Coming Home to Heritage Cove

by Helen J Rolfe

  She almost jumped out of her skin when his hands settled on her shoulders reassuring her. ‘One step at a time. First, I’ll pick us up a sandwich each from the bakery.’

  ‘Sounds good to me. It is lunchtime after all.’ She sounded hopeless, giving away the effect his touch had on her.

  ‘Then we’ll go to Barney’s. I need to inspect the barn and work on fixing up a couple of wobbly beams, check there’s nothing else to take care off. It’ll need to be one hundred per cent safe for the ball.’

  ‘It’s hard to believe we once climbed up onto those beams,’ she whispered, still aware of his touch. ‘I doubt kids would do that now. I have a friend in London who has twins and she’s fussing over them all the time, I can’t imagine her ever letting them run loose in a barn with an old man for company.’ She was rambling, nerves getting the better of her.

  ‘We had a good childhood. The Cove saw to that.’ He finally took his hands away and it felt strange to no longer be beneath his touch.

  But it was time to go to Barney’s now. And she only hoped their plan would work out, that the both of them organising the ball, might just be the key to getting Barney back to being himself.

  Chapter Seven

  ‘How are you feeling?’ Melissa asked Barney the second they arrived at his cottage.

  Barney didn’t answer at first, he was too busy looking behind her at Harvey coming in through the back door not long after she did. ‘I’m fine, but what are you two up to?’

  ‘We’ve come to see you, of course,’ Harvey replied.

  ‘Together?’ He looked doubtful.

  ‘We’ve been talking,’ Melissa explained.

  ‘About time.’

  ‘Talking about you, she means,’ Harvey clarified.

  Barney grumbled, ‘It sounds like you’ve come to nag me some more and you think that if you both do it together, it might work. Well, I’ll tell you now –’

  ‘Just hear us out,’ Harvey interrupted.

  ‘It’s about the Wedding Dress Ball,’ Melissa began.

  ‘I’ve told you, not happening this year. What’s the point? It’s a lot of hard work, I can’t face people being everywhere, invading this place.’

  Harvey sat on the chair to the side of him, leaning forwards, arms along his thighs. ‘How about we run the entire event?’

  ‘Now that’s ridiculous. You weren’t interested the other day when Ashley tried to suggest it to you,’ he directed at Harvey. ‘And you’re going back home before it’ll even take place,’ he said to Melissa.

  ‘I’ve already extended my stay and cleared it with work,’ she explained.

  Barney couldn’t hide his surprise. ‘And you’re intending to work on this together?’

  ‘As crazy as it sounds, yes.’ Harvey sat on the arm of the sofa.

  ‘Ridiculous,’ Barney countered.

  ‘Hey, it’s not that bad an idea,’ said Melissa. ‘We’re both grown adults, we both know the event well enough.’

  ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea, you’d argue or not talk. It’s not easy to coordinate, you know. And it’s too late now, I left it too late.’

  ‘Since when did you give up?’ Melissa demanded.

  Barney shrugged and shut his eyes as he listened to Harvey suggest they got a bit of paper and a pen to write down what needed doing. Melissa had already pulled out a chair at the table that had one end folded down and was only opened up when there were more guests.

  Barney stayed where he was. ‘I’m comfortable right here,’ he said from the armchair.

  ‘Not to worry.’ Harvey’s rummaging in the bureau produced a notepad and a pen. ‘Melissa and I will sit here at the table and you listen in, we’ll need your input.’

  ‘Suppose I could do that.’

  ‘What’s the first thing we need to do?’ Harvey asked. ‘The date is set, but do people think it’s cancelled?’

  ‘I may have started spreading the word.’

  Melissa wrote down at the top of the paper, ‘Re-publicise’. They’d need to make sure everyone knew the ball was in no way cancelled. ‘Have you issued any refunds yet, Barney?’

  ‘No, all the money is still safely stashed away. I just hadn’t got around to dealing with it.’

