by Agatha Frost
“Solar flares,” she whispered to Taron as the officers dragged him past. “Everyone has a weakness.”
DI Ramsbottom and the nurse followed behind as the officers carted him through the fire door. Ryan lingered, joining Claire by the edge. They looked out at the traffic for a calm, silent moment.
“There’s a rumour going around that I was ‘seeing’ him,” she said after sucking in a sharp breath. “First, he’s an absolute nightmare I could never have dated, and second, I did kiss him six years ago in a nightclub.”
“Ah.” Ryan winced, his cheeks flushing deep red. “Em spoke to you.”
“That she did. I’d love to know where that rumour came from.”
“It’s my fault,” he said, offering an apologetic smile. “When we got back to your shop on the day of the convention, I was on my way up to your flat to tell you I was going to get the kids home when I heard you talking to Sally. You said you’d kissed him, and I put two and two together, and . . .”
Ryan’s voice trailed off, and he bowed his head.
“Did it bother you to think I was seeing another man?”
“Yes,” he replied without hesitation.
“Why?”
Ryan smiled coyly, dimples emerging deep in his freckled cheeks; how she loved those dimples.
“Are you going to make me say it, Claire?”
“Yes.”
“Fine.” He inhaled and glanced up at the dark sky. “I thought I’d missed my chance, and I was embarrassed by how long I’ve been ignoring how I feel.” He looked down at her, and added, “How I feel about you.”
Claire swallowed. Even with everything Sally and Em had said, she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. She’d always assumed that if she ever plucked up the courage – which she’d had serious doubts she ever would – she might one day have let words like these tumble from her mouth, but she’d never imagined the confession happening in reverse.
But here they were.
And there was that look again.
She was really growing fond of that look.
“Claire?”
“Hmm?”
“Can I take you out on a date?”
“I’d love that.”
“Good.”
“Ryan?”
“Yeah?”
The fire exit door burst open, cutting Claire off right before she was going to ask him to kiss her. DI Ramsbottom poked his head out, his face bright red.
“Didn’t realise I’d shut you two out!” he said with a chuckle. He tapped a knuckle against the heavy door. “Only opens from the inside. Are you coming? I’ll give you a lift back to the village.”
Claire linked arms with Ryan, and they set off towards the door. She still had so much to tell him. After so many years of friendship, a proper date seemed the best baby step forward, and she had a perfect idea where that date might take place.
Chapter Fifteen
The beautiful weather lasted until Sunday.
After gathering their things off the beach, Claire, Ryan, and the kids dashed to the nearest tram shelter on the golden mile of Blackpool’s promenade. As was usually the case with Britain’s weather, the grey clouds had come from nowhere, changing the day at the drop of a hat.
They hadn’t planned how long they were going to stay at the seaside resort, but lounging on the beach as the sun started to set felt like a fitting end to the day. They’d seen the circus, visited each of the three piers, ridden rides and donkeys, gone to the waxworks museum, thrown endless two pence coins into slot machines, eaten fresh doughnuts and salty fish and chips, and fought off the forecasted rain until the very end.
Claire couldn’t complain.
She’d had the perfect day.
They waited in the tram shelter until the dark clouds moved along before setting off to the train station. As they crossed the wide road between the beach and the shops on the other side, Ryan held her hand, and he didn’t let go until they walked through the doors of the station fifteen minutes later.
Amelia and Hugo began the train journey home going over their highlights of the day. Amelia loved the donkey rides the most. Hugo hadn’t cared much for the donkeys, but he had enjoyed having his picture taken with Thor, Spider-Man, and The Incredible Hulk, even if they were made of wax. When the train pulled into Preston train station, both had long since fallen asleep.
After stirring them, they left through the side and found Claire’s parents in their car. Though she hadn’t asked them to pick her up, they’d insisted when they discovered the journey from Preston to Northash would be on the buses. According to Janet, they were ‘setting themselves up for failure’ by trying to co-ordinate buses on a Sunday. Thankfully, Alan was behind the wheel; Claire hadn’t fancied creeping barely fifty miles per hour down the motorway back to Northash.
“Well, I have had a proper day of it,” Janet declared after asking about all the things they’d done in Blackpool. “Today Mr Kowalski called to inform me he would not pay for the party celebrating my forty years working at the post office next month. Can you believe it? Forty years, and he can’t throw a few pennies my way for some sausage rolls and a round of drinks at The Hesketh Arms.”
“You haven’t worked for him for forty years, dear,” Alan said as he sped up onto the slip road.
“And don’t I know it!” Janet sighed. “Oh, how I miss the days of working under Mr Evans. He would have put some money to, but alas, I’ll just pay for it myself. Can’t let such an occasion pass us by.”
Alan cleared his throat. “Tell her what else happened.”
“Oh, that’s not the worst of it!” Janet turned around in her chair this time. “My bleeding microwave only went and blew up on me in the middle of my roast chicken.”
“Tell them why, dear.”
“I may have accidentally left a small spoon inside the thing,” Janet said, fiddling with her wedding ring. “You know how I don’t like to touch all of that, dear.”
