by Katie Ginger
‘Seven thousand?’ She took a large mouthful, finishing her wine in one big gulp and sliding the glass down on the counter top next to Jeremy’s and the bottle. ‘How do you feel about that?’
‘I’m okay. I told you I’m happy to help.’ He edged forward and placed his arms around her waist again. ‘I was worried how you’d feel. I know how much you stress about the money side of things.’
Lottie looked to her wine glass, empty and now an arm’s reach away. ‘I just don’t want you to feel you have to do it.’
He chuckled. ‘Why would I?’
‘I don’t know, because of me, maybe?’ Lottie looked into his eyes, studying the way the green and gold flecks danced in the light.
‘Let me tell you something, Lottie Webster.’ Jeremy met her gaze. ‘I love money, I love making money, I love spending money, and nothing will force me into making a bad investment. But there is one thing I love more than all of that, and that’s you.’
Jeremy began kissing her neck but she couldn’t enjoy it as much as she normally would. There was something she needed to ask. ‘Jeremy, why didn’t you tell me Sid was the one who found me?’
‘Hmm?’ He looked up and she pulled her body away to see his face.
‘Why didn’t you tell me it was Sid?’
Jeremy sighed and lowered his eyes, backing away to the other side of the kitchen. ‘I’m sorry, Lottie. I know that was wrong of me. It was just that…’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘To be honest, I was ashamed of myself. I should’ve been here. If I’d come down like I was supposed to none of this would have happened. And I was embarrassed you didn’t feel you could call me.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Lottie as her stomach turned over. She should have called him first. He must have felt so betrayed that she’d called Sid.
‘I’m the one who should be sorry. Lottie, I want you to feel that you can call me at any time. Day or night. I feel like I’ve let you down.’
‘Oh, Jeremy. You haven’t.’ Lottie went to him. ‘I just thought that with you being in London, there wouldn’t be much you could do.’ She’d told herself it was just habit that she’d wanted Sid, they’d been best friends for so long. Looking at Jeremy now, she felt disloyal. As if she’d cheated on him.
‘I’d have called someone, come down straight away. I love you and I’ll always be there for you. No matter what.’
He looked small and vulnerable with his head bowed and shoulders slumped. Lottie slid her arms around his waist.
‘I’m sorry, Lottie,’ he said again, pulling her close and burying his head in her hair. ‘I’ll never let you down like that again.’
Lottie put a finger to his lips. ‘Shh.’ She kissed him, and as their kisses became more passionate and all encompassing, they made their way to Lottie’s bedroom.
It was a good thing dinner was a salad … chips would’ve gone cold.
Chapter 33
With the theatre out of action the Greenley Players were busy moving tables and chairs out of the way in the small village hall Sid had organised for rehearsals. He’d had to report on the damage to the theatre and Lottie’s accident even though he hadn’t wanted to. Lottie was hot news around town and so was Mr Suave for diving in and saving the day.
Sid wrote the article fairly confirming Jeremy was stepping in and upping his donation. And now the town loved him but during the interview Jeremy had been quietly evasive over some things. Charming, but Sid was sure he’d been hiding something. What, he didn’t know. Sid stacked another chair.
It was Lottie’s first day back with them all today and she was running late. Lottie never ran late. She was always annoyingly ten minutes early for everything. What if something had gone wrong? What if she’d had a brain haemorrhage? Or what if she’d lost her sight and was flailing around at home trying to call for help? A thousand terrible thoughts ran through Sid’s head before Lottie finally walked in.
When her eyes fell on the ‘Welcome back!’ banner the players had put up with bunches of balloons floating merrily either side, her eyes widened in shock.
‘Welcome back, sweetie,’ said Gregory, wrapping a speechless Lottie in a hug.
‘Are you sure you’re okay to be back?’ asked Sarah. ‘If you need more time, it’s no problem.’
Lottie smiled. ‘I’m fine, honestly. Raring to go actually.’
‘We’re so glad to have you back,’ said Cecil. ‘You’ve been missed terribly. Here.’ He handed her a bunch of flowers.
‘Have I?’ She was gazing around, wide-eyed and happy.
