A Summer to Remember

by Sue Moorcroft

  Clancy polished off a couple of gulps of wine thinking there had been no ‘just’ about her moving on. ‘A woman doesn’t have to be defined by the love of a man, or the loss of a man. I do regret that I closed my eyes to warning signs, never challenged Will on why he was spending so much time elsewhere. I was complacent, which put my fate in his hands and set me up for a nasty fall. But I deserve better and I’m getting used to being single.’ She held aloft her wine to invite Genevieve to clink glasses.

  Genevieve obliged. ‘Until you meet someone new?’ she queried with a grin.

  Clancy batted the idea away. ‘I’m in no hurry for that, believe me.’

  Chapter Six

  It had been good to get a full day’s work in, Aaron thought, as he drove into the village late on Tuesday afternoon. He’d just about finished planting out the terraces in Titchwell. A heatwave was predicted and he was already anticipating customers not watering their gardens and then blaming him for dead plants and lawns with gaping cracks.

  He was due to pick his mum up to collect Aunt Norma from King’s Lynn hospital and wanted to be at the ward at seven when it opened. Then he was meeting Genevieve later.

  A quick stop at home to shower and grab a sandwich, then he set out again for De Silva House. Yvonne was uncharacteristically quiet when she climbed into his truck.

  On the journey, through Hunstanton and on to King’s Lynn, Aaron tried to get the conversation going but his mother replied only absently, even to his enquiries about Daisy. He settled for concentrating on the traffic and listening to Capital FM.

  Aunt Norma was ready when they arrived, a plaster cast on her ankle and a livid bruise on her temple. The nurse who organised her discharge said she was being sent home with a walking frame. ‘Bloody thing,’ Aunt Norma called it. Aaron brought the truck up close and settled her into the front seat and she wasn’t much more talkative than Yvonne while Aaron negotiated the overcrowded traffic system out of King’s Lynn.

  It was only as they were on the more open road that she shifted her plastered foot irritably and demanded, ‘Aaron, what are you doing allowing Awful Alice’s cousin to park herself in the village?’

  Aaron glanced across at her. ‘Clancy? I couldn’t do much to stop it. She acts for Alice. And I don’t suppose she even gets paid for that,’ he added, realising he’d never before thought of it. He received an income stream from the rental but all Clancy saw was the profits vanish, half in his direction and half in her cousin’s. ‘I told her about Evelyn leaving and suddenly she was moving in.’

  Aunt Norma sniffed. ‘But what about Lee? How does he feel?’

  His great-aunt was old and just out of hospital so Aaron kept his own tone level. ‘You’ll have to ask Lee. I hope that now he’s moved on with his life he’ll be OK with Clancy. She didn’t ask Alice to—’

  ‘You seem to be on her side,’ Aunt Norma commented sadly. She was known for being pretty forthright in her views.

  He glanced at the old lady again as he continued to trail the car in front, wishing the traffic would speed up. ‘I’m not taking sides,’ he said quietly. ‘Alice treated Lee shamefully and I was as worried about him as anyone. I tried to persuade Clancy the job wasn’t for her but I failed.’ Then, when neither his mother nor aunt replied, he added, ‘If Lee has an issue with the way I’ve handled things then he’s welcome to raise the subject but I’m not going on a witch hunt. Life’s been pretty crap to Clancy, from what she’s told me.’

  Aunt Norma sniffed again. ‘There’s no need to say crap.’

  Aaron swallowed his laughter. Was he thirty-six or thirteen?

  It was turned nine when he’d eventually helped Aunt Norma into her annexe at his parents’ place, driving up the slope, walking beside her as she puffed her way up the ramp that delivered her to the first floor. ‘Thank you, Aaron,’ she said stiffly. ‘You get off now.’

  Aaron kissed her soft cheek and said she could call him if she needed anything. His mother gave him a hug, then Aaron took Aunt Norma at her word and left.

  Once home, he released Nelson from the confines of the kitchen, rubbing the hairy head as Nelson reared up on his hind legs and pawed the air with whimpers of joy. ‘Come on, you silly hound. Let’s give you a run.’ He walked a circuit of the clifftop, watching the scrubby trees waving, throwing the ball so Nelson covered plenty of ground, then whistled him so they could turn off to Genevieve’s home in Trader’s Place.

