That was one of the shitty aspects of being single. No one to touch, no warm body to cling to on a cold night in bed, no one to complain to when things didn’t go your way.
I blew out a breath and thought about the day ahead of me. Calum had offered to teach me a few things in the glassworks later in the morning. I wondered if I could scrounge up my own breakfast in the little apartment. I knew I had coffee, but I wondered if I still had some of the instant oatmeal packs I’d thrown into my bag at the last minute.
After visiting the bathroom and dressing warmly, I set about making breakfast without sparing Lio another thought. I wasn’t at Gadleigh to get laid. I was there to finish my dissertation and study glass.
There were still hundreds of examples of hidden glass in the castle, but I knew right away I wouldn’t have the guts to go anywhere near the main house today. Not when there was the very real possibility of running into Lio and having the awkward morning-after weirdness. No. I’d concentrate on the glassworks and picking Calum’s brain as much as he’d allow me. Then maybe I’d return to my apartment and work on my dissertation.
Once I’d downed a cup of coffee and a granola bar I found in my backpack, I bundled up in my coat and hat to make my way to the glassworks building.
When I entered through the wide door, I saw the glow from the fire right away. Calum was sitting back drinking from a mug while reading a paperback book that seemed as old as he was. Two of his assistants puttered around the studio behind him.
“Morning,” I said with a smile. “You ready for me?”
“Do I have a choice?” he asked in his rough voice. I would have thought his question was rude if I hadn’t noticed the twinkle in his eye. “Come on over here. We’re making glass today.”
My heart sped up. Had he really meant we?
“Why do you look so surprised, young Felix? I thought you’d done this before.”
I was in the process of taking off my coat when I laughed. “Yes, sir. I have. I have a degree in glassmaking. Not the same as being master glassmaker at Gadleigh but enough to keep from embarrassing myself with a blowpipe and marvering table,” I joked. “And I’d do just about anything to make something in the Gadleigh glassworks.”
“Well, then. I guess you’d better get an apron on. Let me tell you what I have in mind.”
We spent the next hour going over his process. Calum was like a completely different man than he’d been before. He apologized for being “quiet” when we’d first met, explaining only that he’d been knackered from the exhausting schedule of the holiday ornaments.
“Every year Gadleigh makes a special design and sells it around the world as a collectible. They’re done in the summer, believe it or not, but the royal family itself gets a unique design that’s made in November and early December and given out as personal gifts to friends and family.”
I quirked my head at him. “What royal family?”
“Monaco, son. The royal family who owns Gadleigh. Surely you did your homework if you’ve been studying this place.”
“Oh, right. Yes. I forgot. So much of my study is about the glassmakers and the history, I forget it’s still connected to the monarchy today. I can’t imagine being on the list to get one of the royal ornaments. Do you have one from this year? I’d love to see it.” That explained how Lio had ties to Gadleigh. He was from Monaco.
Calum wheeled his metal stool over to a worktable and reached for a wooden box. When he returned to where I was sitting, he opened the lid, revealing four or five glass pyramids. They were exquisite, with colored spirals twisting from one inside corner, through the clear pyramid, to another corner. It was like a colorful glass version of Untangle the Knot.
“My god,” I breathed. “How in the world did you manage to do this? It’s breathtaking.”
Calum puffed up with pride. “I could tell you, or…” His eyes flicked to the melting furnace. “I could show you. What do you reckon is best?” His wink sparked off my excitement, causing me to sit up straight on my stool. I caught one of Calum’s assistants smiling at me with understanding. Surely, he knew how damned lucky he was to work with the Gadleigh glass master.
“I believe you know the answer to that question.” I felt like a kid in a candy store.
Once we got our hands dirty, time passed in a flash. Before I knew it, I was covered in sweat and dust, my face was surely beet red from the heat of the fire, and I’d finally gotten a few hours’ respite from my Lio-based anxiety. Calum’s assistants were funny and crass, and their banter made the time even more fun.