The warmth radiating from her smile drew Bruno towards her. He liked how she spoke softly and precisely.
‘Well, I might also be the parent of a pupil here soon,’ he continued. ‘My son is moving to join me in Oundle so I’m checking out the local schools. Do you have a child who goes here?’
‘Yes, Nora, my daughter.’
Bruno looked to the sign above. ‘Oundle Academy’, it read. ‘How long has she been here for?’
‘She started when we moved here about a year ago and she adores it. I looked at a few mainstream schools but opted to go private instead as it offered her more opportunities.’
‘I’ve been to visit two in Peterborough and one in Stamford but it’s difficult to know if you’re making the right decision, isn’t it? They tell you everything you want to hear but you’re never sure if it’s just because they want your business.’
‘I can definitely recommend the Academy.’
‘Perhaps you could tell me a bit more about it some time?’
Bruno interpreted Watson’s hesitancy as her trying to decide if she was being asked out or if he genuinely wanted advice. She hedged her bets.
‘What are you doing now? I need to take the dog for a walk if you’d like to join us?’
‘If you’re sure you don’t mind?’ He couldn’t have engineered this any better.
Watson opened the tailgate of her car and her dog Luna jumped out and sniffed Bruno’s ankles. Watson led the way as they strolled around the village, the expansive grounds of neighbouring Oundle school and a churchyard, while discussing the extracurricular activities the Academy offered to children who needed a little more physical or educational assistance. Eventually, they gravitated to a cafe in the high street. It wasn’t until they were seated that he pretended not to know her name and they made their formal introductions.
‘Where’s your son at the moment?” she asked, sipping from a coffee mug.
‘I didn’t want to disrupt him more than necessary so Louie’s been staying with his grandparents in Bath until I get the schooling situation sorted out. Although he’s on an All Bodies residential course this week in Scotland.’ Even Bruno was surprised at how casually the lies tripped from his tongue.
‘You used his name,’ whispered an Echo. ‘You used Louie’s name.’Fuck, he thought, he had. Watson was prising open something inside him. It had been months since he’d been able to talk about his son with someone who actually existed and had not evolved from data.
‘Oh, Nora was there earlier this week,’ Watson replied. ‘Don’t you think it’s a brilliant organisation? It’s all she can talk about.’
‘Why does she go to the Academy, if you don’t mind me asking?’
‘She has fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. It’s a progressive genetic disorder that only affects about one in two million people. In laymen’s terms, it’s turning her bodyinto stone. Her soft tissue like her muscles, tendons and ligaments become solid and bone-like over time.’
‘And is there a cure?’
‘No. And if she has surgery to remove the bone, her body produces even more of it. But mentally, she’s as sharp as a pin, quite advanced for her eleven years. If her condition is managed properly, she could live to around forty years, but that can radically reduce as she’s prone to infections …’
Karen’s sentence trailed off and Bruno noticed her gaze leave his and travel beyond the window and to the street outside. He rejected the urge to reach out and hold her hand.
‘Does Nora have brothers and sisters with the same condition?’ he asked.
‘It’s just us and no.’ She offered nothing about her marital status. But Bruno was already aware of what she wasn’t telling him. He knew all about her husband.
‘My wife died, so it’s just myself and Louie,’ he replied.
An alarm sounded on her watch, interrupting them. ‘Oh, goodness, is that the time?’ she said. ‘I’m sorry, I have a dentist’s appointment at midday.’ She opened her purse to remove her payment card but Bruno dismissed her with his hand.
‘No, please, it’s on me,’ he replied. ‘Thanks for your advice about the Academy.’
‘I can’t let you do that.’
‘You can get the coffees next time.’ For a moment, they held each other’s gaze and his stomach began a series of backflips. Watson appeared hesitant to say something before eventually plucking up the courage.
‘If you’re at a loose end on Wednesday afternoon, I promised Nora a picnic at that spot where you first bumped into us,’ she continued. ‘You’re welcome to join us. About four p.m.?’
‘I’d like that,’ he replied. And despite himself, he realised he genuinely would. ‘I’ll see you on Wednesday then,’ he replied.