  When he arrived at The Mimosas, a pretty name that seemed to him to be trying to compensate for the less-than-pretty brick-built cottage, it was to find Genevieve three-quarters of the way down a bottle of wine, sitting out in her garden in the twilight looking balefully at the corner of her home, propped up for safety until the builders began the necessary dismantling, underpinning and rebuilding.

  ‘Hey,’ he said, pulling up a mismatched garden chair to join her, leaning down to brush her lips with his. ‘Feeling down in the dumps about the cottage?’

  ‘Yup,’ she answered flatly, putting down her wine glass to accept Nelson’s panting, pawing expressions of adoration. ‘Amongst other things. Like, whether we’ve got a future.’

  Aaron had been about to go and get himself a wine glass but instead he dropped into the chair in surprise at this opening gambit. ‘Where did that come from?’

  She sighed, still tousling Nelson’s grey hairy ears. He’d taken up station with his head on her lap and looked well happy with the situation. ‘I’ve been thinking about it ever since Clancy came up with the idea of me moving into the B&B. You were so relieved! You obviously don’t want me to move in with you.’ Her eyes glittered in the fading light.

  He put his hand over hers, feeling bad that she’d read him so accurately and it had hurt her. ‘But you love your cottage.’

  She shrugged. ‘Does that mean I’m forced to live alone in it for the rest of my life?’

  ‘Well, no,’ he acknowledged. ‘But we’d never talked about living together and suddenly you were hinting that we should, and as if it would become a permanent thing. Taking such a major step out of expediency, because your cottage needs work—’

  ‘—is not happening,’ she finished for him, her voice tight with tears, forehead furrowing with misery. She gulped a mouthful of wine.

  ‘I didn’t put it like that—’

  But she wasn’t listening to him, just gazing at the sagging corner of her house as if it held all the answers. ‘We’ve been together a year. To be absolutely clear – do you ever foresee us taking our relationship to the next level?’

  ‘Hey,’ he said gently, patting the hand that lay unresponsive under his. ‘What’s going on? I feel as if I’ve missed half a conversation.’

  ‘Do you ever foresee us making our relationship more committed?’ she insisted.

  ‘I don’t discount it,’ he answered carefully, as she was clearly intent on making him lay all his cards on the table. ‘We’ve had a great relationship and, if you’re asking me to be honest, then I’m happy as we are.’

  She turned to face him. ‘Clancy says women shouldn’t be defined by the love of a man, but I’m going to ask you. Do you love me? And yes or no are the only acceptable answers.’

  Aaron tried to get a grip on the conversation, which felt as out of control as a kite in a hurricane. He hated upsetting Gen but that familiar prickle of resentment at being made to feel the bad guy was there too. He made his voice gentle. ‘Backing me into a corner isn’t going to help this situation.’

  Slowly, her blonde hair lifting on the evening breeze, Genevieve upended the wine bottle over her glass, watching it fill almost to the brim. ‘So that’s a no then.’

  ‘I didn’t say that!’ He’d never asked himself whether he loved Genevieve, or any past girlfriends. He’d never wanted to settle down before he was thirty and then, when he was exactly that age, what happened to Lee had made him wary. Lee had given his whole heart to Alice and she’d ripped it up and tossed it over her shoulder as she shook the dust of Nelson’
s Bar from her feet.

  Genevieve went on as if he hadn’t spoken. ‘I feel as if you’ve been playing me along.’

  Once more, he was taken aback. ‘I didn’t realise we had different expectations, that’s all.’

  ‘I’m thirty-four. It didn’t occur to you that I’d want children?’ Her eyes were huge with unshed tears.

  He decided there was no right answer to that because it had, in fact, been in the back of his mind, but not in a positive way. ‘I’m sorry you’re upset,’ he said.

