‘Coming up for a cup of tea or something a bit stronger? One for the road?’ Birdie asked.
‘I might give it a miss if you don’t mind. I have a shift in the morning and then I’m at the stall all day and at Nina’s again. I’m quite tired, actually. Might get myself off to bed.’
‘Okie-dokie. Want someone to walk you home?’
‘No, no. All good. I’ve got my phone and there are loads of people still around.’
‘Right, you are. See you tomorrow, then.’
Cally stood for a bit longer, taking in the lighthouse. Just as she was about to make her way out of the yard and into the street, she closed her eyes as she realised she could smell the Logan smell. She knew he was behind her. Instinctively, she turned around.
Logan smiled. ‘I thought you might be here.’
‘Hey.’
‘How are you?’
Cally wasn’t sure whether to answer with the truth or not: that she’d been pretending that she was fine. That she wasn’t fine without him. That she was dreadful. So bad. That she was no longer whole. That she missed him. Loved him. Wanted him back in her life. Wanted him to click the puzzle piece into place.Wanted to love him all the time. She flicked the switch. ‘Yeah, fine, thanks.’
‘See, I knew if you did the voice, I’d be okay.’
Cally wrinkled her nose. ‘What?’
Logan slipped his hand into Cally’s. ‘The voice you do. I said to myself that if you pretended you were fine and you did that weird voice, that really you weren't and that meant that you missedus.’
Cally felt her heart skip a beat as Logan squeezed her hand. A tingle shot up her arm. ‘I didn’t miss us. Not at all.’
‘Oh.’
Cally giggled. ‘Joking.’
‘Not my idea of a joke.’
Cally decided to chuck every single one of her emotions out the nearest window. All the hurt, the rug coming away under her feet, the sadness, her stubbornness, the anger, pride. Stuff all of it. ‘I think I might need to apologise.’
‘It’s fine.’
‘I just…’
'I know, Blackcurrant. I know.'
Cally nodded. She loved the fact that Henry-Hicksthoughtthat he knew. But oh, how he didnotknow. Not at all. No one would ever know how much her arms had ached holding up that big old sky. She didn’t say anything for a second but just looked at the lighthouse in all its glory as it twinkled above them.
'I was an idiot. I should have told you about Cassia from the start. I was afraid.'
‘Of what?'
‘That you'd think I wasn't good enough for you.'
Pah! Oh, the irony.Henry-Hicks didn’t even know he was born.
'Not good enough for me? You know that I've spent most of my time since I met you convinced it was the other wayaround. Cally from the chemist's. Not quite the Cassia Allegra Brommington’s of the world.’
‘You couldn't be more wrong.'
'But Cassia...'
'Was a mistake.’
