Page 90 of The Time of My Afterlife

I put down my phone. ‘What do you think?’

He lets out a heavy sigh. ‘I don’t think we’ll have passed. Yes, we discovered that Mary was a serial killer and we got excited, but we haven’t turned her book into a bestseller. I also messed up Jack’s football match, and he refuses to talk to me.’

‘I agree,’ I add as worry starts to engulf me.

‘I told my mum about Dad and she hates me,’ he says. ‘That’s a change. Not a good one but like you said this morning, her pain and anger at him was never mine to carry.’

Laura’s face flashes up in my mind. ‘Laura got to go on a hot date with Ronan. That’s a change but I still feel bad for poor Molly.’

He takes hold of my hand. ‘We’ll get through whatever happens to us, Florence.’

I give his hand a gentle squeeze.

A meow makes us both jump.

‘Has your cat got into my house?’ I ask him.

He looks around and then gasps. A white cat jumps onto my coffee table. It sits down and starts to lick its paws.

‘Is it a stray?’ I ask.

‘The collar,’ he says, pointing. The cat is wearing a silvery collar and attached to it is a tiny roll of white paper. He leans over, strokes the cat, who stops cleaning and starts to emit a loud purr. Carefully he releases the tiny roll. The second he does the cat flicks its head to the back of my living room, leaps off the table and runs away.

He hands the message to me. With trembling hands, I open it.

YOU’VE FAILED AGAIN. YOU ARE CLOSE. BUT TIME IS RUNNING OUT, TRY AGAIN.

Relief floods through me as I turn to him. ‘We’ve got another chance…’

He’s staring at me. ‘I need to do something. It’s been on my mind for some time. If I don’t do it now, I might regret it.’

‘What?’

Reaching out, he cups my cheek before leaning in and pressing his lips against mine. They are soft and warm. There’s no pressure from him to turn it into something else. His hands remain where they are and don’t go wandering, not like some men who I have kissed for the first time. It’s special and perfect.

It comes to its natural conclusion, and afterwards, he rests his forehead against mine. Neither of us says anything. We just listen to each other breathe.

‘Thank you,’ he whispers, breaking the silence.

He pulls away and I gaze into his eyes. ‘That was worth the wait.’

His arms wrap themselves around me and we sit entwined on the sofa.

There’s no need to say anything. It feels natural to be in his arms. I think about the test and what we still must do. It’s time to get serious.

‘Clark,’ I say, ‘I’m going to close the café tomorrow. I will come to Pixie Cove with you and Pearl.’

36

CLARK

I kissed her. She turned to me after we’d read the message and I got lost in her beauty. Her caramel hair that frames her face, her honey-dipped eyes, those thick black lashes, and those plump lips. Kissing Florence Hill felt like a firework display was taking place inside my chest. The kiss was special and something I will always remember for the rest of my days – even if those days are very limited. We sat on her sofa cuddled for ages. When I left to go home, she pulled me in for another kiss and I knew I would have a sleepless night thinking about her.

We’re now on our way to Pixie Cove. Pearl is in the back of my car.

I can’t believe Florence has closed the café and given Laura an unexpected day off.

I glance at Pearl via the driver’s mirror. She looks tense and nervous. No matter how many times we reassure her about Mr Beaver, there’s still a little part of her that’s worried about seeing him again after all these years.