Canal Boat Cafe (4) - Land Ahoy

by Cressida McLaughlin

  Summer thought of Lisa, who had been semi-conscious when Mason had got her out of the house, and felt another swell of panic, so overwhelming that she felt dizzy.

  Jenny was crouched next to Valerie, stroking her hair while the paramedic made his checks. Summer’s friend was shaking her head slowly, her mouth also obscured by a mask, her red hair fanned out around her on the grass. Jas was sitting on one of the picnic benches, holding both silver tabbies. Mike was purring and snuggling into Jas’s arms, alert despite his ordeal and the smoke he must have inhaled.

  The fireman let go of Summer’s arm and patted her on the shoulder, and Summer raced forwards, falling onto the grass next to Mason. She couldn’t restrain the sobs and looked at the paramedic, unsure what she was asking, but needing reassurance.

  ‘He won’t be able to speak for a while,’ she was told in a soothing voice. ‘He seems unscathed, but we’ll need to take him to the hospital to check him over, and monitor his lung function for a while to see if the smoke has done any lasting damage.’

  Summer swallowed. ‘He’s going to be OK?’

  ‘Let’s get him to hospital,’ the paramedic said cautiously, ‘and let the doctor look at him first.’ But she gave Summer a reassuring smile.

  Summer looked at Mason, who was sitting up but only just, his body slumped forwards, his chest heaving. She reached out, and gently pushed his hair back from his brow. Mason raised his head. Despite the ash and the sweat on his face, the tears streaming down his cheeks and the oxygen mask, his dark eyes held on to hers, and Summer felt a flood of relief.

  She put her arm around him and he leant against her, his hand finding hers. He wrapped his fingers around hers and squeezed, and though there was chaos around them, the paramedics, and the firemen and -women calling to each other as they began to douse Valerie’s boat with water, Summer could only focus on Mason, on the fact that he was still here, that she hadn’t lost him, and that he had done something so brave that she could barely take it in.

  Summer held on to Mason and wondered if she would ever be able to let go.

  Chapter 6

  Summer found herself in the back of the Greenways’ Land Rover, her hand being squeezed by Jenny. The paramedic had said that Mason would need to be monitored for several hours, have his blood gases checked, and have a thorough examination to make sure he’d suffered no burns or other injuries. Valerie, too, would need to stay in hospital until they were confident she was on the road to recovery. Jenny squeezed her hand again, her grip strong, and Summer forced herself to look at the woman and try to smile.

  ‘They’ll both be fine,’ Jenny said, her voice confident. ‘Valerie was conscious, there were no signs of burns that I could see, and the ambulance got here quickly.’

  ‘That man of yours is a hero,’ Dennis called from the driver’s seat. ‘An absolute, bloody hero. Especially considering what he went through before.’

  ‘I know,’ Summer said, but she wasn’t sure she’d said it loudly enough for anyone else to hear. She didn’t know why Jenny had sat in the back with her, instead of in the passenger seat alongside Dennis, but she thought it might be for comfort. Summer tried to feel comforted – Mason was all right, she had hugged him and he had responded – but her head was hammering. She couldn’t help thinking about the last time, driving to the hospital in her little Polo after Valerie had called her, her angry words at Mum flinging around in her head like a caged bird trying to escape, and then stepping into the corridor and seeing Valerie standing there, conveying, with wide, disbelieving eyes, the worst possible outcome.

  Panic swelled in her chest at the thought that this time would be the same. She’d get there to discover something horrendous had happened in the ambulance, that Valerie’s heart had given out, or that Mason had suddenly stopped breathing. She wished that there had been two ambulances so she could have gone with one of them, kept them in her sight the whole time, held on to them. She was worried what would happen in her absence.

  ‘Jas is calling the emergency vet,’ Jenny said. ‘He’ll get Mike checked out, but he seemed quite lively, didn’t he?’

  Summer nodded. ‘Animals have good instincts,’ she said. ‘Maybe he was hiding somewhere the smoke couldn’t get to him. We can ask Mason when he’s recovered. And Jas is looking after Latte and Archie and Harvey.’ Summer longed to hold on to her soft, wriggling dog, so alive and innocent and loyal. She wished she could see Archie too – they had both been on Summer’s boat for most of the evening, and Summer hadn’t had a chance to go to them and comfort them after the fire had broken out. She hoped Jas was doing that for her.

