Ava grimaced at Eliza. ‘What’s up with him?’
‘He’s a moody shit, is all. He left years ago and has only just come back. His departure caused a lot of ill-feeling.’
Ava was shocked. So many secrets already. There was more excitement here than at work in London.
‘Don’t you remember him?’ Eliza went on. ‘He was always jumping off the bridge with his bike.’
‘Oh, him!’
Sara came out of a side door, carrying a box of A4 paper and plonked it on the counter.
‘Oh, you two are reunited at last.’ She smiled. ‘I bet you have a lot to catch up on.’
‘Yes, we had great fun when we were younger,’ Ava replied. ‘Such fond memories.’
‘Hmm. A lot of them were naughty, if I remember rightly. A certain brother of mine remembers youfondly, too,’ Eliza piped in.
Ava blushed, and Sara giggled before sashaying off.
‘IfIremember rightly, you used to date Harry, too,’ Ava said.
Eliza’s smile dropped briefly, but she recovered almost immediately. ‘I might have had the odd snog with him when I was younger, but I’m definitely not going there again.’ Her laughter followed her disappearing form.
Ava turned to the entrance, giggling to herself, but wondering if there was any story there that she’d find out later.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Friday morning came round quickly. Ava was working at Jack’s home, on some ideas for the website. Jack was catching up with his emails and admin in his study. Ava couldn’t get over how peaceful it felt. The radio was on low, and Graham, curled up in his basket close by, interrupted things with a snore every now and then.
It was nearly midday when Jack came back into her. She turned the laptop around for him to look at.
‘What do you think?’ She clicked on a few images to show him pages she’d linked them to.
‘They’re amazing,’ Jack said, leaning close to her while he studied the images she’d come up with so far.
‘Thanks. I like some of them, but I don’t think I have the right vibe to work with yet. I want to get the deepest Sapphire I can, reflecting the area.’
‘Like the colours in your bracelet?’ He pointed to her wrist. ‘One of Ruby’s?’
‘Yes, she wouldn’t let me pay for it, though.’ Ava had been thrilled when Ruby handed her the bracelet, she’d made from the colours she’d chosen. ‘She said she’d make me one, but I hadn’t thought she’d be so quick.’
‘It matches the colour of your eyes.’ Jack gazed into them. ‘Would you like to get some fresh air? I fancy a walk before lunch, and Graham needs a pee stop.’
‘Now, there’s an offer I can’t refuse.’ Ava pulled on her coat.
‘Good boy,’ Jack murmured as he placed a harness on his pet.
Outside, Graham walked beside Jack obediently. They took the steps down to the cabins but turned left onto the path that would take them along the edge of Sapphire Lake.
Ava knew from her research that there was another café about a mile away, which was good because she was already feeling the cold from the breezy spell of weather they were having.
But she wasn’t going to show it.
‘There’s a tea shop about a mile on,’ Jack said, in step with her now. ‘Perhaps we could have a brew. It’s colder than I thought. That clear blue sky can often be deceiving.’
Ava laughed. ‘I was thinking the same thing. Roll on summer.’
Jack smiled. ‘Can you remember the tea shop?’
