‘I’ve heard lots about you, young man,’ Eloise said with a tinkly little laugh.
You have not! Mae wanted to yell, but she found she was mute from the shock.
‘Don’t worry, all of it’s good.’ Eloise reached out to pat Alfie’s arm while Mae changed her plan of action. If Plan A was to hide under the table, Plan B involved running away from this café – and her mum’s big gob – as fast as she could manage in her four-inch-heel Mary Janes.
‘I’ll, er, just pop these down here for you,’ the waitress, who had been hovering awkwardly during the exchange, muttered as she placed their lunch order on the table. Mae would have to grab her bagel before she legged it as she wasn’t only humiliated, but hungry too.
‘Thank you.’ Eloise beamed at the waitress before she turned back to Alfie. ‘Why don’t you join us?’ She patted the seat next to her, prompting Mae into action.
‘I don’t think Alfie has time to stop.’ Mae widened her eyes at her mother, conveying her extreme discomfort and imminent plans to disown her mother if Eloise continued in this manner.
‘Don’t you?’ Eloise asked Alfie. Mae couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She didn’t think she’d be able to for at least a year. Perhaps five or six.
‘I’ve just been on a house call,’ she heard him say. She sensed some movement in her peripheral vision, as though Alfie were indicating the direction he’d just come from. ‘I was about to head back to the surgery, but I suppose I could stop for a few minutes. It is my lunch break, though I’ve left my sandwiches back in my office.’
‘Eat with us,’ Eloise said. Mae wondered if she had it in her to kick her mother under the table, but found she couldn’t. Damn. ‘Come on, sit down.’ Eloise patted the seat again before waving to the waitress and beckoning her over again.
Well, this isn’t awkward at all, Mae thought as Alfie lowered himself slowly into the seat, stowing his leather medical bag under the table.
‘I’ll just have a coffee, thanks,’ he said when the waitress – the same one who’d overheard the sex-life comment – stopped at the table. Mae was relieved he wouldn’t be staying for a whole meal and hoped he could drink fast.
‘So, Alfie…’ Eloise said when the waitress popped back into the café. ‘You’re our local vet. What an amazing vocation! It must be a very interesting job.’
Mae started to relax as Alfie spoke about his profession. If he and her mum were discussing cats, dogs and hamsters, the conversation couldn’t possibly return to her sex life – or severe lack of one. Besides, it was nice to hear Alfie speak about his job so passionately. He obviously cared about his furry patients, and that was never a bad thing.
‘So, you always wanted to be a vet?’ Eloise asked as the waitress brought Alfie’s coffee over. Mae had relaxed enough to start picking at her lunch.
‘From the age of about eight,’ Alfie said after thanking the waitress. ‘Before that I wanted to be a fireman or Winnie the Pooh’s best friend.’
‘You mean Christopher Robin?’ Eloise asked but Alfie shook his head.
‘No, no. I still wanted to be me, I just wanted to play with Pooh in the forest.’ Alfie groaned and shook his head. ‘That sounded bad. I didn’t want to play with poo in the forest. Winnie the Pooh.’
‘Mate…’ Mae said, leaning forward and forgetting her own awkwardness. ‘It sounds wrong either way.’
Alfie laughed and nodded. ‘I suppose it does. I was a bit obsessed with him when I was little, though. My bedroom was plastered with him: wallpaper, curtains, bedspread, not to mention the toys.’ Alfie cleared his throat. ‘There goes my macho image.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Mae said. ‘It was never there in the first place.’ Grinning at Alfie, she tucked into her lunch, enjoying every bite.
‘What was that about earlier?’ Mae asked once she and Eloise were alone again. Eloise had tried to coax Alfie into staying a little bit longer once he’d finished his coffee, but he’d insisted on getting back to the surgery. He was climbing into his car now, a few yards down the road.
‘What do you mean?’ Eloise’s face was the picture of innocence: wide-eyed, serene smile on her lips. But Mae wasn’t fooled.
‘All that “I’ve heard so much about you” crap.’ Mae used air quotes and a suitably mocking tone.
‘That wasn’t crap, darling.’ Eloise dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. ‘I have heard lots about Alfie.’
‘From who?’