The chattering continued all the way back to Northash, but Claire could barely focus on her mother’s continuous stream. Somewhere along the M65, Ryan’s fingers had looped through hers on the seat between them, and she could think of nothing else.
They pulled up outside Claire’s Candles as night officially replaced day. While Janet nipped around the corner to the mini supermarket for some bread and milk, Alan opened the boot and thrust the box of microwave cookbooks into Claire’s arms.
“Throw them away, set them on fire, or stick them in your attic,” he said, glancing over his shoulder to make certain Janet couldn’t hear him. “I don’t care.”
“Odd about that spoon.”
“Isn’t it just.” He winked. “Just get rid of them. And if your mother asks, you have no idea what happened to them.”
“Mum’s the word.”
“You’re a lifesaver, little one.”
Claire unlocked her shop and hid the box behind the counter. Ryan lingered outside the shop, waiting until Janet returned and Claire’s parents drove off. Claire resisted the urge to invite them upstairs; the kids hadn’t stopped yawning since they’d arrived.
“I had a really nice day,” Ryan said, rocking back on his heels.
“Yeah, me too.”
The look in his eyes had returned, but rather than going for a kiss, he gave her a slightly awkward hug. She laughed, too content to care about rushing anything. They had all the time in the world.
“Lunch tomorrow?” he asked.
“It’s a date,” she said, stepping up into her shop. “On me this time.”
Ryan set off down the street with the kids stumbling sleepily beside him. Claire remained on the step, and right before they turned the corner, he looked back and waved. She held up her hand as he disappeared. Leaning against the door, she closed her eyes and willed herself to remember each moment of the special day.
Of course, the quiet wasn’t to last.
“Tell me everything!” Sally urged when Claire climbed up the stairs to her f
lat.
Over cups of coffee, Claire went into every detail until Sally couldn’t stay any longer.
“The kids’ll be wondering where I am,” she said as she dragged her suitcase out of Claire’s room. “Thanks for letting me stay, mate. I’ve really appreciated it.”
“You know where I am,” she replied. “My door’s always open.”
“Same . . . wherever that door will be,” Sally said with a laugh as she hauled the case into the dark stairwell. “Oh, I forgot to say. Paul called this afternoon. Said he’s going to play ball so we can get the divorce done fairly and quickly for the kids’ sake. He must have had a bump on the head or something.”
Claire hadn’t told Sally about her little interaction with Paul, and from the sounds of it, neither had he.
“New chapter,” Claire said when Sally was at the front door.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t bricking it,” Sally said as she pulled her car keys from her pocket, “but you know what? I’m excited. Who knows, I might quite like being single for a while. Or maybe I’ll meet the perfect guy and do it all again.”
“Maybe you’ve already met him?”
“Around here?” Sally forced a laugh as she slammed her case in the boot. “Yeah, right. I’ve got a few viewings in the village tomorrow, so I’ll pop ‘round for a brew.”
Claire waved her down the road as she suppressed a yawn of her own. As tempting as it was to crawl into bed, the day wasn’t over. She collected the wrapped presents and walked the short distance to Damon’s front door. After being let in through the dark café, she followed him up to his former guest – now memorabilia – room. He had painted the doors to look like the blue police box entrance of The Doctor’s TARDIS – and that was only the start of the magic. Boxed figures from several franchises lined the walls, and a life-sized bronze Dalek, also from Doctor Who, waited to exterminate the unwary where the double bed used to be. Posters from TV shows and movies, along with signed pictures from dozens of meet-and-greets filled every available patch of wall. Though it mightn’t be to everyone’s taste, it was the perfect spare room for Damon.
At a small table with four chairs in the middle of the room, Sean and Damon were playing a card game she didn’t recognise.
“Taron’s finally confessed,” Damon said, handing Claire a bottle of beer as they sat. “A small part of me thought he’d try to keep up the lie forever.”
Though Taron had spent the week trying to discredit everyone from Rina to Sean to Claire, she had known he’d sing eventually. According to Taron, Rina was a compulsive liar, Sean was mentally unstable, and Claire was a rejected former lover. Apparently, they’d all ganged together to cook up a conspiracy against him; it was quite the story. Thankfully, nobody had believed him.
“Sean, tell her what Rina did.”
“Oh,” said Sean before taking a sip of his beer. “She transferred all her Bitcoin. To me. She said she had no use for it now.”
“Worth over a quarter of a million quid!” Damon could barely contain his excitement. “She always made out like she had closer to a million, but whatever. You’re bloody rich, mate.”
“I’m happy for you.” Claire gave his arm a little pat. “What are you going to do with it?”
“Quit my job,” he said without hesitation. “I think I’ll buy my own place. Somewhere small, close to my grandparents. It might be time to give this a go.” He looked around Damon’s room. “What you have here is cool. It’s freedom I never knew I was missing out on.” He smiled. “But I’ll do mine like the Millennium Falcon.”
Damon’s gaze followed Sean’s, taking in everything around them. After the birthday week he’d had, Claire was glad to see him smile.
“Yeah,” Damon said as he uncapped another bottle for himself. “I suppose you’re right.”
