by Holly Martin
‘I’m here for you too. I imagine the pain of losing a close relative never really goes away.’
‘It doesn’t, you just get better at dealing with it.’
‘Well you can always deal with it with me.’
Jamie smiled and bent his head and kissed her, cupping her face in his hands.
Another customer came in then and Jamie gave her a kiss on the head and stepped back out of her arms.
‘Thank you for being here for me,’ Melody said, quietly, as the customer started browsing round the shop. ‘Want to come for lunch today, I’m meeting Tori?’
‘I really need to get on with my sculpture for the festival, I feel like it’s never going to be finished. Or I’m never going to be happy with it.’
‘OK, can I pick you up something?’
‘A bacon sandwich would be great.’
She nodded and, as the customer had her back to them as she peered in the cabinets, Melody reached up and gave him a kiss on the lips. He kissed her back without even a trace of embarrassment. God, she loved this man.
He smiled as he stepped back. ‘See you later, my siren.’
She watched him go with a big smile on her face and then realised the customer was patiently waiting.
‘Sorry, how can I help?’
‘Honey, don’t apologise. If I had a man like that, I’d be kissing him all the time too.’
Melody laughed, knowing how very lucky she was to have a man like that in her life.
11
Melody arrived at The Cherry on Top before Tori had arrived. She had spent the morning making a start on her mosaic for the Great Sculpture in the Sand competition. Klaus had cut out a template for her based on Tori’s design and she had spent an enjoyable few hours cutting and gluing the sea glass into the right positions. Now she was starving. She ordered a chicken satay waffle and went and found a table in the corner, settling Rocky underneath the table. Agatha was at the next table but in deep conversation with Elsie West from the chemist, so she and Tori might be able to have their own conversation without being overheard.
She couldn’t be happier right now. She was sure everyone must know that her and Jamie were seeing each other. If they didn’t, the huge smile on her face would be a big giveaway. She didn’t even care. They could talk and laugh and embellish all they wanted. She was dating Jamie Jackson and that was definitely something to be happy about.
She was just about to get her phone out of her bag and send Jamie a flirty text when Tori arrived, and Melody’s heart leapt with excitement. Aidan was going to propose to her tonight. This time tomorrow, Tori would be wearing the moonstone ring and would have a fiancé and she didn’t even know.
Tori arrived at the table and Melody realised she was looking a bit flustered.
Melody stood up to hug her. ‘You OK?’
Tori nodded. ‘Well, no, not really.’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Aidan is up to something.’
Melody’s heart sank. Evidently, Aidan had not been as subtle as he hoped with his proposal preparations.
‘What do you mean?’ she asked, hoping her voice wasn’t giving the game away too. She was a terrible liar.
‘I don’t know, he’s behaving really oddly,’ Tori said. ‘He seems really nervous as if he’s scared I’m going to catch him doing something. A few times, I’ve walked into the room and he’s quickly put his phone face down, so I wouldn’t see what was on the screen. The other day he said he was going down to the strawberry field and when I went down to find him to tell him about a phone call, he wasn’t there. And… I’ve just seen Mary Nightingale and she said that yesterday she saw him going into the heartberry field with a blonde woman. What would he be doing down there? All the bushes are dead, there are no berries and who’s this blonde he was there with?’
Crap.
‘You know what Mary Nightingale is like, she never wears her glasses. Maybe she thought it was Aidan and it was someone else.’
‘Who else would be going into the heartberry field? It’s supposed to be private property.’
‘Well, I don’t think the villagers pay too much attention to that kind of thing. You know a lot of people go to the cave at Orchard Cove to have illicit sex.’
Tori’s face fell.
‘What if that’s what he was doing?’ Tori said, her voice suddenly tearful. ‘Meeting someone else for sex.’
Crap. Crap. Crap.
What was she supposed to tell her? That she had been the blonde woman Mary Nightingale had seen go into the heartberry field with Aidan. How could she possibly explain what she was doing with Aidan without giving the game away?
