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“You know, I’ve always been a big fan of classic cinema,” Harry said in a tone Becky didn’t entirely believe. He pointed to a festival flyer prominently stuck on the cinema’s front door. “Maybe I’ll stick around for this Fish and Film festival. See the old place out in style.” He turned to Tony. “And then you can show me the signed contracts from the owner.”
Becky watched as their main source of income walked away toward the town square and Mia bloody Page and her bloody bunting, and wondered why she’d ever thought coming back to Aberarian was a good idea in the first place.
* * * *
“More bunting,” Charlie said, depositing a new bucket at the foot of her ladder.
Mia glanced down and smiled at him, enjoying the way his pale blue t-shirt stretched over his shoulders. “Thanks,” she said, and he grinned up at her, shading his eyes to watch her hang the next strand.
He held the ladder steady for her to climb down, and she jumped the last step just so she could land directly in front of him, ready to be kissed.
But Charlie’s grin was already slipping. “Listen...”
Mia felt a cold shadow brush against her heart. “If this is about last night–”
“No!” Charlie grabbed her upper arms, and Mia stopped twisting the next strand of bunting around her fingers. “It’s just... Have you seen the weather forecast?”
Her good mood ruined, Mia stepped away. “I don’t need to. Everybody who’s come through here this morning has already reported it to me. ‘Rain tonight, showers tomorrow.’ Even Tony took a moment out of his busy day to shout it up at me. It’s not the end of the world.”
“What about setting up tonight?” Charlie hefted the ladder, and helped her move it to the next spot. “Are we going to have to wait until morning?”
“There’s a lot we couldn’t do tonight anyway,” Mia said, testing her foot against the bottom rung. “But the big stalls are all waterproof shells, so they can go up now anyway. We’ll just hold off setting up the electrics until very early tomorrow morning.”
“Do you want me to go up and hang that for you?” Charlie asked, looking apologetic.
Mia shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Climbing up, she heard The Very Reverend Dafydd Davies call out from below her, and glanced down to see him standing beside Charlie, a worried expression on his face.
“I just wanted to let you know,” he said, one hand cupped unnecessarily around his mouth–she was only ten feet off the ground, after all. “I’ve called an emergency prayer meeting at the church for this afternoon. See if we can’t get some intervention in this weather business.”
“That’s great, Reverend,” she called back, but her attention was on the Coliseum in the distance, where she could see Tony and Becky and another man in a suit eyeing the building hungrily.
There was still more than weather to worry about.
* * * *
“This is starting to look like more than a shower,” Mia said, peering out of the A to Z shop window at the ugly black skies.
“Is it raining yet?” Ditsy asked, tugging her coat on. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you keep me here folding raffle tickets.”
“Public service,” Mia reminded her. “You weren’t doing it for me, you were doing it for Aberarian.”
“Yes, but if I catch a cold getting soaked to the skin on my way home, I’m blaming you, not the town.”
“Fair enough.” Mia took another look at the clouds. “It’s not started yet. You should beat the rain home, if you hurry.”
“Good.” Ditsy hoisted her handbag onto her shoulder.
“Wait a sec.” Mia darted behind the counter and grabbed an umbrella from the rack. “You should take this.”
“Excellent plan.” Ditsy held out a hand for the brolly, but something made Mia keep it clutched to her side. “Although the plan does require you to actually give it to me.”
“Ditsy...” Mia said, trailing off.
The older woman dropped her bag to the floor and started to unbutton her coat. “If it starts to rain, I’m staying in the flat. And you can have the sofa.”
“Sorry. No. It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does,” Ditsy said with fake patience. “So tell me.”
“Do you... Do you think I’m wrong to wait? With Charlie?” Mia closed her eyes while she waited for an answer. When one wasn’t forthcoming, she peeked out and saw Ditsy watching her, an assessing look on her face.
“I think,” Ditsy said finally, “life is a lot shorter than we think. And sometimes you can wait too long. A little anticipation never hurt anybody, but too much...” She shrugged. “Besides. You have to make the most of every day we have in this world. Why wait for happiness to come to you? Why not reach out and grab it?”
