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“The earrings Alfie gave you.” We watched as Ryan unearthed a very muddy, very familiar red velvet box.Oops.“So, do you want to tell me how this happened?” Natalie asked without taking her eyes off her son.
“He came, he saw, he conquered.” I shrugged.
“I can’t say I’m surprised. That is one beautiful man.” She wasn’t wrong. “I’m glad you have him back, Lo. He’s a touch awkward though, isn’t he?” she said as Alfie politely declined Ryan’s offer to wear his ‘helmet.’ I smiled, wondering if anyone had ever described the ever-smooth Alfie Tell as awkward.
Natalie got on with dinner and I wandered outside, gesturing to Alfie that I was ready to go. He turned to Ryan, and it was hard to tell whether he was playing the part of royal attendant or just being his usual, overly-formal self.
“Your majesty, thank you for showing me around but I’m afraid we have to leave now. Your aunt and I must continue on our journey.”
“And why should I let you take my Auntie Lo anywhere?”
Alfie blinked in surprise, obviously not expecting a challenge. “I’ll let you have a ride in my noble steed sometime.”
It was my turn to blink in surprise. He was going to let Ryan near his car?
“Deal!” Ryan spat on his hand and stuck it out for Alfie to shake. My jaw dropped when Alfie obliged him with a handshake.
“Have fun?” I asked as Ryan ran away inside to hunt down his dinner. Alfie pulled out his pocket square and wiped his hand.
“He’s very entertaining.” I searched his face for a hint of sarcasm but didn’t find any. “He wouldn’t show me in there, though.” He nodded at the gate to my Memory Garden. “He said that I couldn’t go in there on pain of death.”
I tensed. So far, there wasn’t a part of me that I’d been able to keep Alfie away from but that…I couldn’t share that yet.
“My mum and gran’s ashes are buried there. Please don’t push it,” I pleaded, preparing myself for the fight that I knew would follow.
“Of course.”What?I was speechless as he passed me, returning to the house. I followed him, finding my sister in the kitchen, peeling potatoes in the sink.
“Natalie, it was good to finally meet you. Thank you for the tea.” He held out his hand and she took it.
“Yes, it’s nice to see what all the fuss has been about.” She grinned at me and I let out a groan.
“Come on.” I grabbed Alfie’s hand. Natalie’s laughter followed us as I dragged him out of the house before she could embarrass me any further. His hand squeezed mine as we walked to his car.
“I think your family likes me.”
“Yeah,” I smiled up at him, “you should let people like you more often.”
Thirty-Two
“Idon’t like this. I want you with me,” Alfie grumbled as he pulled up outside Harrington House. Almost immediately a bearded man in a hard hat and a high vis vest appeared at the top of the entrance steps. He must have been whoever called Alfie with the emergency.
“I know but I’ll just be in the way and bored to death. I want to work on my garden.” I waved my sketch pad at him and he snatched it out of my hands and began flicking through my old sketches.
“These are beautiful, Lola.”
“I know.”
He raised his scarred brow. “Well, so long as you know.”
I rolled my eyes and snatched my pad back. “Speaking of my designs, I haven’t thanked you yet for sending the bricks and the camera for the school garden.”
Yesterday I’d hated him for giving me those things, and I still didn’t trust that it hadn’t been a manipulative move, but it had made all the difference to the school and I had to be grateful for that.
“It was nothing,” he said, waving me off.
“It was something to me and to the kids. There’s goodness in you, Alfie.”
“Only for you, it seems.” He reached out, cupping my chin, his thumb stroking my cheek. Gazing into his eyes, I felt like I could disappear into him forever, but the world was waiting and the bearded man was practically hopping with impatience.