Eloise checked the teapot, pouring a little more into her cup. ‘Corinne. She speaks very highly of our vet and she thinks you’d make an excellent couple.’ She added a splash of milk to her cup and gave it a stir. ‘And after meeting him, I agree.’
‘But you made it sound like I’d been talking about him,’ Mae said, putting aside the last statement for now.
Eloise placed the spoon on her saucer and lifted the cup, stopping just short of her lips. ‘Did I?’
Mae’s foot tapped underneath the table. Did I? Did I? ‘Yes, you did. And don’t think I don’t know you’re well aware of how it sounded.’
‘It didn’t sound like anything. You’re overreacting.’ Eloise drained her cup and returned it to the saucer. She waved at the waitress again for the bill. ‘Do you fancy a little walk before we head back?’
‘I can’t.’ Mae grabbed her handbag and rummaged inside for her purse. ‘I have things to do.’
‘Things?’ Eloise raised an eyebrow. ‘Is that a codeword for sulking?’
‘I’m not sulking,’ Mae said sulkily. ‘I just don’t need you interfering like that.’
‘Interfering?’ Eloise tutted. ‘Darling, I’m simply concerned.’
‘Concerned? Why? Because I haven’t had sex for nearly five years?’
Of course, the waitress appeared at that very moment, hearing everything.
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
‘Don’t worry, Mum, it isn’t going to seal itself up.’ Mae grabbed a banknote – she didn’t even know which one it was – and threw it down on the table. ‘And I’ve got a vibrator that keeps me more than happy.’
With her head held high – if only physically – she stalked away from the café and yanked open the door of her car. Okay, so she’d humiliated herself that time, but she was hopping mad. How dare her mum and Corinne gossip about her behind her back? They were too underqualified and overdressed to be playing Cupid, and their services weren’t required. Mae didn’t plan on forming a relationship – with Alfie or anyone else – until she was ready. And if that meant she remained single for eternity, so what?
She could see Eloise now, tottering along the pavement towards her, with what looked like a twenty-pound note wafting between her fingers. Throwing herself into the car, Mae clicked her seatbelt in place and shoved the key into the ignition in record time, pulling away from the curb before Eloise could even reach her.
She’d managed to calm down by the time she made it to the Fisherman to pick Hannah up. She’d spent the remainder of the afternoon giving the house an extra-thorough clean, working through her frustrations with the help of a cloth, a bucket of hot, soapy water, and the use of every attachment on the hoover. By the time she’d finished, the house resembled the after-shot in a cleaning product’s advertisement.
The Fisherman was already starting to fill, despite its only being late afternoon. Tom Byrne was sitting at the end of the bar as usual, chatting to anyone who happened to hover close by, while small clusters of locals sat at tables or gathered in corners. Tobias, a student who usually worked evening and weekend shifts but was happy to take on more work during the summer, was behind the bar, currently having his ear chewed by Tom. He seemed relieved as Mae approached.
‘Are Frank and Corinne back yet?’
‘They’re upstairs,’ Tobias said, using the opportunity to break away from poor old Tom. Mae made her way through to the back of the pub, heading up to the living quarters. She found them in the living room, sitting on the so
fa while Hannah played on the rug in front of the fireplace. She scrabbled up as soon as she saw Mae and threw her arms around her waist, hugging her tight. Any hint of irritation vanished as she hugged her little girl, her nostrils filling with the familiar scent of her fruity shampoo. She gave her one final squeeze and kissed the top of her head before releasing her.
‘Have you been a good girl?’ she asked and Hannah nodded.
‘Good as gold,’ Corinne said.
‘We went on the train,’ Hannah told her mum. ‘And to the cinema. I had popcorn and juice and sweeties and Uncle Frank bought me this.’ Hannah dashed away, returning shortly with a plastic, rectangular box with two control sticks. Sticking her tongue out in concentration, Hannah fiddled with the sticks until a yellow figure, alternating jerky movements with pirouettes on the carpet, stumbled out from behind the sofa.
‘It’s a remote-control Minion,’ Hannah said. ‘Watch this!’ She erupted into giggles at the Minion spun round and round on the carpet.
‘Did you say thank you to Frank and Corinne?’ Mae asked and Hannah nodded.
