by Fay Keenan
Corey looked up and smiled back at Harry. ‘Thanks,’ he said. Again, Harry was struck with a sense of familiarity. Who did the boy remind him of?
After a short time, Corey approached the counter where Harry was now bustling about and rearranging a few bits of stationery that he’d recently decided would be a good ‘last-minute purchase’ incentive for the shop. Harry was gratified to see that Corey had taken his advice and had three books by the author he’d recommended.
‘Let me know what you think of them,’ Harry said as he took the books from Corey to ring them through the till. ‘She’s due to bring another one out at the end of the year.’
Totting up Corey’s purchases, Harry realised that, with one brand-new and two second-hand books in his choice, the seven pounds fifty in change that Corey had in his hand was going to be a little short. But Harry could never refuse an avid reader a much longed-for purchase. Thinking rapidly, he smiled. ‘You’re in luck. The used books are buy one get one half price today, so in total that comes to seven pounds fifty exactly.’
‘Really?’ Corey raised a sceptical eyebrow. ‘Isn’t that a bit of a coincidence?’
‘Never look a gift book in the spine, young man,’ Harry replied, embarrassed by how hearty his voice had suddenly become. ‘And if you get the chance, pop back in and let me know what you think of them.’
‘I will.’ Corey smiled broadly. ‘And thanks.’
‘You’re welcome. Have a good day. And let me know if you want me to reserve a ticket for Artemis Bane’s visit, too.’
As Corey left, Harry reflected, not for the first time, on how much nicer it was to be a rural bookseller than chained to his desk in the City. Even if he’d just done himself out of a couple of quid, the light in the boy’s eyes at his new purchases had definitely been worth the price of a cup of coffee. With that in mind, he decided it was time to nip out and grab one from the Cosy Coffee Shop. He was overdue a chat with Jack, and if anyone could put his kiss with Kate Harris in perspective, it would be his friend. Flipping the sign on the bookshop door to ‘Gone for a coffee – back in ten minutes’, he headed out and up the High Street, which was looking particularly lovely in the strong summer sunlight.
25
A couple of hours later, having got sidetracked by the wide range of independent shops that Willowbury High Street had to offer, Corey returned with the milk and a fresh loaf of bread and he and Kate sat in the kitchen, plates of hot buttered toast and fresh coffee between them.
‘So you like the look of Willowbury, then?’ she asked between bites.
‘Yeah, it’s all right,’ Corey replied. ‘Some of the shops are a bit weird, but the bookshop is cool.’
Kate stopped chewing. She’d expected Corey to make a beeline for Vale Volumes as soon as he’d seen it, of course, but with her recent encounter with its owner very much on her mind, as well as the fact that she was heading back there this evening to, hopefully, finish the painting and no longer have a reason to be in Harry’s space, her stomach started to fizz. On a mouthful of hot buttered toast, this wasn’t an entirely pleasant sensation.
‘Did you buy anything?’ she enquired, trying to keep her tone casual.
‘Three books,’ Corey said, reaching for another piece of doorstep toast. ‘The guy in there was really helpful. He said Artemis Bane’s coming to do a book launch there next week.’
‘So I’ve heard,’ Kate said. Taking a deep breath, she continued, ‘In fact, I’m helping the owner, Harry, to redecorate the shop for Artemis’s visit.’
‘Cool!’ Corey said after he’d demolished the toast. ‘Can I help?’
‘I was hoping you’d say that.’ Kate took the last slice of toast before Corey could pinch it. ‘I’m working on the shop in the evenings after closing time. Moonlighting from this place, if you like. An extra pair of hands would be great.’
‘Will you pay me?’ Corey asked, a cheeky glint in his eye.
Kate snorted. ‘I can barely afford to pay myself until Uncle Aidan coughs up for this place, but I’m sure I can stretch to something.’
‘It’s a deal, then,’ Corey said. ‘And Mum…’
‘Yes?’
‘Any chance I can stay here a bit longer and go to Artemis Bane’s book launch? The bookshop guy said he’d reserve me a ticket if I fancied it.’
Thanks, Harry, Kate thought. But then she smiled. ‘If your dad says it’s okay for you to stay, and your brothers don’t mind, then I’m okay with it too.’
