by Agatha Frost
Before Julia could say a word, Izzy pulled her keys out of her bag and marched down the street towards her silver BMW. The car beeped, and she jumped in, dumping her bag on the passenger seat. She pushed a pair of sunglasses up her nose while the roof slid back. Julia watched as she sped around the village green, and she could not help but hope it would be the last time she would see her.
“Isn’t this all great?” Barker said with a sigh as he stroked the cover of his book. “It’s a dream come true.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little -,” Julia paused to think of the right word, “- exploitative? Mabel was a real woman, and you’re using it to sell books.”
“Izzy said –”
“I’m sure she said all the right things,” Julia interjected, her smile stiff as her dislike of Izzy intensified. “Do you like her, Barker?”
Barker blinked heavily down at Julia, the question seeming to come as a surprise. Julia almost felt foolish for asking it. She looked down at the engagement ring, unsure of where the jealousy had come from. She had been left for a young blonde once before, so she knew it was not out of the realm of possibility, but she also knew Barker was nothing like her ex-husband. Barker parted his lips to respond, but his phone rang, making them both jump.
“I need to take this,” Barker said uncomfortably as he stared at the screen. “It’s the publisher.”
Julia went to tell him it was fine, but he answered the call and turned around before she even had the chance. Sighing to herself, Julia decided to leave him to it and hurried back to her café.
“About time!” Jessie cried as she stabbed at buttons on the till with one hand while she steamed milk with the other. “That was a long half hour!”
Julia pulled an apron over her head before taking over behind the till, leaving Jessie to finish the orders she had already taken. She applied a smile for the next customer, but her mind was somewhere else entirely.
5
There was an unseasonal chill in the spring air as Julia waited for Barker outside The Plough the following evening. She pulled her cardigan tighter across her dress, her sweet perfume wafting with it. She wondered if she had applied too much, or even gone overboard in dressing up for her date. She never usually dressed up when they met at the pub after their long work days, but she had felt compelled to run home and change when he had called to ask if they could meet.
A quick glance at her watch told her that Barker was ten minutes late. She had grown accustomed to him running late, but she knew he would eventually run out of the station full of apologies. She looked across the road at the police station, but she knew he was not inside. She had no idea where he was, nor had she seen much of him since the launch party. He had been leaving before she woke up and coming home after she had fallen asleep. Even though he had warned her he would be busy, the reality of it was more difficult to cope with. A small voice in the back of her mind told her it was because he was likely to be spending that time with Izzy, but she shook the thought away before it fully took hold.
A taxi pulled up at the kerb, but she was disappointed when Barker did not climb out. Donna Crump rolled out of the car wearing the same short leather skirt and leopard print blouse she had on the day of Peter’s party. She had backcombed her greying hair up to the heavens, and it looked like she had applied her makeup over her wrinkled skin with a trowel.
After tossing money through the window at the driver, Donna pulled a cigarette packet from her bra and eased out a cigarette with her lips. She retrieved a lighter from the same place and lit the end with one click of her thumb. She passed Julia without giving her a second glance. She was drenched in sickly perfume, but it only emphasised the stale cigarette smoke she had attempted to mask.
“C’mon, Barker,” Julia whispered to herself as she looked up and down the street for any sign of him. “Where are you?”
Her phone beeped in her handbag. She was relieved to see a text from him that read: ‘Running late. Will be there in 10 xxx’.
She thought about her reply for a second before sending: ‘No problem! I’ll be waiting inside. I’ll get us both a drink xxx’.
The message sent, and she stared at the ‘DELIVERED’ status for almost a minute, but it did not turn to ‘READ’. Deciding he must have been in an important meeting, Julia dropped the phone into her bag and turned to the pub. Donna was leaning against the wall and appeared to have started on a fresh cigarette. She had a mobile phone crammed between her ear and shoulder while she smoked the cigarette hands-free, instead choosing to pick at the red polish on her nails.
