Chapter 2 #2
He couldn’t hear what Augi was saying, but he was mesmerised by the sound of her voice which filtered through his body like a soothing ASMR vibration. And while she was absorbed in talking to Lucy it gave him the opportunity to watch Augi more directly.
The sun glanced off her thick, lustrous hair.
He’d never seen hair so shiny, nor so straight.
It would have been too uncompromising on some people but it suited her.
From the nose, not some plastic surgeon’s idea of perfection, but straight and characterful, to her high cheekbones and smooth brow, there was no padding, no spare flesh to soften her features.
But she didn’t need any. Why blur perfection?
He’d only got through half his pie when, from their movements, Dan got the impression the meeting was winding up. He didn’t want this vision to leave before he’d had a chance to redeem himself by actually saying something adult and sane. He leapt up, and walked over to them.
They were deep in conversation and oblivious to his presence, so he took the opportunity to enjoy the sound of Augi’s voice. It rippled across his senses, teasing and calming them at the same time.
She suddenly looked at him, her olive complexion reddening slightly. He liked that. Lucy followed her gaze.
‘Dan! I thought you’d gone. You’ve been so quiet.’ She looked from Augi, back to Dan again and jumped up. ‘But while you’re here, why don’t you talk to Augi about what you’ve found out about a certain someone?’
Perfect. He didn’t have to rely on small talk — which he suspected the woman before him would have no time for. They had something in common, even if it was a vile man who was trying to use Lucy and turn MacLeod’s Cove from a real village into a rich man’s playground.
‘Of course,’ said Dan, taking Lucy’s seat as she vacated it and returned to the kitchen.
For a moment he wondered if Augi would leave. He was reminded of a delicate deer, poising, sensing danger, about to disappear.
‘If that’s all right with you,’ he added gently, needing her to know that he wouldn’t keep her there if she wished to leave.
He glanced at Lucy who was standing in the kitchen, checking on something in the oven.
He also wanted Augi to know that he was capable of looking at something other than her for a few minutes.
When he looked back he was relieved to see the nervousness had been replaced by her previous self-containment.
‘Although I think Lucy will appreciate it if we can combine our knowledge and provide her with some kind of defence against his man. Because, from what I’ve discovered, he’s not a nice man.
And I’m not happy that Lucy has chosen to do battle with him. ’
He’d hoped that by making it clear he was on the side of the good guys, he’d convince her that he was someone who could be trusted. But, like Lucy, and like himself, he sensed trusting wasn’t something that came easily to Augi.
She inclined her head. ‘Of course.’ She glanced over at Lucy and he saw Augi’s face soften. When she looked back again the softening had gone. ‘I would do anything to help Lucy and Kate. They’ve both been very good to me.’
She blinked and looked down suddenly, as if she’d said more than she’d intended.
‘They’ve both been very good to me, too,’ said Dan, trying to reassure her that he wasn’t about to give her an inquisition, but had taken her comment lightly. Even if he had made a mental note to ask his mother about her.
He was rewarded with a relieved smile. Lines bracketed her mouth as the smile widened.
It was as if she didn’t smile very often.
Now he was sitting close to her, he noticed for the first time the lines around her eyes, lines which told of experience, like decorative scorings which emphasised her eyes.
He looked away quickly, before she could guess his thoughts.
‘So, did you find out similar things to me about this rat, Oliver Perry-Warnes?’ he asked.
‘I think I found out why he is a rat. From what I’ve gleaned, I would say that he would have been taught at a young age what kind of behaviour would be rewarded.’
‘And that was?’
‘Anything which resulted in success. Only success. His father left quite a trail of wreckage behind him. But his grandparents were extremely wealthy, pillars of the community. The two influences would have moulded Oliver’s character uniquely.
On one hand he might want to aspire to the legacy of his grandparents, and yet, on the other, the way he chooses to get there sounds purely influenced by his father. ’
‘That would certainly fit with what I discovered. Oliver Perry-Warnes wins. That’s it. He’s ruthless and he’s determined to succeed at any cost. Which all adds up to me not liking my sister doing battle with him.’
‘Indeed. But it seems she’s very determined. I doubt she very often loses either. And she doesn’t seem to be dissuaded.’
‘No. Once our Lucy gets the bit between her teeth, there’s no stopping her. I think all we can do is to smooth her path as much as possible and hang on to our hats as she takes us all on a journey.’
His smile faded. He’d wanted her to be amused — even faintly — by his allusion. But Augi’s smile froze a little before dropping.
‘I think…’ she began, before looking around, ‘that I should get going. I need to open the library soon.’ She jumped up.
‘Oh, of course. Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you.’ He rose too. If he’d worn a hat he suspected he’d have taken it off, or doffed it or something. He felt absurdly old-fashioned.
‘You haven’t. I mean…’
He suspected she wasn’t sure what she meant.
‘Anyway, I need to get on.’ He pointed to the laptop, its Wordle screen now safely closed.
He suddenly felt a flash of panic that he wouldn’t see her again.
‘Augi!’ She twisted around to face him. And she wasn’t the only one.
Nerves — not something he usually suffered from — had made his voice ring out loudly in the café.
People stopped talking to look over at them.
‘Yes?’
‘I, er, wondered, if you’d like to meet for a, er, drink sometime.’
She actually frowned. It wasn’t the expression he was after. ‘Why?’ And nor was her response.
‘Because…’ He thought quickly. ‘I, er, thought it might be nice to discover if we might find we have more in common than Oliver Perry-Warnes.’ He smiled, willing her to smile back.
But the fixed polite smile didn’t widen. Her face was more guarded now than at any other time they’d been speaking.
‘I don’t think so, Daniel.’ He noted her use of his full name. ‘I’ll let Lucy know everything I find out, as will you. I can’t think of any other reason to meet up.’
And, without waiting for a response — because Dan guessed there wasn’t anything to wait for — she’d turned and walked with that dignified glide out the café.
He watched her walk along the footpath, wondering when he’d last been turned down.
He thought it might have been when he’d asked out a work colleague of his mother’s.
He’d been fifteen. There had been a lot of laughter, none of it his.
Lucy joined him. ‘She’s something else, isn’t she?’ said Lucy.
‘Hm,’ he agreed. Trouble was he wasn’t sure what exactly that something was, nor how to charm it. The only thing he did know was she’d done something no one else had been able to do in a very long time — captured his attention and made him forget his past.
He’d have to try a bit harder, woo her more carefully and more gently, next time he saw her. Because that was the only other thing he knew.
There would be a next time.