Chapter Four
She hadn’t quite escaped their scrutiny.
They wrapped up in coats and scarves, and waved goodbye to Marnie. She was fussing over the little dog, Holly, and chatting to the girl they’d seen walking her, but she waved and smiled warmly at them.
‘So, how’s – you still sharing that flat with those friends of yours?’ Rich asked as they turned onto the village street, passing the farm and a row of cottages, all twinkling with Christmas lights in the dark night. On their right, the village green was shrouded in mist.
Jen pulled her coat tighter around herself and tucked her chin into her scarf.
‘Uh huh,’ she said. ‘Friends’ was putting it strongly; her flatmates had come and gone over the years, those she shared her living space with seeming to grow younger each time.
In fact, each flatmate was around the same age, early-to-mid-twenties, while she ventured into her thirties.
‘Well, that must be fun,’ Lou said kindly as they walked past the school, the inflatable Santa now a slightly eerie flapping shadow in the gloom. ‘How nice to be sharing with grown-ups! I bet they don’t chuck their food behind the radiator and vomit down your clothes.’
‘Only on a Saturday night,’ Jen quipped, and they all laughed.
‘So no significant other at the moment? Still playing the field?’ Rich asked.
‘Playing the field’ was an exaggeration. She was hardly sowing wild oats. Long-term relationships didn’t suit her, that was all. She dated, sometimes. She didn’t need some knight in shining armour to rescue her.
‘What is this, some kind of interrogation?’ Lou asked, throwing an arm around Jen’s shoulders. ‘Leave the poor girl alone, Rich, you nosy old sod.’
Jen laughed, putting her arm around Lou’s waist and pulling her in. ‘Young, free and single right now,’ she called over her shoulder. But the image of Train Guy’s bright blue eyes filled her mind, and her heart gave a little kick.
‘Unless you meet up with your handsome train stranger,’ Lou whispered, giggling.
Great minds.
Jen snuck a glance back at Ted. He had remained unusually quiet during the whole conversation. But he was staring back at the school, his mind apparently on other things.
Jen and Ted sat in front of the log burner, the room bathed in the gentle light from the Christmas tree and a couple of softly lit lamps. Lou and Rich had gone to bed, both taking advantage of the opportunity to have an unbroken night’s sleep.
Jen sat on a cushion, propped against the sofa.
She was full of the delicious cottage pie Ted had made, and had drunk enough wine to be feeling pleasantly mellow.
Left to their own devices, she and Ted had fallen into comfortable old habits.
It’s a Wonderful Life, one of their favourite films, was streaming and they’d settled down to watch.
Ted surreptitiously wiped his eyes as Clarence, the slightly inept angel, showed George Bailey what would have happened if he’d never been born.
Jen nudged him. ‘You big softie,’ she said. ‘You don’t change, do you?’
Ted cleared his throat. ‘It’s just the part where his wife doesn’t recognise him,’ he said. ‘Gets me every time.’
‘I know, we’ve watched this film probably fifteen times over the years and you always get teary at this bit.’
‘Teary’s putting it strongly,’ he grumbled, wiping away tears. ‘I’m just not made of stone like you are. How can you watch this dry-eyed?’
Jen grinned, shrugging. ‘I’m tougher than I look.’
Ted shook his head. ‘You’re a monster.’
‘Hey!’ Jen gave him a playful shove. ‘You can’t be mean to me on my birthday eve. Ah, see, even I think this bit is sweet,’ she said, as the TV screen showed George reunited with his friends and family, aware that he was loved, as they gathered around the tree on Christmas Eve.
‘Well, you’d have to have a heart of actual stone not to be affected by this,’ he said, his voice catching a little. He clinked his glass against hers. ‘Happy birthday eve.’
‘Thanks.’
‘You going to drop in on Julia and the kids while you’re here?’ There was a forced lightness to his tone, a false nonchalance to his expression.
Jen sighed, gazing down at the wine that she swirled in her glass. ‘Don’t start.’
‘Come on, Jen,’ he said softly. ‘Let bygones be bygones, eh? Time to be a grown-up. I know she misses you.’
Jen felt her cheeks begin to burn and her stomach twisted uncomfortably. She didn’t want to talk about this, especially not the night before her birthday. ‘You know more than anyone why I can’t.’