Claire really was happy for Sean. In the chaos of the past week, he’d been through more than his fair share. Even after losing his ‘brother’, his arrest, and several people accusing him of lying, he’d held his head up and kept going. Claire now knew he was the furthest thing from a liar she’d ever met. As Rina had put it, he was an innocent.
Sean hadn’t even lied about Daniel’s love, he’d only misinterpreted Daniel’s drunk confession of ‘loving someone in the group’ as meaning Rina. After a few pints in the pub earlier in the week, they’d concluded that confession had to have been about Mark. Daniel had left immediately after Rina and Taron’s arrests, and Claire couldn’t help but feel for the man she’d barely got to know.
“In the midst of everything,” Claire said as she handed the plastic bag to Damon, “I never got to give you your present and card.” She grinned. “Well, originally the present was the vouchers in your card, but I’m glad I held off because I’ve added something else.”
Damon pulled the large box from the bag and immediately fixed her with an anxious stare. He seemed to have figured out what it was just from the shape. He tore off the celestial wrapping paper bought specially from Lilac Gifts and instantly put the plastic-covered game on the table and pushed it back to Claire.
“I can’t accept,” he said, barely able to look at the pristine copy of Dawn Ship. “It’s too much.”
“Had a look online,” she said, nudging the game closer to him. “One in similar condition went for almost nine grand. You can sell it or even keep it in the plastic; the decision is yours. Personally, I think you should open it and use it. Taron told me that’s what he’d do, and on that, at least, maybe he was right. All I know is I’m nowhere worthy enough to own this when it means so much to you.”
With wide eyes, Damon looked from the game to Sean, back to the game, and then to Claire. He tore open the plastic with a quivering breath.
“Oh, no.” He looked like he was on the verge of throwing up. “What am I doing?”
“You’re living,” Claire reminded him. “And I’m not done with the presents yet. There’s something else in that bag.”
After fully removing the plastic, Damon reached into the bag with a shaky hand and pulled out the much smaller wrapped present. He tore it open, and a Claire’s Candles name badge fell out, already labelled with Damon’s name.
“I don’t get it.”
“It’s yours if you want it,” she said, biting the corner of her bottom lip as she tried to hide how much she wanted Damon to want it. “A job at my shop. I know candles aren’t your thing like they’re mine, but I’ve really, really missed working with you. Having you at the shop all this last week reminded me of that, and the way you organised everything made this week so much easier. We make an excellent team, mate, and I think we’d have fun.”
She waited for Damon to respond, but no words came. “And don’t worry about me being able to afford it. I went over the numbers with my dad and Sally separately, and they both saw no reason I couldn’t bring you on, given how well the shop is doing. I can do what they’re paying you at the factory with a little extra on top.” She waited again before adding, “Please say yes.”
“Are you kidding?” Damon picked up the badge and clutched it in his palm. “Of course I’m saying yes.”
“Really?”
“How could I not?” Damon leaned across the table and pulled Claire into a tight hug. “This last week at the shop has been the most fun I’ve ever had at work.”
“Then it’s happening,” Claire said, grinning from ear to ear. “The old team back together.”
“And it’s even better because we have no boss,” he declared. After a long pause, he added, “Wait, I guess you’re my boss. I’ll never be able to hide a hangover again.”
“I’ll be a fair one,” she said with a wink. “And if you have a hangover, I’ll probably have one too.”
“I guess I’m going to have to give my notice at the factory.” Damon let out a disbelieving laugh. “Never thought I’d get to say that.” He lifted his bottle. “To endings.”
“And new beginnings.”
Claire clinked her bottle with his.
<
br /> “New beginnings,” echoed Sean.
They sipped their beers, and in the silence, Claire realised they all had things to look forward to. The thought made her as excited for them as she was for herself.
“What now?” she asked.
Damon slowly lifted off Dawn Ship’s lid and ran his fingers softly across the back of the never-been-touched board.
“We could play this?”
“I thought it was difficult?”
“We’ll teach you,” he said, pulling out the board and spreading it flat on the table. “After everything you’ve done this week, you have to be Captain Murphy.”
Claire stayed at Damon’s playing Dawn Ship until the early hours of the morning. By the time she left, she had a basic understanding of the rules. She was even looking forward to playing again. Damon might make a nerd of her yet . . . at least a little.
Crawling into bed, the excitement of the past twenty-four hours fizzed through her system. No doubt something would shake up the snow globe of her life soon, but for now, she could honestly say she was the happiest she’d been in years.
Thank you for reading!
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The next and 5th book in the series, Fresh Linen Fraud, is coming March 23rd 2021! Pre-order your next cozy adventure with Claire on Amazon!
Thank you for reading!
DON’T FORGET TO RATE AND REVIEW ON AMAZON
I hope you enjoyed another visit to Northash!
Reviews are more important than ever, so show your support for the series by rating and reviewing the book on Amazon! Reviews are CRUCIAL for the longevity of any series, and they’re the best way to let authors know you want more! They help us reach more people! I appreciate any feedback, no matter how long or short. It’s a great way of letting other cozy mystery fans know what you thought about the book.
