Chapter 37
FLORENCE
I thought I would be angry at Pearl’s change of heart.
The old me before we got run over on that pedestrian crossing would have been mad.
She would have tried desperately to convince Pearl to go and see Mr Beaver and knowing how I was back then, I would have tried to boss her into getting out of the car.
This test has taught me a lot about myself.
The situations with Molly and Jane showed me a side of myself that I don’t like.
I can be too assertive with people, and I am grateful for being given the chance to spot this.
Pearl is an old lady who has been through a challenging time lately, what with the sudden death of her friend, quickly followed by the revelation that said friend was a serial killer, plus being driven two hundred miles to meet someone she hasn’t seen for fifty-three years.
We’re all silent as Clark drives home. I don’t want Pearl to feel uncomfortable, so I try and make her smile with funny stories from the café.
It’s a long and arduous journey filled with roadworks, diversions, and Clark’s satnav throwing a wobbly.
Pearl doesn’t take her eyes off the car window. My heart aches for her and all that she’s been through. Perhaps Clark and I rushed her by suggesting we drive to Pixie Cove?
Eventually, we arrive home and help Pearl into her house. ‘I’ve put you to all this trouble. How can I ever repay you?’ she asks.
‘Just keep making me cups of tea,’ says Clark.
She smiles, and we say goodbye.
On the doorstep, Clark suggests we go to his house. ‘Do you fancy some lunch? I’m starving.’
‘I’ll come over,’ I say, ‘but I’m not hungry.’
When he closes his front door, we sit on his sofa.
‘I felt so bad for Pearl,’ I say.
He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. ‘I know what you mean.’
‘We rushed her.’
‘When I heard her say she didn’t want to get out I panicked. I thought about the test. On the way home I reflected on everything. I care for Pearl a lot and I don’t want her to be stressed after we forced her into a situation she’s not comfortable with. That would upset me too.’
My feelings for Clark feel like they have just intensified.
‘Kiss me,’ I whisper, staring at his thin, kissable, pink lips.
When our lips touch, it’s electrifying. His soft mouth moves in unison with mine, and the kiss is packed with passion and sizzling chemistry. We end up lying down on his sofa. My mind has gone into freefall. This kiss is so good my head is full of stars.
But then my mind catches up with me.
Only the other day, I saw him get out of Margo’s car, and he was sporting that dishevelled, just-fallen-out-of-bed look. I can’t compete with her long blonde hair, her impressive cleavage and her love of open relationships.
Ben’s face appears in my mind, and I pull away from Clark. My heart is still recovering from what Ben did to me last year.
‘Hey,’ he whispers, stroking my cheek. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘This is a lot to process.’
He nods. ‘I agree.’
‘What about Margo?’
His jaw tightens and his brow becomes furrowed. ‘What about her?’
‘You were with her the other day.’
I watch as he shakes his head. ‘Florence, how many times do I need to say – nothing happened. She gave me a lift home after seeing me at a bus stop.’
‘Was she in the pub the night before?’
He nods. ‘I spoke to her. She wanted to get back with me, but I said no.’
‘So, she still likes you?’
‘Florence, I don’t like her. She cheated on me. You know that.’
This is a lot for me to think about it. Margo is predatory. She knows men go a bit crazy in her presence. ‘I can’t risk getting hurt again,’ I say.
He casts me a serious look. ‘Do you really think I would do something like that to you?’
‘I need to go home.’ I rise from the sofa.
‘Florence, don’t go,’ he says, taking my hand. ‘That kiss we just had was wonderful, and you can’t now leave in a mood with me.’
‘I’m not in a mood with you.’ I take my hand from his. ‘I need some time to think.’
He runs a frustrated hand through his hair. ‘We need to be together tonight for the message.’
‘Come over later.’
I walk towards his front door. ‘I could have gone home with her the other night,’ he says. ‘It would have been so easy.’
His words make every part of me tense up.
‘Do you know what stopped me?’
I shake my head.
‘You, Florence. I knew how much she and Ben hurt you. I chose you instead of her. The lift home from the bus stop was a silly mistake.’
I need time to think. I offer him a weak smile and step outside.