The Clockwork House
Page 12
The woman in the picture really did have the tiniest waist, making her chest look oddly puffed out like a hen. Nestled against the dark gown she wore was a small round locket on a long chain, a detail Ava hadn’t noticed the first time. The little boy standing beside the well-dressed woman, wore short pants but his legs were covered with long socks, stockings almost, ending in tightly laced boots. The picture was black and white so it was hard to tell what colors they might have been wearing. The boy had very light hair and pale eyes. Although the woman had darker hair, her eyes looked eerily similar to the child. The man looked like neither of them.
They had to be a family unit Ava guessed. Photography was very expensive back then and certainly not done on a whim. Turning the picture over she studied the back of the frame. It was now nothing more than withered leather and tiny flaps of rusted metal holding the picture in place. Digging her fingernails in Ava managed to scrape the metal leaves aside so the back loosened, and as she removed the brittle leather something fluttered into her lap.
It was a small lock of hair, barely more than one tiny blonde curl, tied with a faded, musty blue ribbon. She pulled the photograph from the frame, staring at the back of it. Printed in a neat typeset were the words LHJ Linden Photographic Studio. Her gaze wandered further down the yellowed paper to a looping scrawl in faded black ink which read, My darling Peter…
Ava picked up the lock of hair, holding it gently in her fingertips as she turned the photo back over and stared at the three faces.
‘So, which one’s Peter?’ she mused out loud.
It had to be the kid, she concluded. If the lock of hair belonged to someone in the picture, the young boy was the only one with fair hair.
‘Who are you?’ Ava whispered curiously.
She looked up sharply as Bailey suddenly sprang up from the bed and darted toward the door, barking loudly. Tucking both the picture and the lock of hair in her notebook, she shut it carefully and secured it with an elastic band before shoving the remnants of the damaged frame into the plastic bag to dispose of later.
Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed she padded to the door on bare feet and swung it open. Before she could stop her Bailey leapt out, barking playfully as she dashed off.
Unable to see what had her dog so worked up Ava climbed absently down the steps from the RV while she stared across to where Bailey had disappeared around the corner of the house.
‘BAILEY!’ she called out, but as her foot hit the dry grassy ground she cried out at a sudden sharp stab of pain in her foot.
She sat down heavily on the steps and lifted her injured foot, propping it on her other knee so she could inspect the sole which had begun to ooze blood. She could see the corner of something protruding from her flesh. Reaching out with shaky fingers she grasped it as firmly as she could as it was already wet with her blood and pulled hard. A sharp hiss passed her lips as she turned the object over on her palm.
It looked like part of a seashell. Her brow furrowed in confusion, and as her gaze dropped to the ground beneath the last step, her eyes widened in surprise. Hopping carefully down the last few steps, she kneeled down close to the ground.
In front of her was a neatly arranged circle of pretty seashells, all of them perfectly shaped and intact, with the exception of the one she’d had the misfortune to step on. Tiny little fan shapes and miniature conches, all in delicate shades of pale pink, peach, cream and beige. There was not a hint of dirt or seaweed. It was as if someone had gone to great lengths not only to pick the most pleasing shells but had also taken the trouble to clean them too.
Inside the small circle of shells was a posy of wildflowers. She recognized them, as most of them grew abundantly along her cliff. Long green stems and tiny bud like flowers and bells in white, purple and pink, all hand-picked, were arranged neatly and tied with several long blades of grass. It was sweet, the whole thing was simple and almost childlike, but what a strange thing to do.
Her brow folded into a frown as she tried to figure out who would leave them and why? If it was a welcome to the neighborhood kind of gift, why hadn’t they knocked on the RV and spoken to her in person?
Pulling her phone, which she’d been finally forced to get on account of all the building works about to commence on her property, out of her pocket she snapped a couple of pictures before leaning down and carefully collecting all the shells, so Bailey didn’t cut her paws. It was fortunate she’d missed the whole thing when she’d bounded energetically down the stairs and leapt off the last step.
