Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
Florrie flipped the bookshop sign to closed and was just about to slide the bolt across when Ed appeared on the other side of the door, making her start.
‘Oh my gosh! Ed!’ she said, pressing a hand to her chest, feeling her heart drumming beneath her fingers.
On hearing her dad’s name, Gerty raced over, dancing from paw to paw.
She opened the door and he rushed in, fresh air clinging to him.
‘Sorry I took so long,’ he said, out of breath and planting a firm kiss on her lips, the force making her take a step back.
‘Hello there, Gerty-Girl, it’s good to see you, too.
’ He bent and gave the Labrador a resounding pat, sending her into raptures.
‘How are things?’ Florrie searched his face for clues.
‘I’ll share everything with you in a minute, but first, tell me about your dad. It’s great to hear he’s out of hospital. Shall we head straight home? I can tell you what happened with my dad en route.’ His words tumbled out in a rush.
While they were cashing up and getting ready to leave, Florrie brought him up to speed with her father’s situation and he’d laughed heartily at hearing Charlie’s new nickname for his wife.
‘Florence Nightmaringale, I love it!’ he’d said.
She’d also reminded him that since she’d returned to the bookshop straight from the hospital, the car was parked on Endeavour Road, so their usual walk back, where they dissected their day, wasn’t on the cards that evening.
‘Ah, ’course, I’d forgotten about that. Let’s head home then, I can tell you all over a pot of tea.’
Florrie was pleased and surprised in equal measure that Ed seemed brighter than when she’d left earlier that day. She couldn’t begin to imagine what he had to tell her.
‘Before I get started on telling you about how things went with my father, I just want to say, I don’t want you to give up your Friday night with the lasses on my account.’
Florrie went to object, but Ed held up his hand.
‘No arguments. In fact, while I was out, I bumped into Nate and he asked if I fancied grabbing a beer or two at The Cellar tonight. I thought it sounded tempting so I said yes. The other fellas are joining us, too. Bear’s coming along after he’s dropped Maggie at the Jolly, said his parents have agreed to babysit Lucy, and Jazz’s parents are having her brood.
Have to say, I’m looking forward to it, they’re good blokes. ’
‘Wow! You have had quite the afternoon, haven’t you?’ Florrie chuckled, though she wondered if her friends had got their heads together and arranged this in an act of support for Ed – it would be just like them.
‘Aye, you could say. Oh, and Bear’s changed the front-door lock, here’s your new key.
’ He dropped it into Florrie’s hand. ‘He couldn’t fit one of those doorbells with a camera, though.
Said the shop didn’t have the one he was after in stock, but there’s one on order.
Said he’d fit it as soon as it came in.’
‘Good old Bear. What would we do without him?’ said Florrie.
‘Aye, he can turn his hand to anything.’ Ed’s face turned serious.
‘So, getting back to the unexpected visit from my father, I hadn’t been back long from my appointment at the solicitors – I’ll tell you about that after this – when he turned up at the bookshop.
I was so shocked to see him, it took a while for my brain to register it was actually him standing in the doorway.
Anyroad, when it finally did click, my first thought was that I had to get him out.
I was worried he was going to kick off with round two of all the screaming and yelling, which we didn’t need after last night. ’
‘Oh, blimey, no.’
‘You should’ve seen the look Jean shot him, talk about a death stare.’ He chuckled.
‘That’s exactly how Leah described it.’ Florrie laughed, too. ‘She said it’s a wonder he didn’t turn to stone.’
‘She’s not wrong. I could almost sense the “mess at your peril” vibes radiating from her. I’ve never seen my father look so taken aback before.’
‘Go, Jean,’ said Florrie, unable to resist.
‘That’s what I thought.’ Ed grinned. ‘So, when I’d got him out on the street, he was at great pains to assure me he hadn’t come to argue or fight, but said he had something to tell me. Something that he thought would help explain my mother’s recent actions.’
‘This’ll be good.’ The snort that erupted from Florrie took her by surprise and she clamped her hand over her mouth. ‘Sorry. Didn’t mean to do that.’
‘No need to apologise, I reacted pretty much that way myself. And even after hearing what my father had to say, I still don’t think anything can explain or excuse what she’s done.’ He gave a resigned shrug.
‘Where did you go to have your chat?’
‘Don’t worry, I didn’t take him back to Samphire Cottage, if that’s what you’re wondering.
After what my mother’s been up to there, I wouldn’t do that.
We walked to the top prom while I worked out where we could have a talk, ended up sitting on one of the benches looking out to sea – well away from my grandparents’ bench.
I didn’t want him and my mother to get wind of that; I dread to think what they might do to it if they knew it was there. ’
‘Oh, goodness, I hadn’t thought of that.’ Florrie wouldn’t put anything past either of his parents but particularly Dawn with the mood she was in yesterday.
‘Neither had I till we got there. In fact, I hadn’t even made up my mind where to take him until then, and although he seemed calm, I hadn’t forgotten his temper can be unpredictable and I didn’t want to risk him kicking off in a coffee shop or anywhere like that if I said something he didn’t like, or didn’t respond in the way he hoped.
I thought somewhere outdoors was the safest bet, and since it was pretty quiet along the prom and the sun was shining, I thought that’d be the best place. ’
Florrie could see the logic in that. ‘Did he say where your mum and Luella were?’
‘My mum was at the B it would seem they never learnt from their mistakes. The more she knew of Ed’s parents, the more she understood why his grandfather hadn’t bequeathed the bookshop to them.
Ed continued, telling her his father had gone on to say how he’d discovered quite by chance that Dawn had developed an online gambling addiction and had kept it secret for over a year.
‘But she never quite got on top of her mounting debt which my father thinks contributed to her addiction growing stronger. The worst of it is, since the Bitcoin disaster, she started borrowing money from loan sharks and they’ve been breathing down her neck – my father’s, too. ’
‘Oh dear. I’m sorry to hear that, Ed.’ Florrie’s mind went to Jasmine, whose ex, Bart, had been gripped by a gambling addiction and had borrowed from undesirable individuals to feed his cravings.
The situation had caused irreparable damage to their relationship and quashed her friend’s vibrant spirit for a long time afterwards.
‘When it all came to light, my father said she became defensive and diverted attention to the bookshop, ranting and shouting, throwing things about in her usual way, saying it was rightfully theirs, that they wouldn’t be in a financial mess if they’d inherited it.
Apparently, she blamed him for not standing up to my grandfather, and raged that he’d let everyone walk all over him. ’
Florrie’s eyes widened. She couldn’t imagine Peter Harte letting anyone so much as stand on his big toe without suffering a verbal savaging, never mind walk all over him!
‘I know what you’re thinking and I agree.’ Ed’s mouth quirked into a small smile. ‘Anyroad, he said once she’d calmed down, she’d told him that she was going to fix things once and for all. Which leads into why Luella is involved.’
‘Oh, blimey.’