‘I don’t feel too bad now,’ Willow said. ‘But I will go home if I start to feel unwell again.’
Mae hesitated a moment, but she was already late for her shift after the detour. As accommodating as Frank and Corinne were, she didn’t want to take the piss.
‘Look after her,’ she told Gary in her best stern-mum voice before she left. She drove across town to the harbour, apologising profusely as she clattered into the pub.
She popped over to the vet’s surgery during her lunch break, hoping to catch Alfie during a quiet period so she could have another peek at Chilly. She couldn’t believe the transformation she’d seen that morning. When they’d left the cat last night, he’d been barely conscious, and yet that morning he’d been up and walking, albeit in a lopsided fashion due to the bandage on his paw. He’d mewed at Mae and it had been one of the best sounds she’d ever heard. She’d been so relieved and knew Willow would be too, but when she’d tried to phone her to pass on the news, she’d been sent straight to voicemail. Mae had been too impatient to wait to spread the good news, so she’d driven over to Willow’s shop.
‘We were just heading out for some lunch,’ Alfie said when she arrived at the surgery for the second time that day. ‘Why don’t you join us and then we can check on Chilly when we get back.’
Mae looked from Alfie to Carrie, who was slipping a jacket on beside him.
‘I’m not really hungry,’ she said, which wasn’t technically true. She was rather peckish, but lunch with Alfie and Carrie wasn’t even a tiny bit appealing. She’d felt enough of a gooseberry the night before in the pub, and the feeling would only intensify if she crashed their lunch date.
‘Just a coffee then?’ Alfie offered a small smile, his eyebrows shifting upwards almost imperceptibly. He turned to Carrie, placing a hand on her arm. ‘You don’t mind if I skip lunch, do you?’
‘Of course not.’ Carrie beamed at Alfie, the very image of the perfect, accommodating girlfriend. ‘Would you like me to pick something up for you? A sandwich? Ham salad, tiny bit of mayo, no onion?’
‘My favourite,’ Alfie said. ‘You remembered.’
Of course she did, Mae thought. Because that’s what perfect girlfriends do.
Maybe it was the wanting-what-you-can’t-have factor, but Mae was suddenly feeling territorial over Alfie. He was her friend. She should know what his favourite sandwich filling was (she didn’t), she should have lunch plans with him instead of tagging along as a third wheel. He’d been interested in her long before Carrie rocked up with her swishy blonde hair and supermemory skills.
‘So…’ Alfie leaned in towards her as Carrie left the surgery. ‘Coffee?’
Mae lifted her wrist, looking down at her watch while fiddling with its strap. She’d already been late for her shift, and she really wanted to see Chilly before she returned to the pub, but she also wanted to spend some time with Alfie. Perhaps gauge how he felt about Carrie. Gauge whether he was interested in her in anything other than a professional capacity. Maybe her mum had been right. Maybe she’d rejected him one too many times and he’d moved on. Not that Mae could blame him; his co-worker was incredibly pretty and she didn’t come with years’ worth of emotional baggage.
‘A quick coffee,’ Alfie said, guessing – wrongly – that she was about to decline.
‘How quick?’
Alfie offered a smile, displaying a row of neat teeth. ‘I’ll drink it scalding hot if you want me to.’
Mae rolled her eyes. ‘That won’t be necessary. A trip to A&E with a burnt mouth will only slow us down.’
‘So?’ Alfie tilted his head to one side. ‘Is that a yes?’
Mae shrugged, but she was already heading towards the door. ‘I suppose it is.’
They ended up at a small café a couple of streets back from the harbour. They ordered their coffees to go, strolling down to the harbour to take in the view. Mae placed her coffee on the wall, resting her elbows on the stones.
‘Carrie seems nice,’ she said, her tone as neutral as she could manage.
‘She’s great.’ Alfie joined Mae in the wall-leaning. ‘We’d be lost without her. Or still stuck with Anna.’ Alfie shuddered and Mae laughed.
‘She couldn’t have been that bad.’
Alfie looked at Mae, his features deadly serious. ‘She really, really was. I could have wept with joy when Carrie turned up.’
All right, mate. No need to go overboard.
‘She’s very pretty.’
Subtle, Mae thought, mentally kicking herself.
Alfie nodded. ‘She is. And she’s a laugh. She even made Tom laugh in the pub the other day.’
