Chapter Thirty-Two
‘L OOKS LIKE IT ’ S you and me, Harry,’ Chloe said.
‘I can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon,’ said Harry. ‘C’mon.’
There were a few people on the street where the Brew House was, and Chloe forced herself to walk at a normal pace, even though her heartbeat thundered.
All it would take was a conversation with the Highlander to know he was not of this world.
She had her bag tucked under her arm, could feel the warmth of the book as it rested against her side.
The bell above the door jangled as they entered the café. Hannah was upon them in moments, her eyebrows raised as she jerked her head towards the corner.
‘Oh, wow,’ breathed Harry.
‘There he is,’ she murmured back.
A middle-aged couple sat nearby, talking to each other.
They glanced a few times at the large Scotsman sitting in the corner, looking puzzled as he studied the piece of cake in front of him.
He looked as bedraggled as when Chloe had first met him, but at least this time there was no straw in his red hair.
‘Hannah, could you close the café? This won’t take a minute.’
‘Um, I’m not sure, Chloe.’ Hannah twisted her apron in her hands, looking uncomfortable. ‘Afternoons tend to get busy.’
‘I’ll reimburse any money you lose,’ Harry promised, stepping forward. ‘Trust me, you don’t want to miss this.’
Hannah glanced between them. ‘Right. Sure.’ She turned the sign on the window so it said CLOSED and began to usher some of the perplexed customers out.
Chloe glanced at Harry, silently telling him to stay put. Harry busied himself with looking at the menu and asking Hannah all about the specials while Chloe slipped into the chair opposite where the Highlander sat.
He raised his eyes slowly. ‘Hello, Chloe.’
‘Nice to see you again,’ she said, glancing over at the nearby couple. She couldn’t make him disappear while they were here; it would be too difficult to explain. ‘How did you get here?’
‘I don’t really remember.’ He picked up the spoon Hannah had given him and turned it over in his hand with interest. ‘A lot has happened since we last spoke.’
‘It has,’ she agreed. ‘Listen, I can send you back in just a minute, okay?’
‘Good.’ He nodded. ‘I need to get back to my wife.’
‘Yes, you do.’ Chloe’s heart warmed at that. She looked over at where Harry was standing with his arms crossed, tapping his chin as though thinking about what to order. She tilted her chin to the plate in front of him. ‘That’s cake. Have you had it before?’
‘Nothing like this.’ He scooped up some of the cream and tasted it. His eyes widened and he clapped a hand over his mouth. He quickly swallowed and said, ‘It’s so sweet.’
Chloe giggled. After what felt like an age, the couple got up to pay their bill, and Hannah closed the door behind them.
‘All right, what’s going on that I have to close the café?’ Hannah demanded, marching over. ‘Who are you?’
‘Just watch,’ Harry said with a smile, now holding his own plate of chocolate cake.
Chloe brought out the book. ‘I’m sending you back again. I’m sure your wife is waiting for you.’
‘Aye. Goodbye, Chloe.’
‘Hopefully for the last time.’ Chloe opened the book at the last few pages and found the line. The red-headed Scot closed his eyes with a smile, and faded away before their eyes.
Hannah gasped, backing away so fast she crashed into the couple’s table. A mug wobbled and fell off, and Harry caught it just in time. ‘Are you all right?’ He set down the mug and helped Hannah into the seat.
‘That . . . I wasn’t expecting,’ Hannah breathed, a hand over her chest. ‘He just disappeared!’
‘Yeah.’ Chloe snapped the book shut. ‘And we’ve got four more characters to send home.’
‘Characters?’ Hannah asked weakly.
Chloe quickly explained. ‘I know it’s a lot to take in,’ she said. ‘But it’s true. Eric let out a cartoon monkey during the event for the schoolchildren and we were chasing it all around the library, trying to get it back home.’
‘I did think there were way more cakes than I’d made.’ Hannah rubbed her temples, looking tired. ‘This is a lot to take in, Chloe.’ She gave a loud gasp. ‘That man who helped during the robbery!’
‘Right.’ Chloe nodded. ‘He was a superhero from a comic book. He appeared right when we needed him.’
‘Just roll with it,’ said Harry around a mouthful of cake. He jabbed his cake fork at his plate. ‘This is delicious.’
He set down far too much money, insisting it was a tip and payment for closing the café. Ignoring Hannah’s weak protests, he wished her a pleasant day and Chloe tucked the book back into her bag.
‘They’ve found a character,’ said Harry when he pulled out his phone.
‘Where?’
‘The pub.’ Harry glanced around. ‘The Pride & Pint.’
