As though he could read her thoughts, he said, ‘Let’s just take it as it comes for now. Nobody else has to get involved at this stage.’ He sighed. ‘Although… Did your grapevine tell you that the Hester’s women know I left here yesterday morning?’
‘No.’ Frowning, Claudia carried her pot of overcooked mushroom stroganoff to the table, leaving him to follow with bread and salad. ‘That’s not good.’
‘Maybe the grapevine hasn’t got that snippet. Or maybe Amber and Raven aren’t sure of their facts and were just goading me.’
‘What if they say something to Millie?’
Jason served himself salad. ‘I might not like them, but I find it hard to imagine they’d ask a fourteen-year-old girl about her father sleeping with her employer.’ He made a face. ‘That sounds awful. Sorry.’
She laid a hand on his. ‘No more apologies.’
‘Then no more worrying, okay? Tell me more about… I don’t know… your mother?’
‘Ha! Don’t get me started.’
Jason successfully distracted her throughout the meal, and by the time they had curled up on the sofa, Claudia had managed to relax. After he’d plied her with an extra glass of wine – ‘Medicinal. Get it drunk.’ – and put an arm around her as she sipped, his fingers playing with her hair, stress seemed a very distant thing.
Jason didn’t say anything as he pulled her off the sofa and through the bead curtains, until… ‘Your cat’s in the bed.’
Pudding glared balefully at them from one eye, the other firmly shut, making the point that he had been fast asleep, thank you very much.
‘He’s not in the bed,’ Claudia said. ‘He’s only allowed at the bottom of the bed on top of the covers.’
‘Oh, well, that’s alright then. What now? I don’t think a spectator’s going to improve my performance.’
Claudia smiled. ‘You’ll have to turf him off.’
‘Why me?’
‘Because you’re the interloper.’ Jason’s expression told her he was reading too much into that statement. ‘In his life, not mine,’ she added hastily. ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake. I’ll do it.’
She scooped the cat up, Pudding remaining in his sleepy coil as she transferred him to his favoured armchair.
‘See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?’ she said as she went back through to the bedroom.
‘If I’d’ve done it, I’d be in intensive care,’ Jason grumbled. ‘But thanks.’
‘You’re welcome. So, now we have the bed all to ourselves, what are you going to do about it?’
His wicked smile made Claudia’s stomach flip. ‘Plenty. I’m going to do plenty about it, Claudia Rose.’
It was just one of those things, Claudia told herself afterwards. A set of circumstances. Nobody’s fault. Everyone trying to do their best.
Or it was universal payback – have a great time in the sack with Jason, and you’ll pay some other way.
Millie popped into Healing Waves on the way home from school on Monday, excited to tell her news to someone she thought she could trust. She and Phoebe and Jessica had tried casting a spell at their sleepover on Saturday. Nothing terrible had happened, and they felt it had been semi-successful, although she stopped short of saying which spell exactly.
Perhaps Claudia should be pleased that Millie trusted her, but in these circumstances, she could have done without it. She also could have done without knowing that while all that was going on, she and the girl’s father had been rolling around in bed together.
As Millie finished her tale, Tanya – taking a diversion on her way home from a meeting in Hayle – called into Healing Waves, and Claudia introduced them.
‘You’re the witch?’ Millie asked, eyes wide.
‘Yes, I’m the witch. Good to meet you, Millie. I’ve heard a lot about you.’
Millie glared at Claudia before turning back to Tanya. ‘I haven’t heard much about you.’
Tanya winked. ‘That’s because Claudia likes to keep me all to herself.’
‘Millie, could you watch the counter for a minute?’ Claudia asked. ‘I have something I need to show Tanya out back.’
‘No problem.’
Whispering in the utility room, Claudia told Tanya the latest news.
Tanya blew out a breath. ‘Witchcraft is often self-taught, Claudia. Trial and error.’
‘I understand that, but I doubt Jason would. He’d view it as silly nonsense at best and dangerous dabbling at worst.’
‘Do you want me to have a chat with her? Make sure she understands?’