Mae pushed herself away from the wall and picked up her coffee. ‘I think his good mood is more to do with his new lady friend.’
‘Ah, yes.’ Alfie’s face lit up. ‘Tom and Edna, sitting in a tree.’
‘You know Mrs Hornchurch?’
Alfie nodded and took a sip of his drink. ‘She comes to the surgery regularly for flea and worming treatment. For her dog, obviously.’
Mae grinned. ‘I’m glad you clarified that.’ She took a sip of her drink and leaned against the harbour wall again. ‘You know everybody round here, don’t you?’
Alfie shrugged. ‘Mostly the people with pets. It’s a smallish town and I’m the only vet. People either have to bring their pets to me or trek out of town.’ He winked. ‘It’s almost like an evil genius masterplan, setting up here.’
‘No offence, but you’re hardly evil genius material.’
Alfie placed a hand on his chest. ‘Ouch.’
‘You know what I mean. You’re way too nice. I’ve seen the way you care for animals.’
When he’d handled Chilly earlier, he’d been so gentle, so aware of his injuries and the possible emotional issues the accident might have caused. He’d made a subtle fuss of the cat – a tickle of Chilly’s chin, a head scratch, even a little kiss to the top of his head before he returned him to his temporary home.
‘I’m going to take it as a compliment then,’ Alfie said.
‘You should.’ Mae hoisted herself up onto the wall, her legs dangling over the edge. ‘Have you had any luck tracing Chilly’s owner?’ she asked before she was tempted to dole out any more compliments.
‘Not yet. If I’m honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out he doesn’t have a home. He looks like he’s been in quite a few serious scrapes without being treated. But I’ll do my best. I’m going to put up some posters around your area. If he’s been hanging around there frequently, he’s more than likely from round that way.’
‘Do you need any help?’
Alfie had lifted his coffee cup to his lips, but Mae could still see the smile behind it. ‘That’d be great, thanks. If you’re not busy.’
Mae shook her head. ‘Not busy at all. Besides, it’s the least I can do after I practically threw the poor bugger under the van.’
Alfie reached a hand out, placing it on Mae’s arm. She didn’t move away immediately as she normally would. ‘This wasn’t your fault. Anybody else would have shooed him out of their kitchen.’
Mae shrugged. ‘I suppose. Anyway, what time do you want me?’
‘Around six? I’ll call round with the posters.’
‘Perfect.’ Mae looked up at the sky. It had suddenly turned grey and brooding with the threat of rain. ‘I should be getting back to the pub.’
‘I should be getting back to the surgery too. Carrie might be waiting with my sandwich.’ Alfie patted his stomach. ‘As much as I appreciate a good cup of coffee, it’s no substitute for lunch.’ He helped Mae hop down from the wall. ‘I’ll walk you back.’
‘No, it’s okay.’ Mae managed a small smile. ‘You get back to your sandwich.’
And Carrie.
‘Do I have to go to Mrs Hornchurch’s?’ Hannah whined, her eyes glued to the television. ‘She makes me play snakes and ladders and it’s so boring.’
‘Snakes
and ladders is fun.’ Mae slipped her arms into a cardigan, fastening it over her jade-green tea dress. The day had started to turn chilly and the short sleeves of her dress wouldn’t cut it.
‘You play it then.’ Hannah curled her feet underneath herself on the sofa. ‘And I’ll stay here.’
Mae grabbed the remote and switched the television off, causing a squeak of protest from the sofa. ‘I need to go out. We’re trying to find Chilly’s owner.’
Hannah narrowed her eyes to slits. ‘I don’t want you to find Chilly’s owner. They’ll take him away.’
Mae had told Hannah about the accident, though she hadn’t gone into too much detail and had downplayed his injuries as she didn’t want Hannah to blame her for Chilly’s near-death experience. She felt guilty enough already.
‘Come on.’ Mae held out a hand and Hannah reluctantly took hold of it. Together, they headed next door, ringing Mrs Hornchurch’s bell. Mae hadn’t yet asked her neighbour if she would watch Hannah while she helped Alfie with the posters as she hadn’t been in when she’d tried earlier, but Mrs Hornchurch was always happy to help out and enjoyed the company – and the games of snakes and ladders, apparently.
‘Oh…’ Mae said when Mrs Hornchurch opened the door. ‘Are you on your way out?’
