Another was carved into a fretwork of leaves and twigs. At the top, a painted bird perched on a twig, head back and beak open as if in song. ‘I’m going to make that into a lamp,’ he said. He turned it to show her the hole in the bottom, ready for a light fitting.

So minutely had she been studying what he’d made that she jumped, not having noticed him moving so close. ‘How much will you sell it for?’ she asked.

He examined it, one eyebrow raised. The light caught the bird and Laurel saw its eyes were black glass. ‘About a hundred quid.’ He put it back next to the red-inked vase he’d been working on when she’d sat next to him at Craft Stuff. It looked complete, now, the pierced section cream, the mottling showing through the transparent red and a broad gold collar between the two.

‘Can I buy it for Rea’s Christmas present?’ she asked impulsively. ‘She loves things for the house.’

A dark flush crept up his cheeks. ‘You don’t have to buy my stuff.’

She hesitated. ‘Is there some reason I shouldn’t buy it? It’s gorgeous.’

His laugh was little more than a breath. ‘You’re a famous artist. This is more of a paying hobby.’

‘I’m not famous; I do OK,’ she returned, feeling her own cheeks heat. ‘I think you undersell yourself by calling this—’ she gestured at the shelves of brightly coloured and carved gourds ‘—a hobby.’

‘OK.’ He gestured towards the table where he’d left their coffees, as if to divert her attention. As he’d set the coffee down next to a heater and the long room was taking a while to heat up, Laurel took a stool opposite his. He smiled but he was still flushed and embarrassed. ‘I’ll fit the light socket at the weekend. But I won’t charge you full whack—’

‘You will charge me full whack,’ she interrupted, scandalised. ‘Even at a hundred pounds I think you’re underpricing your work. Let’s look on Etsy.’ As he watched on, she unlocked her phone and searched for ‘carved gourds’ and ‘decorative gourds’.

‘Hmm,’ she said, after scrolling through a host of images with a critical eye. ‘You could easily charge me a hundred and fifty. I presume you have an Etsy shop?’

He nodded. ‘I also sell through my Facebook page and Instagram.’

She located Grady Cassidy on Etsy. ‘You could increase every price by fifteen to twenty per cent, maybe more.’ She looked up. ‘Unless you’re pricing to sell because you need quick money.’ She’d certainly leave cash for her half of the dinner tonight, if so.