  ‘So am I,’ she responded slowly. ‘I deserve more than a man who neither loves me nor sees a future with me.’ Tears began to leak from the corners of her eyes. ‘I obviously feel more than you and I don’t want to spoil the memories of what we’ve had for the last year. Let’s not bicker or blame. Let’s part as friends, both of us free of unrealistic expectations.’ Then, as Aaron sat, stunned into silence, she gave a half-laugh, half-sob. ‘I think you should go now, before I make a bigger idiot of myself than I already have.’

  ‘Are you sure this is what you want?’ he asked, rising uncertainly to his feet. Genevieve just looked away and shooed him with a wave of her hand. Aaron had little choice but to click his fingers to Nelson and leave for home, his thoughts circling madly.

  How had he just gone from being cautious about his relationship moving too fast to it exploding in his face?

  And … how much did he mind?

  Chapter Seven

  To: Clancy Moss

  From: William Martin

  21 May

  Dear Clancy,

  Just writing to confirm that the company will continue paying you dividends – in the short term – and I’ve today paid what we agreed as rent for your half of the apartment. I’d like to think these financial arrangements are interim. When the dust’s settled we’ll be able to put lasting proposals to you. You’ll probably know more about what you want the future to look like by then too.

  Is it possible for you to tell one of us you’re OK? If you feel the need for a complete communication break then we’ll try to understand but we’re concerned. I hope you can take that in the spirit it’s meant.

  Will hadn’t signed the email. Clancy supposed he hadn’t known how. Kisses were no longer appropriate and Kind regards plain odd when a few short months ago they’d been deciding the menu for their wedding breakfast. In those days, the apartment had been the settled home she’d waited all her life for. Will was her forever man.

  She sat back and sighed, the noise and bustle of a busy Hunstanton café surrounding her. Dilys and Ernie, who’d leapt at the opportunity of grabbing a lift into ‘Hunny’, were running errands while Clancy emailed her parents to update them on the past weeks, though the remote village in Namibia where Brenda and Gerry Moss were working was almost as technology-deprived as Nelson’s Bar. There, all communications were via satellite and easily affected by weather.

  Luckily, Clancy’s superpower had always been not needing parental support.

  As she’d tried to make good her intention to throw herself into her new life, the week had sped by without her moving out of the village and into a signal or Wi-Fi area. She hadn’t liked to press Aaron about using his satellite broadband, especially when it wasn’t for Roundhouse Row matters. Instead, she’d readied the rentals for occupation, including mowing lawns and tidying borders, and found her feet with the paperwork side of her caretaking duties. She’d also cooked more than she’d had time for in London, and a couple of times invited Dilys and Ernie to share the results.

  But now she felt guilty, especially when she thought of those texts from Asila and Tracey, which she’d ignored. She replied to Will quickly, noting his comments on financial arrangements. Then she began another message.

  To: Asila Memon, Jon Montagu, Tracey Murland, William Martin

  From: Clancy Moss

  25 May

  Just to let you know I’m OK. I didn’t deliberately blank your texts/emails but I’m staying somewhere that doesn’t have mobile signal or broadband.

  She thought of the years they’d worked together from the first idea, which had been Monty’s, making enthusiastic plans over takeaways at kitchen tables, beginning with rented equipment in a tiny enterprise zone, building their client list and their reputation and eventually moving to the offices in Islington. Until Will got caught with his pants down she’d considered it her life. After reflecting on their years as friends as well as colleagues she added, Hope you’re all OK.

  Then she began a new email.

  To: Alice Nettles

  From: Clancy Moss

  25 May

  Subject: Nelson’s Bar

  Alice, just to update you:

  Clancy spent twenty minutes explaining how she’d come to move into the Roundhouse.

  Then she rounded off:

  As I’ve been looking after things for you I didn’t think you’d object, but I thought I’d tell you I’m here. Are you still in the US? Are you having fun? Send me a lovely long catch-up. I haven’t even seen you on Insta lately.

  It’s funny being in Nelson’s Bar without you, living in the Roundhouse where you used to live with Lee, but it’s a sweet village.

  After adding love and kisses, she shut down and went off to stow her laptop in the car and shop for readymade curtains, thinking of Alice and wondering if her travelling days would ever end. Funny how they’d become the antithesis of each other. Alice had spent her early years in England but had developed itchy feet. Clancy, with travel-bug parents, had been relieved to come to the UK and put down roots, roots that had eventually come to mean Will and IsVid. She wondered what she’d find to replace them.

