Once we were seated, I leaned over and hissed at Aunty Bev. ‘Why did you tell her who we were?’
Aunty Bev shrugged. ‘I was feeling naughty again. Did you see her face change when I told her who I was? She knows something.’
‘This is putting Maddie in a difficult position, Aunty Bev.’
The woman came over to take our coffee order and there was a definite tone change in her voice. As she was leaving to head back to the counter and make our coffees, Aunty Bev stuck her hand up. ‘Excuse me. Can you tell us why several locals have been warning my niece and father about Vanessa and telling them to stay away from this pub?’
My heart ground to a halt and Grandpa gleefully rubbed his hands. ‘That’s my girl, Beverly. You go get ’em!’
The young woman fiddled with her notepad. ‘I don’t know why you have been told that.’ She bowed her head and hurried away.
‘Aunty Bev,’ I hissed. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’
Aunty Bev grinned. ‘Sorry, Rachel, but I gravitate towards trouble.’
Grandpa fist-pumped the air. ‘Go large, Beverly.’
The woman brought over our coffees. She didn’t say a word and scurried away soon after. Aunty Bev let out a heavy sigh. ‘It’s a shame Vanessa isn’t here.’
‘I think it’s for the best,’ I muttered.
We drank our coffees and left. To my relief there were no more outbursts from Aunty Bev.
Layla was in the kitchen when we returned. Grandpa and Aunty Bev went to sit in the lounge. I decided to talk to Layla and apologise.
Zac clung to her hip and was chewing on his teddy. She turned away as she saw me entering the kitchen. ‘I’m sorry, Layla. I never wanted to hurt you or get you in trouble.’
She handed Zac his milk beaker. ‘You went in the west wing – didn’t you?’
‘Yes. We did go inside the west wing – more to figure out what’s going on with Maddie than anything else. We shouldn’t have taken the keys out of your bag without asking.’
The sounds of Zac glugging his milk filled the air. Layla bowed her head. Guilt consumed me. I had let her down. ‘Layla, say something. I am sorry, and we did it because we were worried about Maddie.’
She nodded before walking over to the kitchen table. After pulling out a chair she sat down. ‘People rarely apologise to me. This is a first.’
My heart was thumping inside my chest.
‘Rachel, it’s okay, you’re a good person. I know that.’
Relief flooded through me as I walked over to the coffee machine. ‘The trouble is, we don’t know all the facts. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle where some of the pieces are missing.’ I turned to the coffee machine. ‘You want a coffee?’
She smiled and nodded. ‘That would be great.’
Once I’d made us two cappuccinos, I carried them over to the kitchen table. ‘I’m glad we’re talking,’ I gushed, ‘I didn’t like us falling out.’
She grinned. ‘Me too.’ Taking out her phone she showed me her latest text conversation with Derek. ‘His GIFs makes me laugh. That’s us. Talking non-stop.’
I smiled at the GIFs of two little dogs chattering away.
‘Have you thought anymore about getting in touch with your dad?’
‘The thought is there. I don’t know what to say.’
She gave me a knowing nod. ‘I get it. With me I had to start with, “I think you used to date my mum and I am your kid.”’
‘That must have been hard.’
‘I drunk a lot of beer before I pressed send. Sometimes a simple “Hello” works well. He knows who you are. Trish, my friend, stopped talking to her best friend from years ago. She tracked her down and sent her an email that said, “Hello – love Trish.” That friend replied and came back into her life. She supported Trish through her messy divorce and did a bit of match-making. Trish is now dating her friend’s neighbour who is the nicest bloke in the world.
