Chapter 26 #2
‘Erik says can he have a word?’ Luke came and whispered in my ear a minute or so later. ‘He’s in the bothy.’
‘Hi,’ I said, when I walked over. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’m all right,’ he said with a shrug.
‘No, you’re not. And neither am I, not really.’
‘So, you saw it then?’ he groaned. ‘I was hedging in the hope that you hadn’t.’
‘It was hard to miss with Freddie waving it under my nose at Cavell Care this morning,’ I tutted and then unfairly added, ‘and now your father’s stuck his oar in, assuming that quote was really from him, it feels even worse.’
‘I’m so sorry, Skylar.’
I’d instantly regretted the dig because it was hardly fair to take it out on him, was it? Erik was as much a victim as I was.
‘It’s not your fault,’ I sighed. ‘I know it’s not. I’m just fed up.’
‘Me too,’ he said grimly. ‘Dad has just told me that he’ll do anything he can to keep the story running until I’ve made up my mind about the commentary job because it’s all good publicity… What?’ he then frowned as my expression must have changed.
‘Nothing,’ I shrugged. ‘Well, I mean, I’d kind of assumed that the decision had been made and you were going to take the job here. I shouldn’t have jumped to that conclusion though. Sorry.’
‘It’s okay,’ he said and ran a hand through his hair. ‘I don’t think I’m really wavering, but it doesn’t help that I haven’t been able to convince him that TV isn’t the place for me. He’s so pig-headed. If I’m not saying what he wants to hear he just tunes out.’
‘Given what you’ve told me about you both latching on to the sport when your mum died, it must be hard for him to give it up. And I know you appreciate that,’ I added, so Erik didn’t think I was judging his reaction to his father’s behaviour.
Given that I could have happily throttled him myself that wouldn’t have been fair.
‘I do know that,’ he sighed and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
He looked utterly dejected.
‘Have you told Kate and Luke what you’re thinking about the job they’ve offered?’ I asked him.
‘Not yet. Have you?’
‘No. They asked me not to hurry my decision and even though I’m certain I want it, I don’t want them thinking I’ve rushed. Though if I had my way, I’d start tomorrow.’
‘They’ll be thrilled that you’re so keen,’ Erik smiled.
‘And I’m thrilled, too and I will tell them once this newspaper situation dies down. For now, I think it’s better to keep a low profile.’
‘I’m feeling the same way myself,’ he empathised. ‘Though it’s worse for you because you’re an innocent friend who has been caught up in it.’
He wouldn’t have thought I was innocent if he’d been privy to some of my former more than friendly thoughts!
‘We’re both victims, and we’ll just have to wait it out.’
‘Yes, that’s all we can do, but how about if we don’t do it here?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, I’ve been thinking,’ he said rather wickedly. ‘If we’re not here, there won’t be anyone to photograph, will there? And no one here would talk to any journalists about us, so that would kill the story dead, wouldn’t it?’
‘I suppose. As long as your dad doesn’t make something else up.’
‘With no more photos to go with a quote, it wouldn’t be worth it.’
‘So, what are you suggesting?’ I asked. ‘That we should leave?’
‘Just for a couple of days.’
‘Where are you planning to go?’
‘The same place as you, I hope,’ he said unexpectedly. ‘I want to take you to Wynbridge.’
‘What?’
‘That autumn festival you were so keen on is in full swing and I thought we could head there on a glorified research trip.’ I couldn’t believe my ears. ‘It might give you some ideas for the Spooktacular or the Winterfest next year.’
‘You’re really suggesting we go together?’
‘Why not? I’ll keep my head down and my hat on and you don’t know anyone there, do you?’
‘No.’
‘So, we should be fine, shouldn’t we?’
‘But where will we stay?’
‘I’ve found an Airbnb which had a last-minute cancellation, so I’ve booked it from tomorrow afternoon until Sunday night,’ he seemed to have it all worked out. ‘We can have the whole weekend at the festival if you fancy it.’
I was flabbergasted.
‘Of course, you don’t have to come,’ he carried on when I didn’t say anything. ‘I do appreciate that I’ve sprung the idea on you, but I thought it was a good one, so I forged ahead when I found somewhere available. I thought it might be fun. We’re due some fun.’
‘It is a good idea,’ I said. ‘And I’m sure it would be.’
However, I wasn’t entirely sure that spending a whole weekend living with Erik was going to help contain my feelings for him, but I supposed it would be the perfect opportunity to find out how we might get along working together if we accepted the jobs we’d been offered.
If I found the proximity a total nightmare, then I’d still have the chance to turn the job down.
And you never know, perhaps some Prolonged Exposure Therapy might cure me of my Erik crush for good and put him back on a friendly footing once and for all. Maybe he’d have some annoying and horrible habits that would put me off fancying him for life…
‘So, will you come?’ he asked hopefully.
Clearly, he had no qualms about spending so long alone with me.
‘Yes,’ I swallowed, feeling unsure as to whether I was relieved or offended about that. ‘Yes, I’ll come.’
Having agreed on a time to meet the next day, we slipped back to the bonfire party. We’d missed the start of the film but as Rafe, who I had been sitting next to, had nodded off, I didn’t think I’d been missed.
Feeling peckish again, I tucked into the slice of now cold pizza that I’d previously abandoned and later had fun making shapes in the air with the sparklers and eating s’mores made using the flaming braziers.
By the end of the party, the youngsters were ready for bed and the Nightingale Square contingent all trooped back across the road in a group.
Eli, who had earlier thanked me profusely for my involvement with the fundraiser for The Chapel, had reckoned that I would be harder to pick out in a crowd, and when everyone agreed, I felt loved and supported, which was a comforting sensation given the vulnerability I’d experienced when I saw myself plastered across the paper again courtesy of Freddie indiscreet Fanshawe.
I went to bed feeling a whole mix of emotions tangled up with the prospect of spending a weekend in the Fens, which was somewhere I’d never visited before.
I refused to stress over the bathroom and sleeping arrangements.
Erik was responsible for sorting all that and I was just going along for the ride.