‘Would you? Oh, but… Jason might not like that.’
‘What, he might not like a knowledgeable person chatting to his daughter about her interests, instead of letting her play it by ear and spend all her pocket money at Hester’s Cauldron?’
‘Okay. You’re right.’ Although Claudia felt pretty sick about it.
Back in the shop, Tanya said, ‘So, Millie, Claudia’s a bit busy, but I’d kill for a mocha before I drive home. Are you up for one?’
Millie jumped at the chance, making Claudia smile.
She wasn’t smiling an hour later. ‘You offered to teach her? For goodness’ sake!’
‘It wasn’t my intention. But she isn’t daft, Claudia. We started out okay – her asking questions, me laying out some basic principles. But she soon twigged what you and I were up to. She made the point that if we’re so worried, maybe I should teach her.’
Claudia was pale under her light tan. ‘And you agreed? Just like that?’
‘Not exactly. I told her I was willing, within limits, but only if her father agrees. And I made it clear that I won’t take her word for that – I’d have to speak to Jason.’
‘He is not going to be happy about this, Tanya!’
‘Maybe not, but we’ve solved one of our problems, haven’t we?’
‘Have we?’ As far as Claudia could see, they’d just created several more.
‘If this is only a whim, Millie won’t be brave enough to tackle Jason, and that’ll make her realise she’s not fully committed. She might still dabble, but that could’ve happened anyway. If she is serious about it, she’s obliged to tell her father, thereby relieving you of the responsibility of keeping all this from him.’
A little colour came back into Claudia’s cheeks – but only a little.
Up until Monday night, Jason had been riding on cloud nine. Or at least cloud eight-ish.
Saturday night and Sunday morning with Claudia had been nothing short of wonderful, despite their inauspicious start. He couldn’t imagine how things would have been left between them if he’d stormed off. He hadn’t liked her anger, but it was justified – he’d made a mess of things with Hester’s Cauldron. That place had a lot to answer for, in his opinion. But her anger had passed, and so had their awkwardness.
The more time he spent with Claudia, the less he worried about where it might go. Perhaps taking a leaf out of her book, he wanted to relax and enjoy the journey. Millie was a potential problem, but at the moment, what they were doing shouldn’t impact on her.
Work was slotting into place, too. After two months of feeling out of place and overwhelmed, he was finally getting to grips with his projects and his colleagues’ personalities. The partners had called him in that morning to tell him they thought he was doing a good job – a huge relief. The idea of finding a new job, of uprooting Millie again, was unthinkable.
Millie had already begun cooking dinner when he got home – generally a sign that she wanted something. That was okay. Jason was in a magnanimous mood.
She made her play after dinner. And he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
‘You want my permission for Tanya to teach you how to become a witch? You know how I feel about that sort of thing!’
As Millie wriggled in her seat, a distant part of Jason’s brain registered how much she must want this, to risk asking when she knew what his reaction would be.
‘Dad, calm down before you burst a blood vessel
.’ Millie’s attempt at humour fell on stony ground. ‘I know how you used to feel. But I thought, what with us spending more time with Claudia…’
Claudia again.
‘You know I’m interested in this stuff.’ Millie’s chin wobbled. ‘Since you don’t approve of Hester’s Cauldron, I thought this way was better. Have you even met Tanya?’
A tear fell, touching Jason’s heart.
‘Yes, I have.’
‘And?’
‘I liked her,’ he admitted. ‘But that doesn’t mean I believe in everything she believes. It doesn’t mean I want you to, either.’
Millie was crying in earnest now. ‘I don’t get to have my own interests? I don’t get to grow up? I always have to do what you say?’
‘Millie…’
But she was already heading for the stairs. The loud slam of her bedroom door spoke volumes about his parenting skills.
Damn Tanya. Damn Claudia.
He’d snatched his car keys from the kitchen counter and was out the door before he’d even thought it through.
Claudia was doing yoga when Jason pounded at her door. Even though she’d half-expected it, the wave of anger and resentment that rolled in with him was impressive.
