Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
CATH
F inding space for the sofa and random junk from outside hadn’t been as easy as it sounded. Thank goodness for Andy’s help. Cath wasn’t entirely convinced that she’d have managed it on her own. Together, they’d shifted a few things around inside so there was just enough floor space for the new additions.
Now that Andy had left her to it—with a promise to buy her a “welcome to Crumbleton” fruit slice when she needed a break—Cath finally had the chance to take a breath and have a proper look around. Up until that point, she’d simply been too distracted. Andy’s presence had been… all-consuming.
‘Don’t be an idiot,’ she muttered, turning on the spot as she surveyed the chaos around her.
Idiot or not, she knew what her hot cheeks meant. She’d basically been blushing continuously from the moment Andy had said his first “hey”. When his hand had landed on top of hers as they’d both reached for the light switches… well, put it like this, she’d be contacting an electrician to check those things were safe. There simply had to be a fault, because there was no way a bit of fleeting contact with Andy’s warm, rough fingers could have caused that many sparks.
Besides, Cath wasn’t interested. Not in men, or dating, or men… or dating. Or any kind of romantic relationship. At all. Possibly ever again.
It doesn’t have to be romantic though, does it? It could just be physical!
‘Shut up shut up shut up!’ she muttered at her inner floozie, pushing her hair back off her burning face. ‘Focus!’
Cath thrust all thoughts of Andy firmly to the back of her mind. She had a sneaking suspicion they wouldn’t stay put for long, but right now, she had a job to do.
Picking her way through the jumble of boxes in front of her, Cath started to survey the scene properly for the first time. In a way, she was glad she’d accepted the job without having a look around first because this was… a lot. So much so, that anyone volunteering to take it on after seeing it would have to have some kind of screw loose. The sheer scale of what she was going to have to contend with was overwhelming.
It wasn’t just the mess of boxes and donations that was the problem either. It was the fact that there didn’t seem to be any kind of logic to the museum. At all.
Cath was pretty sure there were display cases in there somewhere, hidden deep behind teetering piles of unidentified stuff— but other than the occasional tell-tale gleam of glass here and there, they were practically invisible from where she was standing.
Wondering if she should leave a trail of breadcrumbs so that she’d be able to find her way back out, Cath started to edge her way deeper into the room. It took some doing, and it wasn’t long before she had to tie her cardigan around her waist.
‘Ah ha! An actual display!’ she cheered as she rounded a tower of junk only to spot the side of a glass case in front of her.
Weirdly, it looked like it held a collection of sports memorabilia. There was a wooden tennis racket similar to the one that had been waiting for her on the sofa outside, and a couple of old, motheaten balls. What tennis had to do with Crumbleton’s history was anyone’s guess… but it looked like the collection had been put together on purpose. Then again, it could just be a bunch of random tat that had been thrown into a cabinet to get it out of the way.
Clambering over a couple of boxes so that she could take a closer look, Cath cupped her hands against the dusty glass and peered inside. She could only see the top couple of shelves. There was a pair of grubby shorts pinned to a disintegrating backboard, along with a couple of very unsavoury-looking sweatbands.
Cath wrinkled her nose and stepped back again. For some reason, she’d been expecting to find a lot more maritime memorabilia and old fishing gear, what with Crumbleton’s coastal connections. There was definitely a net in the case… but it wasn’t the kind she’d been anticipating… and it looked like it would take about a decade to get it untangled.
‘Where am I meant to start?’ said Cath, turning away from the tatty tennis gear and nearly breaking her neck on an ancient-looking piece of machinery that had splatters of white paint all over it. ‘Sorry, old thing!’ she muttered, giving one of the handles an apologetic pat. She might not know what it was, but it was the first thing she’d seen in here that actually looked like it belonged in a museum!
Picking her way back through the maze, Cath started to look more closely at the state of things. It was a real mess, but at least there didn’t seem to be any signs of water damage or things being chewed by mice… or worse.
Cath shuddered and pulled a face at the thought. In a weird way, it was a bit of a shame. Even though she didn’t fancy having to deal with a bunch of furry, chew-happy squatters, they might have made things a bit simpler. There was no doubt in her mind that she was going to have to thin down this collection quite a bit… and a spot of water damage or some thorough chewing might have given her the perfect starting place to start binning a few things.
No such luck!
Now and again, Cath stopped to shift a box or inspect a piece of random furniture so that she could see what was behind or inside. All she found was yet more boxes! Her grand plans of throwing the doors open to visitors again by the end of the following week were fading fast… just like her levels of energy and enthusiasm.
‘Andy was right,’ she muttered, as she finally reached the front of the building again, ‘I need a sugary treat!’
A cup of tea was definitely in order, and if she could wangle a fruit slice out of the bakery before they’d even opened, all the better. With any luck, Andy would be a man of his word and wheedle one for her as well as himself!
Grabbing her handbag from where she’d stashed it in a dusty corner near the door, Cath flicked the lights back off—noting the distinct lack of sparks this time—and beat a retreat, yanking the door closed behind her.
For a second, she was half-tempted to leave the museum unlocked… just in case there were any friendly burglars around who might do her the favour of nicking some of the not-so-priceless artefacts.
‘Better not,’ she said with a grin, sliding the key into the lock and turning it. Nothing happened. ‘Are you serious?!’
Taking a deep breath, Cath remembered Andy’s instructions and proceeded to give the key an elaborate wiggle as she tried again. It turned smoothly. It was clearly easy, once you knew how!
Pocketing the key, Cath paused for a brief moment. It was hard not to feel like she was running away. She’d had a feeling the place was going to be in a bit of a state, but she hadn’t really been expecting this peculiar combination of town-jumble-sale, giant recycling bin, and abandoned storage unit.
