Damn! How did she do it? She knew there was more to it. I hadn’t intended to tell anyone else, but she’d always been such a good listener. Oh, sod it. The accounts could wait. ‘If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone else. Not even Mum…?’
‘So that’s why you won’t let me fix you up with Nick,’ Auntie Kay said when I’d finished, ‘Even though I can tell you fancy the pants off him.’
‘Auntie Kay! I do not. Can we focus back on Steven? What do you think?’
‘Honestly?’
‘Honestly.’
‘I get it. I do. I understand why you’d believe and I want to be supportive of you but I’m just not convinced by the whole clairvoyance thing.’
‘Why?’
‘Personal experience.’ Auntie Kay started fiddling with her ring again.
‘You’ve seen a clairvoyant?’
She seemed in a daze, fiddling with the ring and staring into nothing.
‘Auntie Kay? You’ve seen one?’
‘I must have seen about twenty after…’
‘After what? Auntie Kay? After what?’
She blinked and looked back at me. ‘I need to show you these accounts, don’t I?’
‘The accounts can wait. Why did you see twenty clairvoyants? What happened?’
‘Nothing. Did I say twenty? I meant twenty of us went to a spiritualist church once. Load of nonsense. Right, it’s just after eleven. I’m all yours till half twelve then I’m meeting Linda for lunch to plan our next shopping trip. Accounts. Now.’ She pulled a couple of files out of the desk drawer.
I desperately wanted to know why she’d visited twenty clairvoyants and what she thought of my search for Steven but I knew from her assertive tone that the subject was closed. If I pushed, she’d find an excuse to leave.
‘Whoopee! Bring it on,’ I said.
The knock on the door a few hours later startled me. I rubbed myeyes as I went to answer it. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach when I saw him standing there. ‘Nick? Hi.’ I’d kill her. Hadn’t she listened to a word I said about Steven?
‘Congratulations on becoming the new owner.’
‘Thank you.’
There was an awkward pause. What was the protocol for visits like this? Should I invite him in? What had she said to him? Did he think it was a date?
‘Kay said you need someone to set up your website and asked me to stop by this afternoon to chat about what you want.’
‘Did she now?’The crafty little…
He looked beyond me into the empty shop. ‘Is it a bad time?’
‘Sorry.’ I swung the door open. ‘Come in.’
‘Thanks.’ He stepped inside. ‘I can come back another time if you’re busy.’
‘No. It’s fine. You’re here now and I could do with a break from staring at the accounts. Cuppa?’
‘Yes please.’ He followed me through The Outback into the kitchen area. ‘The shop looks good.’
‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘I’m really pleased so far.’ I put the kettle on. ‘So, I’m guessing you’re a web designer or something like that.’
