‘I’m sure you didn’t. If something happened with my mum, I’d be there for her too. And Barney, for that matter.’ He didn’t need to explain the connection there. Barney had been more of a father to Harvey than his dad had ever been – a dad who, according to Etna, had been violent and put the family through hell.
‘I think it was Etna’s guilt that made her leap at the chance to get me here to the Cove.’ Linc stepped onto the ladder to reach the top of the wall with the paint. ‘Not that I mind, it’s been good to spend time with her and do something totally different.’
‘Hey, no arguments from me, you saved me from letting Jade and Celeste down when I failed to manage all of this myself.’
The painting took most of the day and, luckily for Linc, Harvey’s girlfriend Melissa stopped by at the same time that Patricia called needing an extra pair of hands in the tea rooms, and she headed next door instead of him. She probably gelled more with the customers too and had a lot more chitchat than he ever did.
By the time they’d finished the final coat on the walls Linc’s body was crying out for a long soak in the bath, but with plans to meet Harvey and Daniel at the pub this evening, he settled on a shower so he was in and out of the flat in record time.
*
Harvey bought the first round at The Copper Plough. They asked Benjamin if he could join them but the chef laughed at the suggestion, asking whether they’d seen the heaving beer garden filled with hungry punters.
They took the table at the back of the pub near the door that was open to let a draft come through. The evening was fine and sunny and perfect for outside but with the boys having all been on their feet all day, none of them were keen on standing-room only when they peered out the door and saw it was just as busy as Benjamin claimed.
‘The waffle shack is doing steady business,’ Daniel told them, ‘but I’m looking forward to getting that back area sorted.’
‘Is that a hint to go faster?’ his brother asked him.
‘Always,’ said Daniel. ‘Just kidding. I know the bakery has taken up most of your time. I just hate turning down bookings or telling people I don’t have space. Some are happy with takeaway, but not all.’
Linc set down his pint after a few refreshing glugs. ‘Etna’s back tomorrow night – Dad’s driving her up here – so I’ll be down a job. It means I can put in a lot more time at the waffle shack instead, and we’re almost done with the bakery.’ It felt strange that things were coming to a close so soon. He’d be sad to leave the Cove behind. Who’d have thought he’d fit in so easily and be out drinking with locals after a few short weeks as though he’d known them for years.
‘You’ll lose your bachelor pad,’ Harvey pointed out.
‘It’s hardly that, but I can’t deny it’s been great having my own space again – even though I’m too knackered to really appreciate it half the time.’
‘What’s the plan for you after this?’ Harvey set down his pint. ‘Back to school in September? You do supply teaching, don’t you?’
‘That’s right. It’s suited me up until now. I appreciated the anonymity of different schools for a while.’
‘You teach music, right?’ Daniel asked.
‘Yeah, love it.’
Daniel tore open a packet of peanuts. ‘Then you might be interested in what I heard today. Jane Wideman, head teacher at the nearest secondary school to the Cove, was in the shack and completely stressed out. She told me her head of music just informed her he won’t be returning for the autumn term. He’s going to live in Wales and run a B&B. He’s almost sixty, so it’s a case of semi-retirement rather than anything sinister at the school to trigger a sudden departure.’
‘Do you think he realises that running a B&B will probably make teaching a bunch of rowdy teens look easy?’ Linc laughed.
Harvey waved across at his mum, Carol, who’d come in with Lois for a pub meal and a chat. ‘You’ve got a good point there.’
‘So, what do you think?’ Daniel probed.
‘Of applying?’ Linc contemplated the suggestion with another gulp of his pint. ‘It’s a big step. I wouldn’t be quite as close to Dad’s place if I came here.’
‘Perhaps if you come here your dad will visit Etna more, you never know. And you’re only an hour or so away from him.’
‘True.’
‘Why don’t you have a chat with Jane?’ Daniel pulled out his wallet, ready to get in another round. ‘I can get in touch with her and pass on your number if you like.’
‘It’s worth talking with her,’ Harvey encouraged. ‘Nothing to say you have to take the job if it doesn’t sound like what you want.’
‘OK, pass on my number, we’ll see what happens.’
When Daniel went off to get a round in and Harvey chatted with Lois and his mum, Linc sent his dad a message suggesting he stay a few days after bringing Etna home tomorrow. Perhaps it would give him a bit of a change of scene too, and it would be good to spend time with his dad here in the Cove.
‘I’ve had another thought,’ Harvey told him when he returned from the bar. ‘If you do consider this job, a move this way – unless you’re thinking of commuting, that is – then Melissa has a cottage she rents out. The current tenants are a family who’ve bought their own place and are moving out pretty soon. The cottage does need a lick of paint and a bit of maintenance but I can take care of all that. And it’s a nice place, reasonably priced.’
