Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
It wasn’t that Lily was deliberately trying to get Nancy drunk, but she did keep thinking about her claim to be a lightweight. Given how much she’d talked when she was sober, Lily had an inkling that after a few drinks she could safely make her enquiries about the residents of Riverview Close.
To that end, she may have raised her glass to tap it against Nancy’s more than she otherwise would. With a few words about how good it was to see her again, she hoped the toasts didn’t make her intentions too obvious.
They chatted about their lives over dinner – Lily sticking to her story about living in London, then keeping the focus on Nancy as much as possible. That wasn’t difficult – a few well-aimed questions had her telling Lily all about her job as a veterinary nurse.
“I sort of get the feeling people are talking about me,” Lily said as she polished off her steak and ale pie. Her leading Nancy to drink faster had backfired slightly, since she felt light-headed herself.
“Sorry,” Nancy whispered. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”
“So I’m not just being paranoid?”
“No. People will be talking about you being back. Word spreads fast around here. Especially when Vanessa knows about something.”
“Is she a gossip?”
“Yes. Not in a bad way. Everyone likes her. She always knows everything because of her hairdressing job.”
“Her clients don’t get upset by her lack of discretion?”
“No. They just like hearing the gossip! Plus, she knows when to keep things to herself as well.”
Lily looked around the room and caught several people quickly averting their gaze. “Do people really remember me?”
Nancy’s eyebrows lifted. “Of course. You’re like a local legend.
The girl who lost her parents in a fire right here in this sleepy village.
The people who were around back then aren’t likely to forget it.
For anyone who’s moved here since, you’re like an urban myth.
That story hardly sounds believable. Not round here where nothing ever happens. ”
“Makes sense, I suppose,” Lily said.
Nancy pushed her plate away. “I’m only surprised no one’s come over to talk to us.” She sucked in a breath as she glanced around the room. “I’ve jinxed it!” she muttered.
“Who’s that?” Lily asked quietly as her eyes landed on the couple crossing the room in their direction.
“Charles and Serena Bramford,” Nancy whispered with her head bent. “They live opposite my mum. Awful people.” She raised her chin and pasted on a smile to greet the Bramfords.
“Hello, Nancy!” The large, rotund man wore jeans and a blazer. His bald head was amusingly shiny when he stood directly under the light. At his side, his wife fidgeted – undoing the button on her cardigan and refastening it again. “We haven’t seen you in a while.”
“You saw me last week,” Nancy said, her voice as sweet as honey. “Don’t you remember? You almost ploughed me down with your Range Rover.”
His shoulders shook as he chuckled. “Always one for the dramatics, aren’t you?”
“We were just about to leave,” his wife said, “but wanted to say a quick hello.”
“Hello!” Nancy said emphatically, with a little wave that almost made Lily laugh. How could you make a wave look sarcastic?
Ignoring Nancy, Charles switched his attention to Lily. “I think I saw you earlier, up on Riverview Close. I wondered if the rumours were true that you’re Christopher and Julia’s girl, back for a visit.”
“That’s right.” Lily extended her hand. “Lily Larkin.”
“You got your mother’s good looks,” Charles said after they introduced themselves.
His wife glowered at him while a subtle twitch of her arm sent her elbow into his side.
“Oh!” His eyes widened. “I meant you look like your mum… not…” He shook his head, and Lily avoided catching Nancy’s eye. Judging by the way she’d dipped her head, Lily assumed she was on the verge of laughter as well.
“I hope you’re well,” Serena said, offering Lily a small smile.
“I am, thank you.”
“No one ever knew what happened to you,” Charles said bluntly.
“I went to live with my uncle,” she said. “You live opposite my old house, don’t you?”
“Yes.” Again Serena smiled. “Diagonally opposite, really.”
“It’s a beautiful place to live,” Lily said. “You’re very lucky.”
“We are,” Serena said and blushed bright red. “I hope you enjoy your stay.” She tugged on her husband’s arm to draw him away.
“Glad you’re doing well,” Charles said, then turned to Nancy. “Tell Johnny to call me, will you? I’ve got a couple of jobs for him.”
Nancy smiled, then did her sarcastic wave again.
Lily waited until the Bramfords had walked away before snorting a laugh.
“You’re a bad influence!” Nancy said, laughing. “I’m not usually like that. I keep it hidden.”
“We can blame the wine,” Lily said. “But sometimes I think it’s okay not to be polite when you don’t feel like it.”
Nancy frowned. “Why did he tell me to pass on a message to Johnny? He could just call him. Or walk over to the house.”
“I was surprised that your brother still lives at home,” Lily remarked.
“You were surprised by a thirty-three-year-old man living with his mum?” Nancy smiled mischievously. “It is quite ridiculous, isn’t it? I swear he doesn’t even know how to do his own washing.”
“Your mum doesn’t mind the situation?”
“No. I think she quite likes it. I don’t think she’d cope well if he left. So she doesn’t charge him rent and does all his washing and cooking.”
“Even so, you’d think he’d want his own space.”
“Normal people would, yes. But Johnny isn’t normal. He’s a right weirdo.”
Lily covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed.
