Carly shooed Nick out of the salon and away from the open mouths of clients and stylists alike. ‘Here,’ she thrust the flowers back at him crushing them slightly. ‘I don’t want your flowers.’ She turned and started to walk purposefully away. Unfortunately, it was in the opposite direction of the flat and at some point she was either going to have to turn round and look like the numpty she felt or walk miles out of her way.
Nick caught up with her. ‘Can I walk with you?’
Carly stopped. ‘How did you know I’d be here? Are you stalking me? Because there are laws against that.’
Nick looked contrite. ‘I came here earlier in the week to see if Elizabeth had booked herself in.’ He cast his eyes downward at the same time as Carly’s jumped upwards. This was proper resourceful stalker territory. ‘And I saw your name on the screen. I figured there weren’t two of you in the area. I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped a line.’ He looked sorry. He looked lovely. Carly had always liked Nick; he was funny and easy on the eye – everybody liked Nick. On some level she felt he had hurt her too by doing what he had done to Beth.
‘You overstepped the line when you hit my friend.’ Carly’s jaw tightened.
‘Can we talk somewhere? Can I get you a coffee? Can I at least explain? Please.’ His eyes looked full of remorse and, against her better judgement, Carly said yes.
Carly sipped her black chai tea and eyed Nick wearily. It was difficult to reconcile what she had heard from Beth with the calm and worried looking man who sat opposite her. Nick was looking his usual immaculate self. Black hair in a neat but trendy short style. He was wearing a fitted white shirt, his suit jacket neatly placed on the back of his chair. He didn’t look the type to hit anyone but there was rarely a typical look for someone that dished out domestic violence. That was the problem, you just didn’t know. Carly glanced around at the other hotchpotch of London life catching a few minutes respite from the busy world outside, they all looked pretty ordinary but who was to know what any of them were capable of when under pressure.
‘How have you and Fergus been?’
‘We’re fine, Nick.’ Carly felt she had to ask the responding question. ‘And how about you?’
‘Awful. Devastated. I think I was in shock at first when she left. Now I’m just sick with worry.’ Carly didn’t speak but she hoped her expression conveyed her lack of sympathy. ‘I love her, Carly. I can’t believe this has happened and I need to get her back.’
‘I don’t think that’s going to happen, Nick.’
Nick briefly put his head in his hands. ‘I keep going over and over it.’ He looked up slowly and held Carly’s gaze. ‘Leo was being so testing…’
‘He’s six, that’s kind of his job,’ pointed out Carly.
‘Yes, I know, but he was pushing all the boundaries and with Elizabeth not there he seemed to think he could do what he liked. All I did was tell him off and he went crazy.’ Nick emphasised his point with his palms spread wide. ‘I had to restrain him or he would have hurt himself. That was all I was doing. I swear to you.’
Carly sipped her tea as Nick awaited her response. ‘Beth saw you hurting Leo.’
‘No, no, she didn’t. She thought she did but I was grappling with him and trying to catch hold of his hands so he would stop lashing out.’
Carly was quiet while she mulled over Nick’s new version of events. ‘Even if she did misunderstand what she saw, I’m not saying that she did but if she did, then how do you explain you hitting Beth?’ Carly stared at him unblinking, watching his face, studying his response, trying very hard like all the TV detectives she’d ever watched to spot a sign that he was lying.
Nick blew the air out of his cheeks and shook his head, he stared at his hands for a bit as if they held the answer. Finally he looked up and made eye contact. ‘I don’t know.’
Carly’s eyes widened. ‘You don’t know how you hit her?’
‘No. I’ve no idea how it happened but the important thing is that it wasn’t intentional.’
Carly snorted and wished she hadn’t as it irritated her throat and now she was coughing uncontrollably.
‘You okay?’ He looked concerned.
‘Fine, carry on,’ she croaked.
‘One minute it was just me and Leo and he was screaming and, God, can that kid scream.’ He gave a half laugh. Carly sipped her tea carefully which soothed her throat as she waited for him to explain further. ‘I think Elizabeth came up behind me as I stood up and somehow she got knocked into the wall. But, honestly, I don’t know exactly how it happened.’ He shook his head, ‘Carly, what do I do?’