‘Aidan was not meeting someone else for sex,’ Melody said, firmly. ‘The man is crazy in love with you. You trust him, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘Then why are you getting upset with Aidan being seen with another woman? If he’d been seen kissing this woman then of course you’d have something to worry about, but just going into the heartberry field. It could be anything and nothing.’
‘You’re right, I know you are, but I know he is hiding something from me, he’s been so vague and evasive over the last few days. It’s not my birthday so I know it’s not that. What is he up to? I’ve been here before with Luc. He was sleeping with someone else for six months before I found out. I had no clue. I trusted him completely and he was shagging someone else the whole time. But if I’m honest with myself, the signs were there, the secrets, the lies that tripped him up. I knew something was going on, but I just couldn’t believe he was being unfaithful. I don’t want to be ignorant to it again.’
‘Aidan is different, he would never do anything like that to you. He loves you.’
Tori nodded but she didn’t look so sure. ‘I thought Luc was different.’
‘When was the last time you and Aidan made love?’
‘Last night, when we got back from Isla’s.’
‘And did he instigate it or did you?’
‘He did. He’s like a dog on heat most of the time, can’t keep his hands off me,’ Tori said, a small smile forming on her lips. ‘I love how much he wants me.’
‘Exactly. Would he really be going elsewhere for sex when he can get it from you anytime he wants?’
‘True. I’m being silly, aren’t I?’
‘Yes you are,’ Melody said, relieved the doubt seemed to have passed.
Tori looked thoughtful for a moment while she studied the menu. ‘But that still doesn’t explain why he was in the heartberry field with a blonde woman. Maybe I should ask him. If it’s nothing then he’ll just explain it.’
Melody stilled her friend’s hand as she reached for the phone. If Aidan lied, which he undoubtedly would, Tori would be even more suspicious.
‘It was me, Aidan was with me. God knows why Mary didn’t recognise me, but she never wears her glasses. Aidan wanted to show me something.’
Tori stared at her in shock, probably wondering why Melody hadn’t mentioned it when Tori had first brought it up.
‘But… What did he want to show you?’
Urgh. This was getting worse.
‘Look, he has a surprise for you.’
‘A surprise?’ Tori said in confusion. She was clearly trying to work out what the surprise would be. Then her eyes lit up.
‘No, not that, nothing big or life-changing,’ Melody hurriedly said before Tori got carried away and imagined a big romantic proposal. Exactly like the one she was going to get. ‘It’s nothing really, he just wanted to do something nice for you and I was giving him a hand.’
This conversation hadn’t gone how she had wanted at all. She hadn’t wanted to give anything away about that evening. But she couldn’t let Tori continue to think he was having some kind of sordid affair. She certainly wouldn’t be saying yes to the proposal later that night if she spent the whole day having doubts.
Tori visibly relaxed. ‘Oh god, I’m such a tit. Why did I fear the worst?’
> ‘Because you’ve been hurt badly in the past.’
‘I know, but there was no reason to doubt him. I love him, I know he loves me. I’ve just been so emotional lately, I don’t know why. I had this silly wobble this morning. I was lying in bed this morning, he was wrapped around me, holding me tight, and I was thinking I have never been so blissfully happy as I am right now and then I started thinking, what if it all ended, what would I do? And I literally had tears in my eyes as I thought about losing him… God, I’m getting emotional now just thinking about it. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I suppose, coupled with his secrecy, it made me think the worst.’
Melody narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. She thought back to the night before and how much Tori had eaten. They had all laughed when she’d helped herself to a third portion of curry plus a large dessert. And the other day, when they’d met for lunch, Tori had eaten a ton then too.
She took Tori’s hand and was just about to speak when Agatha leaned over from her table, making them jump. Melody had almost forgotten she was there.
‘Sounds to me like you’re pregnant, dear,’ Agatha said, knowingly. Melody had just been about to suggest the same thing. Agatha’s friend, Elsie West, nodded sagely.