  ‘Good, one less thing to think about,’ said Harvey. ‘But we’ll need to quash any rumours, make sure we publicise enough that we sell even more tickets to people who were hesitating until now. Most of the village residents jump right in and get a ticket but people who pass through might grab one later on, a few extra sales won’t go amiss to cover costs and raise even more for the charity.’

  ‘Do you have a list of people coming already?’ Melissa asked.

  ‘There’s a folder in the bureau, the list is in there,’ Barney told her. ‘You might want to get the word out quickly that the ball is on or people could make other plans, then want their money back, which creates a whole load of admin to deal with.’

  ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got this.’ But Melissa exchanged a doubtful look with Harvey. She’d never been up for organising large events, she panicked in case she forgot something, and Barney, although injecting the odd comment, wasn’t exactly enthused with all of this or buoying them along. ‘And if people have made alternative plans,’ she went on, ‘then they can unmake them.’

  ‘Bossy,’ said Harvey, but with a smile as he found the folder.

  ‘We’ll need music.’ She picked up the pen to add it to the list.

  ‘Cancelled,’ said Barney from his assumed position in the armchair.

  Harvey frowned and rifled through the folder to find the contact information. They went through the other details too: flowers to decorate the barn, a suitable raffle prize, raffle tickets, which would have to be sold before the event, catering, portaloos to be delivered and go behind the barn.

  ‘We also need a cake,’ Harvey sighed. ‘There’s always a cake,’ he smiled at Melissa.

  ‘Cancelled,’ Barney called over.

  Melissa shook her head. ‘Add it to the list.’ The list was already long enough. It was going to keep them busy and again she felt guilty about all the time she’d be spending away from Jay. Perhaps she’d send him a nice long email later before she fell asleep. That way it didn’t matter if he was working or sleeping, he could enjoy it when he was ready.

  When she and Harvey had at last compiled the list of everything that had to be done to organise the Wedding Dress Ball this year, they played board games with Barney, they talked about the ball, and if Melissa wasn’t mistaken Barney’s spirits did appear to have lifted a little already by the time she took charge of cooking dinner for them all. Maybe she’d been right all along, this event was going to be what brought the real Barney back to them.

  *

  The next day, Harvey went to have flyers for the event made up ready for a leaflet drop to remind people the ball would be happening and to drum up new ticket sales. Melissa headed for the bakery after she finished chatting with Jay who would shortly be flying off to Singapore. She’d emailed Jay last night and this morning they’d had a FaceTime call. He’d told her off for apologising yet again that she wouldn’t be home for a few weeks and he seemed happy enough himself as he prepared to go to work, which made her feel much better about being away for so long.

  Unfortunately, before she could open the door to the bakery, Melissa bumped straight into Tilly, who emerged from inside with a wrapped sandwich she’d just bought. It didn’t look as though Tilly had mellowed in any way since they’d last crossed paths and so Melissa disappeared inside without a word, ready to sort out the predicament of a celebration cake for the ball.

  ‘Welcome home,’ said Jade with a smile.

  ‘Thanks, Jade.’ She told her all about Barney’s lack of interest and subsequent change of heart, and she asked about the possibility of doing a cake in time for the event.

  Jade’s lips twisted awkwardly. ‘I want to help, I really do, but I’m not sure I can.’

  ‘But he gets the cake
from here every year.’

  ‘These things take a lot of planning and time.’

  Melissa wondered whether the welcome-home greeting and smile had all been for show. ‘Is this about me?’

  Jade came around to the front of the counter, hooking her black bobbed hair behind both ears. She still had the freckles she’d had since childhood, across the bridge of her nose and peppering those high cheek bones. Kind green eyes understood Melissa’s distress. ‘We all love Barney, but we all think a lot of you too, and leaving couldn’t have been easy after everything you went through. Please, don’t think I’m being difficult because of anything you’ve done.’

  Melissa sighed heavily. ‘I’m sorry, it’s just I really want this to go smoothly.’

  ‘I know you do. I’d normally have started making the cake about now, but as soon as Barney cancelled I took on other commitments. It’s a busy time of the year for weddings, the summer.’

  Melissa’s heart sank. ‘Do you know anyone else who could help? I don’t mind driving somewhere, working with a bakery outside the village.’

