Could It Be Magic?, page 3
‘I thought you’d read that one?’ she said to Dylan as he pulled one of the Percy Jackson novels off the shelf of the fantasy section.
‘Nope,’ Dylan said confidently. ‘I skipped ahead in the series ’cos someone got it before me, so I want to catch up with what I missed.’
‘Fair enough.’ Thea smiled at her son. ‘Have a look and see what else you want.’ She glanced over at Cora, who was engrossed in something on her phone, as per usual.
‘Anything catch your eye?’ she asked her daughter pointedly.
Cora shook her head, not bothering to look up from the screen. Thea suppressed the urge to stride over and snatch the damned device from her daughter’s hands. She hoped Cora would come back to reading in her own time, which was why she still insisted that the girl visited the mobile library regularly. The novelty of having the world on a screen in your pocket had yet to wear off, though, and Thea had to accept it as a necessary evil, for now.
‘I’m just going to pop into the shop,’ she called again to Cora. ‘Can you keep an eye on your brother for me?’
Dylan rolled his eyes. ‘I don’t need keeping an eye on, Mum.’
‘I know.’ Thea ruffled the top of his hair affectionately. ‘But indulge me.’
Grumbling, Dylan ducked away from her and continued to look at the shelves. Cora looked up and gave Thea a brief grin of acknowledgement and then returned to her phone. Thea smiled at Bess, the volunteer who staffed the Monday afternoon session, and stepped back down into the car park.
As she entered the farm shop, Thea was surprised by how festive the place looked. In the few days since her last visit, Saints’ had gone all out to make it feel like Christmas. Hanging from the wooden beams that ran in parallel lines across the shop were strings of warm white fairy lights, twinkling away and catching the colours of the decorations on four pine trees, one in each corner of the shop, themselves glinting with coloured lights. Each tree had a colour co-ordinated theme, and Thea was amused to see that the one nearest the counter was decked out in the navy blue and gold colours of the shop’s branding. An unobtrusive compilation of seasonal songs played softly over the shop’s PA system, and Thea had to suppress a laugh when she saw Nick behind the shop counter, sporting a very fluffy and festive Christmas bobble hat.
‘It suits you,’ she said as she approached him. ‘Maybe you should think about wearing it all year.’
Nick grimaced. ‘It was Annabelle’s idea, although I’m half tempted to chuck it up onto the roof now that she’s left the country!’ He pushed the white band of the hat up a little, where it had sagged over his forehead.
‘Have they gone for some winter sun?’ Thea asked, then sighed. ‘I could certainly do with some!’
As Nick filled her in on Jamie’s last-minute deal and the holiday destination, Thea felt envious. How lovely to be married to someone who’d plan something like that and then make it a sun-drenched surprise. No chance of anything happening like that for her and the kids, she thought. Getting through Christmas without blowing a fortune on the central heating was about as glamorous as it was going to get for her.
‘So, it’s left me in a bit of a pickle,’ Nick was saying as she caught the thread of the conversation again. ‘Dad and I are working flat out, but we really could do with some extra staff in the run up to Christmas. Mum’s cracked a hip, so can’t really help too much, either.’
‘Sounds stressful,’ Thea commiserated. ‘How did she do that?’
‘She slipped on the back steps of the cottage while she was going out to put some bread on the bird table,’ Nick replied. ‘Thankfully it’s only a hairline fracture so it’ll mend with rest and time, but it’s giving her a fair bit of gyp.’ He paused before adding, ‘She didn’t let on to Annabelle how bad it was before Annabelle and Jamie left because she didn’t want Annie to worry, but it does leave me rather short-handed with just Dad to call on during the week.’
‘Poor Maggie,’ Thea said. ‘If I know your mum, she’s going to be really frustrated about not being able to help out here.’
Nick grinned briefly. ‘She is. And the bloody film crew are coming back at the end of this week, too.’
‘Film crew?’