Cecil squeezed her shoulders. ‘Of course.’
‘You still look terrible,’ said Mrs Andrews, air kissing her on each cheek. ‘But we’re glad you’re back.’
Sid stepped forward and when Lottie’s eyes fell on him something flitted across them, but he didn’t know what. She did look tired but it was a massive improvement on the last time he’d seen her, lying in a hospital bed, her lips tinged with blue and blankets up to her neck. He’d been so scared then. But now she had a glow about her and even with a couple of stitches in her forehead she was beautiful. A rush of that old deep love filled Sid’s heart but he did his best to ignore it for Selena’s sake. He was trying to give their relationship one hundred per cent this time. ‘Hello,’ he said and his voice sounded strange in his ears, distant and tiny.
‘Hello,’ Lottie replied, softly. ‘How are you?’
‘Good.’ He shoved his hands in his pockets. ‘You?’
‘Fine.’ She gave a weak smile.
Sid wished now that he’d had the guts to go and see her. Selena had warned him not to, saying that Lottie needed rest and he’d listened, worried that if he and Lottie had ended up having another row her head might get worse. But he’d missed her so much. More than ever, in fact.
The dim chatter behind them meant the players had gone back to their rehearsals. Gregory was teaching Sarah another vocal warm-up and Mrs Andrews was walking around in circles muttering her lines like a mad person. Cecil was stretching out his hamstrings which made Sid slightly nervous, and Debbie was reciting tongue twisters as quickly as possible which, with her thick Scottish accent, made her sound completely deranged.
Lottie had kept her eyes on his face but looked around quickly and said, ‘They all seem to be working hard.’
‘Yeah, they’ve been nonstop. They were really keen to have somewhere to rehearse so I sorted the village hall. You don’t mind, do you?’
‘No,’ she replied with a smile. ‘Of course not. Thank you’
Sid nodded. ‘They’re taking it really seriously this time.’
‘And what about Conner?’ asked Lottie.
‘He’s over there painting scenery. He’s roped in some of the players to help with scene changes during the show and made some simple cut-outs to pull on and off stage as people perform. They’re looking pretty good actually.’
‘Wow.’ Lottie smiled and Sid saw her relax. ‘I saw the article you wrote about the repairs. It was good.’
‘Thanks,’ Sid replied, shuffling his feet. ‘It would have been better with one of your photos, I’m nowhere near as good.’
Lottie shrugged at the compliment as if shaking it off. She always did that. ‘I meant to thank you for the one about Much Ado too. You wrote it beautifully. I’m not sure we’d still be here without you.’
‘Of course you would,’ said Sid. ‘You came up with this idea. You made it happen.’
‘I suppose,’ she replied, fiddling with her hair. Lottie pulled her cardigan sleeves into her hands and crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes were glassy like she was going to cry. ‘Sid I … I kept meaning to call but I just couldn’t … couldn’t find the words.’
Sid’s head shot up and he felt his heart double beat. He worried he was having some sort of heart attack. Lottie looked suddenly tired, and the bright blue of her eyes stood out against the whiteness of her skin. She glanced around as if seeing who was near, speaking quickly like she had to get the words ou
t before they were interrupted. ‘Every time we talk at the moment, something seems to go wrong, doesn’t it? I don’t think we’ve ever fought like this before.’
Sid nodded once and he forced the words out, trying to keep his tone normal and cheerful. ‘Things have changed, haven’t they? For both of us. Do you think your nan meant to change our lives so much?’
Lottie gave a mirthful laugh. ‘No. But then she didn’t always think things through, did she?’ Lottie reached out a hand and touched Sid’s arm. He felt the hairs lifting under her fingertips. ‘And thanks for rescuing me from a cold and lonely death in a watery grave.’
Sid felt himself grow hot. ‘Lottie, I wouldn’t ignore a message like that from you. You might annoy me sometimes—’
She scowled. ‘Cheers.’ But Sid was pleased to hear her teasing tone.
‘But you’re my best friend.’ Seeing her bright eyes so full of warmth and tenderness, he wanted to tell her how he felt. How he’d always felt. But his courage waned as quickly as it came and he looked away, annoyed that he still hadn’t got over her. ‘Did Jeremy tell you it was me?’