  Dennis swung the Land Rover into the hospital’s car park, and they got out. Summer shivered in the night air, and Jenny got a coat from the boot of the car and put it over her shoulders. Summer walked with them to the Accident and Emergency doors, blinking at the harsh white lights, the solid, square lines of the reception area and the long corridors branching off it. It was so different to Willowbeck, with its overhanging trees and kingfishers and birdsong, where the pub was the biggest building and nature was still fully in charge.

  Dennis found the reception desk and Summer stood alongside him, wondering how someone could seem so perky and awake in the depths of the night. She knew that she had to take control of herself, that she couldn’t allow the panic to overwhelm her.

  ‘We’re here to see Valerie Brogan and Mason Causey,’ she said, before Dennis had a chance to speak. ‘They were being brought in by ambulance after a fire at Willowbeck.’

  ‘OK,’ the woman said, turning to her computer. Her nametag read Samira, and she had large, smiling eyes. ‘Ah yes,’ she said, scanning the screen, ‘they’ve just arrived. The doctor will look at them shortly, so if you want to take a seat …?’ She indicated the waiting room, which was about half-full, with morose, stunned or ill-looking people sitting on the red-cushioned chairs.

  Summer sat with her back to the wall, and Jenny and Dennis sat opposite her, the silence lasting for only a few moments before Dennis asked if they wanted a drink. Summer said she’d love a cup of tea, and watched him disappear down one of the long corridors.

  Dennis and Jenny had both managed to fling on clothes instead of their dressing gowns before driving Summer to the hospital, and Jenny was wearing jeans and a hoody, her hair loose and her face make-up free. Summer cleared her throat.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, ‘for bringing me here. I’m not sure I would have been up to driving myself.’

  ‘Of course not,’ Jenny said, her eyes flitting between Summer and the hard linoleum. ‘Very happy to. It’s a terrible thing.’

  ‘Yes,’ Summer said, ‘but at least they’re both going to be fine.’ She tried not to let it sound like a question.

  ‘They are, thanks to Mason. Dennis told me what had happened to him, to his wife, and I can’t imagine how he could have rushed onto that boat so readily, to face another fire, to get Valerie out and then go back for Mike.’

  ‘Perhaps that’s why he did,’ Summer said quietly. ‘He tried to save Lisa and, though he did everything he could, she still died. Maybe he felt he needed to, that he wasn’t going to let it happen again. Surely it’s what everyone would want to do, but I don’t know if I’d be brave enough to face the flames, that thick black smoke.’ Summer shuddered and rubbed her eyes. Her fingers came away black with soot. ‘In fact, I know I wasn’t. I didn’t follow Mason on board.’

  ‘I don’t think I could have done it either,’ Jenny said. ‘But you phoned the fire brigade. And having both of you on that boat as well as Valerie, in such a small space, might have created too much confusion. You did what you could, Summer, but how awful for such a wonderful few days to end like this.’

  ‘You’ve enjoyed the festival?’ Summer asked, trying to lighten the mood.

  ‘We’ve never been busier,’ Jenny said, giving her a faint smile. ‘I love Willowbeck and how sleepy it can be, but to have so many people, so much life here for a while – I loved it.’


  ‘I think Claire will want to make it a regular thing, if everyone’s willing to do it again.’

  ‘And you coped – in your café?’ Jenny’s voice was tentative, but Summer met her gaze head on.

  ‘I did, I had help from friends.’ She thought of the moment she had turned to see Mason standing at the counter, back to rescue her in her hour of need like a knight in shining armour. Well, she thought, he’d done enough rescuing for the time being, and once they got out of there, she was going to put all her effort into looking after him.

  ‘I’m glad,’ Jenny said, ‘to see your café doing so well.’ She couldn’t quite meet Summer’s eye, and Summer realized how hard it must be for her to say it.

  ‘Thank you,’ Summer said. ‘And the chips and gravy you do at the pub are the best I’ve ever had. I love Willowbeck, and I want to stay.’

  ‘I know,’ Jenny nodded, ‘and I’m sorry if I made that … hard, at the beginning.’