‘Cool!’ Corey gave a broad smile. ‘After all, when else am I going to get to see Artemis Bane in person?’
Given what Harry had said about Artemis’s diva demands, Kate wondered what her quiet, sensitive son would make of his literary idol in person. But, she figured, she could hardly say no and send him packing back to his father’s now he knew Bane was coming here, could she? And a break from his brothers might do him good. Furthermore, some time alone with her eldest son might be just what she needed, too, to get everything into perspective. She could always see if her other sons wanted to come down after Bane’s visit for a few days, too. She’d have more time to take them out and about once the bookshop was painted. It would be lovely to have them all under the same roof again, however cramped it might be.
‘Will you ring Dad later and check he’s okay with it?’ Suddenly Corey sounded like the adorable ten-year-old he used to be, when he always succeeded to wheedle things out of her.
‘Sure,’ Kate smiled, ‘but I’m sure he won’t have a problem with it.’
‘Of course he won’t,’ Corey replied, his mood shifting again with lightning speed. ‘He doesn’t care where I am.’
‘You know that’s not true,’ Kate admonished her son gently. ‘But it seems a shame to send you back just for the sake of it. Perhaps a little break here will do you good.’
‘Cool. Thanks, Mum.’ And just like that, he was smiling again.
As Corey got up from the table, saying he was going to go and catch up with some reading, Kate wondered again about the rollercoaster of emotions that could happen inside teenagers. One minute the sun was shining, the next, it was all storm clouds. Adolescence, she reflected, could be an absolute arse kicker, regardless of whether it was you or your children going through it.
That evening, after a heavy day painting the hallway and the walls of the stairs, Kate stretched her back out and wondered if she really had anything left, energy-wise, to devote to Vale Volumes. Although she knew she was gradually getting stronger, due to the repeated physical activity, her bones and muscles kept reminding her that she was pushing forty and really hadn’t taken great care of herself. She could blame birthing three children for some of it, she supposed, and she was definitely feeling her age that evening.
‘We’re heading to the bookshop in a few minutes,’ she said to Corey as he emerged from his room. She hadn’t seen him all afternoon, but that was usually the way when he got stuck into a new book. She knew she should be grateful; she’d had enough conversations with friends who had children the same age to know that they were more likely to be glued to their smartphones or games consoles than actual books. And although Corey did spend his fair share of time on both of those other options, he, much like his younger brothers, still had a genuine love for reading that she’d discovered and encouraged in them from when they were little.
‘Great,’ Corey said. ‘I’ve nearly finished this book, and I thought I might swap it in for another one.’
‘Harry’s not running a library!’ Kate laughed. ‘I’m not sure if a book exchange is part of what he does.’
‘Ah, but you and him are mates, aren’t you? I’m sure you can talk him into it,’ Corey replied, smiling broadly.
‘We’ll see,’ Kate replied. She wasn’t sure quite where her relationship with Harry stood right now. He was definitely a client, and possibly a friend, but was there still going to be an undercurrent of something else, after twenty-four hours to think about it? She didn’t know whether she was looki
ng forward to finding out or dreading it.
A few minutes later, they walked through the shop door, which Harry had left open for them, despite flipping the ‘Closed’ sign to dissuade last-minute customers.
‘Hello?’ Kate called as she closed the door behind herself and Corey.
‘Hi,’ Harry’s voice drifted from the back of the shop. ‘I’m just making a coffee. Do you want one?’
Reassured by the casual tone of his voice, Kate called back that yes, she would, then turned back to Corey. ‘So, if you can just grab the dust sheets from the store cupboard at the back of the shop, we can get going.’
‘Sure.’ Corey smiled. He loped off towards the back of the shop, just as Harry was emerging with two mugs of coffee and a plate of oat and raisin cookies on a tray.
‘Oh, sorry,’ Harry said as he caught sight of Corey, ‘we’re actually closed for the evening.’
‘Oh, er, no, I’m…’ Corey stammered, his innate shyness seeming to get the better of him.
‘This is my son, Corey,’ Kate intercepted swiftly. ‘He’s come to stay with me for a bit, and I thought he could help out tonight, if that’s all right with you?’
