‘Hello, Mr Ferrier, you found it I see.’
Petey from the van waved at him. ‘Fudge?’ asked Peggy, holding the plate in front of him.
‘No thanks, I need to find Christa. Have you seen her?’
Peggy shook her head. ‘Have you called her?’
‘I don’t have her number,’ he said, feeling stupid. He’d never had any reason to call her until now.
Peggy pulled her phone out of her apron pocket and handed him the platter of fudge.
‘Hold this,’ she said, and scrolled through her phone and pressed send and he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
A market goer walked up to Marc and took a piece of fudge from the plate, then stood there chewing at him.
‘What’s the flavour?’ asked the man.
Marc looked at Peggy. ‘Flavour?’
‘Peppermint and dark chocolate,’ said Peggy, slipping her phone back in her pocket and taking back the platter.
‘There’s a lovely strawberries and champagne one also, if you like something lighter.’
Marc called Christa’s phone while he watched Peggy sell several packets fudge to the man.
She was a truly a gem, underneath her disapproving disposition.
Christa’s phone went through to voice mail and he hung up without leaving a message.
What would he say? He didn’t even know what he would say if he saw her in person; he just wanted to see her.
As if he’d manifested her, he spotted her pink jacket, then her white wool hat with the pom-pom on top and he called out.
She turned and looked around and then saw him and smiled, a tentative smile but not a scowl, nor did she turn away.
He made his way through the crowd and came to her side.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, her face pink with cold and her nose red. He wanted to kiss the tip of it but instead he took the bags of shopping she was carrying from her.
‘I wanted to see you,’ he said.
‘Why?’
People passed them in the market but he felt they were all spinning around them and only he and Christa were still.
‘I don’t know, I just wanted to be with you.’
She bit her lip, as though trying to stop herself from smiling.
‘Was there something you needed to tell me? Something I needed to buy? Rhubarb, perhaps? I could make you a lovely apple and rhubarb strudel. I know how much you would love that.’
‘No, thank you,’ he said. ‘I would prefer something else,’ he said.
‘What would you prefer?’ she asked and he knew they were flirting now.
‘You,’ he said and he saw her take in a sharp breath and then she breathed out slowly.
‘What do you mean?’