  ‘You did,’ Summer said. ‘It was hard enough anyway, after … And I just wanted a fresh start, to see if I could do it. I know my mum did an awful thing,’ she continued, ‘and I’m sorry for that, for what she did to you and to Dennis. But she was still my mum, and I will never stop loving her.’

  ‘You shouldn’t,’ Jenny said. ‘And my attacks on you were petty. God,’ she shook her head, and indicated the waiting room, ‘there are more important things, really, aren’t there?’

  ‘There are.’ Summer nodded. ‘And in order to help you deal with it all, you need lots and lots of cake. Red velvet cake and cupcakes, and cream cakes and macarons. I think we can work alongside each other. We don’t have to be competition.’

  Jenny sighed and looked at the floor, her dark hair falling towards it like the willow trees over the river. When she looked up, she was smiling. ‘Your macarons are delicious.’

  Summer’s mouth fell open. ‘H-how …?’

  ‘I got one of our waitresses to go and buy a bag from you when the festival was on. I thought you’d be too busy to recognize her.’

  ‘I was! I mean, I didn’t. You liked them?’

  ‘I loved them,’ Jenny admitted.

  Summer felt a swell of pride. ‘I made those,’ she said. ‘Me. Not Harry.’

  ‘You’re a great baker.’ Jenny sat up and glanced sideways. Summer followed her gaze and saw Dennis walking back towards them, holding three takeaway cups between his fingers, his movements slow and careful.

  Summer turned back to Jenny and held her hand out. ‘Truce?’ she asked.

  Jenny paused for a moment, then stood and sat in the seat next to Summer’s and, ignoring Summer’s hand, gave her a soft, soap-scented hug instead. ‘Truce,’ she said quietly.

  Summer, smiling into Jenny’s shoulder, felt fresh tears threaten and gave a large sniff.

  ‘Here you go,’ Dennis said, grinning as he waited for the hug to end, and then handing out the drinks. ‘I’m not sure this can actually be called tea, especially to those who work in the catering industry, but I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt.’

  Jenny took the lid off hers and made a pained face, as if she’d been served a cup of river water. She sniffed it and took a tentative sip. ‘No, Dennis,’ she said, giving him a rueful smile, ‘we really shouldn’t give them the benefit of the doubt. This is nothing short of hideous.’

  The three of them kept up a stream of chatter while they waited. Summer told Dennis and Jenny about her time in Foxburn and then Tivesham, meeting Claire and her friends, and the plans she had for the café. Jenny told Summer about her own cakes, and invited her to come and have a look at her beautifully kitted-out kitchen.

  ‘It’s a lovely place to work,’ she said, ‘but sometimes nothing beats a hand whisk, or just using your fingers. But don’t tell Dennis I said that.’

  ‘I like the food processor,’ Dennis said, indignant. ‘I use it to make soups.’

  ‘There you go, then,’ Jenny said, ‘we’re all happy.’

  They both refused to give Summer their gravy recipe, saying it was a family secret, and Summer was grateful that they were taking her mind off the fact that there was still no news from the doctor.

  Eventually, when Dennis, ever hopeful, had bought them all a coffee and then a hot chocolate, Jenny accepting that the hot chocolate could, at a push, be considered passable, a pair of double doors further up the corridor thwacked open, and a tall, fair-haired doctor emerged, with Mason at his side.

  Summer jumped up from her chair and raced towards them, but the doctor held his hand out in front of him.

  ‘Steady,’ he said.

  Mason met Summer’s gaze and gave her a weary smile. He was still covered in soot, still in his ruined blue T-shirt and grey cargo shorts, and he looked exhausted, but he was here, standing in front of her, and Summer knew the rest could be fixed – it was her turn to look after him. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves, pushing away the swell of emotion.

  ‘How are you?’ she asked. ‘Are you OK?’

  Mason opened his mouth to speak, and a cough came out instead. He turned away and put his hand over his mouth.

  ‘He’s all right,’ the doctor said, ‘but the cough will last for a few weeks and he’ll need a lot of rest. There’s no lasting damage though, so he’s very lucky.’

  Summer nodded, not sure she trusted herself to speak, and reached her hand out to Mason. He took it and treated her to a smile that, while small, reached his eyes and made Summer’s heart skip. ‘Thank you,’ she said to the doctor. ‘And what about my friend, Valerie?’