‘Ah, yes, we met earlier,’ Harry said. ‘I thought you looked familiar when you walked in. All hands on deck seems like a good idea, if we’re going to get this place up to Artemis Bane’s standards before he visits. Can I, er, get you a drink? There are some cans of Coke in the fridge if you don’t fancy a coffee.’
Corey smiled back, obviously relieved to be out of the spotlight again. ‘Thanks, that would be great.’
‘Help yourself to what you want,’ Harry said. Then, turning back to Kate. ‘Now, where would you like me to start?’ As Corey went out to the back kitchen, Harry moved closer to her and she caught a tantalising waft of cologne that he’d obviously been wearing all day. Its musky scent mixed with the warm fragrance of his body, doing battle with the odour of the paint that she’d just removed the lid from. She felt her own body growing a little warmer, waking up once again, despite a hard day working on Aidan’s house.
‘You’re the client, remember?’ she laughed nervously. ‘I can’t get you working too hard.’
‘Don’t be daft.’ Harry laughed too, a surprisingly low, attractive rumble. ‘I know you’re not charging me the going rate, and even if you were, I’d still be happy to muck in.’
‘Well,’ Kate said, trying to steady her thumping heart, ‘you can put a second coat on the skirting board with me, if you like. I think the colour’s set well enough on the walls and the ceiling now. We should get away with one coat on the exposed woodwork and then it’s done.’
A look of what might have been regret seemed to pass over Harry’s face as Kate confirmed that the job was nearly over. ‘It looks great,’ he said. ‘And I’m sure it’ll pass muster with Artemis and his fans.’
‘I hope so!’ Kate laughed again. She realised, with some surprise, that she’d laughed more in the past few weeks living in Willowbury than it felt like she had in years.
As they cracked on with the last of the painting, conversation flowed easily once more. Whether this was because Corey was there to provide a buffer, Kate wasn’t sure, but she was glad that there didn’t seem to be any awkwardness. In no time they were putting the lids back on the paint tins and clearing up for the last time.
‘Well, that ought to do it,’ Kate said as she straightened up from where she’d been kneeling on the floor. Her back ached terribly, and all she wanted to do now was sink into a deep, lavender scented bath.
Corey, from his position on the sofa in the Children’s section, glanced up. ‘See? You didn’t need my help after all, Mum.’
‘Good thing, too,’ Kate said wryly. ‘Since you’ve had your nose in that book all evening.’
‘Yeah, but I’m starving now,’ Corey replied. ‘Can we get a takeaway on the way home?’
Kate smiled. ‘Because you’ve worked so hard, you mean?’
Corey rolled his eyes. ‘Whatever. Can we?’
Kate walked over to where her handbag lay on the shop counter. ‘Sure, okay. I could do with a bite to eat.’ She thrust a twenty-pound note at her son. ‘Go and pick what you want from the High Street, and I’ll meet you back at Uncle Aidan’s when I’ve cleared up.’
‘Cool. Thanks, Mum!’ Corey said his goodbyes to Kate and Harry and strolled out of the door.
‘He’s a good lad,’ Harry said as Corey left. ‘Seems quite level-headed.’
‘You would say that, since he’s a good customer,’ Kate quipped as she picked up the dust sheet and folded it carefully.
‘I see enough of them causing trouble around here to know the difference,’ Harry replied lightly. He bent down to get the skirting board paint from where he’d left it on the floor, and when he passed it to Kate, there was a jolt as their hands brushed.
‘Look, er, about last night…’ he said, slightly gruffly. ‘I’m sorry if I jumped in and it wasn’t welcome.’
Kate’s face started to flame as she remembered just how good Harry’s lips had felt when they’d met hers, but also how discombobulated she’d been at the contact.
‘It’s… complicated,’ she said softly, looking up into eyes that were kind, understanding and looking back at her with more than a little heat. ‘I’ve had literally no practise at kissing anyone else in over two decades. I think I’ve almost forgotten how to do it.’
Harry smiled. ‘From where I was standing, you did absolutely fine.’ He drew a little closer to her, but just as he did so, the handle of the paint tin snapped in half. The tin crashed to the wooden floor, spilling its contents all over the parquet floor.
‘Shit!’ Harry exclaimed, dropping quickly to his knees. ‘I hadn’t noticed it was broken.’
