Clara nodded. ‘My sister did.’
‘Exactly. But I want to tell them that we’re just friends.’
‘That’s fine… but back up a minute. Did you say your sister’s name is Claire?’
‘Yes, it is.’
‘That’s not going to get confusing at all.’
‘Indeed.’ Sam grinned. ‘You and she will get on so well, I can feel it.’
‘I feel like I’m going to love her.’
‘And she’ll love you. But then you’re one of those people that everyone loves. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t.’
A small, wistful smile played on Clara’s lips. ‘How about the one person I wanted to?’ she said quietly.
Sam raised his eyebrows, and his face twitched.Dammit.That was insensitive of him. ‘Ah. Kerr. Yeah, sorry. I didn’t think that through.’
‘It’s fine.’
‘Thing is, he probably does like you a lot. Just not in the way you wanted.’
‘Yeah.’ She sighed and stared out of the window. ‘And maybe that’s why… well, I really thought there was something there. He was just so… laid back and nice, you know? It felt like we’d had one of those moments you see on TV and in books. Where we understood each other without saying anything. We used to laugh all the time, and sometimes we’d catch each other’s eye and just start giggling.’
Sam nodded and made a little noise in his throat to acknowledge he was listening. Kerr now did that kind of thing with Eddie…And Clara does it with me.Those signs she’d read into her relationship with Kerr were friendship signals. Which just went to show how easily they could be misread.
She let out a sigh, looking out the window. ‘You know I asked him out once?’
‘Did you?’
‘Yeah. Talk about mortifying. I mean, he was really nice about it, but it was obvious he didn’t feel the same. Then I found out about Georgie. So, I just kept it light, carried on like we always had, though I feel like he keeps his distance from me these days. He stays glued to Eddie like he never wants to be alone with me… though it’s not like I’d ask him out now or expect anything there. He’s engaged after all. I’m not about to make an even bigger fool of myself. I’ve done enough.’
Sam watched the road, but his heart wanted to turn to her. ‘But you didn’t make a fool of yourself.’ He cast her a brief glance. ‘If anything, you just… wanted to make your feelings real. It was a brave thing to do.’
‘Brave or stupid?’
‘Brave, and you’re such a kind and generous person. You have a way of making people feel special. I haven’t worked at the school that long, but even the first day I met you, you made me feel like I was your best friend and somebody you were genuinely interested in. That’s a really hard sense to generate in such a short time. I’m sure Kerr has always appreciated you being like that with him, and in many ways, he’s similar. He’s a chilled guy with an easy, laid-back personality. You probably acted as a mirror to each other. Both friendly souls who were easy in each other’s company. Only you wanted different things. And I know how hard that must be to swallow because it must have felt like he cared deeply for you. In some ways, I’m sure he did.’
Clara covered her mouth and sniffed. ‘I’m sorry. Sometimes it all just comes back to me. I really am happy for him. It’s more when I think about how I acted. It’s so cringy.’
‘But he doesn’t say anything to make you feel bad, does he?’
‘No.’ She wiped the corner of her eye with her sleeve. ‘He’s always really nice. We just don’t ever mention that I asked him out. Better to forget.’
Sam saw a layby up ahead. He signalled and pulled into it, switching off the engine, and turning to face her.
Clara glanced up. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Making sure you’re ok.’
‘You didn’t have to stop. I’m fine, really, just being silly—’
He shook his head. ‘No, you’re not. Come here…’ He made to hug her then stopped. ‘I mean, if you want to.’
‘Of course I do.’ She leaned into him. ‘I’ll never say no to your hugs.’
‘Still, best to check,’ he whispered into her hair, closing his eyes as the soft fragrance permeated his nostrils. It wasn’t the easiest position to hug her in, but he held her for a moment against his shoulder.