  ‘She’s doing well. We’re going to keep her in for the day, do a few more tests and continue to give her oxygen. All being well, she should be ready to go home tomorrow.’

  Summer dropped her head and sighed.

  ‘Brilliant news,’ Dennis said, putting his hand on her shoulder. Summer hadn’t realized Dennis and Jenny were there, she had been so focused on Mason.

  ‘Can I hug him?’ Summer asked the doctor.

  ‘Yes please.’ Mason’s voice was raspy, but just hearing him was enough. She flung her arms around him, almost knocking him backwards, and felt his arms go around her. He smelled strongly of smoke, but the feel of him, being able to be close to him when only a few hours earlier she thought she might lose him, was overwhelming. She pressed her head into his shoulder, and only let go when Dennis gently pulled her arm and said they should be going home.

  They walked out into bright sunshine, the day having arrived while they’d been in the timeless, white waiting room, and Summer climbed in the back of the Land Rover next to Mason. Within moments his head was back on the headrest and he was dozing, his breaths wheezy. Summer watched him sleep all the way back to Willowbeck.

  The small riverside village was a hive of activity when they got back, with lots of people on the towpath and at the picnic tables, despite neither the café nor the pub being open. Claire spotted them first and hurried towards them, gently embracing Mason.

  ‘Mason! God, are you OK?’

  ‘I’ll be fine,’ he managed, smiling and rubbing his eyes.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Summer asked.

  Claire glanced behind her and sighed. ‘Mick’s here, and there’s an investigation team too. Moonshine isn’t salvageable, Mick says. He’s got his towboat, and he’s going to take her back to the yard once they’re done trying to find out what happened.’

  They walked closer to the river, and Summer felt Mason tense beside her as they saw Moonshine, the bow of the boat entirely blackened, the stern retaining some of the purple paintwork, though it was blotchy and burnt-through in places.

  ‘Sorry about The Canal Boat Café, too,’ Claire said.

  Summer saw that the bow of her boat had been affected by fire damage, though from where she stood it looked structurally intact.

  ‘What will Valerie do?’ Summer asked, the superficial damage to her boat low down on her list of concerns.

  ‘The insurance should get her a brand-new b
oat,’ Dennis said, ‘providing the investigation’s straightforward; in the meantime, she can stay at the pub. We don’t want her uprooted from Willowbeck while she’s waiting. Do you know what happened?’

  Summer shook her head. ‘I remember her saying she was going to light her woodburner, so maybe that’s where it started. That’s just a guess, though. How are the cats?’

  ‘They’re OK.’ Claire nodded. ‘Jas had the emergency vet check them over and Mike’s surprisingly well, considering how long he was on there. Though, of course, he wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you.’ Claire looked at Mason and everyone fell quiet, reminded again of what Mason had risked to save Valerie and then her pet.

  He waved her away. ‘I just—’ He coughed harshly and shook his head. ‘Where’s Archie?’

  ‘Oh, Jas’s boat is hosting the Willowbeck home for stray cats and dogs at the moment. Let me go and get him.’

  Jas emerged with Archie and Latte, and Summer was almost reduced to tears again when the Border terrier flung himself at Mason, barking madly. Mason crouched on the grass and hugged his dog, while Summer picked up Latte and squeezed her close.

  ‘I’m sorry I left you,’ she said into the dog’s silky ears. ‘I didn’t mean to. Are you OK?’ Latte licked her cheek and Summer laughed. ‘Good,’ she said. ‘And you’ll be able to spend much more time with Archie from now on, though if you start misbehaving then we’ll have to have a serious talk. The four of us,’ she added, glancing down at Mason and Archie, and feeling a swell of something that felt dangerously like love.

  Even though she was exhausted, Summer took Latte and Archie for a long walk over the fields, while Mason went to get some rest on board The Sandpiper. He hadn’t said much, and Summer thought that, even if he hadn’t been coughing relentlessly, he would still have been quiet. She couldn’t imagine the strength it must have taken for him to face the fire on Valerie’s boat after going through one at his own home, and losing his wife to it. It must have brought so much back to him, and Summer thought that over the coming months he would struggle with his memories, and with the shock of what had happened. But she was prepared for that, and she was ready to do anything for him.