Page 59 of The Clockmaker's Cottage
Pippa tore a piece of bread and spread seaweed butter over it. ‘This is ridiculous. I might cry over actually being allowed to order fish.’
Theo raised his eyebrows. ‘Allowed?’
‘Like I said, I’d pick my arguments.’
‘On my watch, you’re allowed to do what you want. Just be you.’
She took a sip of wine, feeling relaxed in Theo’s company and grateful there was no walking on eggshells tonight. She felt like she could totally be herself. ‘Thank you.’
‘For what?’
‘For not making me feel silly about the seafood thing. It sounds small when I say it, but it wasn’t small.’
‘I get it,’ he said. ‘Small things add up.’
The oysters arrived on a bed of crushed ice with lemon wedges and a tiny bottle of hot sauce. The scallops landed with a neat line of pea purée and crisp pancetta. Pippa’s prawn cocktail came in a chilled glass with lettuce and a clean, sharp dressing.
Pippa’s eyes lit up. ‘This is exactly what I wanted.’
‘Good,’ Theo said. He dressed an oyster with a little lemon and passed it to her. ‘First of many.’
She tilted it back and smiled as she set the shell down. ‘That’s it. I’m back. My seafood era has recommenced.’
‘Welcome back!’
They swapped dishes for a moment so she could try a scallop and he a forkful of her prawns. The sharing came easy. No ceremony. No fuss. Just two people eating what they wanted and checking that the other one got to try it too.
‘So,’ Theo said, ‘since we’re ordering like champions and you’ve declared a seafood renaissance, I’m going to ask my other question again.’
She raised an eyebrow. ‘Which question?’
‘What’s next for you, Pippa?’
She sat back. ‘I don’t know the whole picture. I only know a few pieces.’
‘Tell me the pieces.’
‘Okay,’ she said, counting on her fingers. ‘One: I want to be honest about what I like and stop apologising for it. That includes clocks, old stories, and seafood.’
‘Strong start,’ he said.
‘Two: I want to find somewhere to live that feels like mine. Home.’
‘Reasonable.’
‘Three: workwise, I need a challenge… but I’m not quite sure what that is yet.’
‘Aren’t you happy restoring clocks?’
‘I love it, but I’d like a new challenge. I’m so envious of what you’re about to do. I had the opportunity once to go abroad, but Rob wouldn’t dream of it. I looked at it as an adventure in a new place, with a new culture, new language. Needless to say, he was horrified at the prospect.’
‘There’s nothing stopping you now.’
She thought about that for a moment. ‘You’re right.’
‘There’s a whole world out there and there’s only one thing for certain, and that is that time is ticking. Don’t give up on what you want to do.’
‘You certainly are going for it,’ Pippa said, swirling her wine and taking a sip. ‘Travelling the world, meeting mysterious clock people.’
