13. Chapter 13
The smell of fish and chips was all-pervading as Ruby stepped out of her bedroom. The tang of hot vinegar had been teasing her and making her stomach growl for the last ten minutes… and she was starting to regret turning her mum down in favour of shlepping down the hill to the Dolphin and Anchor.
Ah well, it was too late to change her mind now!
Ruby was freshly showered and – after obsessing about it for far longer than was necessary – she’d pulled on a pair of smart black jeans and a top she’d bought to wear at her Milan signing. She’d decided to go for a look that was pulled-together and business-like. Or… that’s what she was aiming for. It had to be better than “dithery mess” – a look that would be far closer to the actual truth.
Above all - she didn’t want Oli to think she’d dressed to impress him. Those days were long long long gone. Long gone. And the more she repeated it to herself… the more she might actually believe it. Now all she had to do was escape the house without ending up stinking of hot vinegar and chip fat.
Pulling her bedroom door closed behind her, Ruby pelted down the stairs and made her way past her father’s study, peeping inside as she went. The familiar sight of his greying head bent over a book while he absently nibbled on a chip brought a lump to her throat.
It was really no wonder that she had a thing for books - not when her dad practically lived in a cave full of the things, and preferred their company to actual people.
With a little sigh of regret that she couldn’t join him in his blook-lined hermit hole, Ruby wandered through to the kitchen only to find her mum’s version of exactly the same scene in progress. Her portion of fish and chips sat abandoned on the kitchen table, while she stood at the kitchen sink, scrubbing away at a pile of muddy objects with an ancient toothbrush.
‘Find anything good?’ said Ruby, stealing a chip and promptly regretting it. It was already lukewarm.
‘Too soon to tell!’ said her mum, peering closely at something that looked a bit like a torture device for dolls. ‘But I’ll win that trophy if it’s the last thing I do.’
‘I believe you!’ chuckled Ruby. ‘Right - I’m off to the Dolphin and Anchor.’
‘Okay,’ said her mum, not turning around.
‘Mum?’ said Ruby.
‘Hmm?’ said her mum, still scrubbing away.
Ruby paused. She wanted to ask if she looked alright. She wanted to ask if it was ridiculous to be nervous about meeting up with a boy she’d spent the happiest summer of her life with before breaking his heart. But… she couldn’t. That sort of thing didn’t come anywhere near Sally Hutchinson’s comfort zone.
‘It’s nice to be back,’ Ruby said quietly.
‘That’s good,’ said her mum.
Ruby let out a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the fishy-chippy-scented kitchen into the fresh air of the little back garden. Sure, it looked like it had a terrible case of chicken pox after her mum’s enthusiastic hunt for a buried “odd object”, but it was still quite pretty in the soft evening light.
That was the thing with Crumbleton - it was unfailingly pretty. It didn’t matter which way you turned, the place was picture-postcard perfect. It was why the tourists loved it so much. Back when Ruby felt like she was stuck here, its sweetness had been enough to give her toothache. Now, though - after her long, self-imposed exile - it felt like a balm on her frazzled nerves.
Heading through the narrow passageway and onto the high street, Ruby turned her steps downhill. The Dolphin and Anchor sat right at the bottom, just along from the City Gates. It was the only place in town with a bit of land attached. What used to be an old grass tennis court out the back now made for a shrub-lined garden - a good spot to nurse a pint or two in fine weather.
The hotel’s position was perfect for visitors from out of town who didn’t want to face the hill, and there was even a little carpark – a very rare thing in Crumbleton. If you were local, however, facing the steep walk home after a few too many drinks could be… interesting. Then, the uneven steps and quaint cobbles quickly turned into something of an obstacle course!
Shop windows gleamed at Ruby as she wandered past. The awnings might have been wound up for the night, and the signs on the doors flipped to “closed’ - but every single window display was perfectly lit.
Ruby paused for a moment to admire a display of bright lollypops that had been strung across the sweet shop window with clear fishing wire, making the tastiest and prettiest of candy curtains. As she peered through the glass, she could just about make out the same wooden shelving she remembered from childhood, holding jar after jar full of old-fashioned treats. If they’d still been open, she might have been tempted to nip in and ask for a bag of cola cubes. They were Oli’s favourites. As for her, she’d never been able to say no to those foamy bananas… even though they’d always made him pull a face.
‘Come on, Rubes,’ she muttered, stepping back and doing her best to drag herself out of memory lane before she got lost down there. It was time to face the present instead – the one that was waiting for her in the bar of the Dolphin and Anchor.
On one hand, Ruby was hoping that Oli would keep things strictly business. It would be easier if they just stuck to the topic of her book signing. On the other hand, though… she had a feeling she’d be secretly heartbroken if that’s all they ended up talking about.
‘Oh, grow up!’ she huffed.
