Adelaide’s eyes went shiny and she reached out and laid her hand on his arm gently, as if worried he might run away again. Cooper sniffed and patted her hand with his own.
‘I wanted to get away for a bit and breathe. That’s all. Just find some space to breathe. To think, but then, the longer I was away, the harder it seemed to go back and I kept imagining what Dad would say, until just picking up the phone was impossible. He’s going to be furious when he finds out I left my job.’
‘He’ll be happy you’re okay,’ Adelaide murmured.
‘For about fifty seconds, before he gets angry,’ Cooper said. ‘You know what he’s like about me and my painting, and that’s what I’ve decided I want to do. I’ve got money, he did that much for me by pushing me into this career. I’m not struggling for a living and, for the first time, I’m not going to let him tell me what is and isn’t a waste of my life… you never had to deal with that.’
‘Yes, because I’m a lowly girl-child and nothing was expected of me on the professional front – which was obviously peachy for me,’ Adelaide said acidly.
Cooper’s ears burned pink. ‘Sorry.’
She deflated and waved him off. ‘Eh, my issues with Dad are old news – even my therapist is probably bored of them,’ Adelaide said, tapping her fingers on her mug. ‘Suffice to say… I get it. Okay? He’s not easy to get on with and he’s very set in his ways. But I’m not and you could have spoken to me before running off. I would have told him for you if you didn’t feel like you could. I wouldn’t even have given up the goods on where you were. He could never make me do anything, you know that.’
Cooper looked genuinely surprised by this, though that was quickly swallowed by anxiety. ‘Are you going to tell him where I am now?’
Adelaide looked between us and idly petted Charlie with her free hand. ‘… No, I won’t. I’ll tell him and Mum that you’re okay and that you’re taking a break for a bit. But you have to promise you’ll phone me twice a week so I know you’re okay and that you’ll at least email them and your boss by the end of the month to start straightening things out. You’ll feel better once you’ve properly cut ties with work and let Mum and Dad know how you feel. I promise. I certainly did when I told them Eric and I weren’t having babies. It’s never as bad as you imagine.’
Cooper made a doubtful noise and Adelaide kicked him under the table. Charlie took an interest in this new game and sat up, wagging his tail.
‘He still has that painting, you know,’ she said, avoiding Cooper’s eye. ‘I know he was less than complimentary at the party, but it’s in the dining room. Pride of place.’
‘I didn’t know that,’ Cooper muttered.
‘The things you miss when you don’t come to Sunday dinner,’ Adelaide said with a half-smile. ‘I mean it, Jarvis. Call me twice a week or I’ll be back down here making your life difficult… I might do that anyway, actually. This place is actually quite charming.’ She turned to me. ‘I imagine we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, “Tabitha from the wool shop”.’
‘Hopefully. Though I’ll make sure he calls you anyway,’ I said, and she cracked a smile.
‘I like you.’ She waved a red nail at me. ‘She’s sensible – you need some of that. Adore the shoes, by the way.’
I gave Cooper a triumphant look, my maligned boots having been approved by his stylish sister. He snorted.
‘Anyway, I have a room booked at a lovely B&B with a spa, so, now I know you’re not lying in a ditch somewhere’ – she gave Cooper a reproachful look – ‘I’ll leave you two to do… whatever it was you were up to before that idiot and I turned up.’
‘Thanks,’ Cooper said. ‘For coming after me, I mean.’
‘What else are little sisters for, if not for finding you when you don’t want to be found?’ Adelaide said, standing and brushing Charlie’s shed hair from her jeans.
‘I’ll show you out,’ Cooper said, and we rose too.
‘It’s a narrowboat, Jarvis, not the Tower of London. I can let myself out.’ She gave him a hug and swung her bag onto her shoulder. ‘Take care of yourself, okay? Oh, and check at the Post Office occasionally. Now I know where you are, I can send you some things – starting with your hairbrush, a razor and some normal mugs. It was lovely to meet you, Tabitha, by the way. Thank you for protecting my brother – even if you didn’t know from what exactly.’
We said our goodbyes standing in the living area and Adelaide let herself out, letting the narrow door swing shut behind her. A moment later, I heard her jaunty step on the towpath and turned to find Cooper watching me.
We were alone again. No more Richard, no more running. I knew his name, his history, his secret. He knew mine. There was nothing hidden between us any more. This was really, finally happening.
Cooper – he’d always be Cooper to me – met my eye. ‘Sure you still want a mess like me?’
‘You’re not a mess, you know,’ I said softly. ‘You just got a bit lost. I know what that’s like, believe me.’
‘You don’t look lost to me.’
‘I’m not. Not any more.’
My skin tingled as I thought of our interrupted kiss, and I could tell Cooper was thinking about it too. He took a step towards me and I reached for him. Our lips met in a kiss that started light but deepened by the second. Cooper’s hand cupped the back of my head, fingers threading into my hair. My own hands wandered over the soft cashmere of the jumper, pulling it up and caressing the warm skin beneath.
Cooper pulled back, with a parting nip to my bottom lip. ‘We should lock the door.’
I pressed closer to him. ‘Presumptuous.’