‘That was all so long ago.’ He laid a gentle hand on her arm. She shook it off. ‘Can’t you just—’
‘Is that why you chose Babblebrook for this weekend?’ She had wondered. But surely she could trust him not to interfere in her life like that; he was one of her closest friends, he knew more than most the reasons why she ran from that part of her past.
He was shaking his head. ‘No, actually, that was Sarah’s idea.
There’s this Christmas Fair I’m trying to organise at the school, it’s kind of important, and she thought it would be easier for me if I’m close by this weekend, then I can maybe get a couple of bits organised while we’re here. Two birds, one stone, etc.’
Jen chose to ignore the fact that he seemed to be suggesting he was planning to work while he was on their weekend reunion. She was too relieved by the change of subject to get irritated by something new right now.
‘Yes, Sarah,’ she said, leaning her elbow on the sofa and curling towards him. ‘Tell me all about this mystery woman of yours!’
He smiled, and something in her slipped back to their college days, to the nights they’d spent like this, sitting in the half-dark, sharing secrets.
The surroundings had been slightly less opulent, those student rooms where they would perch on the tiny bed or sit on the thinning carpet, drinking vodka and eating cold pizza.
But the bond they shared hadn’t changed over the years, despite the sometimes lengthy periods where they didn’t see each other; every time they met up again, they slipped back into easy friendship.
‘Well, you’d know a lot more if you’d come to the barbecue in the summer and met her,’ he said pointedly. ‘But, oh wow, she’s – she’s too good for me,’ he said, laughing and shaking his head.
Jen grinned. ‘Goes without saying.’
‘You know she’s an artist.’ His voice rang with pride. ‘She’s so talented, she paints these amazing pictures – here, let me show you.’
He reached for his phone and showed her some photos of a blonde woman with a big smile. She wore a denim pinafore dress with mustard tights and a matching scarf tying back her slightly wild hair, and was stood next to a large, slightly abstract painting of a vibrant sunset over fields.
‘Wow.’ Jen was genuinely impressed. ‘Super talented.’
‘I know.’ Ted said, looking smug.
‘So are you taking a leaf out of her book? She inspiring you to get all arty on us?’ Jen asked.
‘Art you mad?’ he asked, and she rolled her eyes. ‘Nope. I’m more Van Gross than Van Gogh, you know that.’
Remembering all those games of Pictionary, she couldn’t disagree.
He took a handful of the salted peanuts that were on the table, shoving them into his cheek as he chewed so that he looked like a hamster.
‘No, I leave all that to the expert.’ His voice was somewhat muffled by the chewing.
‘She teaches classes in the village hall and she designs cards, that’s her day job. ’
‘Cool. So it’s serious between you two? I can tell you like her a lot.
’ Jen found herself anxious to hear his answer.
He’d had girlfriends in the past, of course, but like her, hadn’t been one for long-term relationships.
There was something different about how he talked about this one, and she felt a little stab of sadness; she would be the last one standing in the dating scene if he settled down like all their other friends had.
He shrugged. ‘I guess so.’
Jen sighed dramatically. ‘Ugh, who knew I’d have to spend my birthday surrounded by boring loved-up couples?’ She pulled a face and pretended to throw up. ‘Playing board games in the café! When did you all get so grown-up?’
‘Well, maybe this is your year to join us. Maybe on your birthday you’ll suddenly get all sensible too.’
‘Better not!’
‘Anyway, tomorrow we’ve got a hike and then a meal in the pub planned, so that’ll be more exciting, eh?’
She genuinely thought he was kidding, until she saw the sincerity in his expression.
He heaved himself up, yawning, then reached out a hand to help her stand. ‘And speaking of, it’s time I went to get my beauty sleep, otherwise I’ll never manage that walk tomorrow.’
She grinned. ‘What? You should have gone to bed hours ago if you wanted to wake up beautiful. I mean, hours and hours. Like, days really . . .’
She laughed and skipped out of the way as he made a playful swipe in her direction.
‘Oh, shut up,’ he said, gathering the empty glasses like the adult he was and heading towards the kitchen.
He paused in the doorway, smiling at her over his shoulder.
‘Hey, you never know. Maybe you’ll meet your prince charming this weekend and become part of a boring loved-up couple like the rest of us? ’
She pulled a face to show her horror, and he left, shaking his head and chuckling.
And Jen found herself standing in the light of the Christmas tree, in the warmth of the fire, thinking of the way time had seemed to stop when Train Guy looked at her. Just like in every black-and-white romance film she loved.