‘Ask Tilly if she can recommend anyone for the cars,’ I said, wondering why I hadn’t thought of this before now. ‘She must’ve had thousands of brides pass through her doors over the years and I’m sure they told her all about their weddings. In fact. Why don’t you give her a copy of the list and see if there’s anything else on there that she, or Willy, or even Billy, can help with?’
‘Now who’s the genius? Will do.’
I was rather pleased with myself. And with Lucy and Tilly. And also Willy.
I had been sitting at the table in the dining room since I’d returned from Sam and Lucy’s this morning. There was more room for me to spread out all my notes for the wedding. But I was beginning to feel stiff. I stretched out my arms, and stretched up my back, and then twisted and turned my head and neck from side to side.
And then I did a double take.
Was that Jasper in the car park?
I almost fell over as I jumped to my feet.
I dashed into the hall, quickly slipped my feet into my sandals, yanked open the front door, and raced outside, waving almost maniacally as I hurried down the path, calling out to him as I ran.
At first I thought he hadn’t heard me, and assumed he had those damn ear buds in his ears, but then he slowly turned his head in my direction and his smile, although a little lopsided, no doubt due to the pain in his nose, was like a sliver of sunshine on a cloudy day.
Not that it was a cloudy day. In fact it was a very sunny day. So sunny that I had to hold my hand up in front of my face to shield my eyes from the glare as I rushed across the wooden footbridge and into the car park where Jasper was leaning against his van, his legs crossed at his ankles, and his arms crossed over his chest.
‘Fancy seeing you here,’ I said, somewhat stupidly. ‘They let you out then?’
‘Hello, Erin. This is a surprise. I assumed you’d be out enjoying yourself. And by that I mean, assaulting innocent people. What torture do you have in store for me today?’
The laughter was written all over his face, and his eyes twinkled with amusement. It made him more handsome, if that were possible, even with a lump on his nose and two long black streaks under his eyes.
I grinned at him. ‘Give me a minute and I’ll think of something.’
His eyes held mine as we gazed at one another in silence.
‘I’m waiting.’ He laughed. ‘Sorry. But I’ll need to hurry you. Places to be. People to see.’
‘Same here,’ I said. ‘I just wanted to say hello.’
‘Hello, Erin.’
‘Hello, Jasper.’
Our eyes were still locked.
‘O-k-a-y, then.’ He pushed himself away from his van, uncrossing his legs and arms as he did so. ‘I’ll come and get my ladder in a day or two, if that’s still okay?’
‘It is. Come round anytime. But maybe, give me a quick call first just to check I’m in.’
‘Okay. Or I could use another ladder and climb through an open window.’
He glanced across at Far Cottage where all the windows were wide open.
‘You could. But I wouldn’t advise it. And besides, I’m a little paranoid about stuff like home security. We actually give talks about it. The police in general, I mean. Not me, specifically. Anyway, I always make sure all windows and doors are closed and locked before I leave.’
‘Good to know. How’s the wedding planning going?’
‘It’s going well. Oh. Do you know Fairlight Bay Sailing Club?’
‘I do. Although it’s been a while since I’ve been there. I’ve been living in Canada for several years, and I only got back here on Friday.’
‘Really? Whereabouts in Canada?’
‘All over.’
