‘It’s odd, isn’t it?’ Faye mused. ‘It’s almost as if Jack wanted to be found, otherwise why would he hang around here?’
Dylan, always level-headed, suggested, ‘Why don’t we speak to Aunt Alice and persuade her to look through Jack’s possessions to see if there’s anything of significance.’
K atie shook her head. ‘I don’t care what he’s done, Dylan. I just want to help him and persuade him to come home.’
The following morning, Shelley startled her friends by announcing. ‘Jack’s back in the vicinity. Kevin saw him at the farm-shop.’
They filled her in and, after a bit, she put down the brooch she was working on. ‘If he comes back here, I’m going to find it hard to forgive him.’
‘ Well, I for one don’t intend to give up on him,’ Katie said and, picking up her jeweller’s hammer, began to flatten a piece of metal, releasing some of her pent-up feelings.
By the end of the afternoon, she had finished most of the exhibition work and turned her attention to making a few items for the Finches’ garden party.
Because of the time factor, she knew they would have to be simple, just examples of what she could do.
That evening, she was tempted to go to see Jack again but decided to leave it for a couple of days to give him time to think things through. She had just returned to Lavender Cottage when Lyall turned up.
‘ How about coming out to dinner with me tonight?’
She stared at him, taken unawares.
‘ I’ve already got my dinner – lamb chops.’
He sniffed, ‘but you haven’t cooked them, have you’? Come on, we can make it partly business and discuss the arrangements for Saturday week and the exhibition too, if you like.’
Reluctantly, she agreed and, soon they were sitting outside a restaurant by a river, savouring the evening sunshine.
For a while, he discussed the charity function at the Finches’. Apparently they’d been friends of his family for many years and he’d looked them up on his return to England, having met up with their niece recently in Australia.
Over dessert, he turned the conversation back to herself. ‘So have you thought about your long-term plans for the workshop?’
She spooned up the last mouthful of hazelnut meringue. ‘Not yet. We’re just taking each month as it comes and not looking too far ahead. We’ve had one or two quite successful projects and the London exhibition is probably the most ambitious so far. We’d naturally like our little enterprise to become such a success that we can expand, but Shelley and I just love being creative and, until recently, we were actually beginning to see a small profit margin.’
‘ So now you ought to be looking long term for a healthy profit margin. Anyway, we’ll see what transpires after the exhibition, shall we?’
She longed to ask him what his future plans were, but something made her hold back. They lingered over coffee, talking about the theatre and music. When he saw her into the cottage he gave her a light kiss which filled her with longing.
To Katie’s relief, Jack was still at the cottage when she called the following afternoon.
‘ I’ve made some decisions,’ he told her. ‘I just needed a bit of space, to clear my head. I recognise what a fool I’ve been, but now I’m prepared to face up to what I’ve done and try to put matters right. I need to talk to Aunt Alice alone and try to explain things.’
He sounded so genuine, so remorseful. Katie thought hard for a moment. ‘Supposing I told you Lyall’s going to be away for most of Saturday and Shelley and I will be at the workshop from mid-morning onwards? I could have a word with Aunt Alice and tell her to be on the lookout for you.’
Hoping she was making the right decision, Katie told him she’d go and see Aunt Alice straight away. Realising there was something else she could do first, she marched off to the cafe to have a word with Dylan. He listened intently as she outlined her plan.
He rubbed
Dylan, always level-headed, suggested, ‘Why don’t we speak to Aunt Alice and persuade her to look through Jack’s possessions to see if there’s anything of significance.’
K atie shook her head. ‘I don’t care what he’s done, Dylan. I just want to help him and persuade him to come home.’
The following morning, Shelley startled her friends by announcing. ‘Jack’s back in the vicinity. Kevin saw him at the farm-shop.’
They filled her in and, after a bit, she put down the brooch she was working on. ‘If he comes back here, I’m going to find it hard to forgive him.’
‘ Well, I for one don’t intend to give up on him,’ Katie said and, picking up her jeweller’s hammer, began to flatten a piece of metal, releasing some of her pent-up feelings.
By the end of the afternoon, she had finished most of the exhibition work and turned her attention to making a few items for the Finches’ garden party.
Because of the time factor, she knew they would have to be simple, just examples of what she could do.
That evening, she was tempted to go to see Jack again but decided to leave it for a couple of days to give him time to think things through. She had just returned to Lavender Cottage when Lyall turned up.
‘ How about coming out to dinner with me tonight?’
She stared at him, taken unawares.
‘ I’ve already got my dinner – lamb chops.’
He sniffed, ‘but you haven’t cooked them, have you’? Come on, we can make it partly business and discuss the arrangements for Saturday week and the exhibition too, if you like.’
Reluctantly, she agreed and, soon they were sitting outside a restaurant by a river, savouring the evening sunshine.
For a while, he discussed the charity function at the Finches’. Apparently they’d been friends of his family for many years and he’d looked them up on his return to England, having met up with their niece recently in Australia.
Over dessert, he turned the conversation back to herself. ‘So have you thought about your long-term plans for the workshop?’
She spooned up the last mouthful of hazelnut meringue. ‘Not yet. We’re just taking each month as it comes and not looking too far ahead. We’ve had one or two quite successful projects and the London exhibition is probably the most ambitious so far. We’d naturally like our little enterprise to become such a success that we can expand, but Shelley and I just love being creative and, until recently, we were actually beginning to see a small profit margin.’
‘ So now you ought to be looking long term for a healthy profit margin. Anyway, we’ll see what transpires after the exhibition, shall we?’
She longed to ask him what his future plans were, but something made her hold back. They lingered over coffee, talking about the theatre and music. When he saw her into the cottage he gave her a light kiss which filled her with longing.
To Katie’s relief, Jack was still at the cottage when she called the following afternoon.
‘ I’ve made some decisions,’ he told her. ‘I just needed a bit of space, to clear my head. I recognise what a fool I’ve been, but now I’m prepared to face up to what I’ve done and try to put matters right. I need to talk to Aunt Alice alone and try to explain things.’
He sounded so genuine, so remorseful. Katie thought hard for a moment. ‘Supposing I told you Lyall’s going to be away for most of Saturday and Shelley and I will be at the workshop from mid-morning onwards? I could have a word with Aunt Alice and tell her to be on the lookout for you.’
Hoping she was making the right decision, Katie told him she’d go and see Aunt Alice straight away. Realising there was something else she could do first, she marched off to the cafe to have a word with Dylan. He listened intently as she outlined her plan.
He rubbed
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