Tori shook her head and laughed. ‘No, no, I can’t be, we always use protection.’ She paled as a thought clearly occurred to her. ‘Well, there was that time in the bath but… No, I can’t be. That would be crazy. I mean, we’ve talked about having children and how it was definitely something we wanted but sometime in the future, not now.’
‘Your boobs are bigger,’ Agatha said, bluntly.
Melody tilted her head to one side and had a good look. Did they look bigger? Possibly.
‘When is your period?’ Agatha said, not caring that that was way too personal a question for the middle of a café, or any time in public really.
‘Well I’m always a bit irregular,’ Tori said. ‘I’m normally around the fifteenth of each month but I can be a week late sometimes.’
‘And today is the twenty-fifth,’ Agatha said. ‘So that would make you ten days late.’
‘Well, as I said, I’m quite irregular,’ Tori tried. She looked between Agatha and Melody in disbelief.
Tori looked down at her boobs and then stroked across her almost flat stomach as if the pregnancy would be obvious.
‘Why don’t you pop along to the chemist, dear?’ Elsie leaned over from their table joining the conversation. ‘We can do a test and then you’ll know for sure.’
Tori shook her head. ‘I’m not pregnant.’
‘It wouldn’t hurt to find out though,’ Melody said. ‘To be sure.’
Tori nodded. ‘You’re right. I’m sure I’m not, but it would be good to rule it out.’
‘I have a toilet at the chemist, you can do the test there,’ Elsie said, obviously keen to be there when Tori found out.
‘Maybe Tori might want to do it somewhere a little more private,’ Melody suggested.
‘Yes, maybe I’ll buy a test and do it at home, or I think the whole town might know before Aidan does.’ Tori looked pointedly at Agatha.
Melody suspected it would already be too late for that. Even if Tori turned out not to be pregnant, half the town would hear that she was by the end of the day. Agatha started to protest about that slur against her character but then she shrugged and nodded in defeat.
Tori stared down at her belly again in shock.
‘Are you OK?’ Melody asked gently.
‘Yes, of course.’ Tori smiled, brightly, but Melody knew she was putting on a front. ‘Do you mind if I skip lunch? I think I better go and take this test just to put my mind at ease.’
‘Do you want me to come with you?’ Melody offered.
Tori shook her head. ‘I’ll text you.’
She stood up and Melody stood up and hugged her. ‘If you need me, just call and I’ll be round in five minutes.’
‘Thanks,’ Tori said, giving her a kiss on the cheek and hurrying out.
Melody sat down just as her chicken waffles arrived.
Agatha shifted her chair, so she was now sitting down at Melody’s table. A few seconds later, Elsie joined her on the other side.
Melody paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. ‘Is there something I can help you ladies with? I’m not pregnant as well.’
‘Well you might be,’ Agatha said. ‘We heard you were having sex on the beach last night with my dear nephew.’
Melody put her fork down. ‘We were not having sex.’
‘That’s not what we hear from Trevor Harris. Caught you in the act, he says.’ Elsie had a wicked glint in her eye as she spoke.
‘We were kissing, nothing more than that.’
‘So you admit, you two have overcome the first-date hurdle, something is going on between you,’ Agatha said, triumphantly.
Melody sighed and took a mouthful of chicken, playing for time as she chewed. She swallowed and scooped up another forkful, but Agatha stilled her hand with a pointed look.
‘It’s very early, we’re taking it slowly,’ Melody tried.
‘Trevor said it was getting very heated,’ Elsie said. ‘That doesn’t sound like taking it slowly to me.’
Melody shook her head in disbelief. ‘I think me and Jamie will be the judge of that. We will decide when the time is right for us to kiss or make love or anything else.’
‘Quite right, dear,’ Agatha said. ‘If you want to have sex on the beach, you go right ahead and do it.’
‘We weren’t having sex. We’ve been on one date and that ended a lot quicker than it should, as you are well aware. Kissing Jamie is… amazing but we haven’t progressed past that yet and, when we do, it’ll be our business.’