Lastly, she picked up the small bunch of flowers and headed back up into the RV, almost forgetting her injured foot as she contemplated the strange gift. She placed the flowers in a world’s greatest mom mug she’d found in the cupboard and filled it with water. Leaving the shells on the table beside the mug, she turned and saw the bloodied footprints she’d left along the floor.
Wincing slightly at the mess, after all, as cozy as it was, the RV didn’t technically belong to her, she grabbed a cloth and wrapped it around her foot to stop the bleeding as she cleaned up the mess. Once that was done, she found a small first aid kit under the sink. It didn’t take long to clean and cover the small wound as it wasn’t deep. Slipping her sneakers on, she grabbed her keys and went in search of her dog.
It was easy to find her, she wasn’t too far from the same spot she’d been playing in a few days earlier, only this time she didn’t have a ball, she was just rolling around in the grass, like she would if Ava was rubbing her belly.
‘Bailey?’ Ava called out and watched as she scrambled to her feet, dashing over as she panted happily. ‘Crazy dog,’ she shook her head in amusement as she bent down and rubbed her fur. ‘Wanna go for a ride?’
Bailey’s ears pricked up and she barked loudly.
‘Need some supplies,’ Ava stood and headed toward the truck with Bailey dancing along at her heels. ‘You’re going to have to wear the leash though.’
It was almost comical the way Bailey skidded to a halt and glanced up at Ava reproachfully.
‘Don’t look at me like that,’ Ava shook her head, ‘it’s only until the locals get used to you. You’re like the size of a small pony.’
Climbing up into the cab of her truck she left the door open and leaned out.
‘You coming or not?’
Not needing to be told twice Bailey leapt up into the truck and settled next to Ava as she slammed the door closed and gunned the engine.
She took a slow leisurely drive down the winding cliff road toward the town, with the windows down as she breathed in the sea air. She parked by the docks and took her time buying supplies. Work was due to begin the next day on the house; by mid-morning the crews Killian had managed to hire from the mainland would have arrived on the early ferry. Some of them, she knew, according to Hope who had continued to call her daily with updates, would stay on the island, lodging at the various guesthouses and with friends. Some would make the daily commute.
There wouldn’t be much for her to do on site other than make decisions about what she wanted doing to the house and what she was prepared to pay for, but there was one thing she could do and that was feed everyone. She loved to cook and thanks to her upbringing was not only used to cooking for large amounts of people but often cooking outdoors.
She bought stacks of disposable plates and cups, a coffee urn, a huge barbecue, okay that had been a little extravagant but, in her defense, she’d never owned one before and it had been on sale down at Samsons’ Hardware. She’d spent the last few days building up the fire pit and stocking up on fuel, which had largely involved long walks in the woods with her dog while she collected fallen branches and twigs.
She bought large pans and fresh produce, all locally grown, and loaded it all up in the back of her truck while she watched as the boats came in, unloading huge traps and crates filled with fresh lobster and fish. The fish she could handle, she had a real way with pan fried fish, but she was determined to learn to cook lobster, somethin
g she still had yet to try.
The thought of lobster rolls had her mind involuntarily turning back to Kelley, the sexy bartender who was not only determined to take her out on a seafood date but who’d been conspicuously absent for the last few days. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since the night of the storm when they’d fallen asleep in her shabby little one-man tent, and the next morning when he’d gone to relive himself and accidentally flashed a bunch of little old ladies.
The thought made her lips twist momentarily into an amused smile, but it soon vanished when she contemplated how quickly he’d abandoned his pursuit of her. She should’ve been relieved that he’d left her alone. After all, she wasn’t on the island looking for love she was there to discover her family roots and rebuild an old house, but damn it if she wasn’t a little disappointed that he’d apparently lost interest so quickly.
Still, she shouldn’t have been surprised. As a bartender he had women falling over themselves to get to him. She knew, she’d seen it with her own eyes the night she’d rolled into town. He could have any woman he wanted, even Hope had alluded as much. Why on earth would he want a prickly loner who lived out of her truck, with an oversized dog who’d tried to smother him in his sleep.