‘Yup.’ Nick paused, seemingly embarrassed. ‘A couple of years ago, we were featured on a TV show for Channel 5 – Britain’s Loveliest Farm Shops. It was Annabelle’s idea, and because it was so soon after we’d had a refit, we all thought it would be great publicity to apply to be featured. Anyway, it all went so well that they asked us back in the summer if we’d mind doing another segment for a festive catch-up show. They’re going to be using a lot of the footage from the first time around, but they want to do a kind of “Farm Shop at Christmas” thing. Annabelle said yes to it, but didn’t realise she was going to be whisked off on holiday during the filming, so it’s down to Dad and I to handle that, on top of everything else.’
‘Can’t you pull out?’ Thea asked. ‘I’m sure they’d understand.’
‘Nope. It’s all been arranged, and they’re coming in on Thursday to do some filming. They hope to have it all done by the middle of next week so they can air it over Christmas. Their schedule’s quite tight, and the publicity’s too good to pass up.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘I managed to stay off camera when they were here before, although they did catch me a few times, but now they want me front and centre.’
‘Makes sense, really,’ Thea teased. ‘I mean, filming Nick Saint at Christmas – what a coup!’
Nick looked briefly thunderous, but then, much to Thea’s relief, he laughed. ‘OK, so I suppose it is kind of inevitable, but that doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to it. But never mind – I’m sure we’ll work something out.’
‘I used to work in the local shop in the village, years ago, if you’re desperate,’ Thea joked. ‘The tills are probably a bit different now, but I’m a quick learner.’
Nick’s pause made Thea a little nervous.
‘Is that a serious offer? I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m pretty desperate and out of ideas…’
‘Thanks,’ Thea said dryly. Then, her mind began to fill in some gaps. A bit of extra work, even if it was only for a couple of weeks before Christmas, would certainly come in handy. And while the money wouldn’t match her teaching salary, it would be less demanding, she hoped. ‘Seriously, I could help out, if you wanted me to.’
‘Aren’t you working at school?’
‘Only Monday to Wednesday,’ Thea replied. ‘I’ve been trying to get more hours, but it’s not that easy in a nice school where no one ever leaves. From Thursday onwards, I could be here, if it helps.’
Nick’s relieved face gave Thea’s heart a little, joyful lift. He had looked so stressed when she’d come in, and it felt good to be able to do something to help him out, especially since he’d saved her bacon with the diesel. Working in the farm shop for a couple of weeks would be a nice change from school, and it would mean a little extra cash for Christmas, which would come in very handy indeed.
‘Any time you can give us would be great,’ Nick said. ‘And since the film crew start on Thursday, the tail end of the week is where we might need the most help. If you’re sure?’
Thea nodded. ‘To be honest, you’d be doing me a favour, too. Christmas is an expensive time of year, especially now the kids are old enough to tell me exactly what they want. And what they want tends to cost more money, the older they get!’
‘Well, that sounds like a plan, then.’ Nick reached over the counter. ‘Shake on it?’
Laughing, Thea took his hand, which felt warm and firm against hers. ‘It’s a deal.’
As Nick let go of her hand again, he added, ‘Would you be OK to come in on Wednesday afternoon after school for a couple of hours’ training? I can take you through the till, show you the ropes a bit, that sort of thing.’
‘I’ll have to check with my gran that she can pop over and keep an eye on Dylan, but I’m sure that’ll be fine,’ Thea replied. Lorelai was always happy to see her great-grandchildren, and she was sure a couple of hours wouldn’t be a problem.
‘Great! I’ll see you then.’ Nick gave her a smile, and Thea’s heart gave that little, joyful lift again. ‘Was there, er, anything else you needed?’ he added as she lingered at the counter.
‘Oh, right, yeah.’ Thea grabbed her phone from her bag and clicked to find the reference for her next Throw Bag. ‘I liked the bag I got last week, so I thought I’d take a chance with another one.’
As Nick headed to the stock room to retrieve her Throw Bag, Thea realised she hadn’t done what she’d come in for and thanked him for the diesel. She was lucky she had a friend like him, she thought as she waited for him to return to the counter. Nick was the kind of person who’d do anything for anyone, and she yet again found herself wondering why he hadn’t been snapped up by some lucky girl years ago. Maybe he had some terrible habits she wasn’t aware of, she thought in amusement. After all, she hadn’t a clue, when she’d fallen in love with Ed, just how destructive some of his ‘habits’ were going to be. Somehow, with Nick, who seemed much more straightforward, she doubted it, though. Perhaps he just hadn’t found the right person yet?