‘I gave them a big hug too.’
‘And it was the best hug ever,’ Corinne said.
‘Thanks for today.’ Mae hadn’t had the most pleasant of days, but she was glad Hannah had enjoyed herself.
‘It was an absolute pleasure,’ Frank said. ‘You know we love having her.’ He winked at Mae. ‘Though I won’t pretend I’m not exhausted.’
With goodbye hugs and kisses and the new Minion toy tucked under Hannah’s arm, the pair left Frank and Corinne to recover from their day out, making their way back down to the pub, where Tobias was once again being subjected to the life and times of Tom Byrne. Mae was about to lift her hand to wave goodbye when she saw Alfie standing close behind them, chatting with a couple of women. She recognised the receptionist from the surgery, but the other woman wasn’t familiar at all. She was younger than Mae, perhaps early twenties, with long, swishy, TV-commercial blonde hair and a light sprinkling of pale freckles. She was laughing at something, and Mae guessed the punchline had come from Alfie, judging by the way she was clutching his arm as she giggled.
Mae snatched her hand back down, deciding she wouldn’t draw attention to herself, and was about to turn and usher Hannah through the door when Alfie glanced over and spotted her, raising his own hand in greeting. Mae waved back in return, hoping that would be it, but Alfie was already threading his way over as she lowered her hand again.
‘Hello again,’ he said when he reached them.
‘Hi.’ The one simple word struggled to emerge, as though her mouth was filled with glue.
‘Hey, you.’ Alfie ruffled Hannah’s hair and she giggled. ‘Who’s this?’ He pointed at the Minion, and Hannah took delight in introducing it, even giving it a quick spin on the pub’s floor.
‘I’m sorry about Mum earlier,’ Mae said as the Minion performed a figure of eight on the floor. ‘She isn’t usually so…’ Pushy? Embarrassing? ‘…Forthright. And I hadn’t been talking about you to her, by the way.’ It was important for Mae to put that out there. ‘I don’t know what’s got into her. Too much sun, maybe?’
Alfie laughed. ‘That could be it.’ He shrugged. ‘But I thought she was fun.’
‘You would. She isn’t your mum and you weren’t the one she was embarrassing.’
Alfie laughed again. It was a pleasant sound and Mae found she liked being the cause of it. ‘That’s very true. You should meet my mum, though. There isn’t a word to describe that force of nature.’
Mae was distracted for a moment as the Minion trundled towards a customer’s legs. ‘Careful, sweetie. You’re going to trip somebody up.’ She scooped up the Minion and switched it off before turning back to Alfie. ‘I hope we didn’t keep you from your work.’
‘Not at all,’ Alfie assured her. ‘I didn’t have many appointments today anyway. That’s why we’ve sneaked out early for a quick drink to celebrate Carrie’s first day working with us.’ He nodded towards the two women, and Mae saw that the young blonde one – the new veterinary nurse, she presumed – was watching them.
‘I’ll leave you to celebrate,’ Mae said. ‘I need to get this one home for tea, though I’m not sure how hungry she’ll be after being spoiled by Frank and Corinne.’
‘See you later, Munchkin.’ Alfie reached down to ruffle Hannah’s hair. ‘Be a good girl for your mum, okay?’ Hannah gave a nod, though there was a mischievous glint in her eye.
Mae said goodbye to Alfie before leading Hannah out to the car. It had been an odd day – not always pleasant and definitely not as structured as she’d normally like – but there was something niggling at her. A warmth in the pit of her stomach, almost like the beginnings of butterflies.
Feeling foolish, she pushed the sensation to the back of her mind and headed home.
Chapter Twenty
Willow
Willow removed the dust mask and straightened, rubbing her back with one hand as she reached for the Kenny mug with the other. She’d been hunched over the dresser for most of the day, scraping off years’ worth of varnish and sanding the wood. There were a few more cracks in the woodwork than first anticipated, but she was sure it wouldn’t be a problem to fix.
She moved through to the shop, where Gary was packing and labelling items that had been ordered from the website. She placed the mug down on the counter and stretched.
‘Do you think you could lock up for me tonight?’ She was suddenly weary and the thought of resuming the sanding of the dresser wasn’t met with even a hint of enthusiasm. She’d worked hard on it all day; she deserved an early finish.