Mrs Hornchurch wasn’t dressed for a night in with a hot cocoa. She was wearing a coral-belted dress with a matching jacket, heeled court shoes and was clutching a rather fancy leather handbag.
‘I am, dear.’ Mrs Hornchurch smoothed down her dress. ‘I’m off out to meet a friend for dinner.’
A friend, Mae mused. Or Tom Byrne?
‘But I can spare you a few minutes.’ Mrs Hornchurch opened the door wider, wafting the floral perfume she was wearing towards them.
‘It’s okay,’ Mae said, backing away. ‘Enjoy your dinner. And say hello to Tom for me.’ She winked at Mrs Hornchurch, giggling as the older woman’s mouth gaped.
‘You can’t have any secrets around here, can you?’
‘I’m afraid not,’ Mae said. ‘But take no notice. Go out and have fun. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.’
Mrs Hornchurch laughed and it was such a girlish sound, it surprised them both. ‘Get away, you cheeky monkey. It’s dinner, nothing more.’
Saying goodbye, Mae waved at her neighbour before turning and leading Hannah out of Mrs Hornchurch’s garden and back to their own house next door.
‘Does this mean I don’t have to hang out with Mrs Hornchurch?’ Hannah asked as Mae opened the door.
Mae ruffled her hair. ‘Not unless you want to play gooseberry.’
Hannah scrunched up her nose. ‘Is that like snakes and ladders.’
Mae laughed and shook her head. ‘It’s nothing like snakes and ladders. Not nearly as much fun.’ The doorbell rang behind her, making her jump. It was Alfie, slightly earlier than planned. She’d half expected to see Carrie with him, forcing her into another gooseberry situation, but he was alone and Mae was more relieved than she would ever admit to being.
‘I’m afraid we have a problem,’ she told Alfie. ‘I was going to ask Mrs Hornchurch to watch Hannah, but she’s going out for dinner with Tom.’
Hannah tugged on Mae’s skirt until she looked down at her. ‘I thought she was playing gooseberry.’
Mae pressed her lips together to smother the giggle brewing. She turned to Alfie with a shrug. ‘It looks like I can’t offer my services after all.’
‘I don’t know,’ Alfie said. ‘Three hands are better than two.’
‘You mean bring Hannah with us?’
Either that or Carrie was here, lurking and ready to ruin Mae’s evening.
‘Why not?’ Alfie crouched down so he was at eyelevel with the little girl. ‘Would you like to help us find Chilly’s owner?’
Hannah pulled a face and shook her head. ‘No.’ She folded her arms across her chest. ‘I would not like that at all.’
‘Hannah doesn’t want us to find the owner,’ Mae explained. ‘She wants us to keep Chilly ourselves.’ She shifted her gaze to Hannah. ‘Which isn’t happening.’
‘Mummy doesn’t like Chilly,’ Hannah said. ‘She probably wishes he was dead.’
Mae’s eyes widened and her cheeks grew hot. She was mortified. Of all the things to say to the vet who had worked hard to make sure that didn’t happen!
‘That isn’t true,’ she told Alfie before turning to her daughter. ‘Hannah, I don’t wish he was dead, or even hurt. I just don’t think we should be feeding him when he has a home already.’ Making a quick decision, she grabbed Hannah’s hand and guided her back outside. ‘Come on, let’s help Alfie. Chilly will be missing his owners. Let’s make sure he finds them.’
She had to prove to Alfie that she wasn’t the callous cat-hater Hannah was making her out to be. Actions spoke louder than words, so she would find the poor cat’s owner one way or another.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Melody
Hugo had picked her up early that morning, with Scoop and a picnic waiting in the car. He hadn’t had to carry her down to the beach at Chapel Cove this time, though he’d gallantly offered his services. They’d made a slow journey down the sandy track, Scoop already bounding ahead, intent on having a paddle in the sea. There were two other people on the beach, an elderly couple strolling hand-in-hand by the shallows, but other than that the cove was as peaceful as before.
‘I wonder why more people don’t come here,’ Melody mused as she sank down onto the sand, stretching out her bad leg. ‘It’s so beautiful.’ She’d brought her camera along, and picked it up now, focusing on Scoop as he bounced and yapped at the gentle waves.
