everdene inFar from the Madding Crowdwhen she’s running her farm: self-reliant, business-like, out to prove herself. Of course she ends up trapped in a mad love triangle, doesn’t she?
I give up. I’m going to bed, but just before I let myself drift off, I can’t help reaching for my phone, switching it to silent and searching for Elliot’s YouTube channel. What was it called? Something adorably nerdy?Dr Elliot’s Day?
‘This channel has been removed by the maker,’ the app tells me. Bit weird. Why would he do that? I guess it saves me the shame of stalkerishly watching him operate on small furry animals for the next hour, which is absolutely the kind of thing I know I’d end up doing.
I hear Elliot downstairs climbing into his makeshift bed and saying to the empty shop ‘Goodnight Aldous, little mate,’ in a low, solemn voice, and I throw myself under the covers with a groan.
Chapter Sixteen
