Chapter 10 #3
‘Thank you, Carter,’ I said, raising my glass and taking a long sip. ‘Wow,’ I sighed, as the rich and earthy flavours danced across my tongue. ‘That’s delicious.’
‘And brewed just up the road,’ he told me. ‘Now, I’d better get back inside. It’s going to be busy tonight.’
‘I’m sorry I caused trouble,’ Rick said, bending to drop a kiss on my cheek the moment Carter had gone.
‘It’s fine,’ I said, with a shrug, because I just wanted to forget about it. I hadn’t liked the way the rumour had sprung back into my mind the moment Melody had put her foot in it and nearly said too much. ‘Water under the bridge.’
‘Oh god,’ said Kaya, standing with her hands on her hips. ‘What’s he done now?’
‘Nothing worth talking about,’ I said quickly and changed the subject. ‘But there are a couple of other things that are.’
‘Go on then,’ Kaya encouraged, as she sat down and picked up her glass.
I extended the invitation Constance had sent me with and was delighted when all three of them confirmed that they’d love to come along.
‘So, all really is well at Fernside,’ Rick smiled. ‘You’re bringing Constance right out of herself; do you know that Tilly?’
‘That’s what I said,’ commented Melody.
‘I’m not sure it really has anything to do with me,’ I modestly told them both. ‘But I do know one thing that’s not so great.’
I took another drink and Melody nudged one of the pizzas towards me.
‘Drink and eat,’ she grinned. ‘Otherwise it’ll hit you faster.’
‘It’s only a half,’ I laughed.
‘A potent one,’ Kaya winked.
I picked up a slice and folded it before taking a bite. It was as tasty as the bitter.
‘So, come on,’ Rick said impatiently. ‘What’s amiss?’
I finished my mouthful before telling them.
‘Constance needs a cleaner for the house,’ I sighed. ‘But it’s proving tricky to find one. And before you say it, we’ve been through the local directory and she’s not happy with anyone listed. And she won’t let me do it, either.’
‘I’ll do it,’ Kaya piped up.
I looked at Melody.
‘She’s really good,’ Melody praised and Kaya looked chuffed.
‘I do the cottage, and I’ve got a couple more local jobs now, too,’ Kaya expanded. ‘The bigger the challenge, the more I’m loving it.’
‘Well,’ I said, ‘Fernside, or the little I’ve seen of it, could be a good fit for you.’
Was this the beer talking? I hoped Constance wasn’t going to be offended that I’d mentioned that she was looking for a cleaner or that I’d suggested that the house needed a good sort out.
All I really wanted was to find her some help.
And if Kaya was genuinely keen to take the work on, then I’d already found it.
‘There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the messy before and sparkling after,’ Kaya said and sounded like she meant it. ‘And it’s keeping me fit while I can’t afford to go to a gym, too. I’d be glad to take it on.’
‘In that case,’ I said, thinking it really would be a bonus to have someone Constance already knew cleaning the house and potentially coming across any cash she’d hidden, ‘leave it with me. I’ll talk to Constance and come back to you.’
‘Great,’ Kaya smiled, clinking her glass against mine.
With that settled, we ordered more drinks, tucked into the pizzas and enjoyed the slowly darkening evening and the pretty strings of solar lights that lit up The Greenman garden.
I asked Carter, who had managed to spend a decent chunk of time with us, to take a photo of us all smiling like loons.
I sent it to Zack in the hope of reassuring him that all was well in my world and to stop him worrying about me.
I hoped all was well with him too, but I wasn’t sure it was.
His emails were becoming less frequent, and I wasn’t sure that was all to do with the lack of Wi-Fi.
‘Are you sure you can find your way inside?’ Melody whispered, when she dropped me back at the house. ‘You were a bit wobbly when we left the pub.’
I’d ended up drinking almost two pints of the extra potent bitter and had felt wonderful, until it was time to leave.
‘I’m completely fine,’ I said, as I climbed out of the car and tried to make my legs behave. ‘The drive back with the windows open sobered me right up.’
The massive hiccup I then let escape suggested otherwise and we both put our hands over our mouths to contain a fit of the giggles.
‘I’ll ring you tomorrow,’ I promised, once I’d composed myself. ‘Now go, otherwise you’ll be too tired to open the store in the morning.’
‘Not an option,’ Melody smiled. ‘Okay. We’ll chat tomorrow.’
She drove off and I slipped inside the gate, having eventually remembered that it was locked and I was going to need my key to open it.
As I locked it behind me, the sound of piano music drifted across the garden, and I thought how lovely it was that Constance was listening to or playing it again.
She’d never confirmed either way when I’d broached the subject.
I had no intention of making her jump or interrupting her evening and crept quietly around to the sitting room and peeped through the open French doors.
It was just as well that the music was quite loud because the tipsy gasp that escaped me would have been easily heard, even by someone with Constance’s reduced hearing.
‘Well, there’s my answer,’ I whispered, and I watched in awe as her fingers danced quickly and lightly over the keys. I was so mesmerised, I didn’t think to take in any of what the rest of the room looked like. ‘So, it was you, Constance. You’re the musician.’
She was completely absorbed and had no idea that I was there, and I was grateful for that, because for some reason, she obviously didn’t want me to know about her talent. I crept silently away, carrying her musical secret with me.