After Harri returned from walking him back to his rooms at the pub, Annie had turned in, taking with her to bed the copy ofHamletWilliam had read aloud to them over dessert, when the old man was at his most contented, utterly unsuspecting how soon his sense of having found another place in which to nest was going to come to an end.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Valentine’s Day
Annie lingered by the door, and not because the postman usually called in at this time.
Harri had decided to start packing his cases first thing, even before he’d brewed the morning coffees, so she concluded he was truly set on getting out of here. She didn’t know what was worse, the countdown running in her head (twenty-four hours exactly), or the methodical calm with which Harri was treating the approaching end of their time together.
‘Guessing the cinema thing will be called off?’ he shouted from his room, out of sight as Annie peered once again into the courtyard.
This drew her up. ‘Why? I thought it was a sell-out, and the weather report says it’s gonna stay dry all day.’ In fact, it had said it was going to be a ‘perfect Valentine’s Day’, but she didn’t tell him that now. He seemed to have forgotten it was the fourteenth of February.
Harri popped his head around the doorframe of his room. ‘We’ll be looking for Mrs C., I guess?’ He disappeared again. Annie heard a case drag across the floor.
Of course they would. A woman was missing and here she was waiting for a Valentine she had no idea Harri had even written, let alone mailed, and certainly not addressed to her. If anything, it had gone to Paisley, or it was somewhere in one of those cases of his, forgotten.
None of this prevented her from swooping upon the mail as it fluttered onto the mat. The postman gave a cheery wave through the glass as he went, like this was his favourite day of the year, when he was at his most appreciated. She tried to smile back in a dignified, unbothered way, before diving for the red envelope as soon as his back was turned. She pulled it to her chest. It had her name on it. She glanced back at Harri’s door. He was singing, badly, to one of his playlists. He must have headphones on, she thought, about to rip into the envelope when she saw the US frank, the airmail sticker. It wasn’t from Harri.
She toed at the pizza menu still on the mat. Would it reveal another card beneath?
‘Nope,’ she muttered under her breath. Opening the card, it read ‘Happy Galentine’s Day’. Of course, it was Cassidy returning the favour of her letter.
Inside she’d written:
See you in Arrivals. I’m bringing you to the Old Santa Fe for Galentine’s cocktails and we’re working on our battle plan for Principal Johnson. I’ve got your back this time, Cass, x
‘What you got there?’ came Harri’s voice and she swung around too quickly to think of hiding the card. Harri stared at it, then at her face. She felt frozen. Could he tell she was disappointed it was a card from her girlfriend? Did he know she’d been wishing for one from him?
He broke the silence first. ‘Of course, of course,’ he said as if to himself, before brightening. ‘So, uh… coffee?’ And he was gone, and he stayed gone, clattering around in the cafe, cleaning down the machine, making great jets of steam fill the serving area, baking one last batch of hangover buns, the original recipe, which seemed more than appropriate given the vacation hangover that was going to hit them both around about the time Annie was at thirty-thousand feet tomorrow.
Eventually Harri carried through two mugs.
‘Ooh, what did you make for me this morning? Colombian single-shot, extra froth, extra-rare…’ She was wittering, she knew it.
‘Just tea,’ he said.
‘Oh.’ She schooled her features. She’d got hooked on his coffees and wondered how she’d do without them. ‘Perfect,’ she said, and Harri was off again, working hard in the cafe, serving the early customers, all couples in the village on Valentine’s breaks.
Shortly before ten, Kit and Anjali arrived, bringing two scruffy dogs in matching harnesses.
‘Oh wow, hi! You’ve adopted some pooches, then, Kit?’ Annie was genuinely pleased to see them both, and they were holding hands too. At least some good had come out of their excruciating double date.
‘We thought we’d better pop by,’ Anjali said sweetly. ‘To say, thank you.’
‘Thank you?’ Annie echoed.
Harri stepped into the bookshop too, swinging a tea towel over his shoulder. He looked different today, Annie registered. Like a weight was off. He was dressed for spring too. Grey t-shirt, eyeglasses, dark pants.
‘Thanks for not fancying us, I guess?’ Anjali said to them both, accompanied by a nervy flutter of laughter. Kit grinned shyly by her side.
Harri looked like he wished he hadn’t come through, but Annie didn’t mind the weirdness. ‘Are you kidding me? You two are so cute; but you’re cuter together. And who’s this?’
There followed a long, involved discussion on the adoption of Danny and Sandy (not names Kit would have chosen, but what can you do?). All Annie had to do was listen and nod and pet the happy dogs. The whole time they spoke, Kit’s tattooed fingers clasped Anjali’s and they shared soppy smiles.
‘Are you helping with the search for Mrs Crocombe and Bovis today?’ Harri asked when they stopped for air.
‘We’re on our way to the Big House now. Minty’s co-ordinating efforts,’ said Kit.
