Something to Talk About (Rose Hill, #2)

by Rachael Johns

  Constable Morris leaned in close to Tabitha, ‘Go Tab, you dark horse,’ before hurrying after her boss.

  Tab exploded into laughter. ‘Oh my God.’

  Ferg himself wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. What would Joanne say when she heard about this? He didn’t think he’d technically done anything wrong, but still. Either way, music lessons were over for tonight and they both needed to head home and get some sleep.

  ‘Thanks for a fun night,’ she said as they stood beside their cars to say goodnight.

  ‘No, thank you,’ he said, then brushed his mouth quickly against hers. Despite the embarrassing way it had ended, he had to concede it had been a very fun night indeed. ‘Drive safely home. And say goodnight to Eliza for me.’

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  By the following morning everyone in town had heard about Tabitha and Fergus’s late night shenanigans in his classroom, and as the story passed from person to person it flourished and bloomed. By the time Tab arrived at Stitch’n’Bitch, she had some serious explaining to do. Having already fielded phone calls from Meg and some of her other friends, she’d contemplated giving knitting circle a miss this week—especially since she had a B&B guest arriving later—but a no-show would likely only make things worse.

  ‘Afternoon, Tabitha,’ sang those women already there when she arrived. The blessing was there was only a skeleton crew at knitting as half the usuals were busy with show business.

  ‘What’s this I hear about you and the teacher being caught late last night at the school?’ Eileen demanded. ‘Are you two an item now?’

  ‘I hear they were having sex on his desk,’ Adeline said with clear repulsion, or was it envy? ‘Sergeant Skinner should have arrested them!’

  Oh my God. Part of Tab wanted to tell them it was true for shock value, but she didn’t want Fergus to get in to trouble.

  ‘And a lovely afternoon to all of you,’ Tabitha said as she sat down in one of the chairs and pulled her knitting from its bag. ‘Not that it’s any of anyone’s business, but Fergus is teaching me to play his accordion and we simply lost track of time. We’re sorry to have disturbed the police, but I’m afraid it isn’t anything more exciting than that. We’re friends and share a passion for music, that’s all. If there was something going on between us, we certainly wouldn’t conduct it at the school.’

  Tab refused to meet Meg’s gaze as she delivered this little speech, because against her better judgement, she’d admitted to her sister-in-law earlier on the phone that she and Fergus may have slept with each other once or twice. Meg had gone crazy on the other end of the line and Lawson had come running from the other end of the house wanting to know what on earth was going on. So much for keeping things secret. At least she trusted them not to tell anyone.

  They’d been so excited about the idea of a romance for Tabitha that she’d had to set them straight, tell them it was just a fling.

  ‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing?’ Meg had asked.

  They were worried about her heart, about her feelings … yadda yadda yadda. She appreciated their concern, really she did, but it was her heart and therefore hers to risk. Tab was having far too much fun with Fergus to worry about how she might feel when he left. As long as she kept reminding herself that this was simply an affair, she’d be fine. At least his departure wasn’t going to be a surprise—not like Ryder’s rejection. And, once Ferg had left, she’d have her pregnancy and the upcoming birth to focus on. Once she’d had the baby, she wouldn’t have time to pine after him.

  ‘Yes,’ she’d reassured Meg and her brother, ‘I’m a big girl. I know what I’m doing, and weren’t you the one who told me to have a little fun?’ Before Meg could answer, Tab added, ‘Seriously, you don’t need to worry about me.’

  They had their own problems to worry about.

  ‘How can you play the accordion with only one arm?’ asked Eileen Bennett, her brow creasing even more than normal.

  It got so tiring having to explain to people how she used her arm, but in this case Tab was happy for the change of focus. She admitted that she wasn’t able to play it completely by herself, but that she’d managed the bellows and the keys and Fergus had operated the buttons.

  ‘I’ve always loved the piano accordion,’ Kathy mused with a smile. ‘My grandfather used to play it. They’re extremely underrated.’

  ‘I couldn’t agree more,’ Tabitha said, starting to knit. ‘Did your grandfather have an accordion? Is it still in your family?’

