LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter 7

      Maddy waited for Harry at the place where they’d agreed, on a bench in the cobbled area at the front of the cathedral. Sunglasses perched over her eyes, she relaxed in the sunshine, soaking up the warmth and the busy atmosphere, listening and watching. They’d arrived in Truro soon after midday, and although she’d only been shopping for a couple of hours, her feet were sore and her legs ached. Knowing there were seats, she’d decided to head to their meeting place early. To fill the time, she took a photo of the cathedral, the cloudless blue sky as a backdrop and posted it to her Instagram account.

      Truro reminded Maddy a little of Bath, only smaller, with the Georgian architecture and mellow stone buildings. Cobbled streets ran through most of the original parts of the city. The cathedral, grand and impressive, stood tall, prominent on Truro’s skyline. The cathedral could be seen from most of the streets, and heard as well when the bells chimed, as if to ensure you hadn’t forgotten its presence. The seagulls gave occasional cries, a reminder you were in Cornwall, albeit inland, and the coast wasn’t too far away. She wondered if they were as cheeky and aggressive here as in Padstow or Tinners Bay, and would have the audacity to steal a pasty right out of your hand. Probably. Maddy wasn’t prepared to find out.

      She spotted Harry approaching before he saw her – over six foot and with broad shoulders, the man stood out from the crowd. She gathered up her shopping and walked towards him.

      ‘Get everything you need?’ he asked.

      ‘I think so, I lost interest after a while,’ Maddy said, shrugging her shoulders. ‘I’m not really in the mood.’

      She wasn’t a huge shopper at the best of times. It was always when you fancied a spending spree you could never find anything, and when you didn’t have the money, all sorts of lovely things jumped off the rails at you. This apparently was true for everyone, not just Maddy, so her friends assured her.

      Today, she’d strolled around her usual favourites, Next, Topshop, and even TK Maxx hoping for some inspiration. She’d bought some essentials, like underwear and toiletries, to tide her over and a couple of pairs of shorts and some summery vest tops on offer – good job the weather was holding. But to be honest, her heart wasn’t in it. She was stressed at the mound of things to sort out at home, and although it had taken her mind off it for a while, she now needed to return and get things in motion. At least do the chores she could be getting on with before the Loss Adjuster arrived, like stripping the beds. Oh, the high life. Whether the insurance paid out or not, these things would need doing.

       What was she going to do if the insurance didn’t pay out?

      Maddy pushed the chilling thought aside. She had no more savings. They’d been used up buying the house and setting up the gallery.

      Thoughtfully, Harry had left her to her own devices, realising she needed privacy to shop. He was only her neighbour after all. The poor man didn’t want to traipse around a load of women’s stores. He was hardly her boyfriend. Even Connor had hated shopping with her.

      ‘Shall we find somewhere to have a coffee? Then I’ll drive us home.’ Catching Maddy off guard, Harry took her shopping bags from her, adding them to his own, like the perfect gentleman. Connor never offered to hold her bags; she’d always had to ask him to carry them. She certainly hadn’t expected Harry to insist on it.

      ‘Yes, that sounds like a good idea.’

      Harry led the way and found a quaint coffee shop down one of the narrow lanes. As it was so warm, Maddy opted for an iced skinny latte feeling the need for caffeine but not fancying something hot, while Harry asked for a normal latte.

      ‘Do you want anything else? Cake or a sandwich?’ he asked.

      Even though the cakes did look delicious, Maddy shook her head. She’d lost her appetite, which usually happened when she was stressed. ‘No thanks. Better not.’

      The woman behind the counter patiently held her hand out for payment as Harry opened his wallet. ‘I’ll pay,’ Maddy said, purse in hand, taking a five-pound note out.

      ‘No, I’ll get these.’

      ‘No, it’s the least I can do. I insist. You’ve done so much for me since Wednesday evening.’ Harry frowned as Maddy handed over the money. With a playful nudge, she said, ‘I’ll let you carry the tray.’

      With the sun shining, Maddy and Harry opted to sit outside at one of the small bistro tables. Maddy stared in horror while Harry emptied four sachets of sugar into his coffee.

      ‘You’ll never stay fit if you keep putting sugar in like that.’

      ‘I burn it off,’ Harry said, grinning. ‘I have a high metabolism.’

      ‘Can you actually taste the coffee?’ Maddy sipped her iced latte, not having to wait for it to cool down.

      ‘I like sweet coffee.’

      ‘It’ll catch up with you one day. You’ll wake up and wonder where all your muscle went.’

      ‘I don’t take sugar in my tea, though – and I drink that mainly when I’m at work.’

      ‘I drink too much coffee. I’d be the size of a house if I put four sugars in every cup. I barely make time for the gym as it is.’ Just looking at Harry’s tanned arms, his biceps bulging under the light blue T-shirt he was wearing made Maddy feel flabby. Now the weather was getting warmer, she’d have to make sure she took more dips in the sea after work. She enjoyed body-boarding and the exhilaration of catching a wave, even though she wasn’t as good as those who did it regularly, those who had been born surfing, living in Cornwall all their lives.

      A silence fell between them. The cathedral bells chimed three o’clock. Shoppers and holidaymakers passed them by, seagulls squawked from rooftops, and for a while, they people-watched and drank their coffee without talking. Two people

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