Later that afternoon, Hannah strolled over to Coffee and Cake, hoping she would catch Kathryn before she too closed up her shop. She told herself she needed something sweet to cover the emotion of the day. Something pretty and girlie and delicious to restore her balance. Poking her head through the door, she saw Kathryn putting the chairs up onto the tables and getting ready to sweep. ‘Oh, sorry, I was hoping you’d still be open.’
Kathryn looked up, a big smile lighting up her face when she saw Hannah. ‘I’m officially closed, but I’m dying for a cup of tea myself. Want one?’
‘Desperately,’ Hannah said and smiled at Kathryn’s laugh.
‘Sounds like my day too,’ Kathryn said.
Hannah perched on a tall barstool at the counter while Kathryn made quick work of the sweeping.
‘Choose something out of the cabinet, anything you like,’ said Kathryn, ducking her head to retrieve a napkin from under a table. ‘There are plates on the shelf.’
Behind the counter, Hannah found two mugs and two side plates. Not sure how the hot water tap on the coffee monster worked, she went as far as popping teabags into the mugs. The selection in the display cabinet was overwhelming. Rows of intricately iced cupcakes, slabs of chocolate brownies, and glazed pastries vied for her attention. She eventually settled on a lemon meringue pie, artfully constructed in a small glass jar so that the meringue puffed out the top and the yellow lemon curd made a sunny stripe across the middle of the jar. She dipped a teaspoon into the jar and closed her eyes in delight.
‘My goodness, that is just delicious,’ she said, watching Kathryn finish up, and licking the back of her spoon.
Kathryn smiled at her as she pulled a lever on the coffee machine and filled their mugs. ‘Those little jars are sweet, hey. I’m always on the lookout for new ideas – Pinterest and I are like this,’ she said, crossing her fingers. She handed Hannah a mug of strong tea and sipped her own.
‘You’re not having anything to eat?’ said Hannah, indicating the second plate.
‘It’s the only downside to my business,’ said Kathryn with a rueful smile. ‘I spend so much time making these things, and then all day smelling them, I just can’t bring myself to eat any of them. Offer me a samosa or some hot chips, though, and I might bite your whole hand off.’
Hannah chuckled, scraping the last of the buttery crumb crust from the bottom of the jar. Heaven. Kathryn watched Hannah over the rim of her cup, as if waiting for her to reveal why she was really there.
‘Sarah Barlow invited me out to the farm for tea, and then I had an altercation with her son.’ Hannah felt her mood sink again at the thought of Alistair’s brittle words which had quashed her hopes of pursuing Rachel’s story.
‘The elusive Alistair…’ Kathryn said. ‘I’m astonished you managed to even have a conversation with him, let alone an argument.’ At Hannah’s raised brows, she continued, ‘Let’s just say he keeps to himself. He’s always polite, but he keeps walking with a quick hello, never stops to go beyond that. What were you arguing about?’
Hannah deliberated for a second, and then decided to tell Kathryn about Rachel’s journal and the references to Goshen. Kathryn listened with her head cocked to the side, dark eyes intent, like a little bird. Hannah found herself relaxing as she spilled her encounters with the Barlows and Kobie into the space between them.
Kathryn waited until she finished and then asked gently, ‘What is it you want from all this, Hannah?’
Hannah looked down at her mug to avoid the searching gaze. ‘I’m not entirely sure. I came to Leliehoek on a whim. And I love it. Being here, I mean. And the shop. Then I find this journal, and for the first time in a very long time I’m excited about something. This girl has grabbed hold of me in a way I don’t fully understand. She’s living through the worst possible experiences, and yet she’s resilient. And there’s something about her – a pathos, a loneliness I find myself relating to. It sounds feeble when I say it out loud.’
‘No, not feeble. The word vulnerable comes to mind, and I would guess you haven’t been that in a long time.’ Hannah looked up in surprise and met Kathryn’s intelligent brown eyes. ‘It happens when you put yourself out on the line, and it sounds to me like you are venturing into unfamiliar territory – on many fronts.’
‘What do you mean?’ said Hannah, sitting back in her chair and folding her arms across her body.
‘You are completely alone here. You’ve left all the expectations of your past behind, and now you’re pushing into places that are wholly your own pursuit. It seems to me like you are opening yourself up. Maybe Alistair is one of those new fronts?’ Kathryn smiled at Hannah’s bewildered face. ‘It’s a good thing, Hannah.’
Hannah stared at Kathryn, wondering how she could possibly have so much insight into her life. They had really only just met, and yet Kathryn spoke with an understanding which Hannah’s parents – or Todd, for that matter – had never had. She wasn’t sure how comfortable she was with it.
As if reading her mind, Kathryn reached out and touched her arm lightly. ‘Sorry. I sometimes speak without filtering what I hear.’
‘Let me just clear something up, though,’ Hannah said bluntly, trying to cover her confusion. ‘I am not interested in starting another relationship. Especially with a self-absorbed bully of a man.’
Kathryn raised an eyebrow. ‘I agree. You’ve had one of those already, but Alistair Barlow is not like him, I promise you.’ She picked up their mugs and disappeared into the back, leaving Hannah wondering how Kathryn could know anything about Todd.
She called from the back, ‘Our church is having a fête on Saturday. Can you help at all?’
Hannah was happy to change the subject. ‘What do I have to do?’
Kathryn reappeared, grinning. ‘It would be great if you could manage the bookstall. We have had piles of books donated and the proceeds go to church funds, mainly supporting a farm preschool nearby.’
Hannah rather liked the idea of a small town church fête. She followed Kathryn out the front door and watched her lock up the shop. ‘Thanks for the tea, Kathryn. And for listening too – you’re good at it.’
Kathryn looked up from locking the door and grinned at Hannah. ‘Let’s pop over the road to the church now and I’ll show you the books. We’ll probably need to sort them or price them or something before the weekend. You can meet Douglas – he might tickle your fancy.’
‘I don’t need anyone near my fancy, thanks very much,’ said Hannah darkly, though Kathryn’s shout of laughter had her mouth curving into a smile. They crossed the road and Kathryn opened the wooden lychgate. A slate-paved path led to a stone church, but instead of going to the front door, Kathryn led the way around the side to a more modern building set towards the back of the property. A sign pointed to the church office, and another to the church hall. Kathryn stuck her head into the office door and called, ‘Douglas?’
A man’s voice answered from the hall next door, ‘I’m in here.’
The hall was piled with an assortment of loaded plastic bags, boxes of strange kitchen gadgets, and four trestle tables of old books. An athletic man in his early forties looked helplessly at the heaps of stuff. He was dressed in shorts and a Red Hot Chili Peppers T-shirt. He smiled widely at the two women as they came in. ‘I hope you’ve come to rescue me, Kathryn. I’m completely at sea with all this crap.’