Page 55 of The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts

‘Can’t you pay them to shut up?’ said Dodgy Del, who had just come in and sat next to Josh at the bar. ‘I’ve had a hell of a day and I’m not in the mood for a bad version of Coldplay tonight.’

‘You know what? I’ll tell them to take their money and hop it,’ said Mike, grimacing. ‘I’ve got a splitting headache myself.’

‘I’m not surprised,’ said Josh, turning to look at Del. ‘What’s up?’

‘This weather,’ said Del, gesturing through the murky window to the darkening sky outside. ‘This rain had better ease up soon or else the roads are going to start flooding. I’ve already had my fill of pensioners moaning today about how wet they’ve got going round their gardens and parks. It doesn’t help that the tea rooms were all full up because of the bad weather. Wasn’t my fault.’

‘Glad somebody’s full of customers,’ muttered Josh. ‘Maybe I’ll open up a garden instead.’

There was a small pause whilst the band began to pack up their set in a somewhat noisy fashion.

‘How’s the makeover going?’ asked Del. ‘Still can’t believe that tractor’s stuck in the middle of the place.’

‘Me neither,’ said Josh. ‘It’s going far too slowly for my liking. And expensive to boot.’

‘Well, she’s from New York, ain’t she?’ said Del, between sips of beer. ‘Used to living the high life in her fancy Manhattan loft. Yeah, I’ve seenSex and the City. Although there weren’t enough sex in it for my liking. Just women chatting all the time and I can get that from my sister and mum all evening. Why do you think I come in here to escape?’

‘Amber’s not like that,’ said Josh, shaking his head. ‘Anyway, she’s from England.’

‘How would I know?’ said Del. ‘She’s not said one word to me yet.’

‘Wise lady,’ said Josh.

‘By the way, is she single?’

Josh turned to look at his friend. ‘Leave well alone,’ he warned him. ‘She’s too sweet and innocent for the likes of you.’

‘Ha!’ said Del, laughing into his pint. ‘So you’re keeping her to yourself.’

‘I’m not keeping her for anyone,’ Josh told him. ‘She’s only here for a few more weeks. And it’ll be my mum and grandma you’ll have to contend with if you upset Amber.’

Del gave a mock shudder. ‘I’m right scared at that!’

‘You should be,’ said Josh, draining his pint. ‘I’ve seen Grandma Tilly threaten the turkey with a carving knife at Christmas and she’s pretty good.’

‘All right,’ said Del. ‘I suppose you’ve got more than enough women in your shop already. There’s only so much feminine chatting you can cope with, am I right?’

Josh nodded but deep down, did he really agree? He was actually enjoying Amber’s company. She was quiet, yes, but not so much with him. They’d got drunk the other night together, but that was just about needing to blow off some steam.

Life had just got on top of him, he felt. He had been struggling to take care of his mum as well as shielding her from the truth about the situation they were facing with the shop. In a way, it was nice to have the company and some positive spirit about the place. Whether the redecoration would make any difference, he wasn’t so sure. But what harm could it do? Of course, if they lost any more customers, nobody would come in at all.

‘So you’ve done the ceilings, have you?’ asked Del, breaking into Josh’s reverie.

‘Can’t you tell?’ said Josh, running a hand through his hair and feeling the spots of paint still caught in the strands. ‘Just all the walls, shelving and floor to go.’

He still had no idea what Amber had planned for the tractor. But at least she had spent the day wiping it clean of grease and muck before covering it up with a large plastic sheet.

‘I can always give you a hand, if you like,’ said Del.

Josh knew that his mate never did anything for free. ‘What’s in it for you?’ he asked.

‘The goodness of my kind heart,’ said Del, with his cheeky grin.

‘What else?’

‘A date with Amber?’ asked Del hopefully.

‘Not a chance,’ said Josh firmly.