“I need to get out of here,” Julia heard her say down the phone as she passed. “I know, I know, but I can hardly leave now, can I? It’s all hit the fan, hasn’t it? She’s turned up, and now Dad is at death’s door. Yes, I know. I know! I miss you too, but I’m going to have to stick around for at least a couple of days.”
Deciding not to linger too long, Julia pulled on the door of the pub. The familiar warmth and scent of beer hit her as she walked inside. A couple of heads turned and nodded their recognition at her, but the pub was unusually empty for the time of the evening.
Julia was surprised to see that Shelby Hopkins, the owner of the pub, was not behind the bar. Instead, Shannon Crump was serving the scattered customers. Dot had mentioned that Shannon was working at the pub after recently moving back to Peridale and Julia had even written that fact in her notes, but she had not expected Shannon to be back at work so soon after everything that had happened to her family.
“Evening,” Shannon said with a soft smile when Julia approached the bar. “What can I get you?”
There was a glimmer of recognition in Shannon’s eyes, and Julia knew she recognised her from her grandfather’s eventful party, but she did not reference it. Julia ordered a large white wine and a pint of lager before taking them to the table nearest the bar. As soon as she sat down, the door opened, and she expected Barker to walk in, but she was once again disappointed when she saw Donna Crump strut in, her tight skirt riding up with each step.
“Pint of whatever’s good, kiddo,” Donna said as she climbed awkwardly onto a bar stool between two elderly men nursing their drinks. “And on the house, if you can. You know how tight things are at the moment.”
Donna attempted to adjust her leather skirt, but it barely shifted down her upper thighs. As Shannon poured her mother a drink, it became obvious how much she fashioned her look on Donna. Despite being in her early thirties, she was wearing a similar leopard blouse that aged her, and her straw-coloured hair had been styled in an almost identical way. The only major difference was the jeans in place of the leather skirt, but even they looked like they belonged to a different era.
Julia sipped her wine as she checked her phone; Barker had yet to read her last message. She put the phone back in her bag with a sigh. When she spotted a man deep into Barker’s book at the bar, she reminded herself he was only running late because he was living his dream.
“Have you seen Grandad?” Shannon asked as she pushed the free pint across the bar to her mother. “The doctors said we should prepare for the worst.”
“I’ll get around to it,” Donna replied, rubbing at her neck through her ratty hair. “The bed at that hotel is like a bag of rocks. Are you sure I can’t sleep on your couch, kiddo? I am your mother.”
“I told you there’s no room,” Shannon said in a quiet voice. “I could only afford a bedsit for now, and I’ve given the single bed to Ella. I’m sleeping on the couch myself, but I couldn’t expect a thirteen-year-old to do that, could I? Have you tried the B&B next door? I heard it’s nice.”
“Can’t afford it, can I?” Donna slurped her beer. “I could just about afford the dump of a hotel out of town, and that was when I thought I was coming for one night. Now that I’m sticking around for a bit for the old man, it’s milking me, kiddo. You don’t have some spare change, do you? I’m skint!”
Shannon sighed as she wiped the bar with a cloth, her lips pursed tig
htly. Julia could tell Shannon did not want to say no to her mother, but she could also not believe Donna would ask after her daughter had just confessed to living in a tiny bedsit.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Shannon replied, her tone noncommittal. “Have you heard anything more about Grandma? Is it really her?”
“Police seem to think so,” Donna said as she slouched over the bar. “Apparently the dental records match up. That’s what Keith said at least. It’s like she knew I was back and wanted to throw a spanner in the works. Old bat always had the last word.”
“I still don’t understand,” Shannon said, almost to herself as she rubbed the same spot over and over. “She moved to Spain.”
“I don’t want to talk about this,” Donna cried after gulping down more of her beer. “Where’s the music in this place? Let’s get the party started and show this old village that the Crumps are back!”
“It’s not that kind of pub, Mum,” Shannon said with a shake of her head. “Just calm down, okay? And I can’t be giving you free drinks all night. If Shelby found out, she’d sack me!”
