Thankfully, she seemed to accept it. Perhaps Kirsty’s words about Helena had sunk in. “Ian looked very statesmanlike today.”
Mum grinned. “I’ll tell him you said that. He’ll love it.” She paused. “Are you coming down later? I bumped into Ginger in the Co-op earlier, and she said she was going to the harbour.” A loaded pause. “Saffron too.” Her mum leaned in a little as she said the final part, raising her eyebrows. Subtlety had never been her strong point.
Kirsty gave her a look. “We’ll be there once Anton and his mate relieve us. About five?”
“That’s about the time when Ginger said she was planning to go.” Her mum paused. “With Saffron.”
It was like she thought Kirsty was deaf. “Yes, I get it, Mum. Saffron is going. So is most of the town.”
Mum put a hand on her arm. “Yes, but you haven’t been spending a lot of time with half the town, have you? Even your dad noticed it at the BBQ, and that’s saying something.”
“Nothing’s going on.” Not a lie. They hadn’t even kissed. But Kirsty knew, whenever they were in close proximity lately, something had changed.
She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
But she’d like to.
“Stop being coy.” Her mum wagged a finger. “I’m just saying when she’s around you seem happier. Lighter. More your old self.”
“Absolute rubbish.” But she knew she was blushing.
Helena nodded. “I agree, Ruth. I think the lady doth protest too much.” She put an arm around Kirsty. “But she’s young, she’s never been in love before. It’s all so new.”
Kirsty couldn’t help but smile. “Shut up, you two.” She pointed at her mum. “Don’t you have a festival to be at?”
Mum gave her a grin. “I do. I’m meeting Shirley for lunch.” She reached up and pinched Kirsty’s cheek. “See you later, love refusenik.”
Kirsty watched her go, then turned. She walked right into Helena’s cheesy grin.
“You can wipe that smirk right off your face, too.”
“You love it,” Helena replied. “By the way, Anton’s done some new illustrations for the website, so he’s going to work them up over the next few days.”
They walked back into the shop. “Ginger said she could implement our online sales once the party’s over, too. Get Anton to whack up the new stuff and the promo pages with locals telling everyone how great we are in the meantime, and then we can get our website into the 21st century, finally.”
Helena held up a palm, waiting for a high five. “Sounds good, partner!”
Yep, she was acting really strangely.
* * *
They could hardly makeout the harbour by the time they arrived. It was a just din of chatter, a throng of short sleeves, and a sunbeam of collective cheer. Somewhere in there was the market, the cafés, the Crab Star restaurant. Kirsty bristled on sight. She’d never liked crowds. It was part of the reason she’d never done what a lot of her peers did when they left university: move to London. Kirsty loved the capital, but its streets were too packed, and the place was far too impersonal. She loved the simpler life, walks along the beach, the harbour in January when it was just her, a few locals, and Sam who ran the Harbour Oyster Café year-round.
She fought her way through the crowds, to where Sam was serving a queue of people that stretched beyond her eyeline. She gave him a wave when he caught her eye, and he gave her a wide-eyed grin. Next to him, his two brothers were pumping out drinks with machine-like precision, and his uncle John was shucking oysters, making it look easy. When Kirsty had tried it in her youth, she’d nearly sliced into her main artery.
Helena tapped her on the shoulder. “Your parents are over there. And look who’s with them.” She followed Helena’s outstretched arm to where her parents sat at a table in the café garden, glasses of fizz in their hands. Also with them were Ginger and Saffron, the latter wearing a different baseball cap and her regulation shades.
Kirsty’s heart did a few star jumps as she walked over to them, her mum standing up and taking her bag and sun hat from two chairs.
“About time! We’ve had to fend off all-comers for these seats.” Mum turned to Helena. “No Hugh?”
Helena shook her head. “He’s drinking in the Mariner’s Arms with his football mates. Says it’s too crowded down here.”
“He’s got a point.” Kirsty sat as her dad poured them both a glass of fizz. She turned to the Oliver sisters. “Have they been behaving?”
“Good as gold,” Saffron replied, flashing a slight grin.
It was just a simple movement of Saffron’s mouth, but it made every hair on Kirsty’s body stand to attention.