Her mouth twisted down and her brow furrowed. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, until it was an unpleasant slippery eel twisting and lurching in her belly. She was glad he hadn’t called or bothered to pursue her; she wasn’t interested in the slightest. If he wanted to go and sleep with some cheap bar slut, then he was welcome to.
She hadn’t realized that, as her inner voice ran away on a mental rant, she’d been walking aimlessly, following roads and paths away from the main docks and shops, until she wasn’t quite sure where she was. Looking up she saw a big friendly sandstone colored building with Midnight Middle and High School written across it in neat silver letters. Despite the fact that it was summer, and school should’ve been out, there were various cars scattered about and a bunch of kids heading out the main entrance.
Gripping Bailey’s brand-new blue leash in her hand Ava crossed the street and headed toward the building. She figured she could flag down someone and ask for directions back to the docks.
She saw a cluster of kids and moms not far from the entrance. She was already heading toward them when they parted and she stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth falling open in confusion. She blinked hard but the sight in front of her remained the same.
It was Kelley, standing in amongst the kids and parents, laughing and smiling. He wore his trademark blue jeans, but he’d paired them with a button-down shirt and jacket, and he was wearing thick rimmed glasses that were just the right combination of studious and nerdy.
Oh boy, her stomach swooped as she stood there staring at him. She’d just about convinced herself she’d inadvertently wandered into some kind of alternative reality, one where Killian and Kelley had neglected to tell her they were triplets instead of twins and that there was in fact another Ryan brother, when he looked up, his eyes locked with hers, and his face broke into a wide and genuine smile.
He excused himself from the students and the parents. Funnily enough the moms looked more disappointed at his departure than the students as he jogged over to her.
‘Ava!’ he greeted as he stopped in front of her, ‘I’ve been thinking about you for days.’
He drank in the sight of her like he was dying of thirst and she was an ice-cold beer. Like before, she didn’t have a stitch of make up on and her thick inky black hair was piled up on top of her head in a messy knot, leaving a few errant strands curling against the damp skin of her neck in the heat. Unable to help himself his eyes peeled scandalously down her body. She was wearing the tiniest denim shorts revealing long toned legs, with skin the color of honey, which ended in her trademark red sneakers.
‘Hey,’ Ava’s brow rose, ‘I’m up here.’
‘Well, there’s not an inch of you that’s not perfect is there?’ he muttered almost to himself.
‘There’s no such thing as perfect,’ she scowled.
‘Stunning then,’ his green eyes met hers as he smiled.
‘What are you doing here Kelley?’ she asked in confusion. ‘I thought you worked in a bar?’
‘That?’ What? No,’ he shook his head, ‘I just help out at the bar sometimes. This is where I work.’
He indicated the school behind him.
‘You’re a teacher?’ she tilted her head slightly as she studied him.
‘I am,’ he grinned. ‘Got the scars to prove it… I teach 7th grade English. Nothing like trying to wrangle a bunch of cocky twelve to thirteen years olds into enjoying the literary classics.’
‘Literary classics huh?’
‘That’s right,’ he replied with a slow nod. ‘I do feel Captain Underpants was sadly underrated for its literary genius, but my kids are beyond that now. Our most recent read was Watership Down. At first, they didn’t want to read a book about a bunch of… and this is a direct quote… ‘dumb rabbits’, but I had them all crying into their textbooks by the end of the semester.’
‘So, you traumatized a bunch of twelve-year olds?’
‘Oh, totally scarred them for life,’ he nodded, ‘but their lives will be so much richer for it.’
‘Uh-huh,’ she couldn’t help but smile. He had the whole nerdy professor thing going on, hot nerdy professor, and god damn if he wasn’t pushing buttons, she wasn’t even aware she had.
‘I thought school was out for summer?’
‘It is, but we teach summer school and a whole bunch of extra credit classes.’