“Oh, she always was a miserable fart!” Donna cried. “This place has changed so much, and yet it’s somehow exactly the same. I don’t know why you wanted to leave me in Wales and move back here! There’s nothing going on.”
“I wanted a better life for my daughter,” Shannon muttered, before turning away from Donna to serve one of the elderly men who was shaking his empty glass at her.
Julia sipped her wine as Donna looked around the pub, her eyes momentarily landing on Julia before turning back to her pint. She thought back to the horrid teenage girl who had locked her under the stairs, and it seemed she had not changed much in the last three decades.
When the clock above the fireplace let her know that their date should have started an hour ago, Julia checked her phone again. Barker had read the message, but he had yet to reply. She drained her glass and looked at the pint she had bought for him, sure it was now too warm to drink. If she had liked Donna, she might have offered her the beer, if only to stop her from reaching across the bar to top up her glass every time Shannon had her back turned.
Julia grabbed her handbag and looked up at the clock again. Barker had never stood her up, and she had not expected him to now, especially since they were engaged. She knew she should probably go home, but she could not bring herself to move. She let go of her bag and looked at her empty wine glass, wondering if she should order another one while she waited.
Just as she was about to take her empty glass to the bar, the front door opened, making her jump. She was once again frustrated not to see Barker. Instead, she watched as Alfie walked in, still in his work gear, with Kylie on his arm. Alfie immediately caught Julia’s eye and turned pale, and Kylie did the same when she saw her mother propped up at the bar.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else,” Kylie said quickly, already turning back. “Like, anywhere else.”
“Good idea,” Alfie said, pulling on the door. “There’s a nice bar about twenty minutes away. I’ll call a taxi.”
But before Alfie and Kylie could slip out unseen, Donna spun around in her chair as though she could sense her daughter’s arrival.
“Look what the cat dragged in!” Donna exclaimed, coughing hoarsely as she slid off her chair. “My youngest daughter! Not wanting to say hello to your mother, Kylie?”
“Mum -,” Shannon started, but was silenced by Donna throwing her hand up.
Kylie folded her arms across her chest as she stared at her mother. Kylie could not have looked less like Donna if she tried. Her dark hair was curled sleekly, her teeth were perfect and straight, and her dress was simple and modern.
“What do you want?” Kylie snapped, looking her mother up and down. “You’re drunk, aren’t you?”
“That’s no way to speak to your mother, is it?” Donna cried, catching the attention of the elderly men at the bar. “Ten years and not so much as a Christmas card.”
“Are we doing this again?” Kylie cried with a forced laugh. “You gave me an earful at the party already. Look at yourself, Mother! Are you surprised I didn’t want to run off to Wales with you to live on some dumpy council estate? You’re a mess!”
Alfie stared at Donna, and then at Julia, clearly more than a little confused by the altercation. Julia offered a shrug, turning her attention back to Kylie and Donna, sure one of them was about to pounce.
“You always were a stuck up little snob,” Donna said, stumbling forward to poke her daughter in the chest. “You’re just like your grandmother. I don’t know where I went wrong with you.”
Kylie’s hand struck her mother’s cheek at lightning speed. It seemed to take both of them by surprise as silence fell on the pub.
“That’s enough!” Shannon yelled as she rang the bell behind the bar. “Out! Both of you! I’m sick and tired of this! You’re as bad as each other!"
Donna looked as though she was about to slap Kylie back, but the young beauty pulled away from Alfie and ran out of the pub. Donna turned back to the bar and downed the last of her drink before slamming her glass down. She knocked it over and watched as it rolled off the edge. It landed on the slate tiles, smashing into a million pieces.
“Oops,” she said, her eyes firmly on Shannon. “So much for family.”
Donna turned around and crunched up her wiry hair before strutting out of the pub as though she were proud of her petty actions. The silence remained until the door swung shut behind her. One of the elderly men chuckled awkwardly, while the other returned to his book.