The poor guy didn’t deserve to be met with her long-held mess of emotions. No doubt - as far as Oli was concerned - she was just a girl he’d once flirted with to make studying a bit more bearable. A fling that had taken him by surprise during that sweet, in-betweeny summer – after school and before college - when it had felt like all bets were off and the world was at their feet.
To Oli, she was probably just a distant memory… and in reality, that’s all he should be to her too. Instead, he felt like the start of a story she’d been forced to abandon. A tale she’d been aching to follow all the way to the final chapter… until the book had been slammed shut on her.
‘Breathe!’ she whispered, picking up her pace and focussing on the sound of her footsteps on the cobbles. She was working herself up into a proper tizz… and she wasn’t even at the bottom of the hill yet. She glanced at her watch and then put on a burst of speed before she was officially late. Poor Oli - the guy didn’t know what he’d let himself in for, did he?!
When the broad white frontage of the Dolphin and Anchor appeared in front of her at last, Ruby paused, panting a little as she tried to get her breath back. Her legs were twitching from the unaccustomed exercise - she’d been back for less than a day and she could already feel the effects of Crumbleton’s hill! It was no wonder Oli had become such a talented runner - living here was the best kind of training you could get!
As for her – she’d clearly spent far too much time sitting at her laptop. There had been plenty of dashing around recently though – but the problem with book events was that they inevitably involved cake somewhere along the line! Thank heavens this was the last event in her diary for a good long time. She needed some proper exercise before launching herself into the next book. If there was a next book.
Ruby shook her head – stopping the thought dead before it had the chance to drag her down into the doldrums. She should be excited! After all, her career had taken off in a way that most authors dreamed of.
Yeah – but you weren’t expecting the dream to be more like a nightmare, were you?!
Urgh! When had her head become so full of things she didn’t want to think about? It was like she had to tiptoe around inside her own brain, doing her best to avoid it all.
Sucking in a deep breath, Ruby shook her head in an attempt to clear it as she scanned the windows of the hotel. Her eyes flitted from one navy blue frame to the next, searching each golden square of light for Oli’s face.
No sign. Well… there was nothing for it but to head inside and face the music.
A wave of warmth and chatter hit her in the face as Ruby pulled open the heavy door and walked into the bar. She paused, blinking as she waited for her eyes to grow accustomed to the dim, golden light.
Several people turned towards her from their perches at the bar, and Ruby smiled and nodded at the various familiar faces. They all returned her smile before turning back to sip their pints.
Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been so caught up with the fact that she was going to have to talk to Oli, she hadn’t considered there was a possibility that she might have to make small talk with the rest of the town too. Lucky for her, it looked like the current crowd were more interested in working on their drinks.
Glancing around, Ruby spotted Oli sitting at a little table right underneath the dartboard. She headed straight for him before she could change her mind.
‘You came!’
Oli was on his feet before she’d even reached him. He smiled at her and she felt her treacherous knees give a little wobble. She’d love to blame it on the hill… but who was she kidding? This time, it was all down to the tall, dimpled man standing in front of her.
Ruby stared at him. She’d barely had the chance to take him in when she’d found him in the bookshop earlier – but now she let her eyes drink their fill.
Oli had changed… but only in the fact that he’d grown into his youthful good looks. He’d always been cute, but now… well… he was practically edible.
‘Of course I came,’ she said, her voice coming out in a croak as she dropped her eyes to the table. There was a jar of yellow roses sitting to one side, and right in the centre was a wicker basket. ‘Erm… what…?’ she started, gesturing at it.
‘The kitchen’s closed at the moment,’ said Oli, fidgeting a bit. ‘I asked Ken if he’d mind me bringing some food with me - and I did a bit of a snatch and grab from the bakery before they closed. I hope… I hope that’s okay?’
Ruby just nodded, mainly because her vocal cords seemed to have gone on strike. She couldn’t count the number of times the pair of them had dashed into the bakery just before closing time to hoover up the leftover sausage rolls, pasties and crumbly crusts of lemon drizzle cake. Then they’d retreat with their haul… to eat and study and… and…
It had been their thing.
‘Thanks,’ she muttered at last. ‘Definitely okay.’
Ruby suddenly realised that they were both still standing - hovering next to their seats. Oli looked more than a little bit awkward.
‘Shall we sit?’ she added, sliding into her chair without waiting for him to answer.
‘The… erm… the flowers are for you,’ said Oli, following suit. ‘I had them at the shop, but I didn’t get the chance to give them to you earlier. I thought you might… you might like them.’
She nodded and swallowed a ball of nerves that had lodged in her throat.
‘They always used to be your favourites,’ he said. ‘I didn’t know if-’
‘They’re lovely,’ she said, deciding to let him off the hook. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome,’ he said. ‘So… I guess we need to talk…’