‘Mum! What’s wrong?’ Raven wrapped an arm around Severine’s shoulders.
Severine shook her head and wept on to Raven’s hand-knitted jumper that had been one of Raven’s Christmas presents from Jessie.
‘I think it’s the song,’ Evie said.
Raven listened to the words for a second or two and nodded.
‘Oh, I get it. You’re missing Harvey.’
Severine choked on a sob and Evie slapped her on the back.
‘Thanks,’ Severine said through her tears.
‘You’re welcome,’ Evie replied.
Severine wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her cardigan and smiled at Raven.
‘I’m sorry darling. I don’t know why that hit me so hard. My emotions are all over the place. I’m fine now though.’
‘You’re pregnant, Mum. That happens, doesn’t it?’ She looked across at Evie.
Evie shrugged. ‘Don’t ask me.’ She grinned at Raven. ‘I still think it’s got something to do with the moon.’
‘Huh?’ Raven looked out of the window. ‘It’s daylight. OK, it’s as black as a crow’s armpit out there, but there isn’t any sign of the moon.’
Evie threw the dice. ‘Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. I watched a documentary about the moon, once. You’d be amazed by the power it has on us.’ She moved her cat piece eight spaces and picked up a Chance card. ‘Rats. I’ve got to go straight to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect £200.’ She placed the card on the bottom of the pile. ‘Do crows have armpits? Wouldn’t they be wingpits?’
Severine laughed. ‘You’re a wingpit.’
‘I’m hungry,’ Raven said. ‘Perhaps that’s what’s wrong, Mum. Perhaps you’re hungry. I’m gonna see if lunch is ready.’
She jumped to her feet but instead of running downstairs as Severine expected, Raven grabbed her phone off the bed where she’d tossed it, and texted someone. A second later, her phone pinged a reply.
‘Lunch will be on the table in less than five minutes.’
Severine grinned. ‘Have we run out of plates?’ She laughed at her own joke.
Evie grinned and pulled a face. ‘And the old Severine is back. Finally.’
‘Huh?’ Raven said. ‘Oh. I get it. You should be on the stage, Mum.’
The three of them headed down to the kitchen where Jessie and John were already seated at the table. Jessie had insisted on using some of her new wealth to bolster the number of employees and Molly was checking with one of the new staff members that all the guests had finished their lunches and the plates had been cleared away.
‘That’s good. Do you want to join us for lunch?’ Molly asked Jeanette.
Jeanette smiled. ‘No ta. I’m meeting me mam in Michaelmas Bay. It’s my afternoon off.’
‘Of course it is.’ Molly smiled and patted Jeanette’s arm. ‘Have fun. See you tomorrow.’
‘See ya.’ Jeanette waved at everyone and winked at Raven as she walked out.
‘There you are, Severine,’ Jessie said. ‘I believe your mother wants a word.’
Molly tutted at Jessie. ‘Now is hardly the time, is it?’
Raven pulled out a chair. ‘Mum’s feeling a bit emotional.’
Jessie raised her brows. ‘I expect she is.’
John glared at Jessie. ‘Not in front of Raven, Mum.’
‘What?’ Raven asked, looking from her grandad to Jessie and then Severine. ‘Have I missed something? What’s going on?’
‘Nothing, darling,’ Molly said, sending a warning look to Jessie. ‘Your mum and I just need to have a little chat about a few things, that’s all. We’ll do that after lunch. Won’t we, Severine?’
Severine nodded grudgingly at Molly. ‘Yes, Mum.’
‘Good,’ Jessie said. ‘Let’s tuck in. There’s nothing quite like steak and mushroom pie, mashed potato and baked beans on a rainy day like today.’
John looked at Jessie and grinned. ‘Don’t eat too many baked beans, Mum, or it’ll be a windy and rainy day.’
‘You’re not too old for me to give you a clip around the ear, my lad.’
Severine smiled. Lunch wasn’t going to be too bad, after all. But this afternoon may be a different matter.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Luna wasted most of the morning, giving herself lectures on the stupidity of falling for a handsome face. Had she learnt nothing from her experience with Mateus?
