Melissa had told Jay all about the difficulty of getting Barney to come around to the idea that exercise was a help not a hindrance in his recovery. ‘Not really, but I’ll get there.’
‘You’ve only got two weeks left, do you think you can do it by the deadline?’
She cringed a little. ‘About that … I’m thinking of staying longer.’ She launched into a long explanation about the Wedding Dress Ball, how important it was to the locals and to Barney, and his reluctance to go through with it for the first time ever. ‘Honestly, I’ve never seen him so down, so unlike himself.’
‘I suppose you’ve been away a long time.’
‘It’s not that, it’s just, well the event is important to him. I’ve no idea why, it just is.’
‘Do you really think you staying will help?’
‘I was wondering about stepping in to organise it?’
When he realised she was serious he said, ‘Up to you, but for selfish reasons I want you to come home.’
‘I know. And I will.’ Eventually, when it felt right. She had to do this. She had to be here for Barney this time and not let him down ever again.
Jay did his best to show an interest, asked her what the ball had been like in years gone by. ‘What about work?’
‘I’ll ask for some unpaid leave.’ She’d already spoken with human resources but she didn’t want Jay to think she hadn’t factored him into the equation. ‘I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t such a desperate situation.’
They ended the call talking about his schedule for the next couple of weeks. Hopefully they’d work out some times to call and if not, at least email. It was hard being apart from each other. Even though they did it frequently, this time it was different, as though being here in the Cove was like being a part of a whole other world.
*
‘This place hasn’t changed at all,’ said Melissa as she picked up her drink from the bar at The Copper Plough and she and Tracy went outside to find a table at the far end of the beer garden. ‘The food is still top quality, I ate here the other night.’
‘So I heard.’
‘I’d forgotten how quickly word travels in Heritage Cove.’ Melissa hooked one leg over the bench seat and then the other before sitting down, a glass of cold Chardonnay in front of her. The long, lazy summer evenings were well upon them and would last until the end of August before the seasons prepared to flip and bring autumnal beauty. The ash tree behind them would shed its leaves, which would remain green as they collected on the ground, adding another shade alongside the burnt oranges, deep browns, the golden. The beauty of somewhere like Heritage Cove was that it was surrounded by plenty of countryside as well as offering the added bonus of the water when you ventured down to the sea. Not that she’d managed to make it down there herself yet.
‘Do you remember that time a whole load of us gathered up autumn leaves, piled them beneath one of the benches and jumped into them from the table top?’ Tracy grinned.
‘I remember Terry wasn’t too happy about it.’
‘I got told I was old enough to know better, I should’ve set an example.’
Melissa giggled at Tracy’s impersonation of the landlord, the gruff voice she attempted. Tall Terry was how they’d known him back then and his height had scared the life out of the lot of them. But he wasn’t menacing in the slightest, he was kind-hearted but had a presence that went well with running a pub. It meant he stood for no nonsense and it garnered him unspoken respect.
‘Summer is a great season.’ Melissa looked around them. ‘But it’s just as beautiful here in the Cove come autumn and winter.’ Only locals dropped the ‘Heritage’ part of the name when they talk about the village, calling it simply, the Cove.
‘I could never leave this place.’ Tracy wasn’t saying it in a way that suggested nobody else should either, but rather was looking around her and basking in the tranquillity offered by a pub garden, the smells of summer coming from the flowerbeds, the gentle clinking of cutlery as a family ate on the table a few over from theirs, the friendly banter between people out here enjoying the evening.
‘I get it, I really do.’ Melissa watched a butterfly settle at the end of the picnic bench where Tracy sat opposite her. It wasn’t long before it decided not to join the conversation and fluttered off into the trees.
‘Ignore me, I get very sentimental.’
‘Nothing wrong with that.’
‘I want to hear about you instead though. It’s been so long.’ Tracy’s hand wrapped around the pint of cider she’d ordered, her skin disrupting the condensation on the outside of the glass.
‘I know it’s been a long time and I’m sorry, believe me.’
‘I’m not looking for apologies right now, it’s a catch-up I’d really like. Tell me, I know you’re working for an airline, but what I don’t know is: is it as exciting as I think it is?’
‘It’s very exciting in a lot of ways, but incredibly hard work too.’
‘You travel the world, it must feel good to spread your wings.’