She shook her head. ‘No, it was Sarah actually.’ Was that a hint of disappointment in her voice?
Sid felt anger race through his blood. That figured. Of course he wouldn’t admit it was Sid who had gone and saved Lottie, or that he was the one she’d called. He’d felt a strange satisfaction at being the one she chose, though he wished he’d answered straight away. He shook his head as he recalled the hotel incident with Selena and felt a sudden hit of guilt that his feelings for Lottie were a betrayal to her. How had the simple life he’d enjoyed suddenly become so conflicted and messy.
Lottie bit her lip. ‘I wished I’d called you as soon as she’d told me,’ she said, absentmindedly rubbing her arm. ‘I kept thinking you wouldn’t want to talk to me again after what I said.’
Sid wanted her to touch his arm again, but he didn’t know what to do. His brain hurt with the emotions running through him. He felt guilty over Selena, love for Lottie and anger at Jeremy and everything just seemed one enormous soap-opera style cliché. Lottie was watching him, her eyes soft and comforting, and he knew he had to say something. ‘I wasn’t trying to attack you that night you know, Lots, after Much Ado. I was just trying to figure out how we’d write it.’
‘I know. I’m sorry.’ She took his hand this time. Again, it was as if someone had set fire to every nerve in his body. ‘And I’m sorry I mentioned your parents like that. It was wrong of me. In fact, it was horrible and I’m really ashamed of myself.’
A tear rolled down her cheek and Sid lifted his free hand to wipe it away but she brushed it off herself and he let his hand fall. He wasn’t used to Lottie apologising. She was as stubborn as a mule and loved to put her head in the sand like an ostrich – she was a mostrich. Gregory’s voice grew louder, saving him from trying to answer.
‘Alright if we start, Lottie?’
She turned and nodded.
‘Conner, are we ready?’ Conner said yes. ‘Who wants to go first for practice today then? Mrs Andrews, why don’t you take the floor as you didn’t have much time last week?’
Mrs Andrews walked onto the tiny stage. ‘Thank you, Gregory.’
‘What’s happened to them all?’ asked Lottie, clearly trying to move the conversation on. ‘It’s like they’ve been replaced by incredibly polite aliens.’
Sid surveyed them. ‘I think the accident made them realise how much they enjoy being part of the group and how much they want it to succeed. Since then they’ve been a lot nicer to each other.’ He turned back to Lottie. ‘It was a bit drastic though, Lots. I wouldn’t go doing it again. There are actual proper team-building games you can do next time.’
Lottie giggled. ‘I’ll try not to.’
Feeling the tension ease a little, Sid said, ‘I think Sarah quite likes you. I was chatting to her earlier and I don’t think she has many friends. She’s really nice, actually.’
‘I think Lee would like to be her friend.’
‘Yeah, I noticed that too.’
Lottie smiled at him and he was seeing a glimpse of the real her again. The Lottie he’d always known.
‘You’ve done a really good thing with the theatre, Lottie.’ He didn’t know if it meant anything anymore but he added, ‘I’m really proud of you.’
Her lower lip trembled as she said, ‘Are you?’
And from the smile on her face he could tell that, even after everything, his opinion still mattered.
Chapter 34
Three weeks later and the rehearsals for the showcase were going really rather well as far as Lottie was concerned. Conner had taken charge and instructed everyone where they needed to stand to begin their scenes, and had even advised them on where to move, out on the stage. It would obviously need to be gone through again as soon as they were in the theatre, but the dimensions of the little stage in the village hall weren’t too bad, so it should be fine.
Lottie checked her phone to see if Jeremy had texted. Their relationship had developed to that stage where, at the weekends, they were comfortable being apart as long as it was only for short periods of time. She could go off to rehearsals without missing him and when they caught up later it was with all the excitement of a first date. And during the week when he was in London they spoke every day on the phone.
Since her accident he’d also been much happier for her to call and had even called her a number of times checking in and seeing how things were going with the theatre repairs. Lottie sipped her mocha watching one of the players rehearse a scene from Romeo and Juliet and smiled. Life was good. Even at work, her and Sid were getting along really well again. There was still an awkwardness when they spoke of their respective partners, so they’d learned to just not ask, except for a basic health enquiry.
