‘So what are you doing these days? Anything fun?’
‘Yes! At least I think it’s fun. I’m learning to do watercolours, of flowers and foliage mostly.’
‘Oh?’
Glad to be talking about something that didn’t make her embarrassed, Cass went on. ‘I wish I could say it’s a long-held ambition of mine, but the answer is far simpler. I work in an art shop and they have classes there. As an employee, I get lessons for nothing. And it happens to be watercolours for flowers.’
‘That sounds perfect for you.’
Cass nodded. ‘You know I like drawing. I’ve worked out a technique where there’s a very rough sketch and then the paint goes on top.’ She laughed, feeling so much better after a couple of waffles and maple syrup, with Ranulph across the table from her. ‘My brother has always referred to my drawing as “colouring in” – now I really am doing colouring in.’
He was indignant. ‘But, Cass, you’re a very talented artist. Think of the drawings you did in Dominica.’
She shrugged. His praise made her feel awkward. She was sitting in the sun and it was hot. She was about to remove her cardigan but stopped. She had a lot of cause to regret wearing a dress without a bra that day and she wasn’t going to risk showing off more than she meant to again. She sighed more loudly than she’d intended.
‘What’s the matter? Are you all right?’ Ranulph was instantly concerned. His hand went across the table back to her hand. ‘Oh! Your wrist. It’s very red.’
‘It’s where the camera strap cut in.’ She took a sip of tea with her free hand. She didn’t want to be seen as a victim. ‘But I’m fine. I was just a bit faint with not having breakfast, that’s all.’
‘So why the sigh?’
She looked at him, wishing she was brave – or even brazen – enough to tell him the truth. That she was sighing because she knew she might never see him again. But she wasn’t either of those things.
‘I’m just wondering how I’m going to get the camera back to Dad. After all this … trouble. I was so intent on getting it from Austin, I forgot about the final part.’ She smiled. That sounded completely convincing! And like all lies, it was all the stronger because it was mostly true.
‘I’ll take it back for you. I’ve got to go back to Scotland to sort things out for this big trip I’m going on.’ He paused. ‘Don’t you want to take it up to Howard yourself?’
She shook her head. ‘I’ve only just been up to see him and I don’t want to take too much time off from my jobs.’ She smiled. ‘It’s called a portfolio career, having more than one job. My other job is working in a wine bar.’
‘Do you enjoy it? Retail doesn’t sound all that exciting after what you got up to in Dominica.’
‘You think I should retrain as a doctor and sew people up for a living? How is the leg, by the way?’
‘Good as new, thank you. But I will have your signature on my leg forever, in the form of some really quite neat stitches.’
She laughed, taking a strawberry from the bowl and putting it into her mouth. ‘Of all the scary things I did in Dominica – and since – I think sewing you up was the most terrifying.’
‘I’m very surprised. You were so brave.’
Cass thought about it. ‘I did frightening things, yes, but I didn’t have time to think too much. Taking a curved needle to your leg – I had plenty of time to think about how much I was hurting you, how it could get infected, all those things. With the other stuff, I just sort of held my nose and jumped in.’
‘So does working in an art shop not seem a bit – dull?’
‘I’m not qualified to do much and I love the art shop. But I do have a side hustle.’
‘Of course you do! What?’
‘Well, I’ve only done a couple, but my mum picks a bunch of flowers from the garden – she’s very good at flower arranging – and I paint them. So her friend gets the bunch of flowers and a painting of them as a birthday card. It’s fun. I let myself have a bit of artistic licence. So far I’ve only done it for my mother, but I think it has potential.’ She took another strawberry. ‘I also think if I had some printed, the shop would take some of my paintings as cards.’
‘And the wine bar?’
‘Is great for meeting people.’
‘People your own age, I imagine.’
Ranulph seemed to want confirmation of this. Cass remembered him lecturing her about how Bastian was too old for her.
‘All ages. But my friend Rosa often comes early and we have a catch-up. The manager doesn’t mind. He says we add glamour to the place. It’s fun for now, anyway. I might try and go to college to learn illustration properly later. Is your work fun? On the whole?’
