Chapter 14
The Forecast Is Bright
Holly’s July date came around much sooner than she had anticipated when she had agreed to Rose’s plan.
For one thing, her lower left leg was still encased in what felt like a tonne of plaster.
In the weeks after the accident, she attempted, once, to traverse the stairs to the rooms above the pub.
She could still remember the exhaustion she felt after dragging herself backwards up the hard stairs, only to be faced with the crushing realisation she had to get herself downstairs too.
Her ensuing breakdown afterwards, had been the catalyst for Luke to transform the office behind the bar into a decent downstairs bedroom.
Every other day, she made the exhausting walk across to The Book Nook to use Eleanor’s downstairs bathroom for a strip wash and an awkward shampoo courtesy of Rose.
It had been a test for their friendship which they’d thankfully overcome relatively unscathed.
She longed for the day when she’d be able to have a shower again.
Holly had adjusted to life downstairs easily.
But she knew having Lucy living with them had made all the difference.
She didn’t like benefitting from the breakdown of her marriage to Tony, but it couldn’t have come at a better time.
In all honesty, she wasn’t quite sure how she’d managed without Lucy living with them.
Even more so as Seb had taken Holly’s words to heart and had stayed away.
He’d even taken to messaging Luke updates with the new ale he was working on at her microbrewery.
She’d asked him to stay away and he had taken that as a call for complete radio silence.
As she made her slow journey to The Old School House for her date, Holly was evaluating her life choices with every draining step she took.
She’d been using crutches every day, but the struggle was still real.
Shaun, her date, had chosen to invite Holly to an art lesson; which wasn’t a good start.
Holly knew her strengths, and art wasn’t one of them.
Hobbling into the class, she wasn’t feeling particularly attractive as the warm July air had added to her body’s sweaty reaction to the physical activity of simply walking.
But when she saw Rose sitting behind one of the easels, she allowed herself a little spark of hope that this might all be OK.
When Shaun settled himself next to her - just a little too close, Holly had the sinking feeling she should have stuck to her gut reaction.
‘So, Rose tells me you own a micro brewery? Is that like a mini one for your Barbie dolls?’ He guffawed at his own joke. Rose had the good sense to avoid all eye contact, but Holly knew she was listening as she could see her bite back a laugh.
‘That’s a good one, Shaun,’ Holly muttered, ‘I haven’t heard that one before. It uses regular size equipment, but we only make one ale per season.’
Shaun tutted at her, ‘I know what a micro brewery is.’ He rolled his eyes at her before looking away.
Holly sucked on her lips to prevent herself from saying something she’d regret.
Shaun was new to the Bay. Rose had told her he had some loose connection to a new restaurant that had opened in Whitby last month.
There had been more information when she’d told her about the date; but she hadn’t been paying attention.
‘Right everyone, I’m afraid Simon can’t make it tonight,’ Susie called out, and a few groans rippled through the room at her announcement.
Holding up her hands to quiet everyone down she continued, ‘but we have a back up plan.’ She lifted her index finger high in the air triumphantly.
‘If you could all get your paints out, we’ve got a special live model we’re painting today,’ Susie explained with a flourish towards the door that led to one of the small classrooms off the main hall.
An older man stepped through wearing a dressing gown and a beret, and Holly’s face paled. She gestured to Susie to come over.
‘Susie, please tell me this is not what I think it is?’ she wheezed out.
‘If you mean, is Derek going to model for us, sans clothes, then I’m afraid it’s very much what you think it is.’ The look in Susie’s eyes was devilish.
‘Was this common knowledge?’ Holly hissed out, appalled Shaun would invite her on a date that involved painting a naked man.
‘Oh, no. This was a surprise for everyone.’ Susie grinned, ‘Isn’t it wonderful?’
‘Susie, you and I have very different versions of wonderful.’
Susie laughed and sauntered over to a similarly looking horrified Rose.
When Rose had moved to the Bay, it had partly been down to the orchestrations of Susie.
Since childhood, she’d been best friends with Rose’s mum.
They’d grown up together and even when Sarah had left the Bay when Rose was a toddler, they’d stayed in touch.
When Sarah had died, Susie had looked out for Rose and despite the distance between them, they’d remained close.
She’d even conspired with Eleanor to send the job advert to Rose that had prompted her move to the Bay.
Holly would be forever grateful for Susie’s part in bringing Rose into her life, but this art class would test the bonds of that gratitude to its limits.
Especially when Derek dropped the robe and positioned himself so Holly had an unobstructed view of his groin.
She averted her eyes, and focussed instead on the ridiculous blue beret Derek had decided would be the only stitch of clothing he’d wear for his modeling debut.
‘So,’ Holly ventured, trying to keep the conversation going with Shaun and keep her gaze away from the naked man in the middle of the room, ‘you like to paint?’
‘Obviously,’ he said and swatted her on the head with his paintbrush. A paintbrush covered in blue acrylic paint that was now splattered across her forehead.
Biting into her bottom lip hard, eyes wide, she glared at Shaun - again not trusting herself to speak.
‘Oh, sorry,’ he muttered, and then failed to stifle a laugh.