5
Wednesday afternoon arrived, and Thea felt a flutter of apprehension. She then felt daft for being nervous. She’d had plenty of retail experience, even if it had been a fair few years ago, and although the technology might have changed, she was sure she could adapt. It wasn’t as if Saints’ Farm Shop was a hypermarket, either – she hoped she’d have plenty of time to learn the ropes, and if things didn’t work out, it was only until Christmas anyway.
She’d told herself these facts a few times between agreeing to help out and actually arriving to be trained by Nick. Confident in her own abilities as a primary school teacher, a job she’d been doing for fifteen years, she wouldn’t have thought twice about learning a new skill or trying a new technique in her classroom. This really wasn’t so different. As she locked the car and headed in through the farm shop’s doors, she could already see Nick behind the counter, bidding someone goodbye, and as the customer turned to leave, she saw it was Mollie Wakefield, owner of the Purrfect Paws Feline Rescue Centre and part-time manager of the charity shop in the village that had been opened to support the work of the centre. Mollie gave her a friendly smile as she passed by and a conspiratorial whisper.
‘I’ve just had some Pokémon cards in, if Dylan’s still interested in them. I’ll put them out the back for Saturday if you get the chance to pop in with him.’
‘Thanks, Mollie.’ Thea smiled. ‘I’ll bring him by and see what he thinks.’
Mollie had the knack of being able to source a great deal of things that the Lower Brambleton locals had on their wish lists, especially the children, and the ‘magic’ of the Purrfect Paws Charity Shop seemed to work whatever time of year it was. Thea’s keen eye for a bargain approved.
‘Hi,’ Nick said as she approached the counter. ‘How was your day?’
‘Long,’ Thea sighed, but brightened when she saw Nick’s look of sympathy. ‘It’s always a bit of a slog getting the children ready for the nativity play, but at least it’ll all be done and dusted by the end of next week. If I have to adjust one more wonky tinsel halo or discourage the donkey from growing his role to more than just a few well-timed “hee-haws” one more time, I think I might bury my head in the manger!’
Nick laughed. ‘I don’t know how you do it. I certainly wouldn’t have the patience for that kind of gig.’
Thea couldn’t help a rush of pleasure when he laughed. She also noticed how well the dark blue Saints’ Farm polo shirt suited him. It offset his beech-leaves-in-autumn coloured hair to a tee. He’d filled out over the years, too, because of the intensely physical nature of running the farm shop, and she had to concede he’d grown very attractive.
‘It’s kind of sweet, really,’ Thea replied, fearing she’d come across as a bit too cynical. ‘They all try very hard, and the parents are so proud of their little darlings on the stage. I just wish it wasn’t quite so repetitive, getting them all word perfect.’
‘Well, speaking as someone who had a strictly non-speaking role as one half of the stable door in the Christmas nativity play thirty years ago, I’m sure they’ll all look back and feel proud.’
‘Which half of the door were you? I can’t remember.’
Nick pretended to look hurt. ‘I’m offended that you’ve forgotten. Don’t you remember the lengths Mrs Rossiter went to drill the script into us? The poor woman’s hair turned white by the end of it, I seem to recall.’
‘I don’t think we were that bad,’ Thea replied. ‘I think she was just too busy to dye it before the end of term!’ She paused, and then teasingly added, ‘And I bet you can’t remember what part I played, anyway.’
‘Of course I can! I’ll always remember you with one of Lorelai’s tea towels strapped to your head with a dressing gown cord, cuddling that fluffy lamb. You and Tristan made quite the pair of shepherds, although I can’t remember which of you had the line.’
‘He did,’ Thea replied. ‘He always was the bigger drama queen out of the two of us.’
‘And Tris, not here to defend himself!’ Nick was smirking now, before his expression fell. ‘Oh God, Thea, wasn’t that the first Christmas after your parents…’ he trailed off, clearly feeling as though he’d made a misstep in the conversation.
