He was so unlike Rhys, who only seemed to feel confident by putting others down or picking fault in something they had done. She thought back to the times Rhys had waited until they were about to leave the house to go to a party and had chosen then to question her fashion sense.
She didn’t used to have pink hair; that was something she had felt compelled to do once she had left him and moved in with her mother. She supposed it was some sort of act of defiance. She realised he must have been watching her for a little time before accosting her by the car. She would have liked to see the shock register on his face when he saw what she had done toher hair, cutting off six inches and dying it pink. He would have known it was a reaction to him and a nod to her own new-found independence.
She was excited to hear how well they had done with the takings and stood next to Zac and Callum while Lettie and Lindy spoke about the workings-out Lettie was holding in her hand.
‘We won’t keep you long,’ Lindy said. ‘Because we’re all tired after the running around we’ve done for the festival.’ She indicated her feet. ‘If yours are as tender as mine are right now, then you definitely won’t want to be hanging around.’
‘Get on with it, love,’ Gareth grumbled.
‘Sorry, yes. Lettie, this was your brainchild, so I think you should be the one to share how well we’ve done.’
‘I am excited to let you all know that with the cash and card takings, plus the five per cent fee paid by each of the stallholders, we’ve managed to raise four-fifths of the repair costs.’
Melody was delighted. ‘That’s a splendid outcome,’ she said, hoping the Torels and especially Lettie were as happy as she felt.
‘It is,’ Lettie agreed. ‘We will still need to raise the balance, but I’m sure we’ll find a way.’
Melody noticed someone move forward and saw Zac and Lettie’s Uncle Leonard. He raised his glass of red wine. ‘I’m very proud of my niece and nephew for all the hard work they’ve put in to keep this place going over the past few months. Especially you, Lettie, as you’ve been the main stalwart here.’ He turned to the rest of them. ‘For those of you who didn’t know, Lettie is not only my niece but also my goddaughter and I’m using that as my excuse to gift the outstanding balance to cover the cost of the repairs.’
‘Leonard!’ Lindy covered her mouth with her hands. ‘That’s incredibly generous.’
He shook his head. ‘I’m more than happy to do it.’
Melody was tired but relieved that all their hard work had paid off and enough money had been raised to fix the damaged roof. Her throat restricted with unshed tears as Lettie ran forward and hugged her uncle tightly.
‘That is very kind of you, Uncle Leonard. You’ve been such a support to me and I will want to pay you back for this.’
‘All I want you to do is continue enjoying running this place.’ He kissed her cheek. ‘It makes me happy to see youngsters enjoying farming and taking over the reins from us older ones.’
‘Who are you calling old?’ Gareth laughed, chinking his bottle of lager lightly against his brother’s glass. ‘I am grateful to you for your offer, but Lindy and I have already decided to cancel one of our trips away to cover the difference.’
‘Dad, no,’ Lettie argued.
‘We want to,’ Lindy said, linking her arm with Gareth’s.
Melody saw Zac looking thoughtful and sensed he was about to speak. ‘Tell you what, why don’t you split the cost between you?’
Leonard nodded. ‘Yes, good idea. Why don’t we do that?’
Relieved that an agreement had been reached, Melody took a drink from her glass. This really was a wonderful family and she was going to hate leaving them.
The following morning, Melody stretched and stepped out of her bed, wincing when the soles of her feet touched the floor. She hadn’t realised until now how much time she must have spent on them during the lead-up to the festival and the event itself. She sat back down and rubbed them. Then feeling a bit better, walked over to the window and sat on the window seat to gaze atthe peaceful view across the fields, wanting to make the most of every minute she had left.
She loved this place so much already and had every intention of staying here for as long as she could but needed to return home to start divorce proceedings against Rhys.
She might even be able to come back to the island at some point. Melody was happy to work for nothing just to cover her bed and board. What else could she need money for living in a beautiful farmhouse and being fed better food than she had ever enjoyed before especially now that Lettie had insisted on paying her and Patsy a weekly wage for all their hard work? She didn’t go out anywhere that cost money and she had a little in her account for emergencies that she could always dip into if necessary.
She sighed happily, then remembered Rhys might still be on the island somewhere. Talk about tainting paradise. Then again, if anyone was well practised at spoiling things, Rhys was that person. If only she hadn’t been charmed by him love-bombing her when they had first met in sixth form. How naive she had been to believe that him telling her everything she wanted to hear made her assume he was the perfect man for her. This situation was her fault. The being caught in the marriage part, she mused, not the violence. That was Rhys’s doing. Maybe if she had been a bit more worldly, or simply questioned some of what he told her, even thinking at the time that he seemed too good to be true, then she wouldn’t now be having to deal with the repercussions of his most recent behaviour.
A knock on her door snapped her out of her thoughts. ‘Come in.’
The door opened and Lettie walked in. ‘You OK?’
Melody was about to assure her friend that she was fine, but decided that hiding her feelings about what was going on in herlife had helped lead her to this point. It was time to change things.
‘I was thinking about how much I love this place and how the only thing tainting my life is Rhys.’
Lettie walked over to the window and sat down next to her. ‘And do you think he’s still here somewhere?’