Since she’d had her turn ranting at him on this very doorstep just the other night, she listened patiently as he raved about witchcraft and his daughter being exposed to bad influences.
Eventually, she waded in. ‘Jason, you are so blinkered. Don’t you think that Millie comes across “bad influences” every day at school? You can’t control half of what she does, so the half you think you can, you go over the top about.’
‘You think it’s over the top for me to not want my daughter to be taught witchcraft?’
Claudia took a deep breath. If it wasn’t for Millie, she’d call a halt to this conversation.
‘I’ll list a few points for you to mull over, okay? Then that’s me done, because I’m getting tired of going around in circles with you. Are you willing to listen, at least, before you go away and ignore everything I say?’
Jason opened his mouth, then closed it again. Finally, he said, ‘I’m listening.’
Claudia sighed. She was wasting her breath, but she would do this for Millie’s sake. ‘You’re an intelligent man. You listened to Tanya at the Smugglers’ Inn, and you couldn’t object to what she said in an abstract sense, so please don’t use words like “witch” and “witchcraft” in the kind of tone you’re using. Surely that’s beneath you by now?’
‘Fair enough.’ He shook his head. ‘But we’re talking about my daughter here.’
‘Look, if Millie wanted to go to church on Sundays, would you stop her? If she took an interest in Buddhism, would you object? You need to put aside inbuilt prejudice from old storybooks, think about what Tanya told you, and ask yourself if Millie looking into Wicca is any worse than anything else that might catch her eye. If she learns new things, develops a healthy respect for nature and her environment, is that so terrible?’
‘In theory, no. In practice…’
‘If you think Tanya’ll have Millie cooking up powdered bat’s wing in a cauldron or dancing naked in the woods with a bunch of hedonists, then you already know that’s total bollocks.’ Claudia ignored his raised eyebrow at her rare colourful language. If it brought him up short, that was no bad thing. ‘You know Tanya’s decent and careful. She has no desire to influence Millie or inculcate her into anything dodgy. All she wants to do is balance out Millie’s notions. You think Hester’s Cauldron is a bad influence. You wish Millie didn’t like it in there. But she finds those young women fascinating, Jason. They’re attractive and wear exciting clothes and make-up. They’re charismatic. They take time to talk to her.’
‘Because they know a mug when they see one.’
‘Maybe. Maybe not. But I don’t think they’re trying to instruct her in dark magic or sign her up to a coven.’ When his expression remained stony, she said, ‘If you’re worried about that, then surely the sensible way to counteract it – because disapproval will only drive her in the opposite direction – is to have someone explain to Millie what Wicca is really about. Let her make her own mind up.’
Jason said nothing, but Claudia had thought she’d wasted her time with him before and yet he’d come around.
‘Well, I’m done here.’ She made ready to close the door. ‘I’ll only remind you that Tanya’s a busy woman who lives a good distance away. She doesn’t need to spend time with your daughter. She offered because she wants to help and she’s qualified to do so, unlike Hester’s Cauldron. Take your pick, or Millie will take hers.’
Jason’s expression was mutinous. ‘And I’ll remind you that I’m Millie’s father. I don’t need you to explain her psychology to me, nor do I need your advice on how to handle my own daughter. You’re not her mother, Claudia, so stop trying to take on that role and undermine mine.’
He might as well have slapped her face. Shocked, Claudia staggered back a step, turned and walked to her bedroom, leaving Jason to let himself out.
Claudia didn’t feel like running meditation the following evening, but she couldn’t cancel just because she felt out of sorts.
It didn’t surprise her that Jason didn’t come. It did surprise her that Millie turned up. She’d assumed Jason would forbid it or lock her in her bedroom or something equally draconian, in case Claudia set up a bubbling cauldron right there in the room above the Page Turner.
Claudia went through the motions for the next hour, but she knew her leadership had been flat.
So did Sarah. ‘Everything okay, honey?’ she asked over their cuppa.
‘Fine.’
‘You don’t look fine.’ Sarah glanced around to check where Millie was. ‘Dare I lay a guess on Jason?’
