‘Your shop?’ He raised an eyebrow, grinning wider.
‘It was left to me by my great-aunt Matilda… whom I actually didn’t know existed until twenty-four hours ago.’
‘I think you’ll find it’sourshop.’
Her eyes widened. ‘Explain. Quickly.’
He clapped his hands together. ‘Right. So, funny story…’
ChapterFour
Daniel gestured to a nearby chair. ‘You might want to take a seat. Brace yourself.’
Fern sat down. She was still riding the high of seeing him again, but she hadn’t had him down as the kind of man who loved dusty antiques, so his appearance in the shop left her feeling completely confused. He seemed the type you’d be more likely to find at a music festival, sprawled out on the grass, not hiding away in an old curiosity shop.
‘All right,’ she said, raising an eyebrow. ‘Explain.’
Daniel leaned against the counter, arms crossed. ‘Matilda and I were friends. I was her apprentice.’
Fern blinked. ‘Apprentice?’
‘Yeah! Like a Jedi, but for antiques.’ He grinned. ‘She found me at an auction house a couple of years ago, aggressively bidding on a teapot I didn’t even want purely to annoy some posh bloke who’d called me “boy”.’
Fern smothered a laugh. ‘Of course you did.’
‘Matildalovedmy spirit,’ he continued. ‘Said I had “a keen eye for mischief”, which apparently is a desirable trait in the world of antique dealing.’
Fern pinched the bridge of her nose. ‘So, what? She justgaveyou a job?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you love antiques?’ Fern glanced around. ‘You don’t look like the antique type to me.’
‘What does an antique type look like?’
‘I don’t know, just… not you. Aren’t you too young to be into antiques?’
‘Are you stereotyping antique lovers?’ He narrowed his eyes.
‘Not at all, I just imagine antique dealers to be like those you see on TV programmes– older and more weathered.’
‘You can’t believe everything you see on TV.’ He winked. ‘Anyway, as I was saying… just before Matilda passed away, she told me I could live in the flat upstairs and she made me promise that I wouldn’t let anything happen to this place. I asked her what that meant and all she said was that someone would be coming soon, and I might need to talk them around into seeing the beauty within these walls. That must be you.’
Fern stared at him. ‘So what you’re saying is, I haven’t just inherited a shop full of dusty trinkets, but alsoyou? A sitting tenant?’
Daniel flashed a lopsided grin. ‘And a damngoodone, if I do say so myself. I don’t make too much noise, I take the bins out, and I only borrow the good biscuits in times of emergency.’
She laughed. ‘Right, so I can count on you not to pinch the chocolate Hobnobs?’ She paused, then grimaced. ‘Please tell me this place doesn’t come with any animals as well.’
Daniel pointed to the top of the piano, where sat a very still, verynot alivecat. ‘Only dead ones. Matilda’s cat was called Lucky, but she wasn’t very lucky,’ he said with a wince. ‘It was all very unfortunate… a lorry?—’
Fern held up a hand. ‘Stop.’
Daniel nodded solemnly. ‘Matilda had her stuffed. She said it would be good for morale.’
Fern exhaled, dragging a hand through her hair. Matilda hadn’t just left her an antique shop, she’d also left her a chaotic, ridiculously charming lodger and astuffed cat.
Daniel clapped his hands together. ‘So! I guess this means we’re now business partners slash housemates! While you bask in the glory of your unexpected inheritance, I’ll make tea. That’s what people do when faced with life-altering news, isn’t it?’
