Lost and Found on Foxglove Street (The Foxglove Street #9)

Chapter 17

17

The chocolate cake they ended up purchasing from the dessert shop was completely and utterly sinful, Grace reflected later that evening as they ate it at the dining table back at Ryan’s house. Dark chocolate sponge, chocolate and raspberry mousse filling, chocolate icing, and a generous dusting of white and dark chocolate sprinkles made it one of the most indulgent desserts Grace had ever eaten.

“I think I might pass out,” she said, pushing her plate away with half a slice of cake still untouched.

“This is really very good,” Miriam said, taking a bite of the slim wedge of cake she’d served herself before setting her spoon down. “But I, too, am thoroughly defeated.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll finish anything you don’t eat,” Ryan said, polishing off his own plate of dessert before tugging his grandmother’s unfinished dish towards him.

“I’m sure you will,” Miriam said with a laugh and got up from the table. “I’ll turn on the coffee maker and then I plan to leave you two on dish duty once again while I rest my eyes in the other room.” She held up a hand towards Ryan and added, “And before you ask, yes, I am absolutely fine. But between the glass of wine and the pasta and the wonderful chocolate cake, it’s a wonder I haven’t dozed off already. A quick fifteen minutes’ nap, and I shall be a new woman.”

Grace watched Ryan accept his grandmother’s explanation with a careful nod.

“Come on Stanley,” Miriam said. “Come and get cosy with me on the sofa.”

Stanley trotted off at Miriam’s heels, carrying in his mouth one of the cute little teddy toys Ryan had purchased for him at the pet shop.

“Honestly, I’m sure that dog understands every word we say,” Ryan said, and began clearing the table. “He’s been using that cuddly toy as a pillow all day, and now that it’s time for a nap with my grandma, he knows he’ll need it once more.”

“He’s a character,” Grace agreed. “I’m quite looking forward to having him for company over the next few days at home.”

During dinner, Grace had told Ryan and his grandmother about the annual leave she was being required to take, knowing they’d be glad to hear she would no longer need to exploit their goodwill for dog-sitting services.

“What do you plan on doing with your time off?” Ryan asked as they cleared the table.

“Actually, I don’t have any plans because until this morning I didn’t know I’d be taking time off. I’ll probably just spend it getting some studying done.”

Yet, as she said these words, Grace struggled to summon much enthusiasm, which was a new experience for her. Usually, she could think of no better use for her free time than learning and researching the hospitality sector, so committed was she to progressing in her career. But right now, the idea of it left her cold.

Ryan watched her as she carried plates to the kitchen counter and seemed to be considering his next words carefully.

“Maybe you need some proper time off work,” he said. “A complete break and a complete rest. You said you were disappointed and upset about the promotion process falling through, didn’t you?”

Grace nodded.

“So, instead of throwing yourself back into more study and work, maybe what you need is to forget about it all and just let your mind do other things for a while.”

“Maybe.” Grace filled the dishwasher, mulling it over. “That all makes perfect sense, but…”

“But?” he pressed, when she fell silent.

“I don’t find it easy to just switch off like that. Work means everything to me.”

Ryan gave her a soft smile. “Hey, I get it. I love my work, too. It doesn’t even feel like work to me. It’s just something I do, something I am. I’m a musician, and I love creating music and writing songs. But I still need time off to recharge. Time to let new ideas simmer and to refill the creative well. I couldn’t keep doing what I’m doing without taking a few days every now and again, or even just a few hours, when I make myself leave the work behind.”

“Like this time you’re having right now with your grandmother?” Grace said.

“Exactly.”

“So, if this is sacred time off for you, when you set work completely aside, then why is there a guitar propped up over there by the sofa?” Grace teased. “I didn’t see that there yesterday, so I’m guessing you brought it out at some point today to play it? And maybe to work, too?”

She only meant it as a harmless quip. What Ryan did in his own house and in his own free time was none of her business, and he certainly didn’t owe her any sort of explanation. Perhaps she’d been too eager to deflect the conversation from her own life, filled as it was with nothing but work, a sore topic for her right now.

Yet instead of prompting Ryan to laugh at her throwaway comment, which, given his easy-going nature was what she’d expected, she saw instead that a deep blush was colouring his cheeks as he dropped his gaze to the work of filling the dishwasher.

“I, er, was just strumming a few tunes for my grandmother, that’s all,” Ryan said.

“Oh, of course,” Grace said, embarrassed at somehow having made their conversation awkward. “I was just joking, I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m sure your grandmother must love hearing you play.”

There was a heavy silence as Ryan slotted more plates into the dishwasher. When he straightened up, there was a shy smile on his face.

“And, okay, maybe I’ll admit I was doing some work this morning, too,” he said. “Sometimes when the inspiration strikes to write a song, you just have to go along with it.”

Grace was about to make another vague comment in response, but the soft look on Ryan’s face stopped her. His gaze held her still, unable to look away.

The moment spun on, strange and lovely and filled with the possibility of something that completely took Grace by surprise.

The possibility of what? she wondered.

Of reaching out and taking Ryan’s hand into hers and…

A smashing noise split the air, and the moment vanished. Grace looked down in horror at the plate she’d just dropped and which now lay in pieces on the floor.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” she said. “It just slipped out of my hands. I wasn’t paying attention, and?—”

“It’s fine, it’s just a plate,” Ryan interrupted, giving her a smile as he picked up the larger of the broken pieces. “I’ll grab the brush and take care of this in no time.”

