They are on their third coffee when the door opens and Eric the Viking walks in.
Before she can say anything, Finn rises from his seat, ‘I’d better get going Jo – I’ve got a couple of companies I need to call in on. Possible new business leads.’ He leans down and kisses her on the cheek, ‘See you later.’
As he heads for the door, Jo is conscious she should make some sort of introduction. But what? Her relationship with Finn is too complicated for a one-liner. So in the end she simply says, ‘Eric this is Finn. Finn, this is Eric who runs the optician’s next door.’
She watches as the two men shake hands and fall into conversation about the upcoming weekend. It seems Finn has a ticket to England’s rugby international against Australia, which he is going to with Matt. ‘Not my normal sport, but a good crowd are going,’ he adds.
‘Not into rugby, Jo?’ Eric asks, casually, as if assuming she would naturally be going with Finn if she were.
‘Working,’ is all she can think of to say. She can hardly say, ‘He didn’t ask me. It’s not like that.’
Finn glances back at Jo and then again at Eric. ‘Right, see you later, Jo. I’ll text you.’
Jo busies herself checking the tester fountain pens. She unscrews each pen to check the level of ink, even though she did this first thing this morning. She finds she is reluctant to start talking about Finn, it’s too complicated and she is also aware that a tiny part of her wants Eric the Viking to think that this man (who is younger than he is) likes her.
‘Seems like a nice bloke,’ Eric offers.
Before Jo can reply, the doorbell sounds. She looks up, hoping for a distraction. Maybe it will be Ruth or Malcolm? She hasn’t seen either of them since Ruth escorted Malcolm home several days ago, and she has been worrying about how he is recovering. But it is neither the tall, lanky figure, nor the short, bird-like one; instead a woman in a yellow coat pokes her head around the door. Caramel Toffee Girl.
‘Hi, I just wanted to say hello. I don’t know if you remember me?’
‘Of course – Giana’s pen pal. Come in.’
The girl steps into the shop, ‘That’s it. Well remembered.’ She is clutching an envelope that she holds up. ‘I just wanted to say thank you. I did write to Giana and she wrote back. I can’t tell you how nice it was to get her letter.’ She grins delightedly at Jo, her smile also taking in Eric the Viking.
‘Oh, this is Eric …’ Jo very nearly says,‘the Viking’; instead she adds, ‘… the optician.’
Eric flings out a hand and the girl grasps it. ‘Really? You’re an optician?’
‘Certainly am.’
And Jo thinks he holds her hand for a bit too long.
‘That’s amazing. I need to get my eyes tested. Is your shop around here?’ Caramel Toffee Girl spins her head from side to side as if looking for the shop. The sun streaming through the window catches the gold in her curls, like an advert for organic shampoo. The young woman smiles up at Eric the Optician, her freckles crinkling across her nose. And Eric smiles back down at her.
In that instance, Jo sees Eric as if through this girl’s eyes.
He is startlingly attractive. It’s not just the tall, ash-blond immenseness of him; his face has a simple, uncomplicated openness, with a twist of humour, that Jo can now see is pretty irresistible. Jorealizes with a sickening punch to her guts just how much she likes this man.
Looking at Caramel Toffee Girl smiling up at him, Jo has never felt more average in her life. She feels old, acutely aware of every one of her thirty-nine years. Caramel Toffee Girl is younger than she is, she is sure of that. Much closer in age to Eric the Hand-Holder – who only now lets go of Caramel Toffee Girl.
‘I’m next door. Do you want to come in and we can book you in for an eye test. I might be able to fit you in today if you have time?’ Eric suggests, holding the door open for her.
‘Did you want something, Eric?’ Jo tries, even though, to her, this smacks of desperation.
‘It can wait,’ he says briefly, turning once more to Caramel Toffee Girl.
‘Great!’ the young woman says, pausing briefly to wave the envelope at Jo, ‘and thank yousomuch.’
With a final smile, she is gone. And so is Eric the Viking.
Jo stands completely still for some moments. The relief and pleasure she had felt chatting to Finn drains away. The shop feels hollowed out; completely silent except for the distant thrump of a helicopter somewhere over the city.
Did something just happen there? She thinks it did. She is sure it did.
Jo looks at her reflection in the shop window. A shadowy ghost in borrowed clothes. She continues to gaze in silence. Something definitely connected between Eric the Viking and Caramel Toffee Girl.
Jo feels as if something has just slipped away from her. She would like to rewind time. Why didn’t she say he was Eric the Viking, not Eric the Optician? Then maybe the girl might have left and she could have explained about Finn.