Carly didn’t like this. Nick’s version of events did sound plausible but then so had Beth’s, and Beth had the bruises to prove her account. However much she hated herself for it, Carly couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Nick. It all seemed so out of character. She studied his face – was that a tear in his eye?
Carly wasn’t sure what to say. She would always be steadfastly loyal to Beth but was there even the smallest possibility that Beth had misread the situation?
‘I don’t know what you should do, Nick. But I guess if you really love her you try to put things right.’
‘That’s exactly what I intend to do. Whatever it takes. But first I need to know where she is.’
By the time Beth was safely at the bottom of the ladder Jack had finally stopped laughing. Beth was breathing heavily through her nostrils and was aware that she sounded a little like a cranky horse.
‘What is so funny?’ Her stern face seemed to set Jack off again.
He took a deep breath to quell the laughter. ‘Come on, I’ll buy you one of Rhonda’s famous bacon butties.’
Beth didn’t like being laughed it. At school she had never quite fitted in and had frequently been the butt of jokes she never quite understood and, right now, she felt exactly the same – self-conscious and awkward. Having made a concerted effort after Leo was born to carve out a successful career for herself, she was filled with dread at the thought of shrinking back into the uncomfortable and unsure person she had once been. It appeared all the old doubts had never actually gone away; they were just dormant awaiting a situation like this to reawaken them and bring them flooding back at full force.
‘Thanks, but I don’t think so,’ said Beth as she looked around for something to busy herself with. Jack had stopped laughing and was watching her closely and Beth found she was grinding her teeth so she stopped.
‘I didn’t mean to upset you.’
‘You’ve not.’ Beth took hold of the ladder and, finding the catch that released the upper sections, she pushed it into place with her thumbs. The ladder slid down at speed.
‘Noooo!’ Jack lunged at the ladder and managed to grab the first rung, only just stopping the rest of it from sliding into Beth’s face.
She looked startled and stumbled backward.
‘Bloody hell, Beth, what did you do that for?’ He was still clutching the rung of the ladder and he looked cross.
‘Well, not for fun! It was an accident!’ She felt foolish enough without him pointing it out.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked, as he finished the job and laid the ladder on the grass. Beth nodded. She daren’t speak because for some ridiculous reason she felt like crying and if she opened her mouth she feared it may be a great blubbing sob that escaped rather than something coherent. ‘Come on, I need a bacon butty. Okay?’
Beth nodded.
‘I’ll take Doris home, and you and Leo can meet me at the tearooms.’ His voice was still gruff, she knew he was still cross with her but his eyes seemed to convey concern.
The tearoom was teeming with the Dumbleford lunchtime rush but Rhonda quickly cleared them a table by the window and they were soon staring at the biggest pile of bacon slapped between two halves of a white roll that Beth had ever seen. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten white bread; living in London there were always lots of options and Nick had had wheat intolerance so they’d mainly eat
en rye. Beth and Jack reached for the ketchup at the same time and when their fingers touched they both recoiled in a flood of apologies. Beth didn’t like how her body had reacted to the contact.
Jack quickly turned his attention to the butty. ‘Dive in,’ he said, his bouncing eyebrows giving away his enthusiasm.
Leo didn’t need telling twice. He grabbed his and stuffed as much as he could into his mouth, making his mother wince at his lack of table manners.
Beth gave her plate a sideways look. ‘There’s like half a pig in there.’
‘I know, it’s fabulous!’ Jack took a huge bite out of his.
Beth wanted to ask for a knife and fork but even then she wasn’t sure how exactly to tackle the teetering tower, the smell of which was making her senses tingle. Sod it, she thought as she picked it up, opened her mouth as wide as it would go and bit into it. Leo grinned at her.
Beth closed her eyes as she chewed. It was crispy bacon heaven. Without speaking Beth and Leo communicated their mutual enjoyment with a series of exaggerated facial expressions and eye rolls. Beth popped the last morsel into her mouth and almost felt sad – she didn’t want the bacon butty to end.
‘I told you they were the best.’ Jack’s expression conveyed that he was pleased with himself.
‘Amazing,’ said Leo. ‘I’m bored now. Can I play outside?’ He looked to Beth for her approval.
‘Well, okay,’ she said reluctantly, ‘but stay on this side of the village green where I can see you.’ Leo didn’t respond – he was already running for the door and artfully dodging Maureen and a laden tray.