‘I need cake,’ she muttered, setting off before she could guilt herself into going back inside.
The wooden shutters were still pulled across the antiques shop window as Cath marched past. It was no great surprise considering it probably hadn’t even reached eight o’clock in the morning yet. The sign taped to the door read "Open at 10.30(ish)”
The ish part made her smile. Anyone who put that on their opening hours had to be a bit of a character, didn’t they? She could only imagine she’d get to know her new work neighbour before too long. In fact, she’d make sure she did. Having a museum and an antiques shop right next door to each other had to offer some kind of opportunity to work together, didn’t it?!
As she wandered towards the bakery, Cath realised her stomach was tight with nervous knots. Somehow, she didn’t think it was entirely down to the fact that she’d just left the biggest mess she’d ever witnessed behind her at the top of the hill. She had a feeling it had something to do with… Andy?
No, that would be ridiculous!
Cath gave herself a little shake. Sure, he seemed nice—if a bit quiet. He definitely wasn’t too hard on the eyes, either, especially when he took off his hard hat. Even so—she’d promised herself to stay away from all men for the foreseeable future.
Greg had broken something inside her when he’d pulled the rug of her life out from beneath her feet. Cath wasn’t entirely sure if the damage was in her head or in her heart. Perhaps it was both. Either way, that wonderful, floaty belief that there might be someone out there to share the rest of her life with had been well and truly shattered.
There would be no romance in her future. It didn’t matter. She had plenty of other things to keep her busy. A new flat to turn into a home, for one thing. The museum for another. She definitely had her work cut out for her there! She wouldn’t have time for ridiculous things like romance and new relationships.
Squaring her shoulders, Cath forced herself to smile and think of the positives. She’d moved to a lovely new town. She had a new job, and she’d already met some nice people.
‘Hey!’ she said, her forced smile instantly feeling more natural on her face as she spotted Andy leaning up against the doorway of the bakery. There was a woman with him, laughing as she watched him wave his hard hat in front of his face as though he was halfway through a hot flush.
‘Cath!’ he spluttered, sounding slightly pained. ‘This is Heather… my… ouch… ha ho heee hooooot! ... my sister!’
‘Hi,’ said Cath, smiling uncertainly at Heather, who beamed back at her. ‘Erm… is he okay?’
‘Other than being an impatient idiot, he’s fine!’ laughed Heather. ‘He never waits for his fruit slice to cool down enough before she shoves it in his face!’
‘Ooh, that’s the problem!’ said Cath, spotting a steaming piece of cake in Andy’s hand that she hadn’t noticed before because of all the hat-flapping.
‘Blow on it, idiot!’ said Heather. ‘Seriously, he didn’t even give me a chance to ice it before he demanded a piece.’
‘Ha! Hoooo!’ hooted Andy, having taken another steaming mouthful, only to suck in air and waft his hat again as though his life depended on it.
‘It’s your own fault if you’ve burned your tongue,’ huffed Heather.
‘Is that the mythical fruit slice I’ve heard so much about?’ said Cath, taking a deep sniff of the sweet, spice-infused air wafting from the bakery.
‘Yep,’ said Heather. ‘I suppose you’ll be wanting a piece now?’
Cath grinned at Heather and nodded enthusiastically. ‘Yes please!’
‘I’ll go and grab you a bit,’ said Heather. ‘Give me a sec to add some icing… and just learn from this idiot,’ she added, nodding at Andy. ‘It’s stupidly hot!’
‘So good though!’ said Andy, giving Heather the thumbs up.
‘Idiot,’ muttered Heather again before disappearing back inside.
‘I thought the boxes might beat you before too long,’ said Andy, giving her a mischievous look.
‘Oh, I’m not beaten that easily,’ said Cath drawing herself up. ‘Just tempted by the mention of cake.’
‘It’s definitely tempting!’ said Andy, licking his fingers.
Cath shifted her weight, wondering why her knees suddenly felt a bit wobbly. She clearly needed the sugar hit more than she’d realised.
‘Anyway—I just thought I’d regroup and make a plan before diving in for the next round,’ said Cath.
‘Good idea,’ said Andy, nodding.
When he didn’t say anything else, Cath glanced over her shoulder, hoping that Heather would reappear and save her from the awkward silence. No such luck.
‘So… erm… how’s your morning going?’ she said.
Andy pointed at a patch of cobblestones enclosed within a ring of orange roadwork cones and striped safety tape. They’d clearly been re-laid. She’d almost face-planted over a couple of raised stones the previous day when she’d been unloading the van. Now though, they were back in position and the beautiful pattern of the road surface had been restored.
‘Nice work,’ she said. She instantly wanted to kick herself. ‘Sorry, that sounded like I was taking the piss… but they look brilliant.’
‘Cheers,’ said Andy with an easy grin. ‘I’ve had a good bit of practice with Crumbleton’s cobbles by this point, mind.’
‘Oh God,’ sighed Heather, reappearing at Cath’s side. ‘Don’t get him talking about the blasted cobbles. He’ll personally introduce you to every single one of them and give you a history lesson while he’s at it if you don’t watch out.’
Andy rolled his eyes at his sister, and Cath grinned at the easy sibling banter.
‘Here,’ said Heather, thrusting one of two white paper bags towards Cath. ‘Remember—seriously hot! I’m not sure how much of the icing will have stayed put.’
‘Ooh, thanks!’ said Cath, opening the bag and taking a deep sniff. Her stomach instantly let out a growl that was loud enough to shake the bakery windows. Her eyes went wide with mortification, but Heather just laughed.
‘Yeah—I think I’m going to like you if that’s the way you react to my baking!’