  A few moments later Tab breathed a sigh of relief as the conversation continued around special instruments that had been handed down in families through generations. It appeared most of the knitting circle had bought Tabitha’s story that she and Fergus were not together and she was happy to have the heat off her once again.

  But later, when everyone was packing up the chairs, Adeline sidled over to her and whispered, ‘I know you can do a lot with one arm, Tabitha, but I’m not as stupid as this lot. You need two hands to play the accordion.’

  ‘Is that right?’ Tab replied, refusing to take Adeline’s bait.

  ‘Yes. Personally I’d never go out with a school teacher. They get paid a pittance, and most men that teach only do it because they didn’t get the grades to do anything better. But I guess you take what you can get.’

  Tab glared at the other woman. Her instinct was to retort, I don’t see you getting anything at all, but she swallowed it. She was furious at her insinuation about Fergus—he was way too good for her—but beneath the anger was pity. Adeline was such a sad, sour person, there was no way she could be happy. ‘What is your problem?’

  Adeline blinked and shook her head in clear irritation. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Why are you so horrible to everyone? You’re a beautiful woman, Adeline, and you’ve got a lot going for you, but the way you treat people is awful. Perhaps stop worrying about what me and Meg and other women are doing and start looking at yourself! If you’re not happy here, then do something about it, but stop taking your disappointment out on the people around you.’

  With that, Tab turned and stormed out of the hall. She’d had enough of people for one day. The only person she really wanted to see right now was Fergus. She couldn’t help worrying about what kind of day he’d had—no doubt he’d been cross-examined by his colleagues at school, or worse, the parents.

  The kids were pouring out of school as she drove out of town and every bone in her body wanted to pull into the car park and go check on him, but being seen together wouldn’t help the rumours any and also she had a guest arriving soon. Tab didn’t want to make a habit of leaving her guests waiting or their current good rating on TripAdvisor would plummet. So she resisted the urge to see him and settled on a quick text when she got home.

  Hey there—hope your day wasn’t too stressful. I got interrogated at Stitch’n’Bitch by Adeline but I think everyone else bought the story that we’re just friends.

  Stitch’n’Bitch? Came his almost immediate reply.

  She smiled down at the screen. I’ll explain later. Will I see you tonight?

  A debrief after last night would do them good but they were going to have to be a little more cloak and dagger about their liaisons now that the town had reason to be suspicious.

  I’d like that. Your place or mine?’

  Tab contemplated a moment, trying to work out which would be safer.

  I’ve got a guest arriving soon, but as long as I’m home by morning, I could come to you. Saying that, my van is more recognisable than your car, so maybe you should come to me?

  Good plan. I’ll go home, feed Mrs Norris and then come under the cover of darkness.

  See you then.

  She was just putting her phone on charge when the bell rang at the front of the tea rooms.

  ‘Coming!’ Tab grabbed the B&B key from the hook and hurried to greet her guest.

  Moments later, she opened the door to reveal a very tall and pretty woman. She had the bo
dy of a supermodel but her face was far more natural and friendly than most supermodels Tab knew of.

  ‘Hi.’ The woman offered her a warm, wide smile and glanced briefly at her little arm, before snapping her head back to Tab’s face. ‘I’m Julia. Hope I’m in the right place. I called yesterday to make a booking.’

  ‘Yes, welcome to Rose Hill. I’ll show you through to your room.’ As they walked next door, Tab said, ‘So what brings you to the area?’

  The woman hesitated a moment. ‘I’ve come down to hopefully talk to someone.’

  ‘Oh?’ As Tab was the lone resident in Rose Hill, Julia must be after someone in Walsh or one of the other nearby towns.

  Julia frowned as they stopped in front of the B&B building. ‘Do you know many people in Walsh?’

  Tab slipped the key in the lock and pushed open the door. ‘Yeah,’ she said warily as they ventured inside. There was suddenly something about this woman that made her uneasy. She’d said she was ‘hoping’ to talk to someone, which sounded like they weren’t expecting her or might not want to chat at all. ‘I’m from Walsh. I’ve only lived here a few months.’