‘Really?’ Gary’s eyebrows shot up his forehead before they relaxed again, his mouth stretching into a wide smile. ‘Yeah. I can do that.’ It was a responsibility he hadn’t had before, but he was nodding, ready to take the step forward.
‘Great.’ Willow reached into the drawer under the counter and handed Gary the set of keys for the shop, firing off a set of instructions. She tidied her things away in the workroom and finished her coffee before leaving Gary to it. She was putting her trust in her assistant, but she was confident he’d prove her instincts right.
Climbing into the van again instead of walking, Willow drove to the supermarket, picking up the ingredients for a stir-fry. As a thank you for the food and company the previous evening, she’d decided to cook a meal for Mae and Hannah. The house was silent when she arrived back at the bed and breakfast and, guessing the others weren’t home, she headed straight for the kitchen to make a start.
The chicken was browning in the pan as Willow sliced a red pepper into thin strips. She added the peppers and made up some chicken stock, pouring it into the pan, along with soy sauce and a handful of mangetout. She loved cooking and hadn’t realised quite how much she’d missed creating dishes until she’d started to prep the stir-fry. Her makeshift kitchen at the house couldn’t compare.
Her phone rang as she was adding sliced mushrooms and broccoli to the pan. Seeing her husband’s name on the screen, she pressed to answer, tucking the phone between her shoulder and ear so she could chat and continue cooking at the same time.
‘Hey, you.’ She was unable to keep the smile from her face as the butterflies took flight in her tummy. Things had been a bit tough lately, but the Kenny mug had reminded her why they were together. She and Ethan were a strong team who could get through anything.
‘I’ve just finished work,’ Ethan told her. ‘So I thought I’d ring and see how you were.’
‘I’m okay.’ Willow checked the noodles cooking in a pan next to the stir-fry. ‘But I really miss you.’
‘I miss you too.’
‘Do you know when you’ll be coming home?’ Willow transferred the noodles to the frying pan and combined them with the other ingredients, silently praying the answer would be soon. She hated being apart.
‘I really wish I could come home now,’ Ethan said. ‘But we’re not ready
yet. Things still aren’t right, but we’ll get there.’
Willow turned the heat off on both hobs and grabbed the frying pan. As though on cue, she heard the front door open, followed by the excited chatter of a child.
‘I have to go now,’ Willow said as Mae and Hannah bustled into the kitchen. ‘I’ll speak to you later. Love you.’
‘Love you too,’ Ethan said, causing the butterflies to take flight once again. Willow had learned it was especially important to hear that when times were tough.
‘Something smells good,’ Mae said once Willow had hung up.
‘I thought I’d repay the favour and cook for you tonight,’ Willow said. ‘I hope you don’t mind me using your pots and pans.’
‘Are you kidding? You can use whatever you like if you’re feeding me.’ She laughed and made her way over to the stove, inhaling deeply. ‘What are we having?’
‘Chicken stir-fry, and you’re just in time.’ Willow grabbed some plates from the cupboard and started to serve the dish.
‘Perfect. Thank you so much.’ Mae rested a hand on Willow’s shoulder before turning to Hannah. ‘Why don’t you go and put your new toy away and wash your hands before we eat?’
Mae quickly set the table while Willow finished serving the stir-fry and carried the plates across to the table. She’d been hoping Melody would be around to eat with them and had made extra, but she still wasn’t back at the house by the time Hannah returned and sat herself at the table.
‘This smells delicious,’ Mae said as she picked up her knife and fork. ‘It’s a treat to have someone cook for me for a change.’
‘It’s a treat to be able to cook again. I can’t wait until my kitchen’s installed. I’ve got it all planned out: we’re going to have white tiles with a white, high-gloss countertop to give it a clean, fresh feel, but the room will be warmed up with soft pewter cabinets and oak flooring. I found a gorgeous Belfast sink at a salvage yard that’s cleaned up beautifully.’ She sighed and twirled some noodles onto her fork. ‘I can see it so clearly in my head, but I’m not sure it’ll happen now. A fancy kitchen probably won’t be in the budget.’ There probably wouldn’t be a budget for much longer.
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