When Thea and Tristan were five years old, their parents had been killed in a car accident near what had been the Lower Brambleton Observatory. They had been raised by Lorelai at Nightshade Cottage, just down the hill from the observatory. The tragedy had rocked the family and the wider village of Lower Brambleton, and still, over thirty years on, it lived in the memories of the residents.
Thea gave him a reassuring smile. ‘It’s all right,’ she said. ‘Tris and I enjoyed the distraction of things like the school plays after we lost Mum and Dad. It wasn’t as if the pain stopped, but it gave us other things to think about for short bursts of time. And Gran was in the audience that year, cheering us both on in the way that only she could.’ She looked at him. ‘And you didn’t answer my question. Which half of the stable door were you?’
‘The better half,’ Nick said dryly. ‘The other boy fell over and nearly took me with him.’
‘That’s right, I’d completely forgotten about that! Talk about a scene – or scenery – stealer! I wonder what happened to him?’
‘Became a carpenter, from what I’ve heard.’ Nick’s tone was so deadpan that Thea couldn’t be sure if he was joking or not.
‘Well,’ Thea said, glancing at the clock behind the counter. ‘Are you ready to get started? I’m all yours for the next couple of hours, if you think that’ll be enough time.’
‘Should be more than enough to show you the basics,’ Nick replied. ‘And anything else you need to know, you can just ask me or Dad as we go along.’
‘Thanks. I really do appreciate the chance to earn a bit more money before Christmas, and I’ll try to do my best for you.’
‘You’re welcome. In fact, you’re doing me a favour, too, so it’s all worked out quite well.’ Nick turned and reached for an apron that was hanging up on a brass hook behind the counter. ‘I’ve got you one of your own, and although I haven’t had time to get your name put on it, Mum made you a badge to pin on.’
‘Thanks.’ Thea took the apron and swiftly tied it around her waist. ‘Well, where do we start?’
And as Nick started to take her through the operation of the till, and where the price lists were for the loose produce, as well as how to operate the scales, Thea quickly caught on. It felt good to be out of her cosy comfort zone of the classroom and learning a new set of skills, or, at least, refreshing some she’d not used in a long while. Retail might not be where she thought she’d end up at this point in her life, but it certainly beat some of the alternatives, not least worrying even more about paying the bills.
‘So, the film crew are coming in tomorrow morning to set up and do some exterior shots and decide where the interior cameras are going to go. Are you all right with them being around while you’re working?’
Thea hesitated. It would be her first ‘real’ day on the job, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about being caught on TV learning the ropes. But then, Nick had warned her about the film crew when he’d suggested the job to her, so she didn’t feel as though she could really say no. ‘I’m sure it’ll be fine,’ she said cautiously. ‘But if there’s any way I can be out the back, or doing things just out of the eye of the cameras, I think I’d feel more comfortable.’
‘Fair enough,’ Nick replied. ‘I suspect they’ll just want lots of shots of pretty looking stuff in the shop anyway, and since Annabelle “volunteered” me to be the main talking head, and Dad’s rather fond of showing off to the camera, you probably won’t need to be in front of shot. Are you all right with being shown in the background?’
‘Sure,’ Thea said. ‘I’m more than happy to be a non-speaking extra.’
‘Much like you were in the Christmas play?’ Nick teased. ‘Maybe I should have asked Tristan to do a few hours here, instead!’
Thea laughed. ‘He’d be constantly asking the director for his motivation in every scene, he’s such a perfectionist!’ Thea adored her twin brother, but Tristan was a stickler for things to be just right, and she wasn’t above teasing him about it, and laughing about him with their friends.
‘Best stick with you, then,’ Nick said softly. When he smiled at her, Thea felt something start to fizz in her stomach. He really did have a lovely smile. She’d begun to notice things about him recently, but had put it down to feeling a bit lonely. Who lusted after their friends after all this time, anyway? She’d never really wanted to examine how she felt about him – past experiences with Ed had made her very risk averse, and Nick had been in and out of relationships himself, but she knew, from what Annabelle had mentioned the last time they’d spoken, that Nick hadn’t been with anyone seriously for quite a while. And she hadn’t had anyone, serious or otherwise, for even longer than that.
