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‘Shay, Shay,’ her mum was repeating merrily, as though his name was a song.
And then he spied them both and did a double-take.
‘Madame Blanc,’ he declared solemnly, like he’d suddenly realized he was in the presence of royalty.
‘Le lutin coquin.’ The cheeky elf. Her mother giggled. Giggled?
So he knew her mum’s name already? Well, he didn’t waste his time. An image of Mrs Jingleman emptying her purse into Shay’s money bucket the previous day jumped into Noémi’s mind and her hackles rose. Was that what he was here for, Mr ‘I never settle in one place’? Fleecing old ladies, stealing bookshop customers, and being on his jingle-y way? And why the fancy dress, she wondered, as he jumped to his feet, the bell on his elf hat tinkling as he paced towards them. Her heart felt like it was stopping. Was he here to get the residents involved in his dangerous stunts or wild adventures? He crouched in front of them. Noémi tried to shuffle her knees away.
‘We meet again,’ he said, nodding in Noémi’s direction, his hat bouncing.
Indeed, we do.
Chapter 13
‘You’re not going to get my mother on a zip wire,’ Noémi blurted out, a protective hand shooting to her mum’s knee. It seemed unlikely but so had most things she’d seen from this man. And she sensed the havoc was only just beginning.
‘Relax, I come in peace,’ Shay said, shrugging off his backpack and easing out a box of dominoes, holding eye contact with Noémi. Well, she wasn’t going to be the one to look away first. ‘The real-life adventure of matching pairs. Did you enjoy your nice walk?’
His eyebrow quirked. When on earth had she become so aware of the minutiae of people’s facial movements?
‘My daughter,’ Élisabeth said proudly, breaking their odd, eyebrow-induced stillness.
Noémi blinked a few times and looked at her mother, unexpected warmth filling her chest. She remembered. In that moment, at least.
‘My single daughter,’ her mum repeated, even though Noémi had no idea how she’d suddenly recalled that unnecessary detail.
‘I have a boyfriend!’ Noémi added, a little too loudly. Fantasy Man was sort of her boyfriend, if it counted to be in a relationship with someone you were never going to meet and could in theory be an old lady from Peckham.
‘It would be a crime if you didn’t,’ said Shay, holding up his hands.
‘Eyes like chocolate,’ Élisabeth said dreamily, gazing into Shay’s. So Noémi hadn’t been wrong about his eyes. But still. ‘My single daughter makes chocolate cookies. And Christmas cookies!’
‘I do not,’ Noémi hastened to reply, feeling more exposed with every word. She didn’t want her aggravating neighbour knowing her private business. She didn’t bake anymore.
Shay clearly sensed her unease. ‘I’m sure she’s far too busy with her bookshop.’
If somebody wasn’t nicking her last hope at customers, he might be.
‘Mr Cassidy is our shop’s new neighbour,’ Noémi explained to her mum, keen to change the subject to less personal matters.
‘The most curious man. Wings and a tutu!’ said Élisabeth, all but parroting back their earlier conversation, seeming thrilled with her recollection.
Noémi winced. Why had her mum chosen this moment to be quite so lucid?
Shay gave a mock gasp. ‘Is that what people say about me when I’m not in the room?’
‘We haven’t been saying anything about you,’ Noémi lied, trying not to twitch.
‘Ahh, the tutu was a wild guess. And probably a fair one.’ Shay gave Noémi one of his irritating winks and pushed himself to standing while checking his fitness watch. ‘Anyway, I’ll leave you beautiful creatures to it. Family time is precious, and I have a dominoes date.’ He gave another quick check around the room, presumably for his granddad, before tipping his elf hat and giving a small bow.
‘You could go on a date with my single daughter,’ said Élisabeth, clapping her hands.
‘You could not,’ Noémi choked out. ‘Not single. Not dating. Not interested.’
Shay smiled. ‘The lady doth protest too much, Shay thinks. À plus tard, mesdames.’
So now he spoke French too. Charmant. She hoped she wouldn’t see him later in those tights that might give elderly folk a fright.
