She opened her eyes, all traces of sensitivity and emotion wiped completely. ‘Do you think you could do that for me?’
‘Sure,’ he stated firmly.
‘Don’t say it to appease me. I’m not someone who can be fobbed off and placated, you know?’
‘I think you’ve made that very clear.’ She looked a little taken aback by his honesty but stayed silent. ‘I wouldn’t say yes if I wasn’t sure,’ Fin continued. ‘I just might need to rope in a little help, if that’s OK?’
‘Do as you wish,’ she replied curtly. The cold exterior was fully back in place. ‘Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to sleep.’
‘No problem. I’ll sort everything out with Nurse Clara and get back to you on timings.’
‘Fine. Just make me look beautiful in one photograph before I die, OK?’ Heidi had already closed her eyes and turned her face away from him.
‘Gotcha.’ Fin jumped up from his seat and almost sprinted out of the room.
The minute he was outside in the corridor, he felt his body relax. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone …
Eleanor
When Ben had said he had a surprise for Eleanor on Tuesday night, this was the last thing she’d expected. A community art class? How had he even remembered their brief conversation in that little Italian restaurant?
Eleanor checked her watch anxiously. Even after her fifth walk around the block, she still had a few minutes to kill. Normally she didn’t mind being early – in fact, a small part of her relished being the first one in – but not tonight. If she could find a way to slip in the back completely unseen that would be a miracle.
‘You should have said no. Eleanor, when will you learn to say no?’ she berated herself.
And risk looking like a boring spoilsport in front of your new boyfriend?
He’s not my boyfriend.
Uh-huh …
‘Are you here for the art group, dear?’ A red-faced lady appeared out of nowhere behind her, making Eleanor jump back in shock. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scareyou! Were you daydreaming? I’m always away with the fairies. It’s a tough job getting me back down into the real world these days.’ The stranger’s face creased into a wide smile. ‘It’s a much nicer place in my head, I always find.’
‘Yes,’ Eleanor replied flatly.
‘Yes to what, dear? The daydream or the art group?’
‘Both!’ She laughed nervously.
‘Wonderful. Well, I’m Agatha. I run the sessions.’ The lady held out her hand and Eleanor took it. ‘You must be Eleanor. Our newest recruit. Shall we head in?’
Eleanor nodded mutely and began to follow Agatha towards the entrance to the community hall. ‘Now, it doesn’t look much from the outside,’ Agatha acknowledged, her eyes flicking between the graffiti-coated walls and the peeling paint. ‘But we make it feel like home.’ She opened the door and gestured for Eleanor to go inside.
‘I’m only here for one session,’ Eleanor announced, stepping into the hallway. ‘My’ –boyfriend– ‘friend signed me up as a surprise gift! I’m just going to try it out and see what it’s like.’
Agatha hummed and flicked on the lights. ‘That’s what they all said when they started. Now I can’t bloody get rid of them. Four years this has been running.Four years.My husband can’t believe I’ve stuck to something for so long! Apart from him, of course. The lucky sod.’ She chuckled to herself. ‘Grab eight chairs and put them in a circle, will you? We’re just in that room to the left. I’ll get the canvases from the car.’
Eleanor didn’t have time to argue; before she knew it Agatha had disappeared, leaving her alone in the corridor.
‘One session. That’s all,’ she reminded herself, as sheopened the door on the left to reveal a large hall. It had the same musty smell that her school gym used to emit. The smell of sweating children, rubber plimsoles and dust. It was colder inside the room than outdoors and Eleanor pulled her coat tighter around her neck.
‘Oh yes, did I forget to mention in my email? Bring all the layers you can. When the sun’s not shining it’s an icebox in here. Then the moment summer comes it’s a sauna. Gives everyone something to moan about though, which strangely I always find helps their creativity.’ Agatha was back and carrying eight large canvases. She placed them on the floor and looked disappointedly at the still bare hall. ‘Right, where are we with those chairs then? Reggie will be here soon, and if you don’t give him somewhere to sit immediately, the next hour won’t be worth living.’
Within a blink of an eye, Agatha had transformed the rather sad space into an odd-looking art studio. Every chair was laden with a variety of coloured cushions; a table was placed in the centre and draped in layers of beaded fabrics. Incense was lit and portable heaters were stationed around the room, dutifully blasting their hot air into the space.
‘Kettle is on and biscuits are out! Right, I think we are good to go,’ Agatha announced, her hands placed on her hips. She was only a small woman – early fifties, Eleanor would guess – but there was an air about her that exuded a youthful vitality. She seemed to radiate positivity from every pore, and Eleanor had to admit she felt a little in awe of her already.
‘Take a seat, dear. Not that one, that’s Enid’s. Or that one, that’s Patrick’s.’ Eleanor sidestepped around the circle until she found a space that had not already been reserved. She sat and waited; it was already ten past. The class was only meant to be an hour. Did they always start this late?