  ‘I suspect other bakeries will be in the same situation, some plan much further ahead than I do.’ She hesitated a moment. ‘Wait here a minute, let me see what I can do.’ She went out back and returned with a ledger, bits of paper sticking out everywhere. She opened it up against her red apron with its sprinkling of flour dust and ran her fingers thoughtfully down one of the pages. ‘There’s a chance…’

  ‘Really?’ Melissa’s hopes soared and she clasped her hands against her chest.

  ‘Yes, I think I might just be able to squeeze you in. I don’t mind putting in some late evenings to get it done,’ she nodded, ‘as long as you promise it won’t be cancelled again.’

  Melissa threw her arms around Jade. ‘It won’t be, I swear to you.’

  Jade flipped through the same ledger, to the back. ‘You’re lucky, I still have the details in case the event went ahead next year.’

  ‘At least that’s one thing off my mind.’

  ‘You don’t have long to get everything ready, are you sure you’re up for it?’

  ‘Completely, one hundred per cent in.’

  ‘It’ll be good to have you around for a while longer. And even better when Barney is back to himself, walking down The Street, bossing us all around.’

  ‘I hope he’s back to doing that soon.’ Melissa hated hearing that others also thought Barney had changed since his fall, but it was all the more reason to ensure this event went off without a hitch. ‘What’s the cake going to be like?’ she ventured now she knew this part of the conundrum was sorted.

  ‘You know Barney, he could get a more impressive cake elsewhere but he wanted to keep it local. We went for a very simple strawberries-and-cream cake.’

  ‘The taste of summer, as always,’ Melissa smiled. ‘Barney said that in the early years of running the ball he’d put out a traditional white-iced fruit cake but he always had a lot left over after the event. On a whim he tried something different and never looked back.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Jade remembered. ‘We’ve made lemon drizzle, there was a peaches-and-cream cake once, and another year it was a lemon-and-elderflower cake.’

  ‘I’ll confirm exact numbers when we’ve spread the word that the event is still on.’

  ‘Great, but for now I’ll base it on the numbers from before plus extras in case. And between you and me, there’s no way anyone will back out. Barney is well-loved around here, and the same goes for the ball. It’s one of the best fundraisers out there. If you have some flyers, bring one in and I’ll pop it in the window.’

  ‘That would be amazing. Harvey is off getting them printed now, I’ll drop one in.’

  ‘Bring a whole pile, I’ll hand them out to customers.’

  ‘Thank you. Perhaps we’ll get some interest from outside the village as well.’

  Jade was more sceptical. ‘It’s good to see new faces unless you get the rowdy lot we had in three years back. Almost wrecked the barn, they did. We would’ve had to call the police if Harvey hadn’t stepped in – he was like a bouncer, throwing them out on their ears then guarding the door. Nobody dared mess with him after they’d see him in action.’

  ‘I can imagine.’ He’d do anything to protect Barney and his property, as well as the community, and he’d probably have had women falling at his feet. She could just picture him dressed in a tux, looking the part. The first time Melissa had seen him wearing one, when he took her to her first Wedding Dress Ball, she could barely speak. Jaw-droppingly handsome, Harvey Luddington was the catch of the village, and once upon a time she’d been the girl every other single female in Heritage Cove envied. ‘Well, let’s just hope we don’t get anything like that this year.’

  ‘Remember to contact the local newspaper about the event too, they usually cover it.’

  ‘We don’t have that on the list but I’ll make sure we contact them,’ said Melissa. ‘It should be a year to remember.’

  ‘It always is. I can’t believe Barney even thought about cancelling it altogether.’

  ‘He’s quite infuriating when he makes up his mind about something. He seems to think he’s past it because of this fall and won’t be told it could’ve happened to anyone.’

  ‘It must be all the more frustrating after not seeing him in so long.’

  ‘It is,’ Melissa said, looking down at the display cabinet instead of at Jade.

  ‘Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it, people around here know that everyone has their own story to tell. None of us can write the endings for someone else.’