  It was late afternoon by the time she drove Dilys and Ernie back to Nelson’s Bar, thinking how odd it was they lived apart when they seemed to get on. Then Ernie told Dilys she was very wrinkly and she snapped at him to shut up, and she thought maybe they knew what they were doing after all. As they came into the village, they passed a tall figure walking a big dog and Ernie and Dilys broke off their argument to exclaim, ‘There’s Aaron!’

  Clancy drove carefully around the pair while Ernie and Dilys waved out of the car windows.

  As she parked outside the Roundhouse, Dilys said, ‘It’s the village meeting at De Silva House later. Are you coming, Clancy?’

  Clancy pressed the button that opened the boot so they could access their shopping. ‘I don’t think so.’ She didn’t know anything about the meeting but it didn’t sound appealing.

  Dilys pulled herself out of the car. ‘Official village matters are dealt with by the Village Committee through Parish Meetings, but this is a village meeting, which is sort of unofficial.’

  Clancy shook her head as she opened her door and hopped out with more agility than Dilys. She’d done pro bono work with a rural charity and had heard enough about the intricacies of Parish Councils, Village Councils and Parish Meetings to feel them best avoided – and that was without considering her prospective welcome at De Silva House. ‘I don’t think I’d have anything to contribute.’

  ‘You would!’ Dilys cried, sounding disappointed. ‘It’s about improving the village. I want to get internet and you know about it.’

  ‘No more than many people who’ve used the internet on a regular basis,’ Clancy replied firmly. ‘We’d better get our shopping in. Come for coffee tomorrow and you can tell me about the meeting then.’

  ‘What good’s that?’ Dilys, instead of taking her bags from Clancy, planted her fists on her hips. Then her face brightened as she looked over Clancy’s shoulder. ‘Aaron! Come and tell Clancy about the village meeting.’

  Clancy turned to see Aaron bearing down on them, Nelson with his ears back and tail wagging. Aaron glanced at Clancy.

  ‘Do you want to come to the meeting?’ he asked in much the way he might have said: ‘Do you want to eat worms?’ Stubble darkened his jaw as if he hadn’t shaved for a couple of days.

  ‘No,’ answered Clancy obligingly, though nettled at hi
s tone, which she assumed sprang from the fact that the meeting would take place in his parents’ home. It was as if someone had arranged for her to be permanently in the wrong. Will began an affair with Renée; Clancy was asked to leave IsVid. Alice did a runner on her wedding day? Clancy should be kept at arm’s length.

  Dilys seemed unaware of the undercurrents. ‘We need the internet. We need to be able to order groceries to come to our houses, and do our banking without having to go into Hunny.’ She clapped Clancy on the shoulder. ‘This girl, she knows all about it. She should tell everyone.’

  Aaron looked anywhere but at Clancy. ‘Um … you could always give the information to me to be shared with the meeting.’

  It was so obvious he hoped Clancy would go for that option that she nodded. ‘OK. As it happens, I have a little understanding of the problem of connectivity in rural areas because I once worked with a rural charity client.’ She drew a breath and delivered a rapid stream of facts about the need for affordable, fast broadband for working from home, networking, advertising, education and socialising. ‘Unfortunately, the commercial reality is that big providers are not necessarily interested in small communities,’ she ended. ‘Good luck.’

  Then she deposited Dilys and Ernie’s shopping on their respective doorsteps; returned for her own bags, offered the three still standing in the lane a goodbye smile and sailed indoors.

  It was after a couple of hours of hanging curtains that Clancy realised she was short of curtain hooks. Knowing she’d bought plenty, she trotted out to check her car boot. Sure enough, two packs had found their way into a corner and she had to move to the offside of the vehicle and stretch in to reclaim them.

  She’d just straightened up when a white van rounded the bend and came flying up the lane, forcing her to leap out of its way. She dropped the packs in the dust in her fright. As she retrieved them, muttering under her breath, she heard the sound of the van halting and a door opening and closing.