Chapter 14
By the time she reached Moore Bikes, Hannah had a feeling she’d gone from medium roasted to chilli-hellfire. She paused at the door to wipe her face on the back of her sleeve. She was still clutching David’s jacket and winced as she realised that it was damp from her hot hands.
‘Welcome to Moore Bikes!’
A woman was grinning at her from a squatting position in the middle of the room. She had a bike upside down in front of her and was busy putting the chain back in place.
‘Thanks!’ said Hannah, though it came out more like a winded puff of exhaustion. ‘You must be Lizzie?’
‘That’s me!?’ said Lizzie, straightening up. ‘What are you after?’
Hannah eyeballed her dungarees, momentarily distracted. ‘Okay - I’m loving the look!’
‘Thanks!’
‘And… erm… it’s a who I’m after rather than a what,’ said Hannah. ‘Is Jason about?’
‘JASON!’
Hannah jumped, but Lizzie just grinned. ‘Sorry for the volume… the lad’s probably got his headphones in.’
‘What’s up, boss?’ Jason appeared in a doorway at the back of the workshop. Sure enough, he had a pair of earbuds dangling around his neck. ‘Oh, hi Hannah! You okay? You look a bit… warm.’
Hannah smiled at him ruefully. ‘I’m okay. I walked down, and I’m not used to the exercise, that’s all. Sorry to bother you at work.’
‘Don’t be daft…’ Jason shot a questioning glance at Lizzie, who promptly shrugged. He was clearly at a loss as to what she was doing there.
‘I was looking for your dad just now to give him his jacket back,’ said Hannah. ‘Anyway, I went to see if he was in your garden… and Bernard’s gone. I stopped to see if he’s at the King’s Nose—your dad, that is, not Bernard, but—’
‘Breathe!’ laughed Jason, holding his hands up in surrender. ‘Dad’s up at the lighthouse.’
‘Oh,’ said Hannah, blinking in surprise. ‘Would you mind calling him and telling him Bernard’s awol?’
‘No need,’ said Jason. ‘Bernard’s with dad.’
‘At the lighthouse?’ said Hannah, bending forwards and putting her hands on her thighs, willing her heart rate to calm down a bit. She was regretting not taking Lou up on the offer of a glass of water.
Jason nodded. ‘Kate and Mike offered to take him for a bit. They’ve got a paddock up there with a decent fence and Dad didn’t want Bernard causing havoc in your garden again!’
‘Oh… I… well, that’s good,’ said Hannah. ‘That he’s safe, I mean.’
Jason nodded.
‘I still need to give this back to him, though.’ She waved the slightly damp jacket at him. ‘I guess I’ll leave it at the house?’ She was feeling more than a little bit ridiculous for her mad dash through town now.
‘Depends,’ said Jason, cocking his head. ‘Lizzie’s given me the afternoon off and I’m going to take Sarah’s bike back up to her at the lighthouse. Fancy coming with me to see how Bernard’s settling in? You can give Dad his jacket back while you’re at it.’
‘Well… sure… okay, that’d be great,’ said Hannah.
A lift up to the lighthouse would be a nice distraction from having to get on with things back at the house.
Plus, it meant she’d get to see David after all.
Maybe she could even persuade him to join her for a coffee as a friendly thank you for last night.
‘Let’s get you sorted, then,’ said Lizzie, straightening up.
‘Sorted?’ said Hannah, raising an eyebrow.
‘With a bike,’ said Lizzie. ‘Unless you’d prefer to give one of the new hire trikes a go?’
Hannah gaped. A bike? They were expecting her to ride to the lighthouse?
‘Well, you don’t want to walk, do you?’ chuckled Jason. ‘And I’m guessing you haven’t got your car with you?’
Hannah shook her head. ‘But… I thought you said you’re dropping Sarah’s bike back?’
‘I’m riding it up!’ he laughed. ‘Dad’s taken my bike up in the truck so that I can ride it home. So, what do you say… still want to come? Don’t worry if you don’t. I’ll totally understand if you want to head back up to the house instead. I can just tell Dad you were looking for him.’
For a second, Hannah thought about what was waiting for her back at the house—a whole bunch of memories to sort through. Some wonderful, and some… not so much.
‘Yeah. Okay, yes please… and a bike not a trike, thanks Lizzie—I wouldn’t know where to start. Mind you, I’ve not ridden a bike for about a decade!’
‘It’ll come back fast enough,’ chuckled Lizzie. ‘It’s like—’
‘Please don’t say riding a bike!’ groaned Jason, disappearing out the back again.
‘Fine, I won’t,’ said Lizzie with an exaggerated sigh. ‘Young people these days – they’ve got no time for terrible jokes! Right then, before we get you kitted out with a helmet, there’s something else I think you need.’
Hannah watched in confusion as Lizzie hurried over to a workbench, bent low and opened the minifridge that sat beneath it. She pulled out a bottle of chilled water and held it out to her.
‘Here, you look like you could do with this. Or at least, you will if you’re going to try to keep up with Jason!’