“I’m really sorry, Ryan. I’m never usually clumsy. I don’t know what happened.”

Except she did know. In that sweet moment when they’d stood so close together, their eyes locked, Grace had simply forgotten she was holding anything in her hands at all. Ryan’s proximity, and the soft look in his eyes, had wiped her brain clean of all sensible thought.

Ryan soon swept up the remains of the broken plate, while Grace occupied herself adding the last of the dishes to the dishwasher, taking care not to smash anything else to pieces. By the time the coffee maker beeped to indicate the pot was full, their chores were finished.

Grace wasn’t sure if it was her imagination or not, but she couldn’t help thinking that Ryan gave her a wide berth as they completed their work.

Maybe that was for the best.

Grace knew she had enough on her mind right now without adding unnecessary complications into her personal life—such as it was.

Once the coffee was drunk, Grace said goodbye to Miriam and hooked Stanley’s lead onto his collar. Ryan insisted on walking her home again, citing the need to carry the dog’s bed back to her house once more. As Grace had enjoyed wine again with dinner, she planned on collecting her car the next morning. The chances of finding a free space on Foxglove Street at this late hour were slim, anyway.

As Miriam waved her off at the door, it occurred to Grace that she might not see the lovely older lady again. Now that she had time to spare in order to look after Stanley until his stray situation was resolved, there would be no need for these back and forth trips to Ryan’s house.

Grace felt an unexpected pang of regret as she contemplated this. She’d enjoyed the past two evenings spent in the company of Ryan and his grandmother, and realised she would miss them.

Only the sight of Stanley gleefully enjoying Miriam’s affectionate pats on his head at the doorstop before they set off stopped Grace from feeling ridiculously emotional about the whole thing.

The summer evening was warm as they set off along Riverside Road, with a riot of pink and purple clouds reflecting the setting sun. As they turned onto Foxglove Street, the moon was visible just above the rooftops, a milky crescent against the deepening blue sky.

“So, what are you and your grandmother planning to do tomorrow, now that I’m no longer emotionally blackmailing you into looking after a stray dog?” Grace asked with a smile.

Ryan laughed. “We’re thinking of spending the day out and about around the South Downs. The weather looks good, dry but not too hot, and there are a couple of short walking options my grandma would like to test out and enjoy the scenery, before we find a nice pub somewhere for lunch.”

“That sounds perfect.”

“Why don’t you come with us?”

Grace saw from his expression that the invitation was genuine. “Thanks, but I think you and your grandmother deserve some time to yourselves.”

“She’d love it if you came along. She’s taken a real shine to you. And to Stanley, for that matter.”

“That’s a nice thing to say. I’ve taken a real shine to her, too.”

And to you, Ryan, Grace thought but wisely didn’t say.

“But I’ve got some chores to deal with tomorrow,” she said instead. “And I want to speak to the dog warden’s office and straighten things out about Stanley, and then I’ll probably dig into some study for a few hours. I’m sure I’ll feel much better about the promotion stuff tomorrow and will want to get my head back in the game.”

Ryan nodded, although his expression looked unconvinced. “For what it’s worth, I still think you should take these next few days off for yourself and do something you enjoy and leave work to the side for a while. So, if you change your mind about joining us tomorrow, just give me a call. We probably won’t set off until later in the morning. You’re welcome to come with us.”

“Thanks.”

They reached Grace’s garden gate, and Stanley once more demonstrated that he’d remembered this was where she lived, pausing while she opened the latch before barrelling up the path. Once she’d unlocked the door and unclipped Stanley’s lead so he could hurry inside and have a good sniff around, Ryan handed her the dog bed, which she tucked inside the hallway while they said goodnight.

“Thanks again for inviting me over for dinner, Ryan,” she said. “And please thank your grandmother again for her delicious cooking.”

“Thank you for treating us to chocolate cake for dessert,” Ryan said, and patted his stomach. “Although I think tomorrow’s pleasant stroll on the South Downs might have to turn into a proper hike to work it off.”

Grace laughed, enjoying the amusement in his eyes. “Good night, Ryan.”

“Good night, Grace.”

That was her cue to step inside her house and close the door, and yet she found herself still standing there, looking up into Ryan’s eyes. The laughter she’d noticed dancing there a moment ago was suddenly nowhere in sight as his expression shifted and his gaze darkened. Grace wondered what it would be like to reach out and take his hand and…

“See you later,” she said instead, her words a jumbled rush as she backed up the steps and into her house, feeling rather foolish for making an idiot of herself.

Ryan smiled, and frowned too, Grace couldn’t help noticing, before throwing her a quick wave goodbye and heading back through the gate and off along Foxglove Street.

When Grace closed the front door behind her, she fell against it with a sigh. Stanley appeared in the hallway and plonked himself down in front of her and let out a muffled yap.

“Well, what just happened?” Grace said to the dog.

Stanley replied with another soft bark.

“Yeah, your guess is as good as mine,” she muttered with a laugh. “I think the bad news I got today at work has left me with scrambled eggs for brains.”

The dog cocked his head at her and wagged his tail. She was glad to have the little creature for company tonight, making the house feel less quiet.

Making her feel less alone.

“Come on then, Stanley. Let’s see if there’s anything good on television before we call it a night.”

The signature chuntering noise he made in response told her Stanley was on board with the plan.