Apparently not. Which was a great pity because she had paid a very high price for that particular lesson in love. Not just in financial terms. The man had also broken her heart. But perhaps that hadn’t taken much. Her heart hadn’t had time to mend from her dad’s death, and it hadn’t even begun to heal from her mum’s when Mateus wheedled his way into it.
He told her he loved her.
He lied. He cheated on her behind her back, and finally left one night whilst she slept. He had done what her dad would have called, a moonlight flit. Rather ironic, given Luna’s love of all things associated with moonlight. He had taken the money she kept in the house. Taken all the money they had saved in the joint account that he had suggested they open. An account that only she had added to, it seemed. Luckily, the house was in her sole name, having been left to her by her parents. And he hadn’t touched their artwork, or any of hers. He’d also left the jewellery and other items of value. Mateus only wanted cash – and he’d taken plenty of it. Several thousand pounds.
The police were called, but there was little they could do. It was a joint account, and she had no proof that there was cash in the house. No point in claiming on the insurance either. She continued working as a waitress in the local, English-owned, Tapas Bar and wondered about her future. It had been looking pretty bleak until Mason asked if she wished to remain in Spain.
‘I have a spare room,’ he said, during one of their phone conversations. ‘Why don’t you come and stay for a while? Or better still, if you’re considering leaving Spain, why not return to England and come and live with me? You can stay forever. Or just until you find your feet. I’ll be happy either way.’
She thought it was merely something he felt he should say, but each time they spoke after that, he reminded her of the offer. She put the house on the market, to test the waters, and got an immediate offer. She had used what little money she had saved since Mateus had left, and gone to Norway for Christmas to visit a friend and to fulfil a lifelong dream to photograph the Northern Lights. On her return, she had packed her parents’ artwork, organised international shippers to collect the crates and the few items of furniture with sentimental value, and sent them on their way. The day the house sale completed, she packed her case, boarded the plane to Gatwick and told herself that this was the beginning of a new adventure.
Some adventure. She’d only been here one day, and already she had made a dumb mistake. She’d fallen for another handsome face.
So what? There was no real harm done, was there? She would erase all thoughts of Logan Dorset from her mind. She would concentrate on her career. This was a fresh start and she would make this work. She would spend her days painting and her nights taking photos of the moon. She would get to know people and make some friends. She would wander the narrow streets of Michaelmas Bay and search all the nooks and crannies. She would take long walks in Michaelmas Great Wood, or along the beaches of the Bay. But maybe not today.
She peered out the window at the torrential rain. Today was not a day for walking. Today was the sort of day to curl up in front of the fire with a good book and a hot drink.
A hot man would be better.
Stop it. Stop. It!
Anyone would think she was man mad. It must be a combination of the effects of too much alcohol last night and the never-ending rain today. Despite the weather, what she needed was some exercise.
Mason was snoring softly in his chair beside the fire, his book dangling like a heavy leaf from his branch-like arm. He looked so peaceful that she didn’t want to wake him.
She wrote him a note and took the book from his hand, placing the note and his glasses on the small, circular table next to his chair. She grabbed her large tote bag, slipped her camera inside, threw on her coat and gently closed the front door of Bell Cottage behind her.
Juniper, the neighbour whom she’d met last night, waved at her from her doorway. Juniper and her partner, Darren were friends of Evie Starr, whom she’d also met at the party, along with Evie’s famous boyfriend, the TV star and ex-SAS officer, Zachary Thorn. Now there was a man to get a girl’s heart racing. Not that he was really Luna’s type. Nice to look at though.
‘How are you today?’ Juniper yelled. ‘Darren’s still in bed with a sore head and I’ve only been up for about twenty minutes. Where are you off to in this grim weather?’ She bent down to pick up two bottles of milk from the doorstep.
Did people still have milk delivered? Clearly they did.
She smiled at Juniper. ‘I’m fine, thanks. Sorry about Darren. I don’t suppose he’s the only one. I’m going to get the bus into town, I think. I need some fresh air.’