  ‘Nobody ever put it like that. I appreciate it, thank you.’

  ‘Anytime. And here – take an orange-and-poppyseed muffin, on the house.’ She lifted a muffin out with a pair of tongs, dropped it into a bag and handed it to Melissa. ‘It’s been lovely to catch up, don’t be a stranger.’

  ‘I promise I won’t.’

  Back at the inn Melissa made a couple of phone calls – one to the florist, the other to the portaloo company to confirm their booking, which thankfully was one that had survived the cull. Then she moved straight on to her next task, driving to the caterers who she didn’t seem to be able to get hold of over the phone. Every call went to an answer service and she wasn’t interested in leaving a message. They were based in the next village and it was quicker to go there in person, but when she arrived at their premises she realised why they’d been incommunicado. They’d closed down, a big sign plastered across the door telling everyone who showed up that that was the case. Barney had booked them at the start of the year and left a phone message to cancel, so he probably had no idea.

  Melissa drove back to Heritage Cove wondering what on earth she was going to do about the food. Usually there was an enormous spread, a range to please everyone – plates of delicate finger sandwiches, goujons, dips, pork-and-apple sausage rolls, breaded prawns – a whole list of foods prepared by the professionals. Melissa had sat outside the closed-down caterers and made a few calls but had no luck finding anyone.

  She parked up at the inn as Sandy came outside to water the hanging basket at the front entrance. ‘You look stressed,’ Sandy began, stretching up and tilting the watering can into the basket. The surplus trickled down and splashed onto the concrete.

  Melissa explained how she and Harvey had taken over organising this year’s ball.

  ‘I went last year,’ Sandy smiled, watering the other side of the basket to get even coverage. ‘It was my first time. I’d watched my parents go every year and couldn’t wait to join in.’ Her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail today, she hadn’t bothered to straighten out the curls she’d inherited from her mum. ‘My boyfriend panicked when I first brought out a white dress. He’s not from around here, I think he thought I wanted to trick him into a wedding.’

  Melissa laughed. ‘I can see why he’d be worried.’

  ‘No way am I ready for that.’

  ‘Good for you, go spread your wings f
irst,’ she smiled, just as Tracy came outside to help an elderly guest with her suitcase before she could go on her way.

  ‘Don’t go putting ideas into her head,’ Tracy said after she’d waved the guest away.

  Sandy rolled her eyes and went back inside now she’d finished watering the hanging basket and the window box filled with vibrant pinks and purples.

  ‘I wasn’t filling her head with silly ideas, I promise,’ said Melissa.

  ‘I’m kidding. Much as Heritage Cove is for me and I secretly harbour a wish that my kids will stay here while I grow old, I’m taking a leaf out of Barney’s book and they’ll get my blessing whatever they decide to do. Would you like to join me in the garden out back for some lunch? I can have Giles whip us up a chicken salad.’

  ‘That would be lovely.’ She could use a break from all the rushing around and they first went inside to escape the heat that at this time of the day made the parking area out front feel like it had been transported to the Mediterranean rather than being on the east coast of England.

  In the kitchen Giles took their orders for salad, Tracy filled a jug with traditional lemonade and plenty of ice cubes, and they took it outside to the bistro-style table and chairs.

  They’d only just sat down when Melissa excused herself to take a call from Jay. They’d only just spoken but he’d forgotten to remind her to go and check out her little cottage while she was here. He’d seen a stunning house for sale in the Loire Valley and when he fired the photographs her way she couldn’t disagree, it was beautiful, a real escape. But mentioning her cottage again, she knew she wasn’t feeling the same way about getting rid of it as she had when she first arrived in Heritage Cove. Talking with Jay earlier and again now also reminded her that she had a very different life outside the Cove with a faster pace and detachedness from somewhere like here, an existence that hung in the background like a safety net protecting her from all the uncertainty. Since getting back to the village the lines were becoming increasingly blurred and it was hard to think straight on some days. She found her feelings for Harvey swung between regret and longing some days and, on other days, hovered between frustration and a need to finally draw a line under everything that had happened.