Swiftly, Kate went to her box of supplies and grabbed some paper towels. ‘Can you grab a bowl of hot soapy water?’ she said as Harry scrabbled back to his feet with the paint can in his hands. ‘It’s only water-based paint, thank God, not gloss, so it won’t stain if we get it up quickly.’
Harry hurried off and Kate began to soak up the thick residue of the paint. She couldn’t work out if she was relieved or disappointed to have had the moment broken.
26
‘Harry fancies you,’ Corey said, without preamble, when he and Kate were both sat at the kitchen table eating the pizza he’d chosen for their dinner.
‘Don’t be daft,’ Kate replied, hoping that the big bite her son had just taken would spare her any interrogation. ‘I’m just doing a job for him. He’s got to be nice.’
‘Nah,’ Corey said, giving Kate a knowing look. ‘He was way too friendly for it to be all about the job.’ He paused, and then looked searchingly at her. ‘Have you snogged him yet?’
‘Corey! Even if I had, I wouldn’t tell you.’ Well, it hadn’t exactly been a snog, she rationalised.
‘He’s cool, though,’ Corey said. ‘I mean, if you wanted to go out with him… I’d be okay with that.’
‘Give over,’ Kate said. ‘I’m not in the market for another relationship, and I’m not discussing my love life with my sixteen-year-old son.’
‘Yuck!’ Corey wrinkled his nose. ‘I don’t need, like, intimate details or anything.’
‘I’m beginning to regret saying you could spend a few more days here,’ Kate muttered mutinously, but with a twinkle in her eye. Corey knew she wouldn’t send him packing when she’d said he could stay. ‘Although, starting tomorrow, you’re going to be my decorator’s assistant, so no sloping off to your room to read for hours. You can earn your keep.’
‘Fair enough,’ Corey said, biting into the last slice of pizza. ‘But I’m right, you know. About Harry.’
A warning look from Kate put an end to that particular conversation. She didn’t think she’d ever be comfortable discussing her love life (not that she even really had one) with her son. Surely, she thought, it should be the other way around? But Corey hadn’t shown the remotest interest in girls, boys or anything o
ther than his books for all the time he’d been a teenager, that she’d known of, anyway. She knew teenagers all matured at different rates, but she also didn’t want to pry. She hoped Corey would come to her in his own time, when he found someone he liked and wanted to share it. Even after all the disruption of the divorce, she hoped that would be the case.
‘Right, well, I’m going run a bath and then get an early night,’ Kate said as she grabbed the pizza box off the table and went towards the back door to put it out with the recycling. ‘Is there anything else you need?’
‘Nah, I’m good,’ Corey replied. ‘I might get stuck into the next book in that series Harry recommended.’
‘Well, don’t stay up too late,’ Kate said. ‘Remember, it’s all hands on deck tomorrow.’
‘When are Uncle Aidan and Tom getting back, anyway?’ Corey asked. ‘They’ve been gone ages.’
Not really; it just feels that way, Kate thought, remembering ruefully the thousands of WhatsApp messages the couple had been sending since they embarked on their Grand Tour. Out loud she merely said. ‘The third week of August.’
‘Well, you’ll need all the help you can get, then,’ Corey replied, loping from the room towards the stairs. ‘I’d better sort out a pay deal.’
‘We’ll talk about that in the morning,’ Kate said. ‘Bearing in mind the pizza and books I’ve shelled out for since you descended on me.’
Corey grinned back over his shoulder. ‘I’m sure you won’t mind me visiting Harry’s shop a little more while I’m here,’ he said. ‘I’m right, you know – he does fancy you!’
‘Goodnight, Corey.’ Kate tried her hardest stare on her eldest son. Unfortunately, that hadn’t really worked since he was six. ‘See you in the morning.’
‘Night, Mum,’ Corey replied cheerfully.
At least, Kate observed, Corey was looking a whole lot happier than he had when he’d descended on her yesterday. She still felt sick every time she thought of him hitching a lift in the cab of a truck, but, in the end, no harm had been done. And now he was here, where she could keep an eye on him, perhaps she could help him to see his relationship with Phil in a slightly more positive light. Smiling dully at the irony of this; Phil did have a lot of ground to make up with all of his sons after resigning from their marriage and finding someone else, after all. She headed off to a Neal’s Yard bath and hopefully a good night’s sleep.