Page 49 of The Village of Lost and Found

He looked embarrassed. ‘By the way, I’d be grateful if perhaps you could keep my little meltdown last night to yourself. Just for the time being.’

‘I won’t tell anyone,’ she said. ‘It’s private. Nobody’s business but yours.’

He inhaled sharply. ‘You’re right. And that’s the same about whatever happened with Jamie Watkins. I’m sorry if I’ve been a bit harsh on you.’

She shrugged her shoulders. ‘It was probably justified.’

‘No, it wasn’t,’ he told her. ‘I apologise.’

She brushed a long lock of dark hair over her shoulder, feeling embarrassed. ‘Thank you,’ she muttered.

‘You know, perhaps you’re right. About your ideas for the paper,’ he told her. ‘But I need your help. To saveThe Cranbridge Times.’

‘I truly think we can save it,’ she told him, glancing down briefly at her bare legs. ‘Once I get dressed that is.’

As she stood up, so did Tom.

He looked sheepish. ‘Sorry again for outstaying my welcome last night. I know I was way out of line getting so drunk.’ He held up his hand. ‘I promise never to see you in your pyjamas ever again.’

‘Well, never say never,’ she said, surprising both of them. Where had that come from?

Tom’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

‘You go home and start to recover,’ she told him, still feeling somewhat mortified. ‘I’m going to get dressed and then Uncle Frank and I are meeting Molly at the Pet Service with Simon the cat.’

He grimaced. ‘I should be there too.’

‘You’re not up to it this morning,’ she said softly. ‘I’ll take some photos and make a few notes on my phone, if you like. Then you can write up the piece later. Look, I’ll see you afterwards downstairs in the office around lunchtime, OK? Then we’ll get started.’

‘Yes, boss.’

She gave him a sheepish look. ‘Am I being unbearable?’

‘Only because my head is still thumping,’ he said, giving her a grin. ‘But it’s great to feel like I’m not alone in this.’

‘No, you’re not,’ she told him softly. ‘I’ll see you later.’

As she spun around to head to her bedroom, she could feel him watching her leave.

She didn’t know where on earth that brief moment of flirtation had come from a few minutes earlier. Or, more worrying, where it would end up. But she had bigger things to worry about. They needed to saveThe Cranbridge Times. Because, like Tom, she wasn’t sure quite what else she had in her life that was so important to her at that moment.

27

The last thing Lucy wanted to do that Sunday morning was attend the Pet Service at the church. She had barely slept, and now her head was buzzing with Tom’s bombshell. But she had promised Uncle Frank, who still attended the Sunday services, that she would accompany him to St Barnabas’s church.

Unfortunately her mind was so full that she thought it might actually explode like Dodgy Del’s gin. The newspaper was in trouble and needed a radical overhaul. But on some level she was grateful that Tom had finally been completely honest with her. She just hoped they were both up to the task of saving the newspaper.

Uncle Frank came out of his bungalow just as she was almost at the front door.

‘Good morning,’ he said.

‘Good morning,’ said Lucy, giving his cheek a kiss before opening the passenger car door for him.

‘I’ll be glad to get rid of these crutches,’ said Uncle Frank as he sat down. ‘Maybe even this week, if I ask the doctor nicely.’

‘Just take your time getting better,’ replied Lucy. After all, there didn’t appear to be any need for her to leave Cranbridge any time soon and, in truth, she didn’t want to.

Lucy drove the very short distance to the church, which was just past the old mill next to the river.