‘Thank you,’ said Hannah, taking the bottle. Cracking it open, she took a long drink and then sighed with relief. ‘You’re my new hero. I owe you one!’
‘It’s so gorgeous up here!’ puffed Hannah, eyeing the lighthouse as it loomed ahead. ‘Imagine living there!’
‘I know. Sarah’s so lucky,’ said Jason. ‘And Mike and Kate have done an amazing job inside. I love riding up here to hang out with her… it’s got the best views.’
‘Bet you must miss her now she’s away at college,’ said Hannah. ‘You guys seem really close.’
‘Yeah, she’s the best,’ said Jason. ‘But she’s exactly where she’s meant to be. That girl’s got crazy amounts of talent. I mean, have you tried her cake?!’
‘Dude, you practically provided me with a month’s worth last night,’ laughed Hannah, relishing the feeling of the chilly autumn breeze running its fingers through her hair.
She was hot and sweaty and surrounded by the scent of David’s jacket, which she’d slipped on as an extra layer against the wind.
She hadn’t really come out dressed ready for a bike ride!
‘Yeah, I have to say my birthday cake was one of her finest,’ said Jason with a grin. ‘But if you ever see one of her glazed apple and custard macarons, bulk buy and bring me some. They always sell out before I can get my hands on them.’
‘Noted,’ laughed Hannah. ‘Though, for the record, I’ve got a feeling Sarah would probably make you your own batch if you asked her nicely.’
Jason raised his eyebrows. ‘Good tip. I hadn’t thought of that.’
Hannah grinned. ‘By the way, thanks again for last night. I really enjoyed it.’
‘Yeah, so did Dad,’ said Jason, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
Hannah felt herself flush, though she didn’t really know why. ‘Well, that’s good.’
‘Good?’ said Jason. ‘It’s more than good. I’ve not seen Dad go all gooey like that in… well… ever.’
‘Gooey?’ The word slipped out in a surprised squeak.
‘Don’t tell him I said that,’ said Jason. ‘He’d kill me!’
‘I… won’t?’ said Hannah. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of the comment, but one thing was for sure—she wouldn’t be asking David about it!
‘He’s just really glad you’re back,’ said Jason. ‘And for the record, can I just say I’m glad your hubby isn’t. I’m really sorry for what he put you through.’
Hannah frowned. She was grateful for the sentiment… but she wasn’t really sure what to say to that!
‘Sorry,’ muttered Jason. ‘Crap subject… erm…’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ said Hannah, quickly deciding to let the poor guy off the hook. ‘For the record, I’m glad he’s not here, too.’
‘Okay,’ said Jason, looking relieved. ‘Cool.’
‘So,’ she said, hunting around for a decent change of subject, ‘how did the Snakes and Ladders marathon go last night?’
‘It was epic!’ said Jason. ‘Ten games, and we’re even. We’re planning a rematch in a couple of weeks. Maybe you could come too? We could do a full-on games night before Sarah heads back to college.’
‘That sounds amazing, but I’m not sure if I’ll still be in town,’ said Hannah.
‘Ah, gutted!’ said Jason. ‘Will you be back for Christmas? We could do another one then – with added sherry and mince pies!’
‘I’ll… think about it,’ said Hannah, though she instantly regretted it.
She should come clean. After all, it was going to be pretty obvious she was telling porkies in a couple of weeks when a For Sale sign went up outside the house.
‘Actually, I’m back in town to get the house ready for the estate agent to come and take photos. ’
‘Wait… you’re selling?’ gasped Jason.
‘That’s the plan,’ said Hannah.
‘Ah man, that’s a shame.’ Jason pulled a face. ‘Talk about the end of an era. I feel like you’ve been around all my life. I guess you have, in a way!’
Hannah nodded, blinking hard and suddenly glad of the wind in her face. At least it was some kind of excuse for the fact that her eyes were starting to water.
‘Does dad know?’ said Jason.
‘Honestly? I’m not sure,’ said Hannah. ‘He seems to know most things before I’ve even thought them.’
‘Welcome to my world!’ laughed Jason.
‘What’s his secret?’ said Hannah, glad of the opportunity for a gentle change in topic.
‘It’s the bees,’ said Jason. ‘They tell him things.’
Hannah raised an eyebrow and glanced across at Jason, expecting to see the laughter still firmly on his face. Instead, he was completely unbothered. Like he hadn’t just said something that made him sound like he’d been busy munching on interesting brownies.
‘The bees?’
‘Yep.’
‘Okay then.’
Hannah shook her head in wonder. She’d always thought Mr Eaves was a bit odd. Mysterious, even. And here was the proof.
‘Race you to the top of the hill?’ said Jason, giving her a cheeky smile.
‘That’s a hard no!’ laughed Hannah.
For one thing, her legs would never hold up.
They were already straining from all this unaccustomed exercise as it was.
For another, she was in no rush for this ride to be over.
The winding backroads were ripe and golden in the autumn sunshine, the air was fresh, and the countryside was unspoiled.
With every push of her pedals, Hannah couldn’t help asking herself one question…
Why on earth was she planning to leave all this behind for good?