“Okay.” Pippa nodded, determination burning deep within. “I’ll head up to Squires before three. But I’ll stay here until then.”
“That’s my girl.” Mae winked. “In the meantime, we need to get over to the pub because some of the race monitors haven’t checked in and I was lying my arse off about being able to handle everything without you.”
Pippa reached for Mae’s hand and pulled herself up. “Lead the way, pal.” As they made their way over to the pub, two private ambulances trundled past. Pippa wanted to groan. As good as it was to see them, the medics were inextricably bound up with Alex, which just made her want to throw up. Mae looked at Pippa in concern.
“Do you want me to handle them?”
Pippa lifted her chin. Alex was not going to strip her of her ability to organise the hell out of everything. “I’ve got this,” she said. “You get started with the monitors and I’ll come and help you once I’ve checked this lot in.” Mae dropped a kiss on Pippa’s head and charged into the pub. Taking a breath and wishing she could somehow inject coffee into her veins, Pippa headed over to the medics, who had parked up in the pub car park and were jumping out. She was impressed to see their smart grey and mauve uniforms, ironed with military precision, buttons gleaming and shoes shining. A tall woman with fierce red curls and lime green glasses was clearly in charge, directing her crew as they assembled outside their vehicles. At the sight of Pippa, the red-haired woman smiled warmly.
“Mae Grant?” she asked.
“No, Pippa Munro.” Pippa extended a hand in greeting. “I work with Mae. She’s handling an issue with the race monitors, but I can check you in.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Sue. I head up this team.” The women shook hands and Sue reeled off the names of her colleagues, all of which an exhausted Pippa instantly forgot. “Right, where do you want us?” Sue finished, rubbing her hands expectantly.
“We’ve identified a couple of key locations.” Pippa reached into her bag and handed over some photocopied maps of the town. “You should have a set-up on the green and one by the finish line of the race.”
Sue perused the map and nodded in agreement. “Makes sense. I’d also like to station some of the team at a couple of strategic points along the route of the course.”
“Absolutely.” Pippa exhaled in relief. “Honestly, I’m so glad you’re here. Feels great to have some professionals taking care of us all.”
“A pleasure!” Sue beamed, showing perfectly straight white teeth.
“Come with me to the pub and we’ll get you sorted with walkie-talkies,” Pippa said. “We want to be able to communicate with you.”
“Lead the way.” The women fell into step as they headed to the pub.
“Is this your company, then?” Pippa asked. Sue was so bubbly and warm, she instantly wanted to know all about her.
“It is,” Sue answered proudly. “I finished medical school, thinking the whole time I was going to become an A&E doctor but then Iraq invaded Kuwait and…” She shrugged sheepishly. “Something didn’t sit right with me there.”
“You enlisted?” Pippa gawped at the older woman with respect.
“Yes.” Sue grimaced. “Well, tried to. Back then, women were only allowed to serve in support roles, so I never got to face actual combat. At any rate, I got shipped into a lot of different warzones to staff hospitals, then moved into training. I still train a lot of servicemen and women in emergency aid, for when they’re in combat.”
A suspicion began to take hold in Pippa’s mind. “Sue, do you mind if I ask who got in touch with you about this job?”
Sue halted. “Why do you want to know?”
“Just, tell me.” Pippa couldn’t hide her impatience. “Was it a man called Alex?”
Sue shook her head in bemusement. “No. It was one of my old students. I taught him before he shipped out. He’s quite simply one of the bravest and most brilliant men I’ve ever met so it was an absolute pleasure to come here. Wolfie. Wolfie Squires. Do you know him?”
ChapterTwenty-Three
Hours later, Pippa’s voice was hoarse from constantly cheering; the fair had kicked off promptly at midday and so far, it had been a true success. Pippa and her team of volunteers had handled everything with aplomb, and the ebullient crowds were not only having a blast, they were also spending plenty of cash on everything. So far, so perfect, and Pippa fairly brimmed with pride. It was almost exactly how she remembered the fair as a child. The air was full of delicious smells emanating from all the food trucks and a local band rocked out on the green, where guests of all ages danced, chattering and laughing. A miniature fairground taking over the entire High Street added to the genteel chimes of carousels and cheers from the coconut shy as excited kids raced from ride to ride, faces smeared with ice cream or barbecue sauce.
But underneath Pippa’s pride lurked a heartbreak so painful that on the occasions it managed to briefly surface past the distractions, it left her breathless. Wolfie had yet to return any of her calls or texts but there was simply no time to dwell on his absence. There was so much Pippa needed to say to him, starting with a huge apology for crediting Alex with finding the medics. How could she have thought her ex was responsible for finding the medics? She’d spent her entire adult life watching that man do the bare minimum so her belief that he could have researched companies on her behalf and convinced them to work the fair was entirely stupid on her part. Luckily for Alex, he seemed to be staying away from the fair. Pippa was relieved; she was so angry at him for his lies that there was no telling what she might have said to him.
The children and teenager wheelbarrow races had recently finished, and next up were the adults, then finally, the pinnacle of the races: the costume endurance race. This was only for the fittest of competitors; a gruelling two-mile route that had to be completed in costume. Pippa had seen some of the contenders already. She’d counted a witch, two dinosaurs and a fully kitted-out Darth Vader, complete with a lightsabre. Pippa couldn’t wait to see how that worked out.
A trepidatious gnawing in her gut had grown steadily by the hour, driving Pippa to check and re-check the time as it marched relentlessly on.But soon the moment came to set off to Squires. As all the roads were closed to traffic, Pippa wanted to allow plenty of time to walk up there. She fired off a quick text to Mae and Erin to let them know she was stepping away; Mae replied instantly with a barrage of love heart emojis.
Pippa began to make her way through the throngs of people. Thrilled as she was to see the crowds, it made her movement slow. Mr Dmitri stopped her to press some free ouzo upon her, just as Mrs Mayhew demanded a hug as a reward for all her hard work. As much as Pippa loved the happy attention, it delayed her progress and by the time she made it to the bottom of the hilly road that led to Squires, she was running out of time and what’s more, her ankle was starting to complain again. As she hurried up the hill towards Squires the pain soon became almost intolerable, but Pippa forged on. She had to get to the house in time to see Wolfie. She had to make him see the truth.
By the time Pippa made it to the house, her ankle was throbbing. Falling through the front door, she glanced at the hall table, and, to her horror, the envelope wasn’t there. She checked her watch. It was 2.45pm. The courier must have come early, and she’d missed Wolfie. Slamming the door behind her, she rested against it. Her heart sank to her toes. “That’s that then.”
Wolfie’s head popped out from the library. “What’s what?” Pippa almost dropped to her knees due to the sheer force of love that bowled into her at the sight of him. He looked as immaculate as ever in an elegant suit cut to flatter his physique and his thick blond hair gracefully tumbling over his forehead.
