He couldn’t help a smirk. She was right. His dancing wasn’t the best but he had enjoyed every function he’d been charged with overseeing. When he’d heard Barney last night at the pub talking about the event, he’d thought it would be the perfect place to invite Jade and perhaps they could slow dance – now, that he could manage. He could hire a tux, dress to impress. He hadn’t thought much beyond that until he’d overheard her conversation with her sister and their friend who owned a shop. Before that, he never would’ve picked her as one of those girls who, similar to his ex, was desperate enough for a family that she was willing to trap some poor bugger into parenthood.
‘If you’re in the Cove,’ Etna went on, ‘it wouldn’t be right for you not to come along. And, remember, the Wedding Dress Ball is for charity. We raise a lot of money every single year.’
‘What charity?’ He thanked Patricia for the oat biscuits she brought over to their table and helped himself to one. Earlier, she’d tried to persuade him to have a big slice of millionaire’s shortbread but it was far too sweet for him.
Etna broke off part of her biscuit and popped it in her mouth, sending a thumbs up in Patricia’s direction. ‘The charity is White Clover. They support families after the death of a child. Oh, they do such wonderful work for people who really are quite lost.’ She went on to confide about Barney’s story to Joseph.
‘How incredibly sad.’ Joseph shook his head, his look suggesting he was grateful his own sons were still alive and in his life despite one of them working away so many months of the year.
‘Fine,’ Linc relented, ‘I’ll come along.’ How could he refuse when it was for a good cause? If he was going to be staying in the Cove, he wanted to get to know people and it was probably the best opportunity he was going to get.
Joseph picked up his cap from the table when he knocked it off. ‘You’ll need a date, son.’
‘I hadn’t heard that,’ Linc batted back. ‘In fact, I heard it was perfectly acceptable to go along on your own.’
‘He’s right,’ Patricia called over. ‘Singles, couples, doesn’t matter, everyone welcome.’
Joseph stirred the remains of his coffee and Etna thanked Patricia, who’d efficiently appeared to clear away the empties and didn’t miss a chance to remind Etna she had to have the full fifteen-minute break before she came back to help.
‘I’m happy to head there on my own,’ Linc assured his dad and his auntie.
‘I know someone who might well be happy to be asked.’ It was as though Etna, lipstick in place, eyes twinkling, was in a staring contest with her nephew and she wasn’t going to be the one to look away first.
‘Who?’ Joseph looked from Linc to his sister. ‘You’ve only been here five minutes, son.’
Linc didn’t miss a trick. ‘I know Kenneth is going,’ he said, taking the focus away from him and putting it onto his auntie. ‘I heard him talking about it a couple of days ago.’
‘Kenneth?’ Joseph was all ears.
‘Kenneth is a friend,’ Etna assured him, her discomfort masked by her ability to talk and explain someone else in the Cove to her brother. ‘I’ll introduce you when he comes in.’
Linc checked the time, finished his coffee and took his mug over to the counter at the front. ‘I’ll leave you two to it, I’ve got an interview to get ready for.’
‘But you didn’t answer my question about this girl,’ his dad said, catching him as he made for the door. ‘Who is she?’
But he declined to answer and as they both called out their good-luck wishes, he left them to gossip or whatever it was they’d occupy themselves with for the rest of the time.
He headed to Tumbleweed House for a shower first – this might be an informal interview but he’d been wrestling with roots and weeds and having a turn on the digger out the back of the waffle shack and although passable to sit in the tea rooms with family, he wasn’t sure he looked or smelt like someone anyone would be willing to hire right now.
After his shower he made his way back to The Street, past the tea rooms and bakery, crossed over and walked back up towards the Waffle Shack. He purposely hadn’t looked in at the bakery, even though the smell had definitely teased him enough and made his stomach remember how good everything from there tasted, in case he caught Jade looking his way. After Linc had heard the girls talking he’d considered cancelling today’s interview and leaving the Cove as soon as he could, but ever since this potential job had arisen, he’d begun to think it could be good not only for him but also for his dad if they had a change and moved up this way. His dad might accuse him of existing rather than living, of narrowing friendship groups and not opening himself up to opportunities to be happy, but his dad had been doing the same thing since his mum died. Joseph was going through his daily routine assuming he had no choice, but hopefully this time with Etna was showing him that really wasn’t the case. He’d drawn comfort from his routine for years, and perhaps it was time he made some changes too.
The thing that had been so much worse than what he overheard was seeing Jade with the baby. Watching how she cooed over him and touched his cheek, Linc had felt something in him pang as though to remind him he might want a family of his own one day. He just wanted it under the right circumstances. And that was why he hadn’t wanted to catch her attention earlier. He didn’t want to talk to Jade and have to bury all the feelings he knew he had for her.
Linc crossed the green space that led up to the waffle shack and shook off thoughts of anything other than the interview. He wasn’t nervous; he usually handled formal meetings well, including the inevitable grilling for a new job. He didn’t have a problem just being himself and had the attitude that if it was the right fit, it would all work out.
Daniel already knew he was coming in today to meet Mrs Wideman and told him he’d reserve the table at the edge by the side window so they had less chance of being disturbed. Linc pushed through the door and although he was ten minutes early, it seemed the head teacher was even more prompt. With a nod in Daniel’s direction, he went right over and introduced himself. Mrs Wideman had told him he was welcome to dress informally as she would but he’d still made a bit of an effort with a well-ironed pale blue button-down shirt, tailored cotton-linen navy trousers and a pair of Timberland shoes that were at least not covered in dirt like the boots he’d been wearing while he worked out the back of this place.
‘Please, call me Jane,’ Mrs Wideman insisted when they made their introductions. She had a warm smile and she wasted no time telling him she had waffles on the way. ‘Order something too, please, or I’ll feel rather greedy.’
That in itself told him it was going to be a good interview and, over waffles drizzled in maple syrup, they talked shop. She asked him to tell her all about his career so far – he suspected starting with that the second Daniel set down her waffles and cutlery wrapped in a serviette was more to give her a chance to enjoy her food before she had to really concentrate on getting the most out of him. When it was her turn, she told him a bit about the school, about the role, what the teacher who was leaving had done so far and about some of the students. She seemed forward-thinking and, whilst following government guidelines, wanted to inject her own personality into the place, which spoke volumes to Linc. He guessed a lot you couldn’t really tell until you actually worked somewhere but it was enough for now and as soon as the interview was over, Jane, whose elderly mother had come up to the waffle shack to meet her, told him that although of course he would have to go through all the official channels and apply formally for the position, she would strongly support his application and would fast-track the process since the new teacher was needed in September.
‘It’s like you’re heaven-sent,’ said Jane before she left. Perhaps the waffles had gone to her head – that or Daniel had added a tipple to the maple syrup. ‘I was in a flap when Mr Simmons announced his sudden departure. We thought he’d do at least two more terms but he wants his B&B to be up and running by Christmas.’
Linc shook her hand before she said her farewells, pulled a big pair of sunglasses down from where they’d been nested in her hair for the entire interview, and set off to enjoy the summer’s day now that the sun had re-emerged from wherever it had been hiding.
Daniel was ringing up an order on the till. ‘How did it go?’ He looked up once he’d scribbled the details on a piece of paper and passed it to Brianna to deal with in the kitchen. ‘I gave Jane extra maple syrup – her favourite – thought I’d sweeten her up a bit.’
‘Well, it must’ve worked because she offered me the job subject to the formalities.’
