‘Won’t they have the same confidentiality arrangements as White Clover?’
‘Most likely, but I’ve got the journalist’s name from his byline, I found an email contact, so I’ll attach a letter to Lois and ask him to pass it on.’
‘And what are you going to say in this letter?’
‘I’m not sure yet.’
‘Need some help?’
She smiled and seemed about to step forwards closer to him but thought better of it. ‘I’ll manage. Now you’d better go, sort Barney’s leaky roof, and for goodness’ sake, be careful – I don’t need two invalids to look after.’
He watched her go thinking actually he wouldn’t mind her playing nurse maid. And as he turned to walk in the opposite direction over to Barney’s, he couldn’t ignore the jolt of pleasure zipping through him at her company all day and this evening.
He only wondered whether she was feeling the same way right now.
Chapter Thirteen
The next day, glad the rain had passed, Melissa put on a light blue sundress with white edging and headed over to Barney’s place. The caterers were due there so that they could taste everything and confirm their choices for the event. Melissa was thrilled Barney had sounded in good spirits when he called earlier, reiterating the time to come by. She had to remind him that she and Harvey had booked the session, of course she knew when it was. But perhaps this was a sign of the tides turning and this event was beginning to work the magic they’d hoped it would. Perhaps their interference and trip to Leafbourne to find out more hadn’t been needed at all, which wouldn’t be a bad thing given she’d had no response to her email to the journalist.
‘How’s the roof?’ she asked the second she joined Harvey at Barney’s place.
‘A few months ago and I would’ve climbed up onto that roof myself,’ Barney interrupted. Another sign he was improving, plying his way into any conversation he could, and Melissa knew by the nod of approval Harvey directed her way that he was thinking the same. But Barney ruined it by picking up the brochure for Aubrey House and flipping through it.
‘You should throw that out,’ Harvey told him.
‘Why? It’s my decision if I want to go there.’
‘But you’re a part of Heritage Cove,’ Melissa urged.
Barney picked up the brochure and held it to face both of them. ‘Look at the postcode, that makes it in Heritage Cove. What with the fall and the leaky roof, my time has come.’
Melissa didn’t have the energy to argue. ‘So, the roof?’ she reiterated to Harvey.
‘It was a dislodged tile,’ Harvey explained. ‘The rain was seeping in near the chimney, probably been doing that for a while at a guess. I’ve checked it again already and the roofer will be out later today to fix it properly.’
They exchanged a smile until Melissa realised Barney was staring at them both. ‘I’m looking forward to trying all this food,’ she said, shifting uncomfortably. She was all too aware herself of the change in her and Harvey’s demeanour now they’d talked properly. She’d felt it last night as they talked over wine, again as they walked down the lane away from his house, and overnight Melissa knew she’d slept more heavily than usual as though a weight on her mind had finally moved away.
But her plan to divert Barney’s focus by talking about food didn’t work. ‘You never told me what you were you doing at Tumbleweed House last night, Melissa,’ he said.
‘Just finalising a few things for the ball.’
‘Like what?’
But his inquisition was cut short by the arrival of the food and to escape any more questions Melissa let the caterers in.
Harvey, Barney and Melissa made their way through Welsh rarebit tartlets, miniature Yorkshire puddings with beef in a creamy sauce, vegetables contained in a tiny filo pastry basket, chocolate tart with Chantilly cream, and white chocolate and Cointreau tiramisu. They tried tuna and cucumber sandwiches cut into triangles, creamy dips with tortilla chips or julienned cucumber and carrot pieces to scoop up the flavour.
‘I don’t think I’ll ever eat again,’ Melissa announced when the caterers packed up their Tupperware containers and left.
‘You two did good, finding them,’ Barney complimented. ‘They’re better than the last lot, there’s more variation. Maybe that’s why the last lot went under.’
‘You can thank Tracy,’ said Melissa. ‘She put me onto them. And now we’ve got their details for next year.’
Harvey winked at her, knowing exactly what she was up to with her remark, and when he prolonged the eye contact she made her excuses to leave, telling them she had to rescue her laundry from the inn washing machine and hang it up before she ran out of clothes.
What she really needed to do was put some distance between herself and Harvey. Ever since he’d held her face in his hands last night at Tumbleweed House, her feelings had skyrocketed and had her torn, not knowing where to go from here. She had a life elsewhere, but she had something in Heritage Cove too, and what had all been so clear before Barney’s fall was now anything but.
*
