‘I think you’re probably right.’
‘To be fair, I think the fact that you’ve held my hand for the third time today is more breaking news.’ She nudged him slightly. ‘It’s becoming a bit of a habit, Doctor Blake.’
Theo looked down at their hands, then back at her.
‘Maybe it is,’ he said.
Neither of them let go.
ChapterThirteen
Pippa and Theo pushed open the door to Clockmaker’s Cottage, arms full of shopping bags from Puffin Pantry. Wet coats and boots were discarded by the door and then they headed straight for the kitchen.
‘Okay,’ Pippa said, putting the bags on the table. ‘This is a good haul.’
‘Let’s get this lot away.’ Theo started unpacking. ‘I still don’t know why you insisted on buying three types of cheese.’
‘Because cheese is important,’ Pippa said, then scrunched her nose. ‘That one’s yours, though. Blue cheese should be illegal.’
He scoffed. ‘It’s the best kind.’
‘No. It smells like something that’s gone wrong in a fridge.’
‘It’s strong.’
‘It’s rotten,’ she said. ‘It tastes like someone dared milk to survive a disaster.’
Theo grinned. ‘You don’t have to eat it.’
‘I won’t,’ she said. ‘But I’m judging you for liking it.’
‘That’s fine. I’m judging you for calling cheddar “fancy”.’
‘It is fancy! It’smature.’
‘I know who isn’t!’
Pippa swiped him with a tea towel.
They kept unpacking, putting bread in the bread bin, quiches in the fridge, pies stacked on the shelf. It felt normal; no fuss, no awkwardness. Every now and then their hands were close, but neither of them mentioned it.
Once everything was put away, Theo dusted off his hands. ‘All done.’
‘I’ll make the coffee.’ She paused, noticing that he suddenly looked puzzled. ‘What’s that look for?’
‘Listen…’
Pippa stood still. ‘What am I listening for?’
‘That faint ticking sound and none of these clocks are working.’
They followed the ticking to Pippa’s bag. ‘It’s my watch.’ She pulled it out. ‘It stopped earlier and now it’s started again! Wait until I tell my dad. This is the watch he gave me on my wedding day. It’s very temperamental…’
‘Just like its owner!’
‘Oi!’
She placed the watch on the table and returned to the kitchen to make the coffee.