“That was under H in the book, wasn’t it?” Mia said.
“I’m paraphrasing.” Ditsy buttoned her coat again and held out a hand for the umbrella. “Now, I’m going to go and attempt to outrun the rain, which is not easy when you get to my age.” She gave Mia a gentle smile. “Much harder than telling Charlie Frost you’re in love with him.”
Mia handed over the umbrella and wondered what she’d have done without Ditsy in her life. “Thanks, Ditsy.”
“Just don’t screw it up,” Ditsy said, and then she was gone, out into the gathering storm.
Mia locked up in record time, and ten minutes later she was tugging her jacket tighter around her, watching the carefully hung bunting down Main Street flutter manically in the wind. Any moment now, the promised rain would start, and she was going to get soaked to the skin. She eyed the blackened sky with suspicion. As long as the rain was the worst of it.
Battling against the growing wind and just waiting to feel the first raindrops before the deluge against her skin, Mia made her way along Main Street, in the direction of StarFish, and thought that she wouldn’t be doing this for anyone else.
But Charlie had asked her a perfectly reasonable question the night before. And she thought she might finally be able to answer it.
Once she found the right words.
Pausing outside, she leaned against the wall of the restaurant, out of sight of the windows. With the wind buffeting her against the brick, she wished she’d thought about this before she left the warmth of the A to Z shop. How was she supposed to tell a man she loved him? Especially when she wasn’t sure he felt the same. It couldn’t be as easy as the movies made it look, could it?
Then the rain started to fall, and Mia decided she’d just have to wing it after all. Dashing through the raindrops, she headed for the comforting lights of StarFish.
The restaurant was dark inside, it seemed, but when she looked closer she saw a couple of diners, faces lit only by the glow of candlelight. Magda was reading them the specials when Mia went in, and she made out the bulky figure of Tony standing in the kitchen doorway looking in, so she assumed Charlie was cooking.
She edged closer, eager to take the last few seconds of no one knowing she was there to compose herself for what she’d come to do. Maybe she should wait until he was away from naked flames...
Charlie’s voice rumbled out from b
ehind the kitchen doors. It was nearly time. She’d reached the bar now, without Tony turning and seeing her, and she wondered what the etiquette for this was. Should she wait until Tony had finished? Should she take a seat at the bar?
“It’s a good offer, Charlie,” Tony said. Mia gave up her token moral resistance and listened in. “We’d be partners. You’d have someone to share the financial risk with. I’ll find someone to run this place, you head down to London and set up the next restaurant in the chain. You sell me the cottage as part of the deal.” The rain on her skin turned to ice, and Mia felt her heart freeze and crack. He’s going to leave me. She’d waited too long. What good was ready now, anyway?
“It’s a good offer,” Tony repeated, and Mia knew he was telling the truth. It was a great opportunity for Charlie. It was what he needed.
He’d be a fool not to take it.
Charlie’s response was muffled by the kitchen doors. Mia couldn’t bear to wait and hear him say yes to her face. This was Charlie’s future, his decision. She couldn’t interfere.
Besides, even if he was idiotic enough to say no, she’d have talk him out of it. She loved him, and she wanted what was best for him. And if Mia couldn’t make a roaring success of this festival, what was best for him wasn’t going to be Aberarian.
Silently as she’d arrived, Mia slipped out into the stormy night, alone.
* * * *
“It’s a good offer,” Tony repeated, and Charlie knew he was telling the truth. It was a great opportunity for him, for StarFish, even for Magda and Kevin. It was what he needed to move StarFish onward, to shore up the business, to keep everyone from bankruptcy.
He’d be a fool not to take it.
The spitting oil from the pan stung Charlie’s skin and he thought, But how can I leave here? Knowing full well he meant, How can I leave Mia?
“Why would you want to do that?” Charlie asked. Tony looked over from where he’d been glancing into the restaurant itself, and raised his hands, palms upward, toward him.
“I’ll be perfectly candid with you,” he said. “It’s because of Becky.”