Sid sat next to Lottie and sipped from his takeaway cup as Mrs Andrews flounced around on stage reciting her lines.
‘I’ve got something for you,’ said Lottie, rifling in her camera bag. Apprehension tensed her neck as she handed it to Sid.
His eyes lit up, then darkened with confusion. ‘My old notebook. I’d have thought you’d have burned that with an effigy of me.’
‘Ha ha,’ said Lottie. She didn’t like being reminded of that night, still ashamed of herself, but Sid always tried to make light of things to soften the blow. ‘I wanted you to have it back. I bought that for you last Christmas and you said you loved it.’
‘I do. Thanks.’ He went to tuck it inside his jacket pocket and Lottie held his arm to stop him.
‘Wait, I wrote something inside.’ She felt her cheeks redden, knowing she was blushing. Sid flicked through the pages to the last one he’d used, the note he had made over Much Ado, and his eyes lifted at the corners as he smiled.
‘Sorry?’ he read out loud.
Lottie nodded. ‘Yeah, sorry. And I am really, really sorry.’
‘You’ve already said sorry,’ Sid replied. ‘You don’t need to say it again, Lots. It’s all finished now. Forgotten.’ He grinned and the tightness in Lottie’s lungs vanished, allowing them to expand and for her to take a deep breath. She hadn’t realised she’d been so nervous about giving it back to him.
Lottie nudged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder, savouring the familiar smell of his leather jacket. ‘Thanks.’
Since they’d made up life was finally adjusting for both of them. Lottie still couldn’t bring herself to like Selena, who was staying at Sid’s more and more. In their few conversations there’d been some comments Lottie wasn’t sure how to take but they’d at least been civil to each other. Sid didn’t really run into Jeremy very much because of his being in London, so that made life much easier for her.
The door to the village hall suddenly swung open and a short, rotund woman in a heavy black coat came waddling in shouting, ‘No, no, no, no, no!’ and waving her finger in the air.
Sid turned to Lottie and raised his eyebrows. Lottie did the same and s
hrugged. Quiet descended amongst the players as the woman trundled down to where Sid and Lottie were sat. When she reached them her thread-veined cheeks were bright red and her wiry grey hair stood out in all directions, clearly blown by the rising September wind.
Lottie stood up so they were face to face. ‘Can I help you?’
‘No, you can’t, you can just leave.’ The woman took off her coat and threw it on a table before starting to lift and stack chairs with surprising strength.
Gregory and Cecil were so shocked by this unexpected interruption they made no comment whatsoever, while Mrs Andrews, as Lottie could see from the look on her face, was preparing for battle.
‘Umm,’ said Lottie, glancing quickly at Sid as if to check this wasn’t one of the crazies they’d come across at work. His face was blank. ‘Umm, I’m afraid we’ve got the hall booked today, Mrs …?’
‘North,’ the woman replied, harshly. ‘Mrs North and no, you haven’t. I’ve got the hall today. I booked it last night with the secretary.’
Lottie shook her head. ‘I think there’s been some sort of mistake, Mrs North. We’ve booked the hall for the next two weekends as—’
She was trying to stack the chairs next to Lottie and Sid, almost pulling his out from under him. Mrs North didn’t look at her as she spoke. ‘You’ve had the hall enough already and the WI need it.’
‘Well, actually—’ interrupted Mrs Andrews and Lottie cut her off.
‘Thank you, Mrs Andrews, but I’ve got this.’ Over the top of Mrs North’s head, Sid raised his eyebrows. ‘Mrs North, are you a member of the WI?’
‘Yes. I’m the second in command.’
Lottie edged towards her. ‘Only, we know most of the WI – Sid and I – from working on the paper and I don’t think we’ve met before.’
‘I haven’t got time for all this chit-chat,’ said Mrs North, now tugging at the chair in Sarah’s hands. To her credit, Sarah didn’t let go and Mrs North went to find another one. ‘I need to tidy up for the meeting this afternoon.’