Crash!
Kat’s eyes flew open. She tossed aside her notebook and scrambled off the bed, jerking her door open. ‘Harry? Is everything all right?’ When there was no answer, she hurried across the lounge area and down the little hallway to the kitchen. There was no sign of Harry, no sign of anything that might have fallen and broken to account for the sound she’d heard, onlythose two male voices burbling away at each other about some football match.
Another crash sounded and she pivoted on her sock-clad foot towards the window. It was coming from outside, she realised. Kneeling on Harry’s abandoned chair, she peered through the slats of the window blind down into the yard. Harry was standing in the far corner with his back to her, clutching what looked like a plate in his hand. The next moment he hurled it with all his might, sending it smashing into the brick wall. White and green shards flew in all directions.
What the hell was he doing?
22
Kat watched in surprise as he bent over and rummaged in a large crate at his feet. When he straightened up, he had a mug in his hand and moments later it was flying into the wall, its shattered pieces tumbling to join the mess of other shards on the floor. He barely watched it smash, already leaning down to dig around in the crate again.
Fascinated, Kat hurried back into the hallway, slipped on her shoes and opened the door. Her foot made a noise as she stepped out on to the top of the metal staircase, but Harry gave no indication he’d heard anything, all his attention fixed on the corner. She watched as two more plates and a bowl crashed one after the other and then Harry planted his hands on his hips and drew in a breath so deep she could see his shoulders shifting up and down with the motion. A couple more deep inhales and he turned away from the mess and walked over to where a large broom rested against the wall.
As though he was finally aware of her presence, Harry turned and looked up. ‘Oh, hi.’
Sensing his discomfort, Kat shot him a friendly smile as she began to walk down the stairs. ‘That looks like fun.’
His smile was half-amused, half-embarrassed as he watched her approach him. ‘It’s something Pa taught me when I was kid and struggling to regulate my emotions and frustrations. There were always odds and ends of wood at the boat shed so he used to let me chop them up until I’d worked the anger out of my system. After he retired and sold the shed I had to come up with an alternative solution, and this is it.’ He took a step to the side and gestured towards the crate. ‘Want to try?’
She looked down into the box filled with mismatched bits of crockery then grinned back up at him. ‘You must have some very clumsy staff in the restaurant.’
He laughed and she was pleased to see his frame relax a little as he leaned his weight on the broom. ‘Most of it comes from local jumble sales and bric-a-brac stalls. I’m such a frequent shopper at school fetes that Morwenna just sets aside anything made of china for me and I make a generous donation in return.’
Kat glanced back down at the contents of the crate. ‘So is there anything you recommend for a beginner?’
With a chuckle, Harry leaned the broom against the wall and came to crouch beside the crate. He rummaged around for a moment then handed her a large mug emblazoned with the words ‘World’s Best Husband’.
Kat turned it over in her hands, testing the weight of it. ‘I wonder how on earth this ended up in the jumble.’ Half a dozen possible scenarios started buzzing in her head; it could make a really interesting set-up for a story… She patted the pockets of her jeans, hunting for her phone so she could send herself a message before she forgot. ‘Damn, I left my phone upstairs.’
Harry frowned up at her. ‘What do you need it for?’ When she explained, she thought he might think she was being silly, but he merely took the mug from her hands and set it to one side before selecting another one of similar size from the crate. ‘This should do the trick.’
‘Thanks.’ Kat hefted the garish floral mug in her hand. ‘So, is there any particular technique you recommend?’
Harry straightened up, the other mug cradled safely in his hands as he moved out of the line of fire. ‘What works for me is thinking about the thing that’s pissing me off the most and shoving all that frustration into my throw.’
‘Oh, well, that’s easy.’ Kat pictured her mum on New Year’s Eve, all sweaty and glowing as she went on about her latest bloody Watts Up workout. ‘Up yours, Warren,’ she muttered as she drew her arm back and flung the mug as hard as she could at the wall. Her momentum carried her forward and she staggered, might even have fallen flat on her face if Harry hadn’t jumped forward and grabbed her.
‘Jesus, I don’t know who Warren is but I’m glad I’m not in his shoes!’ Harry said as he grinned down at her.
‘He’s my mum’s fitness instructor, and her latest crush.’ The words tumbled out before she could stop them.
Harry’s expression shifted from amused to sympathetic. ‘Your mum’s cheating on your dad? No wonder he’s always in such a bad mood.’
Kat sighed. ‘Thankfully her only interactions with this one are online, so it’s all in her head… for a change.’
Harry’s hand rubbed slow circles on her back. ‘Poor Kitty. Has this been going on for a long time?’
‘For as long as they’ve been married, I think, but it’s hard to get Dad to even talk about it. I only found out recently he moved us all here after one of her affairs because she had fond childhood memories of coming here on holiday. As if that would magically fix things somehow. It all happened so abruptly, like one minute I was finishing school at the end of term and by the end of the summer holidays here we were.’
‘I remember when you arrived. You were such a shy little thing, wouldn’t say boo to a goose.’
‘It was really hard to be separated from everything I’d known, and you all knew each other so well. If Issy and Chloe hadn’t decided to befriend me I’d have had a much harder time settling in.’
‘Yeah, once those two get an idea in their heads, there’s no stopping them.’ He reached for her hand. ‘Whatever the circumstances behind it, I’m very glad your parents brought you here to the Quay.’
She squeezed his fingers. ‘It’s the best thing that ever happened to me because of the friends I’ve made. I just wish Mum and Dad could’ve done the same, but I guess she’s made that too difficult with her carryings-on.’ She sighed. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to dump all this on you when you’re trying to deal with your own frustrations.’
‘It’s fine and I’m happy to listen anytime you need to talk.’ His mouth quirked up in the corner. ‘Besides, it’s a good distraction from all that bloody paperwork upstairs.’