‘Oh,’ she scuffled the toe of her shoe absently against the ground.
‘Anyway,’ he smiled again, ‘I’m glad I ran into you. I’ve been wanting to see you for the last couple of days, but it’s been crazy. I’ve been covering some of the other summer classes as well as my own for the faculty staff on vacation, and I was trying to cover shifts at the bar.’
‘Bye Mr Ryan!’ a chorus of kids called out.
Kelley lifted his hand and waved.
‘Well I…uh…oomph,’ whatever she was going to say was lost as she was jerked sharply to the side. Bailey had collapsed to the sidewalk with a mournful whine, rolling over and tangling her heavy body in the offending leash, almost yanking Ava’s shoulder from her socket, as she chewed at the blue woven cord.
‘She doesn’t like her leash,’ Ava rolled her eyes as Bailey gave another plaintive whine. ‘Quit being such a drama queen; you know why you have to wear it… jeez…’ Ava sighed. ‘What?’ she shrugged her shoulders when she caught Kelley watching her with a smile.
‘Nothing,’ he shook his head, ‘I love that you talk to her like she’s a human.’
‘Yeah well,’ Ava frowned as Bailey continued to gnaw at the leash, ‘she likes to pretend she’s stupid, but she understands plenty.’
‘So…’ Kelley grinned, ‘classes are done for the day, you’re here, I’m here. Some might call that fortuitous.’
‘And some might call it a coincidence.’
‘Come on Ava,’ he reached out and tugged a loose strand of her hair gently, ‘let me buy you dinner?’
‘Isn’t it a bit early for dinner?’
‘I skipped lunch,’ he replied, ‘so any food is good. We could walk down to the beach; I’ll buy you a lobster roll and an ice cream.’
‘What kind of ice cream?’ her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
‘Best on the east coast,’ he grinned.
A small smile tugged at her lips as she watched him.
‘Okay,’ she replied after a moment.
‘Yeah?’ his smile widened.
‘Sure,’ she shrugged.
‘Okay,’ he backed up slowly, ‘I’ve just got a few things to tie up. Give me ten minutes, I’ll be right back.’
‘Okay,’ she nodded as she watched him walking slowly backward.
‘Okay,’ he repeated, ‘and you’ll be right here?’
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��I’ll be right here,’ she smiled slowly.
She watched as he threw her another gorgeous grin before turning around and darting back into the school.
‘Oh boy I’m in trouble,’ Ava muttered.
She had to admit she was having a hard time resisting all the nerdiness and boyish charm wrapped up in a sinfully good-looking man. It was a dangerous combination. She’d thought she had him pegged the first night she met him, but she was just starting to get what Hope meant about him being oblivious to the female attention he received. He just wasn’t that shallow.
She was also starting to feel slightly guilty for all the nasty thoughts she’d had earlier when she thought he was just ignoring her. The guy was just busy. He had a life; he had a job… well two jobs apparently. She kept trying to squeeze him into a box that didn’t fit him, and he’d simply just laugh and climb straight back out. It was confusing the hell out of her. She felt like she was trying to navigate shark infested waters, with no paddle, in a capsized canoe.
She had no experience to draw on. It wasn’t like she was a virgin by any means. She’d scratched plenty of itches over the years when she’d felt like it, but both parties had been looking for no strings, mutual satisfaction topped off with an amicable ‘see ya later’ in the morning.
Kelley wasn’t like that and just what the hell was she supposed to do about him? He made her want, although if you’d asked her what, she wouldn’t have been able to tell you, only that he tugged at her, just like the island did.
‘Hey, you look like you were a million miles away.’
Ava looked up in surprise as Kelley reappeared in front of her holding a battered brown leather satchel. She glanced down at her watch; true to his word he’d only been just over ten minutes.
‘Come on Bailey,’ Ava tucked at the leash, dragging her protesting dog to her feet. ‘So how come you work at the bar too?’ Ava asked. ‘Are teachers’ salaries really that bad?’