Taffie, so I didn’t think I’d bother, sorry.’ She shrugged. ‘I did buy Taffie a Christmas chew, though!’
‘Right. We can’t have that.’ And with that, Ed picked up his money belt and headed for the front door.
‘What about your jet lag?’
‘It will have to wait.’ He laughed, holding the door open for her.
41
They found a spot to park along the coast road and hopped out the car to a brisk wind. The Christmas Fayre was still going so they decided to make their way there. There were stands selling everything from veggie burgers to chai lattes, exotic fruit piled high in plastic boxes to juice, jewellery, mince pies, Christmas wreaths, candles and paintings. It was well after two o’clock and the sweet smell of fried onions and burgers wafted across their noses.
‘I’m starving!’ said Ed as Maddie rolled her eyes. ‘Again?’ She laughed. He pointed at his watch. ‘Jet lag!’ They headed towards a stall selling gourmet burgers to check out the menu and see if they had any veggie burgers. It turned out he’d joined Adity not just with matching tattoos, but in becoming a (sometimes) vegetarian too.
As Maddie passed a few stalls on the way, a watercolour of a pale lemon beach, the washes of blue waves against a stark grey sky, took her eye and she wandered over. It was perched on a table, and she picked it up, looking for the price.
‘Hi there!’ The stallholder stood up. It was the man who’d come into the café. ‘You found me.’
‘Hi! Lovely painting,’ Maddie said, turning it round in her hand. ‘I see what you mean about dreams. How much is it?’
‘It’s Brightwater Bay painted in January last year. Beautiful sky. It’s seventy quid,’ said the stallholder, smiling at her.
‘Nice,’ she replied, but she couldn’t justify seventy quid on a painting. She held the canvas for a bit longer, marvelled at the way the colours melded into one another. She’d always wanted to rekindle her love of painting; she’d been moderately talented at art at school, but had given it up to go to university and study a ‘proper’ degree as her father had said back then. As an only child, all her parents’ ambitions had been foisted onto her. Maybe now was the time to reclaim some of her desires? She didn’t owe her parents any explanation anymore, and she felt a surge of hurt when she recalled her mother’s part in keeping her and Greg apart all these years. And yet, there was more to it than that, wasn’t there? her conscience reminded her sharply. She glanced at the sketchpads and paints on the table, little palettes of colour and some fine brushes.
‘Not as hard as you think.’ The stallholder interrupted her thoughts and she tilted her head to the side. ‘Sorry?’ She smiled at him as his gold earring glinted.
‘Painting.’ He nodded at the paints.
‘No, it’s probably not. I was good at school, but then… Maybe I’ll try it again some time.’ She grinned at him and noticed how green his eyes were and his tanned skin. Not as hard as you think. She looked out to the black dots of surfers towards the horizon and took a deep breath of damp sea air. She’d not only managed to get back on a body board herself, but she’d started to renovate a cottage. Tim had never even let her lift a screwdriver before. You won’t manage it, Maddie.
She’d moved on to a stall selling silver jewellery and was fiddling with some bangles when Ed came up behind her. ‘Mum, I’ve found some small trees. Shall we get one?’
‘Of course!’ She laughed as she hooked arms with him, the scents of strong coffee, deep-fried burgers and fried onions wafting tantalisingly under their noses.
‘And then we’ll get some food. I’m hungry now too.’
She glanced across at the food stalls then wandered over alone and ordered a skinny latte.
And that’s when she heard him. There was no other deep voice that could put a shudder through her body the way his did. Always had.
‘How are you?’ Greg grinned at her, touching her elbow gently.
She looked up at him, at those tiny flecks of amber in his eyes.
How was she going to explain this to Ed?
‘Ed’s come back, a surprise visit, and we’re just buying a tree. Coffee?’
‘Really? He’s back? Yeah, sure,’ he said, a slow smile emphasising the crinkles next to his eyes.
They bought three coffees and some freshly made mince pies dusted with icing sugar and sat