“It’s all right,” Nancy said. “I’m allowed to be mean about him – he’s my brother. Also, he is a weirdo – anyone will tell you the same. He and Boat Bert are the village weirdos. I think most villages aim for one, but Malporth has been blessed with two.”
“What’s the deal with the boat guy?” Lily asked, resting her elbows on the table. “Your mum said he used to be our neighbour.”
“Yes. We used to go over to play with his dog. His wife, Mary, was very sweet. She’d always give us biscuits.”
“What happened to her?”
“Died ages ago. Probably not that long after you left. Bert sold the house and started living on a boat. No one knew why. When people asked him, he just said, why not? Mum thinks he had money troubles, and the boat was a necessity, but I don’t know if that’s true.”
“Do you ever see him?”
“Yeah. He has a dog – a different one now, but he’s out and about a lot. I always stop for a chat if I see him. He’s nice enough. He can go on a bit, though. Hard to get a word in sometimes.”
Her gaze whipped to Lily, and she cracked up laughing. “That’s rich of me, isn’t it?” She ran an imaginary zip across her lips. “I’ll shut up and you can tell me more about you.”
“No,” Lily said fondly. “You’re not talking too much. I enjoy hearing about the neighbours and the area. It’s like you’re filling in the blanks from my childhood.”
“Tell me to shut up at any time, though,” she said. “You won’t offend me.”
Lily twirled the stem of her wine glass. “What did Mr Bramford mean when he said he had jobs for your brother?”
“He owns a load of properties that he rents out. Sometimes he’ll get Johnny to do maintenance jobs.
” She shuddered. “Maybe this is another reason I don’t get on with Johnny.
I can never understand why he’s on such good terms with Charles.
He’s been that way since he was a kid. Mr Bramford says jump and he asks how high. ”
“So he’s been doing jobs for him for a long time?”
“Yes. Started with gardening when he was a teenager, or maybe younger. The older Johnny got, the more he did for them. At one point, he seemed to act as their personal chauffeur. I used to tease him about it, but he said it paid well and was easy work. Apparently, that’s mostly what Johnny is concerned with – an easy life. ”
She blew out a breath. “Now I’m really going to shut up. I want to know more about your life. How did you end up running an ice cream shop? Is that something you always dreamed of?”
“No,” Lily said, half tempted to tell Nancy the truth about her life on Scilly instead of her make-believe life in London.
She was probably overthinking things, and there was no reason not to share where she lived. That might be the wine doing the thinking, though. For now, she’d stick to the London story.
She told Nancy how she made the ice cream herself, and how she loved seeing the delight on people’s faces when they tried it. She talked about Flynn, too.
They ended up staying for another drink and were both very giggly when they finally left the pub.
“This has been so much fun,” Nancy said, slipping her arm through Lily’s as they strolled along the road.
“It has,” she agreed, squeezing her friend’s arm. The fresh air seemed to dull the effects of the alcohol, and they fell silent as they ambled along arm in arm.
“Sleeping on a boat must be freezing,” Lily remarked, gazing out at the small boats tied up to the jetty and thinking about her old neighbour.
“When it gets really cold, Bert stays with his son in Truro.”
“I can’t imagine living on a boat,” Lily said.
“Me neither.” Nancy knocked playfully against her. “The swaying would make me feel constantly drunk.”
Lily chuckled, then her features fell serious as they reached the cottage. “I might go and say hello to him tomorrow. I wouldn’t mind seeing his boat.”
“It’s called Mary, after his wife. He’ll happily tell you all about life on a boat. Just have an excuse to leave, or you’ll struggle to get away.”
Lily looked at the steps up to the house. “Do you want to come in and wait for a taxi in the warmth?”
“I’m not going home,” Nancy said. “I’ll stay at my mum’s. Easier than coming back for my car tomorrow.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and she set off up the steps. “I’m going this way,” she said, pointing beside the cottages. “If I squeeze through the hedge, I can get into our back garden.”
Lily beamed. “Vanessa will get a shock if she looks out to see someone creeping around the garden in the dark.”
“I’ll let you in on a secret.” Nancy leaned in and whispered.
“This won’t be the first time I’ve taken the shortcut on the way back from the pub.
” She snorted a laugh. “Vanessa wouldn’t care anyway.
Especially since I’m her best customer.” She flicked her hair and grinned. “It’s so handy to know a hairdresser.”
“Do you like her? I wasn’t sure what to make of her.”
“She’s nice enough. She’s a fair bit older than me, so we’ve never been particularly close.”
“Your hair’s lovely,” Lily said, then stifled a laugh. Her head felt fuzzy, but she really didn’t care. After all the stress of the last week, it was nice to feel so carefree. “I’ve got a boyfriend,” she said. “So don’t take the compliment the wrong way!”
Nancy giggled and reached for Lily’s hair. “I love your hair, too. Sometimes I think about cutting mine shorter.”
“Don’t,” Lily said, grinning.
“Aw!” Nancy clapped her hands together. “I love that we’re talking about hair. I’m going to hug you now.” She flung her arms around Lily and squeezed her tightly. “I really did miss you,” she said, then backed up quickly and hurried around the side of Vanessa’s house.
“I have absolutely no memory of you,” Lily murmured into the crisp night air. “But I think I missed you too.”