‘Well, if you have sex in a public place, you can’t blame people for talking about it,’ Elsie tutted, though Melody could see she was as invested in this conversation as Agatha was. ‘If you want to keep it private, I suggest you do it in a bit more of a private place.’
‘Nothing wrong with a bit of sex in public places,’ Agatha hurriedly said, undoubtedly loving the idea of Melody having sex somewhere where someone would see them and report back to her. ‘Adds a bit of a thrill to it. There’s a nice alleyway at the back of The Mermaid pub. I had quite a lot of sex there when I was younger. I was dating the barman and we’d often meet round the back when he was on a break. If it’s a bit chilly, the library is always a good place. The aisles where the encyclopaedias are kept is a good location. No one goes down there when they have computers with Google. Last time I was there, I even saw a box of condoms next to the C encyclopaedia, so I’m not the only one who goes there. Not sure if they’re in date though. Might want to check that before you and Jamie go there. The cave at Orchard Cove is great, lots of people have sex there. Even the heartberry fields at this time of year as no one is there to do the berry-picking. The old deserted Tanner manor house up on the hill is another great place for outdoor sex. There’s a gate round the back that is always open. The grounds are so overgrown now, you can’t be seen from the road. There’s the summer house at the bottom of the garden that a lot of people use. Some people have even found a way into the manor house and a lot of the old furniture is still there. Dusty, but a good place for sex, though if you get caught in there it would be breaking and entering. Getting caught in the garden is just trespassing, which is much less of a crime.’
Melody stared at her, open-mouthed.
‘The Clover Woods are a great place for outdoor sex too, lots of secluded glades and trees you can have sex up against. Once I was dating a soldier and we—’
‘Um… thanks for the tips.’ Melody interrupted in panic, instinctively knowing that the words that would continue to flow from Agatha’s mouth would paint pictures she absolutely didn’t want or need painted by the older woman.
‘My pleasure,’ Agatha said. ‘I have lots more suggestions. You just say the word. I could write a book on all the places I’ve had sex. I’ve almost never been caught,
but the thrill of that possibility does add an extra layer of excitement to it. Cars are good too, more private but a bit small.’
‘As I said, we’re not there yet,’ Melody said, desperately trying to end this excruciating conversation.
‘Yes we know, but when you are, you must try a bit of outdoor sex, great fun. And make sure you have a look at that Kama Sutra I gave you, might give you a few tips too.’ Agatha got up and scooped her sleeping puppy Summer into her arms. Elsie stood up as well. ‘And don’t keep the boy waiting too long, eh. Poor lad. It’s been way too long since his last sexcapade. His willy might fall off from lack of use.’
Agatha walked away with Elsie cackling at her side and Melody let her head fall into her hands.
Maybe it would be better if the whole village didn’t know about her dating Jamie after all.
‘So the whole village thinks we were having sex on the beach last night,’ Melody said, by way of announcing her arrival in Jamie’s art studio. She let Rocky go off in search of his brother.
Jamie was working on his statue for the Sculpture in the Sand competition and he didn’t want her to see it. He didn’t like anyone seeing his unfinished sculptures, but he especially didn’t want Melody to see this one.
He quickly stepped out the little screened-off area to greet her and closed the curtain behind him.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed on top of her scowl and then on the mouth. He felt the tension leave her as he held her in his arms.
‘Hello,’ he said, softly.
‘Hi,’ she smiled up at him.
Klaus came running out from the back of the studio. ‘You two had sex on the beach last night?’ he said, looking absolutely delighted with this piece of gossip.
Melody pulled back from Jamie. ‘We weren’t having sex. We were kissing, that was it. I’m going to kill Trevor Harris when I get my hands on him.’
‘Oh, that’s disappointing,’ Klaus said, returning to his area of the studio.
‘What’s going on?’ Jamie said, wondering if this had more to do with his beloved aunt Agatha than Trevor having told everyone.