“I can honestly say I have no idea what just happened,” Alfie said uneasily as he stared at Julia. “Should I go after her?”
“I wouldn’t,” Shannon jumped in. “Not unless you want a slap too. If I know my sister, and I think I do by now, she’ll take it out on whoever’s closest. She’ll calm down tomorrow.”
Alfie walked over to Julia and looked down at the pint. Before he said anything, Julia picked up her bag and stood up.
“Looks like we’re both without our dates tonight,” Julia said, looping her arm around his. “Let’s go to my cottage. I think Jessie is in, and I have a fridge full of beer, and a freezer full of ice cream.”
“Sounds good to me, cake lady,” Alfie said as they made for the door. “Lead the way.”
As they walked up to her cottage in the dark, Julia’s phone chirped with a text from Barker, and just from the preview she could tell he was apologising about not being able to make their date; she decided not to open the message.
6
Julia woke up with a groan the next morning. She pressed the button on her phone to silence the alarm before sitting up in bed. She rubbed her matted hair, trying to remember how much wine she had drunk the night before. She looked down at Barker’s side of the bed where Mowgli was curled up and fast asleep on the perfectly made sheets.
Julia slid her feet into her sheepskin slippers and unplugged her phone from the charger. She had half a dozen missed calls from Barker and as many text messages. She could not remember at what point last night she had decided to put her phone on silent, but she was sure it was somewhere between finishing the first bottle of wine and starting on the second.
Julia stuck the phone on the counter and got to work making herself her usual early morning cup of peppermint and liquorice tea. She gulped down a large glass of water with two painkillers to soothe the banging in her head. After feeding Mowgli when he sauntered into the kitchen, Julia made up the mixture for her blueberry muffins, deciding it was time the people of Peridale tried her real recipe. When the muffins were in the oven, which now worked better than ever thanks to Alfie’s tinkering, she walked into the living room with her tea, which she almost dropped when she saw Alfie sprawled across her couch, a pink blanket draped lazily across his tattooed torso.
As though he could sense her presence, Alfie darted up, knocking over a row of empty beer bottles with his hand. From the look on his face, she could tell h
is head hurt too.
“I don’t remember falling asleep here,” he groaned as he sat up, his eyes half-closed as he looked down at the Monopoly board on the coffee table. “Who won the game?”
“I did,” Jessie said as she shuffled out of her room in her black dressing gown. “Not that it was difficult playing against two drunks.”
Jessie took the tea from Julia and took a sip before passing it back. She started clearing up the board game while Julia tried to piece together the evening through her hangover. It was not like her to drink so much wine that she could not remember doing so, but it was also not like Barker to stand her up. As she looked down at the empty wine bottles in front of the fireplace, she wondered if she had slightly overreacted.
Julia quickly showered and was dried and dressed in time for the cake timer to beep. She took the muffins out of the oven, the hot sweet scent of blueberries soothing her.
“I hope they’re as nice as the ones I bought,” Jessie said as she poked one with her finger. “People haven’t stopped asking for them since the launch.”
“One bite and they’ll know these are the real deal,” Julia said proudly, glancing at her phone as it began silently vibrating on the counter with Barker’s picture on the screen. “Get dressed. We’ll go to the café early.”
Jessie arched a brow as she looked down at the phone. Before Julia could say anything, Jessie scooped it up and answered it.
“Hi, Barker,” she said. “It’s Jessie. Yes, she’s right here. Do you want to talk to her? Oh, you have, have you? She’s ignored how many calls? I’ll pass you over.”
Jessie held out the phone to Julia and shook it with a stern look. Julia did not want to accept it, but she knew she had to talk to Barker eventually. She took the phone and held it to her shoulder while she nodded at Jessie to get dressed. Jessie huffed and rolled her eyes before turning back to her bedroom. When she was alone in the kitchen, Julia turned to the window and looked out at the beautiful spring morning as she quickly put the phone to her ear.