  ‘Great.’ The woman’s face lit up. ‘My friend is a teacher and he transferred down here not long ago. His name’s Fergus McWilliams. Do you know him? I’m not sure I should just turn up at the school, but I seem to have misplaced his forwarding address.’

  Tab’s stomach twisted into the kind of knot only an expert could make. There was something fishy about that story. Who was this woman and what did she want with Ferg? Why hadn’t she called ahead to notify of her visit? Obviously whoever she was, she didn’t know much about living in a town the size of Walsh, or she’d realise that when a new, sexy, single teacher arrived, everyone knew about it. But Tab wasn’t about to hand over his address to a stranger.

  Could this be his estranged sister? She disregarded this possibility almost immediately—he and his sister were twins and this woman was his opposite in almost every way. She had pale skin, pale hair, an almost Scandinavian look compared to Ferg’s more Mediterranean one. A clammy heat washed over Tab’s skin—perhaps it was his ex? Mrs Norris’s owner? The woman who’d ditched Fergus for someone else? Maybe she’d changed her mind and wanted to get back together!

  ‘I’ve met him,’ she said after a long period of hesitation. ‘We actually coach the junior cricket team together.’

  ‘Do you know where he lives? It’s really important I talk to him.’

  ‘Who are you?’ Tab asked, deciding on the straightforward approach. ‘If you’re friends, don’t you have his phone number?’

  Julia’s eyes dropped to floor, but not before Tab saw sadness flash across them. ‘We used to be together. Things ended a little messily, but it’s paramount that I talk to him. It’s about his sister. She’s sick.’

  The relief Tab felt that Julia wasn’t here to try to win Ferg back was short-lived, replaced by a sudden tightness in her gut. ‘What kind of sick?’

  Julia rubbed her lips together. ‘I’d really rather talk to him about this.’

  ‘Okay,’ Tab said. Annoyed at her tone, she marched briskly into the bedroom. ‘This is your room, bathroom’s in there and there’s a communal kitchen with tea- and coffee-making facilities. If it gets too hot you can open the window, but the fan above the bed works really well.’ She started her spiel about breakfast, but Julia interrupted.

  ‘Thanks. Looks perfect. I’m not a big breakfast person, and if I manage to talk to Fergus tonight then I might not even stay, so don’t worry about feeding me. I’m just going to have a shower and then head into Walsh. Do you know where he lives?’

  ‘I think he’s staying on a farm somewhere,’ Tab said, before making a hasty retreat back to her place to grab her phone.

  Fergus answered after the second ring. It sounded like he was in his car. ‘Well, hello there. Couldn’t wait till tonight to hear my voice?’

  ‘What’s your ex-girlfriend’s name?’

  ‘What? Why do you want to know that?’

  ‘Because I think she’s here. Someone called Julia Loder just booked into the B&B and said she’s come to talk to you.’

  ‘Fuck. What the hell is she playing at?’

  Tab guessed that confirmed it. What on earth did he see in her when the last woman he’d been with had practically been a supermodel? ‘I didn’t tell her where you live but she’s heading into town soon. I don’t need to tell you that someone will tell her.’

  Ferg swore again. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to take this out on you, but I transferred down here to get away from them. You know how I said Jools left me for someone else?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘She left me for Eider, my sister. Two months before our wedding they came to me and told me they were sorry but they were in love.’

  Tab gasped. ‘Oh my God. I’m—’

  ‘Don’t say you’re sorry. I don’t need your pity,’ Ferg growled. ‘But I also don’t need this. Ever since I’ve been down here they’ve been trying to call me, send letters; they just won’t get the message that I don’t want them in my life anymore.’

  She thought of what Julia had said about Eider being sick. It had to be pretty serious for her to have gone to all this effort. ‘Maybe you should talk to her. It doesn’t sound like she’s going to leave you alone until you do.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ve just turned around. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I hate to drag you into this, but do you think you could tell Jools to stay there? The sooner I have this out with her, the sooner she can leave again.’

