‘Maybe. And I’m not big-noting myself or anything like that.’
‘I didn’t mean to imply that you were. I get it, you’re worried that if he’s not pushed, he’ll keep on the path he’s found himself on and give up.’
‘Exactly. Whatever happened to him and to Lois, he needs to deal with it and then move on.’
‘Ever the optimist,’ said Harvey.
‘Pessimist,’ she batted back.
‘He might be angry if we interfere.’
With an accepting smile she replied, ‘If we get nowhere then he’ll never know, will he?’
‘I can’t help wondering whether at seventy-one years old, he’s got a right to be left in peace, a right to make his own decisions whether we approve of them or not.’
She thought about it but not for long before she lifted up the bag and climbed out, then settled the bag back onto the passenger seat for him. Leaning in through the passenger window again, she said, ‘Seven o’clock tonight in the beer garden at the pub, we’ll talk. Enjoy your lunch.’
And with that she left him to drive back to his job and attempt to concentrate.
But this time it wasn’t Barney occupying his thoughts, it was her, the closeness he hadn’t felt in a long while and that had been building up ever so slowly since she showed up in the village. And the way she’d talked to him just now? There was no tension, just a sense of togetherness, maybe a light flirtation even, working towards something they both wanted.
Or was he kidding himself and very soon she’d jump into her car, drive back to Berkshire and forget all about this brief hiatus?
*
Melissa often shopped when she was overseas, it was a good way to fill in time until the next flight, you got to find bargains and unique items. As a result the wardrobe in her flat was bursting and it meant that when she came away to the Cove, she’d been able to fill her suitcase with plenty of outfits so that she wouldn’t have to constantly face doing laundry. But it also meant that she had options and she’d tried on three different dresses in an effort to decide what to wear to the pub to meet Harvey. Cursing herself for her indecisiveness, she settled on a polka-dot ruffle-neck dress that wrapped around and tied at the waist.
Today hadn’t been a scorching summer’s day as it could sometimes be at this time of year, but the evening was muggy, the temperature hadn’t dropped much at all, and as she walked over to where Harvey was already sitting at a picnic-style table in the beer garden of The Copper Plough, she went from feeling comfortable to unnerved as he watched her. It was almost as though time had stood still and they were exactly the same Harvey and Melissa who had come here after work to meet for drinks, the same couple who had won the pub quiz more times than they could count, the same people who’d thought they’d be together forever.
She was going to ask him if he’d like a drink but as she got closer she saw he’d already bought two beers.
‘Thank you.’ She sat down and clinked her bottle against his. ‘Cheers.’
‘Cheers. Nice evening for it.’ He took a swig. ‘You look good. Sorry, am I still allowed to say that?’
She smiled. ‘Of course you are.’
‘You never used to wear your hair that way.’
She’d pinned it all up loosely into a bun with strands hanging down. ‘It’s laziness, I really should put it up more neatly.’
‘Don’t.’
Uncomfortable at the focus she moved the subject on to Barney and what they should do.
‘I’m still not completely convinced we should start trying to unearth Barney’s secrets,’ Harvey admitted, ‘but I’m trying to stay open-minded.’
‘I don’t want to upset Barney either, and I do have my reservations, but I’m only here until a couple of days after the Wedding Dress Ball and I can’t waste any more time.’
‘What if we can’t find anything out at all?’
‘Then we let it go.’
She tried to ignore the zip of electricity through her body when he finished the rest of his beer and tilted back his head, revealing the stubble that ran part-way down his throat. She could remember scraping her face against it as they lay next to one another, the feel of it when it got softer if he didn’t get around to shaving.
He caught her staring but she was rescued when he had a brief exchange with a couple of men who walked by. Harvey introduced her and told her they worked for the same company he did. They were out with a group at the other side of the beer garden helping one of the men to wet the baby’s head after his wife delivered a second son earlier that day. As they talked Melissa watched the men. This was one of the reasons she didn’t talk to Jay about her life in Heritage Cove. He wouldn’t understand. He’d never lived in a small village or town where people knew one another and quite often the intricacies of their lives. They’d never taken the time to get to know anyone else on their own streets, not even their neighbours. Everyone was so busy going about their everyday lives, they didn’t have the time to stop and say a simple hello, a smile in greeting was as far as it went. Jay wasn’t much of a fan of cosy pubs like this one either, preferring modern and spacious rather than quaint and characterful, restaurants and bars that erred on the pricey side with portions that left you somewhat wanting rather than a pub with hearty meals that made a half-empty stomach an impossibility.
‘I think he’ll be soaking the baby’s head before long,’ Harvey said when the men went back to the group.