‘Rather you than me. It’s really tipping it down. D’you fancy a coffee. I’ve got the kettle on.’ She waggled the milk bottles in her hand.
Luna hesitated for a split second. Didn’t she decide just now that she needed to make some friends?
‘I’d love a coffee, if you’re sure it’s not too much trouble.’
Juniper laughed. ‘Why would it be that? I wouldn’t have offered if it was. Oh. It’s instant. Is that OK? I hope you weren’t expecting some of that freshly ground coffee bean stuff.’
Luna laughed too. ‘Nope. Instant is great. Thanks.’
She followed Juniper inside. The cottage was similar in size to Mason’s, or so she thought, until the hall led into a massive kitchen extension at the back. Everything was sleek and glossy white, lit by large chrome lamps hanging from a white oak beam. What little daylight there was flooded in via bi-fold glass doors and a large, glass roof. As an artist, Luna adored this space, especially as it faced north. It was pretty spectacular as a kitchen.
‘Gosh! What a fantastic room.’
Juniper beamed. ‘Darren gave it to me for Christmas. Not the room, the kitchen. Although he did give me the room too, because he had this extension built and the glass windows and doors put in. We didn’t think it would be finished so soon, what with all the bad weather we’ve had. In fact we were astonished when they started, but the builders enclosed the site with special sheeting and we had heaters on full-time. The new walls are solid wood. American white oak, and they were built off-site and fitted together. It’s amazing what they can do these days. You should’ve seen it before. It was as dark as a cave, and just as damp as one when we were cooking in here. This is my dream kitchen.’
‘I can see why. It would be my dream kitchen too.’
‘It’s actually got one of those fancy, built-in hot taps, but I still can’t get used to using it. I automatically boil the kettle. I’m such an idiot at times.’
‘I’m hopeless with any modern equipment. It took me ages to figure out how to use all the knobs and buttons on the coffee machine in the local Tapas Bar where I worked as a waitress. And that wasn’t modern by these standards.’ She scanned the sleek line of cupboards and spotted the polished steel of the massive cooker. ‘That looks like something from another galaxy.’
‘Tell me about it.’ Juniper pulled a face as she made coffee. ‘It looked fab in the magazine – and it still does – but I think you need a degree in engineering or rocket science or something to work the thing. Don’t tell Darren I said that. I had to Google it to find out how to turn the oven on.’ She handed Luna a mug and nodded towards the white granite table and the white and chrome chairs. ‘Take a seat. So what did you think of Logan and his restaurant? Fab, huh?’
Luna almost spilt her coffee. That would’ve been a great start to this new friendship. Coffee stains on a white, padded velvet seat would not have gone down well.
‘Yes. Fab.’
Juniper sipped her coffee and observed Luna over the rim. She laughed.
‘That’s it? Either you’re a woman of few words, or you didn’t have as much fun as Darren and I did last night. Didn’t you enjoy it?’
Luna nodded. ‘Very much. I think the restaurant is something really special and I’m sure it’ll be a great success. But there were so many people there and I definitely had too much to drink. On top of that, and the journey from Spain yesterday, I think I was a bit overwhelmed to really take much in.’
‘Someone told me those were your photos and paintings on the walls. Is that true? Are you an artist?’
‘Yes. My passion is the moon, so virtually all of my art involves the moon, or moonlight in some shape or form.’
‘That’s pretty handy considering the restaurant is called Moonlight. What an incredible coincidence?’
‘And a fortunate one for me. I want to see if I can earn a living from my art. Having my pictures on display in Log … in the restaurant is a dream opportunity.’
Juniper gave her a curious look. Had she noticed the way Luna had avoided saying that man’s name?
‘This is the perfect place to sell artwork,’ Juniper said. ‘Not so much at this time of year but from Easter onwards, Snowflake Cove and Michaelmas Bay are packed to the gills with tourists. You could sell your pictures from Mason’s front door.’
Luna laughed. ‘That sounds like heaven. I could sit outside, like the women in our village did, and have my pictures lined up against the wall.’