‘Pah,’ was all Claudia could manage. ‘That man infuriates me.’
‘Evelyn used to drive me nuts at first,’ Sarah told her. ‘Still does, come to that. But that’s often a sign of how much you care about someone.’ When Claudia shook her head in denial, Sarah said, ‘It’s true. If you don’t give a damn about someone – about what they do or think – then they can’t irritate you, can they? Think about it.’
‘I don’t want to think about it,’ Claudia grumbled. ‘Anyway, who says I care about Jason?’
Sarah leaned in closer. ‘I do. I know we’re not supposed to know, and you have Tanya to talk to, but if you ever need me or Evie, we’re always here for you.’
‘Thank you.’ Claudia hated the idea that Sarah might feel shut out. She should offer up something. ‘The thing is, I need to take a step back with Millie.’
‘At Jason’s behest?’
‘Yes.’
‘But why?’ Sarah frowned. ‘Anything to do with Tanya and Millie huddled over their mochas at the Page Turner yesterday?’
If only that were all. ‘Partly. Millie wants to get into Wicca. Tanya offered to set her on the right path. Better her than Hester’s Cauldron.’
‘Jason isn’t keen, I take it?’
‘Understatement of the year.’
‘Someone could do with shaking some sense into that man, if you ask me. About you as well as Millie.’ Sarah tutted. ‘He isn’t breaking up with you over this, is he?’
In other circumstances, Claudia might have smiled at Sarah knowing far more than she’d been told, but a pervading sadness flooded through her at her friend’s perceptive words. ‘I… I hadn’t thought of it like that.’ She’d thought of it as another row, another source of disagreement. But Jason had gone a step further with his comment about her trying to be Millie’s mother. That still stung. ‘I suppose I hadn’t really thought of us being together,’ she explained to Sarah. ‘We weren’t even dating, just catching time together, so as for breaking up…? Well. I hadn’t thought of it like that.’
‘And now I’ve made you think of it like that. I’m sorry, honey.’
‘Don’t be. Sometimes I need the obvious pointing out to me.’
Sarah
smiled, but as Millie headed their way, she whispered, ‘I have no idea how you’ll take a step back from her, honey. That girl idolises you.’
As if that made Claudia feel any better.
When he’d dropped Millie off at meditation, Jason breathed a sigh of relief. That gave him over an hour. He drove home with a sense of purpose mixed with misgiving that made his stomach clench.
He’d agonised all day, to the point where he’d got little work done and irritated colleagues with his lack of attention. But his row with Millie the previous night had eclipsed everything else. His daughter had gone from not liking him much to not liking him at all.
Claudia didn’t think much of him, either. He hoped, when she calmed down, that she understood he was only trying to protect his daughter; wanting her to share his own mindset. But that incessant explanatory style of hers, telling him why he was wrong and pointing out how unreasonable he was… It had made him so mad. He’d accused her of interfering. Of trying to be Millie’s mother. He doubted she’d understand that. His thoughtless comment must have hurt her. He’d been way out of line.
Well, he would deal with the problem of Claudia later. Right now, Millie was his priority.
At home, he pulled out his phone, searched online for the number, then dialled. There was no guarantee she’d answer her business number so late, but self-employed people rarely clocked off at five.
‘Tanya Webb. Can I help?’
Jason might have smiled at the surname if he hadn’t been so nervous. ‘Tanya, it’s Jason.’
A long pause. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘Do you have time for a chat? Preferably online? Face-to-face would be better for me.’ So I can read your expression. See the nuances.
‘I suppose. I’ll warn you now, though, I don’t have any make-up on. And I’m in my pyjamas.’
‘I can live with that.’ The woman didn’t need make-up, from what Jason remembered.
‘I’d pop over there in person, but my broomstick’s in for a service.’
Two minutes later, Tanya was there on his laptop screen, a guarded expression on her face. ‘You gonna ball me out about Millie?’
The Little Shop in Cornwall: A heartwarming and feel good beach read Page 28