He forces a tight smile. “It is late. Let’s talk when you come around tomorrow night.”
I think about forcing the issue then change my mind and nod. I need time to compose my jumbled thoughts too. Tomorrow will be better. “All right… is it something very bad.”
He takes a deep breath. “It depends on you.” Then he stands. “Sleep well, Autumn. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Good night, Rocco.”
After the door closes I pick up my cell phone and see that it is now almost 3 a.m. I turn my head towards the window and instantly see in my head an image of the waif crying out, “Now fly away. Quick. Before it’s too late.”
Chapter 27
Autumn
It takes a long time for me to go to sleep, and when I do, my slumber is fitful and disturbed. At the agreed time, I go downstairs and find Raoul already loitering around the stairs waiting for me. He returns my greeting and immediately lapses into silence. There is a thick fog, but as we go down the mountain I note two landslides last night that must have been cleared away earlier in the morning. There is fresh mud and stones by the roadside.
He drops me off at the shop and I start my routine of cleaning then changing into my work clothes. Larry comes in earlier than usual and from the back door. “Come on,” he says, “I’ve got something to show you.”
“What is it?” I ask following him.
When I get outside, I see him standing in front of an old, blue station wagon.
“What do you think?” he asks.
“You bought a station wagon?” I ask bemused. Quite frankly, I can’t picture Larry behind the wheel of such a car. Ever since I’ve known him, he’s always driven glossy BMWs.
He nods and dangles a set of keys. “Yeah, for you.”
My eyes widen with surprise. “For me?”
“Well, it was Marion’s idea really. She was horrified when I told her you had to walk home in the rain that night because of a tire puncture. You can still use your bike, but if the weather is bad, or you get a problem with your bike, you’ll have this old girl to fall back on. Besides, you can also start making some local deliveries.”
I take the key from him and walk around the car in disbelief.
Larry pounds on the hood of the wagon. “She’s quite solid, but the AC is broken, and it’ll be an expensive repair job, so you’ll just have to roll down the windows if it gets too hot in the summer.”
“I still can’t quite believe it,” I mumble.
“You know how to drive, right?”
“Yes, but I haven’t driven in ages.”
“That’s all right. We’ll take her for a quick run at lunchtime, and I’ll show you how everything works then.”
I turn to look at him. “Thanks, Larry. It’s really kind of you and Marion, and I’m really, really grateful, but I desperately need to ask another favor from you.”
“What is it?”
I suck in my breath nervously. “I know it’s very short notice, but I need to have this Friday and Saturday off. My best friend is coming to town and we’re going to fly to New York for the weekend. She won a prize and she wants me to go with her. It’s an all paid for trip. An opportunity of a lifetime and we’ll—”
He holds his palm up to indicate I should stop talking and I immediately snap my mouth shut, conscious I was babbling.
“Of course, you can have the time off,” he says with a kind smile.
I clasp my hands together and laugh with relief. “Thank you so much, Larry. You’re the best boss any girl can have.”
He shrugs and starts to walk towards the back door. “It’s no problem. You’ve never had a day off since you came to work here, and between me and Marion we’ll manage.”
I take one last look at my new car before following him into the gallery.
At lunchtime, Larry and I take the car out for a run. For the first five minutes it's awkward, then it all comes back. After dropping him off at the gallery I drive back to my caravan and do a bit of spring cleaning. I open windows, I change the sheets, I clean out the cupboard. Before I leave for work again, I stick a change of clothing into my knapsack.
The day crawls slowly without a single sale. It’s normal for the middle of the week, but boring as hell, and it is a great relief when I can start to close the shop.
Exactly, at the agreed time, Raoul comes to collect me. As his tall thin frame walks through the door, the nervousness I’d managed to somehow ignore all day, comes back in full force. Tonight, Rocco will tell me something, which I might consider too horrible to allow myself to be with him. Even the thought of walking away from him makes me feel quite ill.