The Pride & Pint. It was the pub where Gwen worked. Where Chloe and Harry had swapped dinners that time. Maybe Mrs Cook was right, and the characters were going to places Chloe knew and had experienced significant moments. ‘Then let’s get there as quickly as we can. They might need our help.’
They soon found Gwen standing outside the pub, looking anxious as she paced. She gestured them over and pointed through the window. She whispered, ‘Is that the guy from the comic book?’
‘At least he isn’t wearing his superhero outfit,’ said Chloe as she recognised the broad shoulders and dark hair of the American journalist. He was nursing a Budweiser in his large hand as he looked with fascination at a football rerun on the television.
Some women in a booth were eyeing him with interest, giggling among themselves.
‘I can’t make him disappear in the middle of the pub,’ murmured Chloe. Asking the proprietor to close it was out of the question. ‘Where are Mrs Cook and Eric? Who has the comic?’
‘Eric has it,’ said Gwen.
Chloe brought out her phone and messaged them.
Found the comic-book superhero. Can you come to the pub on High Street?
The grey speech bubble appeared at the bottom, and Eric responded, We’ve got a situation of our own here. Come to the chapel.
‘The chapel,’ Chloe murmured, staring at her phone. ‘Surely not that chapel?’
But it made sense, didn’t it? Another place in Wellbridge that held memories for her.
She quickly texted that they would be there soon.
The chapel was on the other side of town, but that only meant a fifteen-minute walk.
Ten if they hurried. It didn’t look like the superhero was going anywhere anytime soon.
Even if Eric texted them the line they needed to say, they couldn’t make him vanish while surrounded by forty or so other people.
‘Gwen, stay here and text us if he leaves,’ said Chloe.
‘I’ll go inside.’ Gwen straightened. ‘Maybe I should talk to him or something. I’ll see if I can get him to come outside .
. .’ She trailed off as she marched into the pub, and the sound of loud talking and the scent of beer washed over them for a moment before the door closed behind her.
Chloe risked a look, seeing Gwen lean casually against the bar, glancing over to where the superhero sat, still alone for now.
‘I hope Gwen reaches him before those women do,’ said Chloe, anxious as she noted the almost-empty pitcher between the ladies and the way they kept glancing over at the journalist in disguise.
There was certainly no sending him back when he was the centre of attention.
‘C’mon, let’s see what Eric and Mrs Cook are doing. ’
‘Doesn’t Eric have the books?’ Harry asked as they half jogged along the cobblestone street. People hardly glanced at them as they hurried past, probably assuming they were running to catch a bus. ‘Why does he need us there?’
Eric hadn’t elaborated, but Chloe had a sneaking feeling there was a good reason he needed everybody there.
‘Thanks for being here with me,’ said Chloe as they passed the post office, slowing as they reached a hill. ‘I can’t imagine this is what you thought you’d be doing on your day off, running around after book characters . . .’
‘Chloe, there’s no one else I’d rather be with.’
Chloe’s stomach somersaulted, but she was too nervous to do more than give him a grateful grin. Adding to her worries was the fact they were heading to the place where she and Liam had been about to get married. The last time she’d come here, she had started crying.
Then she’d run into Harry.
She inhaled, filling her lungs with sharp, clean air as they found the chapel grounds. It was at the end of a long street overgrown with weeds, brown leaves scattered along the grass. Eric waved at them from near the entrance, calling something as he pointed upwards.
‘What’s going on?’ Chloe asked, breathless now. Somehow, being here wasn’t as bad as she’d imagined. Yes, this was where her wedding would have taken place, but it didn’t seem so terrible now. Not with her friends around her and Harry nearby. ‘Where’s the character? Don’t you have their book?’
‘Oh, we have their book.’ Mrs Cook held up the glowing children’s book.
Chloe glimpsed the cover and groaned. ‘Are you kidding me?’
‘The problem is, every time we try to read him the line, he puts his hands over his ears and refuses to listen.’
Chloe grimaced. ‘Well, I’m sure the four of us can overpower him. Where is he?’
Eric pointed upwards. An enormous cat with a red and white stripy hat was clinging to the chapel roof. He had a red bow tie and grinned down at them.
‘That’s a giant cat,’ Harry remarked, as casually as though he were commenting on the weather.
‘May I?’ Chloe asked, reaching for the book. She flipped to the end, but it was as Eric had said. At the sight of the book, the giant cat screamed, climbing further up the chapel roof. He clamped his hands over his ears and yelled and sang so loudly they feared all of Wellbridge would hear.