the squirrels,’ Keeley said as they moved to another section of the absolutely huge market. Here there were maritime items, ships wheels and maps, anchors – yes, really – and old telescopes. Her dad would have got himself lost in here for days.
‘Tell me what time you got back last night, because you avoided saying anything at breakfast except that you thought the bacon was a lot thicker than it was the day before and you probably shouldn’t have had three slices,’ Rach countered.
‘Squirrels,’ Keeley said, halting by a canister of umbrellas.
‘Ethan,’ Rach replied.
Keeley blushed fiercely despite doing everything she could to try and stop it happening. ‘Oh God, Rach.’
‘What?’ Rach exclaimed. ‘What happened?’
Keeley’s insides were squirming now as the bubbling passionate fusion threatened to come pouring out. She had to calm.
‘We kissed,’ Keeley breathed, not doing the best job at containing her emotion at all. ‘We kissed and it was… well…it was the best kiss I’ve ever experienced.’ And it really had felt like an ‘experience’. A moment to be thought about continually until it hopefully happened again and led to more. Was that what she wanted? More from this man she barely knew?
‘Oh my God,’ Rach exclaimed, reaching out and seeming to steady herself on one of the umbrellas, the one with a handle carved like a crocodile. ‘You’ve… never looked like that before. Not with anyone.’
How did she look? Keeley turned sideways and caught a view of her reflection in an Art-Deco mirror. Her hair colour had finally settled and was no longer leaking onto everything and the tint in it really suited her skin tone. But it was her eyes where the real difference lay. Even she could see it herself. Hope. Excitement. Life. It was all there now. All the givens she had basically given up on.
‘Jesus,’ Rach whispered. ‘You’re in love.’
‘No,’ Keeley answered quickly, turning away from the mirror and taking hold of her friend’s arm to move them both forward, Rach’s bags brushing against her shins. ‘It can’t be that. Because I’ve known him five minutes. And I’ve kissed him once.’
‘And you know that’s exactly what happens in the movies.’
‘But we’re not in a movie, are we? And he lives in France and I live in England.’
‘Details.’
‘Pretty significant details.’
‘We got here in a couple of hours.’ Rach gasped. ‘Or you could go completely retro and be pen pals like in the olden days. My mum used to get French letters.’
‘I’m not in love with him.’ But even as she said the words, Keeley knew, whether it was love or not, it was definitely something more than a passing infatuation. It was the way they seemed so in tune with each other’s thinking. How things always flowed so easily since their very first meeting. It was how she felt when he held her hand… ‘Squirrels,’ she blurted out. ‘Tell me about the squirrels now.’
‘You have to promise not to be mad.’
Keeley dodged around the huge wheel of a Pennyfarthing bicycle and led the way towards a stall selling a selection of artwork, dust still on the frames. ‘Why would I be mad about squirrels?’ And then realisation seemed to sink in. This story could only be about Mr Peterson’s property.
‘Oh, God. What’s the demented taxidermist done now?’ Keeley asked.
‘Promise you won’t be mad,’ Rach said for the second time. Now Keeley was a little bit concerned.
‘Tell me, Rach.’ Her best friend made big eyes that seemed to say she wasn’t going to crack unless the declaration was made. ‘I promise I won’t get mad.’
‘OK,’ Rach breathed. ‘Your mum has been working on the Peterson place since we left. That’s why Roland signed our holiday forms without too much of a grumble. I was sworn to secrecy and… please don’t hate me.’
Keeley watched Rach close up her eyes and grimace as if in real fear of her reaction to this news. This was typical Lizzie. Even when Keeley wasn’t in London, wasn’t there doing her job at House 2 Home, her mum was in the background, managing life for her.
‘You should have told me,’ Keeley said, sighing.
‘I know,’ Rach said, opening her eyes. ‘But I knew it would unsettle you and you were already dealing with coming here and everything so…’
‘So, what has that got to do with squirrels?’
Rach sighed, repositioning her fingers around the handles of her bags of goodies. ‘A trio of them burst out of Mr Peterson’s airing cupboard, got caught in Lizzie’s hair and one of them bit her. She had