Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
‘I want to go check out Vanessa.’ Aunty Bev had calmed herself down after the family call. ‘I want to send out a message that if she wants to fight, I am ready for her.’ She pulled on her leopard-skin coat. ‘Do you know where this pub of hers is?’
‘You can’t just walk into her pub,’ I said. ‘Anyway, she hates this family. I have had quite a few locals warn me to not go anywhere near her pub.’
Aunty Bev shook her head. ‘Why does she hate the family? If she’s having an affair with Frank – why would she be stirring up trouble? Unless she and Frank have broken up and it’s not been amicable. That would tie in with what Layla told you, how what happened between Frank and Vanessa made everything worse.’
‘We’re running away with this.’ I took a deep breath. ‘We don’t know the full facts.’
‘Vanessa doesn’t know me, and I will lie when they ask me who I am,’ explained Aunty Bev.
I felt uncomfortable at the thought of Aunty Bev going off on her own to meet Vanessa. Aunty Bev was a loose cannon at the best of times and one stray comment could result in a screaming match. Also, we still didn’t know for sure if Maddie suspected Frank and Vanessa of having an affair. Layla was still upstairs, and I wasn’t even sure she would speak to me again after the key incident.
Grandpa rose from the table. ‘I’m coming too.’
‘No, Grandpa,’ I snapped, feeling on edge. ‘You stay here.’
He placed his hand on my shoulder. ‘I’m coming. I am still on the lookout for an adventure. Beverly has filled me in on everything.’
I glanced at Aunty Bev, who nodded. ‘Dad needed to know, Rachel. Right, let’s take my Fiesta.’
‘You do know the snow is still bad?’
Aunty Bev laughed. ‘My old Fiesta can handle a bit of snow. She loves off-roading.’
As I climbed into the back of Aunty Bev’s car, I had a worrying feeling about this situation. ‘Can we not mention who we are? I don’t want to cause trouble.’
Aunty Bev nodded. ‘Don’t worry, I will say that we’re on our way to see family and wanted a pitstop in Harp Brook.’
To my amazement Aunty Bev’s Fiesta got down the snow-coated drive and onto the main road. The Harp Brook Inn was at the far end of the high street. It was a quaint historic coaching inn, and a sign outside informed us everyone was welcome, and the Harp Brook Inn had been in the Good Pub Guide in 2010 and 2015.
‘Do we know what she looks like?’ Aunty Bev asked as she parked in the pub car park.
‘I’ve only had the pleasure of meeting her sister, Denise.’
‘We can check out the staff whilst we have a drink,’ Grandpa said rubbing his gloved hands together. ‘I’m in need of a decent pint.’
‘Grandpa, it’s still early. If they’re open, we’ll have coffees or a pot of tea.’
He muttered something under his breath as we all trooped inside.
There was a young woman behind the bar. ‘Can I help you?’
‘Are you serving coffee?’ Aunty Bev asked.
She nodded. ‘Sit down and I’ll come and take your order.’
‘Is Vanessa working today?’ Aunty Bev asked, making me flinch.
To my relief the young woman shook her head. ‘No, she’s not. Do you need to talk to her?’
I decided to speak for Aunty Bev. ‘No, we’re fine, thanks.’
‘Are you local?’ The woman beamed before pointing to a table in front of the window.
Aunty Bev shook her head. ‘No, I’m Maddie Baxter’s aunt and I’m from Brighton. This is Maddie’s sister and Maddie’s grandfather.’
My entire body froze. She had promised not to reveal who we were.
The young woman’s smile evaporated. ‘Oh, I see. Have a seat.’
Once we were seated, I leaned over and hissed at Aunty Bev. ‘Why did you tell her who we were?’
Aunty Bev shrugged. ‘I was feeling naughty again. Did you see her face change when I told her who I was? She knows something.’
‘This is putting Maddie in a difficult position, Aunty Bev.’
The woman came over to take our coffee order and there was a definite tone change in her voice. As she was leaving to head back to the counter and make our coffees, Aunty Bev stuck her hand up. ‘Excuse me. Can you tell us why several locals have been warning my niece and father about Vanessa and telling them to stay away from this pub?’
My heart ground to a halt and Grandpa gleefully rubbed his hands. ‘That’s my girl, Beverly. You go get ’em!’
The young woman fiddled with her notepad. ‘I don’t know why you have been told that.’ She bowed her head and hurried away.
‘Aunty Bev,’ I hissed. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’
Aunty Bev grinned. ‘Sorry, Rachel, but I gravitate towards trouble.’
Grandpa fist-pumped the air. ‘Go large, Beverly.’
The woman brought over our coffees. She didn’t say a word and scurried away soon after. Aunty Bev let out a heavy sigh. ‘It’s a shame Vanessa isn’t here.’
‘I think it’s for the best,’ I muttered.
We drank our coffees and left. To my relief there were no more outbursts from Aunty Bev.
Layla was in the kitchen when we returned. Grandpa and Aunty Bev went to sit in the lounge. I decided to talk to Layla and apologise.
Zac clung to her hip and was chewing on his teddy. She turned away as she saw me entering the kitchen. ‘I’m sorry, Layla. I never wanted to hurt you or get you in trouble.’
She handed Zac his milk beaker. ‘You went in the west wing – didn’t you?’
‘Yes. We did go inside the west wing – more to figure out what’s going on with Maddie than anything else. We shouldn’t have taken the keys out of your bag without asking.’
The sounds of Zac glugging his milk filled the air. Layla bowed her head. Guilt consumed me. I had let her down. ‘Layla, say something. I am sorry, and we did it because we were worried about Maddie.’
She nodded before walking over to the kitchen table. After pulling out a chair she sat down. ‘People rarely apologise to me. This is a first.’
My heart was thumping inside my chest.
‘Rachel, it’s okay, you’re a good person. I know that.’
Relief flooded through me as I walked over to the coffee machine. ‘The trouble is, we don’t know all the facts. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle where some of the pieces are missing.’ I turned to the coffee machine. ‘You want a coffee?’
She smiled and nodded. ‘That would be great.’
Once I’d made us two cappuccinos, I carried them over to the kitchen table. ‘I’m glad we’re talking,’ I gushed, ‘I didn’t like us falling out.’
She grinned. ‘Me too.’ Taking out her phone she showed me her latest text conversation with Derek. ‘His GIFs makes me laugh. That’s us. Talking non-stop.’
I smiled at the GIFs of two little dogs chattering away.
‘Have you thought anymore about getting in touch with your dad?’
‘The thought is there. I don’t know what to say.’
She gave me a knowing nod. ‘I get it. With me I had to start with, “I think you used to date my mum and I am your kid.”’
‘That must have been hard.’
‘I drunk a lot of beer before I pressed send. Sometimes a simple “Hello” works well. He knows who you are. Trish, my friend, stopped talking to her best friend from years ago. She tracked her down and sent her an email that said, “Hello – love Trish.” That friend replied and came back into her life. She supported Trish through her messy divorce and did a bit of match-making. Trish is now dating her friend’s neighbour who is the nicest bloke in the world.
I smiled at my new young friend. ‘I might try Trish’s approach.’