A Stitch in Time in Applewell by Lilac Mills

Author:Lilac Mills
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Lucas

Lucas hadn’t expected to see Gracie in UnderCover this morning, and it threw him a little. For some reason his heart had skipped a beat, and he’d wondered if it had been wise to have drunk a third cup of coffee. He blamed his mum – she was becoming as addicted to the coffee machine as he was, and had persuaded him to have another.

When Lucas saw Gracie and Catrin sitting in the back room, an image of the red coat flashed into his mind, and his gaze had shot to the bin as though he expected to see it in there. He considered mentioning it, but Gracie had leapt to her feet and had rushed off before he’d had an opportunity to say anything. Which, come to think of it, was probably a good thing, as there was a chance he’d come across as accusatory.

He was still thinking about it when Catrin asked, ‘You’ve been here a week now; have you had any insights in how to improve things?’

‘Not really.’

‘Does that mean you’ll go back to London soon?’

‘I’ll be here for a few more weeks yet.’ In fact, he was thinking of staying until after Nora’s wedding. If he did, it would mean a break of almost two months. Would Jonas be OK with that?

There was only one way to find out.

Lucas told Catrin he needed to make a phone call, and he stepped outside the shop to do it, wanting to speak to Jonas in private.

Jonas’s greeting was warm, making Lucas feel terrible for even considering so much time away from his job. Technically, he had three more weeks of paid holiday entitlement left. Would Jonas be happy for him to take another month off?

‘Without pay, of course,’ Lucas added after he’d asked.

‘Take whatever time you need,’ Jonas said kindly, and Lucas felt awful. He was letting Jonas and the charity down, but the thought of going back to London filled him with dread. He simply wasn’t ready. It wasn’t anything he could put his finger on, and he didn’t think he could put it into words, but whenever he thought of his life there, all he felt was a worrying emptiness. He couldn’t face going back. He’d felt more fulfilled this past week, than he’d felt for a long time. Oddly, he also felt closer to Effron in Applewell.

‘We’ll call it bereavement leave,’ Jonas was saying. ‘Look after yourself, Lucas, and don’t come back to work until you’re ready. But promise me you will come back? You’re too valuable to lose. Thanks for the report you sent through, by the way.’

‘It’s the least I can do. Will you get someone to chase it up?’

‘Leave it with me. We can manage. I don’t want you to think about work – you’re supposed to be taking a break.’

‘You know me, I don’t do holidays.’

‘Maybe you should? I know we agreed you’d take a look at the business from the retail side of things, but you’ve got to give yourself time to grieve.

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