Juniper laughed too. ‘You could sit outside for possibly three days during the summer. The rest of the time you’ll be shivering if you do. You’ll soon be wishing you were back in Spain. Oh, sorry. That wasn’t very tactful, was it? Jane told us your parents have both passed away and that you’ve recently split from your boyfriend. She said you were coming here to make a fresh start.’
‘Jane told you?’
Juniper grinned. ‘Yeah. You’d better get used to that. Jane Dorset – and Jessie Starr – know every single thing that goes on in this village, and if they don’t, then it’s probably not worth knowing. You must’ve met Jessie last night. She was probably saying something scathing to someone. She’s one of those people who says exactly what she wants. Deep down, she’s lovely though. She’s my best friend, Evie’s gran. I know you met Evie and Zach last night.’
‘Yes. And I met Evie’s sister Severine on the train from Gatwick yesterday. Although I didn’t realise who she was until my uncle told me.’
Juniper sipped her coffee and raised her brows before she spoke again.
‘Ah yes. The lovely Severine. No drama would be complete without Severine. She’s a bit of a … how can I say this politely?’ She shrugged. ‘I can’t. Severine is a bit of a cow and I can say that from first-hand experience.’
‘Really?’
Juniper nodded. ‘Oh yes. She had an affair with my dad. He was also there last night. The tall, dark, handsome Italian-looking guy. He’s only been back since Christmas. Severine got herself pregnant and Dad did a runner rather than face the consequences, and my mum. We hadn’t heard a word from him for years. But listen to me going on. You’ll think I’m a lunatic.’
‘No, I won’t.’
‘Jane will probably tell you all about it anyway, if she hasn’t already. Or maybe Mason has. But he’s not as much of a gossip, is he? Not like Jane. You know he’s got a bit of a thing for Jane, don’t you? Of course you do. He’s your uncle. Anyway. All I’ll say about Severine is watch out. She can be nice, but she’s much better at being a bitch. I pity the man she’s got her claws into now. Harvey. God. I sound like a bitch myself. Would you like a biscuit? I’m sure I’ve got some somewhere.’
‘No thanks. I’m fine. Um. How long has Severine been with Harvey?’
‘Not long. I think they were going out for a few months before she discovered she was pregnant. They got pretty serious, very fast. She’d gone to New York for the holiday
s to meet his folks. She called from Las Vegas to say they were getting married, which went down with the Starrs like a boat with a hole in its bottom, let me say. Especially with Raven. She’s Severine’s daughter – and my half-sister. The stunning girl with long black hair. She was wearing a pink dress at the party.’
Luna nodded. ‘I remember her. She is stunning. You’re very alike.’
Juniper grinned. ‘We’re not, but thanks for the compliment. I take after Mum. My brother Roly takes after Dad. What was I saying? Oh yeah. Severine. They postponed the wedding and Severine was supposed to come home for New Year, but she didn’t. We were beginning to wonder if we’d ever see her again to be honest. But she wouldn’t leave Raven. Even though Severine’s a cow, she does love Raven, in her own, selfish, self-absorbed way. I think you can tell, I don’t like Severine very much. My friend Evie is the complete opposite. She would do anything for anyone. And she would never steal someone else’s husband, partner or boyfriend. Severine would steal all three, and still have time to find someone new. More coffee?’
‘Yes please.’ Without hesitation Luna asked: ‘Does anyone around here like Severine? Other than her family, of course.’
Juniper refilled their mugs and resumed her seat. ‘I don’t think so. Oh wait. Evie said something to me at Christmas. I think it was about Logan. Yes. Yes it was. But she said that Severine used to have a crush on Logan, I think. She didn’t say what Logan thought of Severine. From memory, he seemed to avoid her when we were kids. Logan’s only just come back here too. It’s funny really. Everyone seems to be coming back after years away. Ooh! If you’re on the look out for a new man, you might consider Logan. He’s hot – and he cooks. That’s a pretty good start.’
This time Luna did spill her coffee, but luckily, it was only on the table. Juniper wiped it up in a flash.
‘Sorry, Juniper. My mug slipped in my fingers.’
Blame it on the Moonlight Page 11