Page 61 of Kiss Me Like You Mean It

‘Whatever,’ I grumble.

After we finish eating, and I watch Lee disappear through the woods towards my house, I head for Magda’s.

‘Nico!’ Magda says when she opens the door. ‘What a nice surprise!’

‘We need to talk,’ I say, and she steps back to let me in.

Magda’s cottage had originally been a temporary arrangement – she and Tom had their own generous living quarters in the inn – but as the work progressed and she’d settled in, she decided she wanted to stay here. A new start for her, she said, and I could understand that.

The layout of the house is the same as mine, but Magda hasn’t wasted any time putting her own personality all over it. There are dream catchers in all the windows, candles and cushions and blankets everywhere. She painted the whole place a sunny, happy yellow and copper pans hang from the ceiling over her kitchen. The second bedroom is Magda’s crafting space, but it also has a daybed for Phoebe when she stays. It’s a nice set up.

‘Is something wrong?’ Magda asks now, gesturing to her oversized sofa, too big for the space, but incredibly comfortable. ‘Can I get you a calming herbal tea? You’re looking very… ominous.’ She makes a gesture around me that I know her well enough to recognise as a reference to my aura.

‘I need to talk to you about this calendar business.’

‘Oh,’ Magda’s face clears, ‘smart, huh? Phoebe showed me how to do it.’

I concentrate on breathing slowly, through my nose. ‘I need you to take it down right now.’

Magda’s brow crinkles. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean that for anyone outside of this nosy, interfering town it would be too much, but for Lee it’s torture. I’m not kidding, you need to tell everyone to back way off.’

As Magda drops down on the sofa, I realise I’m still standing, but I cross my arms across my chest, thinking about Lee’s blank expression, the anxiety that I felt coming off her.

‘I had no idea…’ Magda trails off. ‘I’d never do anything to upset Lee. She seemed so happy with the plans at the town meeting, I just assumed—’

‘Well, those assumptions stop here,’ I say sternly. ‘Lee isn’t a shiny new toy for you all to play with. She’s my wife.’ The words spill out before I can think about them, surprising me. I hesitate. ‘… while she’s here, taking part in this charade, anyway,’ I add quickly. ‘Lee might come off confident, but she’s shy and she finds social stuff overwhelming sometimes. I’m not having anyone upset her or make her uncomfortable, is that understood?’

I expect Magda to be hurt or angry. I’ve never spoken to her like this before, but instead she’s beaming up at me.

‘What is that look for?’ I ask suspiciously.

Immediately the grin drops and she looks chastened. ‘Nothing, you’re totally right, Nico. I’m so sorry, I got carried away. I’ll take the calendar down, and I’ll apologise to Lee myself.’

‘Okay,’ I say, still wary.

‘So now you’ve got that off your chest, will you sit down and have a cup of tea?’ She glances at her wrist. ‘We’ve got time before I need to pick Phoebe up.’

Grudgingly, I sit down. ‘Fine, but none of that herbal muck. I want a cup of real tea.’

‘Coming right up,’ Magda nods, and as she makes me a cup of tea with the proper teabags she keeps in just for me, I feel myself soften. I know Magda only had the best of intentions, but seeing Lee upset had me seeing red. It’s possible I overreacted, racing over here.

‘So you and Lee already had a chance to catch up today?’ Magda asks, placing a perfectly brewed cup of tea in front of me.

‘She came by the inn and I gave her the tour.’

Magda’s face lights up. ‘What did she think?’

‘She loved it,’ I admit. ‘Apparently she’s into house renovation projects. She wanted to know if you have a Pinterest board.’

‘Ooh,’ Magda claps her hands together, ‘fun! I can’t wait to pick her brains. It’s obvious she has fabulous taste. You only need to look at her style. Then again, I suppose her mother…’

‘Yeah,’ I agree. Say what you will about Caroline Turner – and I could say plenty – the woman knows how to dress. ‘And her grandmother’s the same – in looks at least.’

‘That’s the one you’re close with?’

I grin. ‘Yes. She kind of ruled the roost when we were kids. Jack and Lee’s parents were very checked out, and once Ma came back to the States I spent most of my school holidays with them rather than flying back and forth, some weekends too, so Gran took me on as well.’