‘I see. No I don’t. That was shortly before you left that rather garbled voicemail saying you were worried about Gramps. Why would you suggest a pie and a pint if you thought something serious had happened to him?’
‘I wasn’t sure. I thought he might be somewhere having a nice cup of tea or something. If I asked him how he was, he might ignore me. If I suggested a pie and a pint, I thought he would be more likely to reply. But then I realised Maud, from Bonnie’s Diner, must have given me your number and not Tom’s.’
‘Maud? You spoke to Maud?’
‘I didn’t have Tom’s number. It’s not important. What’s important is that Tom’s going to be okay. He is going to be okay, isn’t he?’
He looked confused for a moment but then he met Lara’s eyes. ‘Yes. Thanks to you.’
‘I only did what anyone else would have done. So … no pies and no pints for Tom then?’
Jasper smiled and it took Lara’s breath away. No man had a right to be that good looking.
‘Sorry. But Gramps has got to take better care of himself. Or more to the point, I need to take better care of Gramps. That was another reason I came here this evening. Not just because Gramps insisted, but also to tell you that I’ll be staying in his cottage so don’t panic when you see the lights on.’
‘I won’t spy on you, I promise.’
His dark brows inched together again. ‘Spy on me?’
Tom hadn’t told him.
‘Silly joke. Don’t worry. Erm. How long will you be staying?’
He shrugged. ‘That depends on Gramps.’
‘Shall we go through to the sitting room?’ She pointed to the room opposite and they walked side by side. ‘As you can see, I don’t have much furniture. I only bought the cottage recently and I want to do the repairs and redecorate before I furnish the place. Sit on the sofa. It’s more comfortable and there’s plenty of room for two.’
He looked unsure but then he sat and she sat too, leaving a space between them.
Jasper rolled the bottle between the palms of his hands staring at it as if it held the answers to every question in the universe.
‘I was rude to you today,’ he said still staring at the bottle. ‘I apologise for that. It’s a … Well. I’ve got a lot on my mind at the moment and sometimes I speak without thinking. That’s not an excuse.’
‘Tom says you don’t suffer fools gladly.’
He shot her a look and then he sat upright and took a swig of his beer.
‘As I said, sometimes I speak without thinking. But I guess it’s true. I can be a bit … tactless. Judgemental. Opinionated.’
‘And a bit of a jerk.’
He snapped his head round to face her but he visibly relaxed when he spotted her smile. ‘And a bit of a jerk,’ he nodded in agreement, and then he leant back against the cushions. ‘This is an extremely comfortable sofa.’
‘It is, isn’t it?’ Lara snuggled down into the cushions. ‘I could happily sleep here all night.’
‘So could I.’
‘My bed’s even more comfortable. It feels like paradise.’
His mood changed and so did his demeanour. He sat forward and his entire body seemed tense and awkward as he downed his beer.
‘It’s late. I could certainly do with a good night’s sleep.’ He stood up. ‘Thanks again for everything. I’ll let you know how Gramps is.’ He as good as ran to the door.
Lara followed him in utter confusion.
‘I wasn’t saying you had to leave,’ she said.
‘I know.’ He handed her the empty bottle and he grabbed his jacket and threw it on, flinching, no doubt due to the fact it was wet. He opened the front door and stepped outside.