  ‘Of course. Drive safely.’

  After disconnecting the call, Tab took a moment to let everything he’d said sink in. Her heart went out to him. Being cheated on and having a broken engagement was bad enough, but she could only imagine the betrayal he must have felt losing his fiancée to his sister. No wonder it hurt him too much to talk about her.

  Feeling very overprotective towards him, she went back next door, hoping she’d be able to deliver the message without unleashing the anger she suddenly felt towards this woman.

  ‘Did you forget something?’ Julia asked, her tone friendly enough but a little distracted when she answered Tab’s knock a few moments later. She had a fresh face of make-up and a new outfit of capri jeans and a pink floral top, making her look even more glamorous than she had before. ‘I was just heading into Walsh.’

  ‘I just spoke to Fergus,’ Tab said, unable to keep the coolness out of her voice. ‘I told him you were here and he’s on his way to speak to you.’

  ‘Really?’ Julia’s eyes widened. ‘Wow. Thanks.’ She laughed nervously. ‘That was easier than I thought. How long will it take him to get here?’

  ‘Not long.’ Tab wondered if she should offer to make them some tea, cut a few slices of the banana bread she’d baked that morning, but decided it was better to make herself scarce instead. ‘Let me know if you need anything.’ This was a weird situation because although her loyalties lay firmly with Ferg, Julia was her guest.

  ‘Thanks, I will.’

  Tab retreated back to her place, then paced the building until, about ten minutes later, she heard Fergus’s car pull up outside.

  Should she go out and meet him? Or let him go straight over to the B&B?

  The car door slammed and before she could decide on her next move, she heard raised voices outside. Part of her desperately wanted to listen, but if she crept up close to the windows they’d see her, and besides, eavesdropping simply didn’t sit right with her. If Fergus wanted to tell her later, he would.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jools emerged from the B&B before Ferg had even climbed out of his car. Once upon a time the sight of her took his breath away, now it only made his blood boil.

  ‘Can’t you take a hint?’ he shouted as he stormed towards her.

  ‘Please!’ She held up her hands. ‘This is important. Hear me out.’

  ‘I already heard you both out two months ago, but maybe you didn’t hear me,�
�� he said, getting right up close in her space. He couldn’t help but notice her eyes were a little bloodshot and had bags under them, as if she hadn’t slept well in weeks. ‘I don’t want anything to do with either of you ever again. I thought moving here would make that even clearer to you, but—’

  ‘Eider has breast cancer, Fergus! I’m sorry we hurt you. I wish like hell there was another way, but not everything is about you. The woman I love is sick and—’

  Fergus recoiled, his chest deflating like a balloon. ‘Is this some kind of joke? A trick to get me to talk to you guys?’ Eider was too young to have breast cancer!

  ‘Surely you know me better than to believe this is something I would ever joke about.’

  He shook his head, unable to believe this. It was a warm spring afternoon, but he felt a chill on his skin. ‘How long?’

  Jools’ shoulders sagged. ‘We found out at the end of September, not long after … She tried to call you, but you didn’t return her calls. You made it clear you didn’t want to talk to her. Did you even open the letter she sent you? She’s heartbroken, Fergus. She misses you so much and she’s scared and the treatment is awful, and it’s breaking my heart. I’m supporting her as best I can but she needs you.’

  So that’s why Jools and Eider had been trying to get in contact with him. And here he was thinking they felt guilty about what they’d done!

  ‘Is she going to die?’

  Jools visibly flinched. ‘Hopefully not. The doctor is fairly confident they caught the lump in time, but she’s scared. She needs you. She needs her brother’s support.’

  Thank God. He wasn’t sure what he’d have done if she’d said Eider’s condition was terminal. ‘Maybe she should have thought about that before she stole the woman I was about to marry.’

  ‘She didn’t steal me. Neither of us planned this, it just happened. I loved you as best I could, Fergus, but I didn’t feel like myself until I let myself feel for Eider. If I’m honest, I’ve always been attracted to women, but due to my family upbringing I guess I tried to repress my true sexuality. But with Eider—’