Out of the corner of her eye, Holly could see Rose peeking out from behind her easel - her eyes like saucers. When their gazes connected, she winced out a sorry.
You should be, Holly mouthed back - this had all been her stupid idea.
‘Rose,’ she called out with a brightness to her tone that was so forced it hurt her jaw.
‘Yes…’
‘Can I have some assistance in the toilets,’ Holly asked, adding a pointed ‘please?’ because she’d been taught to be polite.
‘I can help? Shaun offered, scrabbling to his feet. ‘I’ve always fancied myself as a bit of a carer,’ he preened.
And there was the final nail in the coffin for their date.
‘What,’ Holly couldn’t disguise her irritation any longer, ‘are you talking about?’
‘I - can - help - you - go - to - the - toilet,’ Shaun, the idiot he was, sounded out the words as if she was either hard of hearing or struggling to understand him.
‘I don’t need help going to the toilet, you i–’ she stopped herself just in time. Giving herself a moment to compose herself, she carefully said, ‘I would like Rose to help me with the paint, and I would feel more comfortable, alone in the toilets, with her - no offence.’
Remaining polite was proving to be a struggle, when all she really wanted to do was cause him as much offence as possible.
‘Oh. Oh. OK. No need to be so grumpy about it, Holly. A smile wouldn’t hurt, you know.’
Holly’s nails dug into her palms as she curled her lips up in, what no doubt, resembled a hideous smirk.
‘There now, that feels better, doesn’t it?’ Shaun said before turning back to his easel.
Rose saved Shaun from physical harm as she stepped between them and helped Holly to the tiny toilets off from the main hall.
‘I am so sorry,’ she hissed out, as soon as the door shut behind them.
‘You bloody well should be. What were you thinking?’
‘He is pretty good looking and single - that’s what I was thinking. He honestly wasn’t such a knob when I met him at the class. And I swear I knew nothing about Derek. We usually work from photographs of things we’d like to paint.’
‘I’m going home, and your penance is to explain my sudden absence to Shaun.’
Rose’s nod of agreement was immediate and forceful. ‘Totally. I really am sorry, Holly. Next month will be so much better. I promise.’
*
By the time Holly had made it back to the pub, she was exhausted. Her walk to the painting class had been the furthest she’d walked since the accident. Lucy’s face behind the bar with a glass of wine ready for her, was a welcome sight.
‘Rose messaged you might need this,’ Lucy said as she pushed the wine glass towards her.
‘This goes a little way in making up for that date.’
As the cool crisp wine passed Holly’s lips, she sighed and sagged down to rest her arms on the bar.
‘That bad?’
‘You can see my face, right?’
‘I didn’t want to draw attention to it.’ Lucy’s eyes pinched as she looked sympathetically at Holly from across the bar.
‘Blue paint splattered across my face is pretty hard to ignore,’ and because if she didn’t laugh, she’d likely cry, she gave in to the giggles that wanted to escape.
‘I’m dreading it,’ Lucy suddenly admitted.
‘What?’
‘Getting back out there.’
Now Holly was on the same page, she sat up straighter. Living together at the pub had brought them closer, but Lucy hadn’t spoken about what was happening with her divorce - not since that morning when she’d offered to move in, and Holly was trying not to pry.
‘So has Tony agreed to the divorce?’
‘He’s dragging his feet.’ Lucy sighed.
‘But it’s definitely over - for you at least?’
‘When I arrived back in the Bay, I really hoped we’d be able to make it work. But we’re different people now and although it kills me I’m hurting him - he deserves to be with someone who truly loves him.’
‘It’s brave, Lucy. To make a hard decision like that.’
‘It feels mean.’
‘Sure, it will now. But in a few months, I’m sure things will be better.’
Lucy shrugged and Holly hated seeing the pain in her eyes.
‘You’re a good person, Lucy. That’s why it hurts so much.’
Holly could tell Lucy didn’t believe her. An idea took hold, and Holly used her crutches to hobble into her temporary bedroom. Her grey fortune teller was nestled under her pillow, and with it now carefully wedged under her arm, she made the now trickier journey back out to the bar.
‘What’s that?’ Lucy asked, nodding to the cube that was nestled between Holly’s elbow and the top of the crutch.
‘This… is a little cube of hope.’
When she made it back to the bar, she slid the Fortune Cube towards Lucy.
‘Oh, it’s one of those digital fortune tellers,’ Lucy said as she picked it up.
‘Ask it a question - something you want to know the answer to. Something that’s been bothering you. Sometimes, I think saying the question out loud helps you work out how you’re really feeling.’
Lucy huffed out a little laugh, but she did as she was told.
‘Am I making the right decision?’ she asked as she pressed the little rubber button and slid the cube between them so they could both read the answer.
‘See,’ Holly said as the words The Forecast is Bright glowed on the green LCD screen.
Even though Lucy’s smile was slight, Holly could see her shoulders had relaxed a little after reading those words.
‘Enough of my pity party. Onwards and upwards for you. I’m sure your next date will be miles better,’ Lucy said as she crossed her fingers and held them up to her lips.
‘It can’t get much worse,’ Holly scoffed and then downed the rest of her wine.