“Don’t worry,” Tom chuckled. “Apparently, they all knew before I did that I was going to ask you out.”
Lila laughed at that. “I like your family, Tom,” she admitted softly. “I never had a big one. But I’ve always wanted one.”
“Well, you have one now,” Tom assured her.
He kissed her once more, the smallest soft kiss this time, on her temple. Then he stepped back and bent down to retrieve the binder she’d dropped when Harold had decided to trip her up.
“I will see you tomorrow morning at five,” Tom reminded her.
“Yes,” Lila replied as she climbed the few steps and stopped to stroke Harold, who purred loudly, enjoying the attention. “No more trying to kill me, okay?” she told the cat, who meowed back, and Tom thought it sounded a lot likeI can’t make any promises.
He waited until she was inside before turning and walking to the bakery. Harold leaped off the railing and walked beside him.
The tabby’s tail was high. He looked up at Tom every few steps. He let out a small, particular meow that was just shy of a purr.
Tom looked down at him as they walked.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were boasting about something,” Tom said to the cat.
Harold meowed again right on cue, and Tom laughed, shaking his head at talking to a cat.
Once inside his apartment, he walked through to the kitchen, and Harold sat, staring at the refrigerator, talking in cat mewls as if to say, “Don’t you think I deserve something for pushing Lila into your arms?”
“I suppose you’ve earned a treat.” Tom sighed, still feeling like he’d gone a bit insane or was high on romantic feelings.
Harold gave a pleased meow then waited patiently.
As he dished up a can of pilchards for Harold, Tom pressed his hand against his mouth which could still feel the warmth of Lila’s lips.
Tom turned off the kitchen light and headed for bed with a peaceful contentment settling around him. After five long, painful years, he was finally beginning to heal as he came alive again.
LINDA
Linda let herself into Uncle George’s office just before sunrise and switched on the small green desk lamp.
She hadn’t slept much. The pool. The bills in the locked drawer. The cream envelope with the discreet logo from a development company she’d never heard of. Every time she’d closed her eyes, the worries had stacked themselves up in her mind in a different order and started again from the top.
She poured herself a cup of coffee from the French press Rosa had left on the side table and sat down at the desk. The bay outside the window was the soft pearl color it always took at this hour. A heron stood very still on the rocks at the far end of the small private beach.
She picked up her phone to find two messages from Tom. The first one had come through at almost eleven last night.
Sweetheart, it went well. Better than well. I think Lila and I are in a blossoming relationship.
Linda smiled and read the second one, which had arrived twenty minutes after the first.
Thank you for yesterday. For the talk in the office. For everything.
Linda’s eyes stung. She blinked the small wet sting away and typed back.
See? We all told you it would go well. I’m so happy for you. We’re having a big family dinner when Uncle George is out of the hospital, and we will definitely want our newest family member there.
She set the phone down, took a sip of her coffee, and picked her phone up again when it buzzed a few moments later.
Thank you, sweetheart.
She smiled. She was about to set the phone down again when another message came through.
Oh, by the way. We’re taking the booth at the festival.