‘It’s the lure of the bright lights.’ Hugo dropped down next to Melody, holding a hand above his eyes to offer a bit of shade so he could keep an eye on Scoop. ‘People prefer the pier and the arcade. It’s too remote here – you can’t even get a pint. The nearest pub is back towards town. I think there used to be a café or something at the top of the track, but everything’s boarded up now.’
‘I like it,’ Melody said, lowering her camera. Scoop was bounding towards them now, the sand sticking to his wet paws.
‘Me too.’ Hugo reached out for Scoop, giving his ears a good scratch when he leapt into his lap. ‘And so does this little dude.’ The ‘little dude’ jumped at Hugo’s chest and attacked his face with his tongue, licking him fast and furiously, despite Hugo’s protestations. Melody giggled as she watched, grabbing her camera to capture the moment Hugo fell back onto the sand, the determined dog still lapping at his face.
‘You could have helped me,’ Hugo said once he’d managed to wrestle the dog from his face.
‘I’m here to bear witness.’ Melody waggled her camera. ‘Not interfere.’
‘Are you going to enter my photo in the festival?’ Hugo asked. He pulled a small ball from the pocket of his shorts and tossed it towards the water. Scoop tore after it.
‘Hardly,’ Melody said, fighting the smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. ‘I’d quite like to win.’
Hugo’s mouth gaped and he placed a hand on his chest. ‘You’re a cruel woman sometimes.’
‘I’m the perfect antidote to that alarmingly large ego of yours. It goes some way to keep it in check.’
‘So your cruelty is actually kindness?’ Hugo thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. ‘Nah, I don’t buy it. You’re just mean.’
Melody laughed. ‘You’re probably right.’ She nudged Hugo. ‘For once.’
‘Ouch.’ Hugo clutched his chest again. ‘You’re not holding back today, are you?’ He reached down for the ball Scoop had returned and deposited at his feet. He threw the ball again, watching as the dog raced after it.
‘You know I think you’re pretty awesome really, don’t you?’ Melody was asking Hugo the question, though she, too, was watching the dog intently.
‘I think you’re pretty awesome as well,’ Hugo said, his eyes no lo
nger on the dog. ‘So we’re a good match.’
‘Apart from geography-wise.’ Melody dug her hand into the sand. Despite the sun warming the sand, it was cool beneath the surface. ‘I’ll be going home tomorrow.’
Home. The place that should contain Ollie but didn’t. She wasn’t sure she was ready to go back to that, but she didn’t have much choice. Besides, she couldn’t run away for ever. Ollie was gone, but her family were waiting for her return, not to mention her job and flat. If there was one thing she’d learned from meeting Hugo, it was that life moved on, whether you were prepared for it or not.
‘It isn’t tomorrow yet.’ Hugo pushed himself up onto his feet and held a hand out to Melody. She took it, not even wincing any more as she put weight on her bad ankle. She wouldn’t be running any marathons any time soon, but it was definitely on the mend. Their hands remained entwined as they wandered along the beach, sticking to the wetter, sturdier sand, Scoop trotting alongside them with the ball still wedged between his jaws. They passed the elderly couple, who smiled in greeting, and continued along until they reached the rocks that cut off the beach and rose up to the surrounding cliffs.
‘I’m starving,’ Hugo said as Scoop attempted to clamber up onto the rocks, the ball abandoned on the sand. ‘Fancy a run back for the picnic?’
Melody stuck her foot out. ‘With this ankle?’
‘Who said you’d be the one doing the running?’ Hugo stood in front of Melody, bending slightly at the knees, his hands held out behind him. ‘Hop on.’
Melody laughed. ‘You want to give me a piggyback?’
Hugo straightened and turned to Melody with a shrug. ‘How else am I supposed to show off my strength and fitness? Besides, I really am hungry, so up you get.’ He reassumed the pose and with only the slightest hesitation – was he actually serious? – Melody leapt onto his back. It had been quite some time since she’d had a piggyback – it had more than likely been back at primary school – but it was fun, for her at least. Hugo trotted off, speedier than Melody had imagined a person would be with her perched on their back, with Scoop pounding the sand just ahead of them. The salty breeze whipped at her loose hair and she laughed, feeling free and full of joy. With a whoop, she threw her hands up in the air, giggling as she was thrown off balance, her hands quickly finding Hugo’s shoulders again.
The Little Bed & Breakfast by the Sea Page 26