‘I’m sorry about laughing earlier,’ said Jack.
‘It’s okay. I’m not used to this sort of renovation so it’s…’
‘I don’t think you’re used to renovation at all,’ stated Jack over the top of Beth’s explanation. She was about to protest but he continued. ‘Pointing is the cement-like filler between tiles or bricks and over time it crumbles and therefore lets in moisture.’
‘Right,’ said Beth feeling embarrassment flush in her cheeks.
‘And when I said I liked the Flemish bond I meant the wall, it’s a style of brickwork.’
‘Right, not James Bond then?’
‘Nope.’
Beth looked at Jack and into his pale grey-blue eyes, he looked sympathetic rather than mocking but she felt stupid all the same. She sighed. ‘Look, I might not have been entirely truthful, but the thing is…’
A wheelie trolley suddenly appeared at the side of their table interrupting Beth’s flow.
‘Hello Jack. Hello again, crazy lady,’ said the old woman, with a chuckle.
‘Shirley, this is Beth. Beth this is Shirley, one of Dumbleford’s oldest residents.’
‘Aye, cheeky!’ said Shirley, giving him a pretend clip round the head.
‘I mean you’ve lived here the longest.’
‘Oh, okay, I’ll give you that.’ She eyed their mugs of tea and winked at them dramatically. Shirley bent over and rummaged in her trolley before producing a hip flask. ‘Just the thing to liven up tea,’ she said unscrewing the top.
‘We’re okay, thanks Shirley,’ said Jack, and Beth looked relieved at not having to refuse whatever was in the flask. The woman was a mobile off licence although it could be poison for all Beth knew – she was clearly potty. Shirley looked disappointed but returned the flask to the trolley and patted the lid affectionately. She then shuffled next to Beth. ‘Budge up,’ she said, as she lowered herself onto Beth’s chair. Beth only had a moment’s notice to move over to Leo’s vacated seat. Beth recoiled and tried very hard not breathe in through her nose but when she did she wasn’t expecting the gust of Lily of the Valley thrust up her nasal passages. She was surprised; not pleasantly surprised as she loathed the smell, but it was better than she had been expecting from the bag lady.
‘So you’ve heard about Wilf’s place?’ Shirley said to Jack.
‘Yes, I’m giving Beth here a hand,’ said Jack, trying to pull Beth into the conversation.
‘Huh, she’ll need more than that! More like a miracle!’ Shirley started to giggle.
‘I think the property is sound, Shirley. Did the survey throw up much?’ asked Jack, turning to Beth.
Beth blinked hard and failed to hide her annoyance, which was mainly with herself at the rash bidding decision that had landed her here, but also at being interrogated.
‘I didn’t actually have a survey done but there was one I received when I got the keys and…’ Beth tailed off as Shirley had slowly swivelled round and was staring at her from an altogether far too close proximity.
‘And?’ prompted Jack.
‘And I started to read it but it was all a bit overwhelming.’ Beth shuddered at the memory of how many times the report mentioned the words ‘significant defects’, ‘overhauling’, ‘upgrading’ and ‘inadequate’.
‘I could look at it for you?’ offered Jack.
Beth felt a stab of humiliation as Jack gave her a pitying look. How had she gone from being a totally in control sought after individual in the business world to this? Nick, that was how and she hated him even more for it.
Chapter Eight
Beth had the survey report clutched in her hand and she put it on the B&B kitchen table before answering her mobile.
‘Before I forget, Danny says you’re due a cut and colour,’ said Carly as soon as Beth picked up.
‘Hiya, I don’t know where I’ll go for that.’ There was no hairdresser in the village and nobody she had come across had a haircut that would prompt her to ask where they got theirs done.
‘Anyway, Danny had seen this article on tree-houses in a magazine in the salon and, love him, he dropped it round to the flat and they are simply stunning. Beth, you want to see them, they’re amazing. They’re like the best hotel suites up in a tree and some are catered, so they deliver this gourmet meal for you to have by candlelight. One of them was full of flowers; flower garlands, arrangements and even flowers threaded around the bed headboard.’
‘They sound lovely.’
