Helena was nodding encouragingly as he spoke, smiling fixedly as though there were no awkward pauses and uncomfortable silences. Isabella stood by the kitchenette counter, her hip pressed to it and her arms folded while she stared not at the two of them but through the doorway into the shop beyond, lost in her own thoughts and only half listening to the jug as it warmed up.
"Oh, absolutely," Helena remarked as Ransom made noise about wanting to see the locations. "I\'m excited for you to see them, to be inspired by them," she said with a giggle, then clapped her hands quickly, looking like a dark version of a giddy schoolgirl. She put her hands away, beneath the table, and glanced over at Isabella for a brief moment before focussing on Ransom as he began to speak again - about the frame.
"Oh, I wouldn\'t dare choose the frame without your input," she said, dropping her voice to an almost theatrical whisper, making her harder to hear over the jug\'s now boiling water. She returned to her normal tone. "The artist should always have a say what surrounds his art," she recited, as though this was something she\'d campaigned for her entire life. "I would rather wait until the painting is complete before you choose the frame, if you don\'t mind," she said, landing on a decision that finally didn\'t need his opinion. "Especially since we don\'t know the location as yet," she said, twitching as though she wished to move. She had, in fact, stopped herself from lifting a hand in order to reach out and pat him. The movement would not only be awkward, but she was sure was also unwelcome.
Isabella was pouring water into both cups, coffee and tea, and didn\'t ask if Ransom had wanted sugar or milk. She placed the jug back on its stand, took hold of both cups and placed them down in front of him. The teabag\'s string was still wrapped around the handle, keeping it in place. As Ransom was left to ponder them, she grabbed the sugar bowl (which had a little spoon within it) and a small carton of full cream milk out of the fridge, and placed them in the centre of the table behind the cup of coffee and tea.
Pleased with herself, she stood back, waiting to see which one he\'d select first - if any. Both Helena and Isabella were watching him.