‘Eek, I can’t wait,’ said Carly, her excitement obvious. ‘They are the perfect place for a proposal. He is such a sweetheart. We both love the outdoors and we like a touch of luxury, so this combines the two perfectly.’
Beth loved her friend and the last thing she wanted to do was burst her bubble of happy expectation but she did feel that, although it all sounded very plausible, she was setting herself up for another possible disappointment.
‘That does all sound fabulous. Are they expensive these tree-house breaks?’
‘Yeah, hundreds, but when you are looking at something so unique then that’s what you have to pay.’
Beth hesitated before she spoke. ‘And do you think this is the sort of thing that Fergus could afford on his income?’
There was silence and Beth felt awful for having brought Carly crashing back to reality. Eventually Carly spoke but a lot of her previous gusto had dissipated. ‘Perhaps he’s been saving up.’
‘Yeah,’ said Beth trying to sound enthusiastic, ‘you’re right, he could have been building up to this for ages. I’m sure it will be totally brilliant.’ There was a silence that went on a fraction too long.
‘Nick has been in touch again.’
Beth could tell by Carly’s voice that there was more she wanted to impart. ‘And?’
‘He looks really sorry about everything that happened and he says he wants to put things straight between you. He’s really worried about you, Beth. He’s looking for a second chance.’
‘No way! Why would I risk me or Leo being in the firing line the next time he loses his temper?’
‘Oh, I know,’ said Carly, ‘I was just passing on the message.’ There was an uncomfortable pause in the conversation. ‘He nearly cried,’ added Carly.
‘He could be bawling his eyes out for all I care. I’ll never go back. Carly, please don’t get suckered in by him. He’s a tricky bastard.’
‘No,
of course not. You are completely right. He’s a bastard. A very charming and handsome one, but a bastard all the same.’
Beth hadn’t shared everything with Carly, so the fact that Beth and Nick’s relationship ended so abruptly had been a shock to her. She’d talk to Carly about it when she had eventually sorted it all out in her own mind but for now Beth was still trying to make sense of it all herself.
When the call was over Beth started to think about the tree-house. It sounded like a lovely place, but then so had Willow Cottage but now it was a disaster she was stuck with. Perhaps she could knock down bloody Willow Cottage and build a tree-house in the Willow. She was pretty sure it would cost less and it would definitely be easier than sorting out the mess she currently had to deal with.
Beth was drowning her sorrows in a particularly large glass of Chardonnay as she sat in the B&B kitchen mulling over the full structural survey report. It didn’t make for an entertaining read. She felt sorry for herself, she knew it was a bit pathetic but she couldn’t help it. It was like she’d been dropped into someone else’s life and it was alien. Everything here was almost the opposite of what she was used to: before she had a clean, sleek and modern home and now she had a tumbledown filthy wreck. She used to have a good job, now she was playing at being a property renovator – and doing it very badly, she thought, as she ran a thumb over her reddened palms that were sore from the splinters. And love it or hate it she was used to the noise, bustle and vibrancy of London and now she was in a village that was so sleepy and inactive if it were a person it would be lying on a slab with a tag on its toe. She was the proverbial fish out of water or in her case she was the middle class mum out of Waitrose.
She was also trying very hard not to think about Nick. It was bugging her that he’d been in touch with Carly but it niggled her more that Carly had obviously listened to him. Nick was charming and that was a wonderfully effective mask to hide behind.
This was all Nick’s fault. If he had only been all the things he had promised to be, and not the hateful manipulator with a swift backhand, then right now she and her little boy could be sitting in the apartment she loved, and had worked so hard for, with the man of her dreams. Because, before Nick had shown his true colours, that was exactly what he had been. At first when Nick had done things for her she was flattered, pleased that someone was thinking of her and it had made her feel special. The few thoughtful gestures had become more and more frequent until virtually everything outside of her work was sorted out for her by him, making her feel cosseted. It was a while before she noticed that her independence was evaporating, almost unnoticed, like a puddle in the sun. Perhaps on some level she was missing Nick too. She started to feel anxious as the memories forced their way into her conscious mind and she washed them away with a large slug of wine. There was no point going over the past. Beth realised she was grinding her teeth and stopped herself, it was a nervous thing she seemed to have developed, thanks to Nick, and she needed to break the habit.
Sunshine and Secrets Page 7