Page 53 of Happiness Under a Summer Skye

Ed’s eyes widened. ‘Oh, right.’ He nodded.

‘I need to get used to not having an assistant now the band has finished so there’s no time like the present, eh? And I don’t need to be watched and wrapped in bubble wrap, Ed, like I’m somehow more important than other people. I’m not. I’m human like everyone else and I just want to be normal again.’

He held up his free hand. ‘Hey, you’re preaching to the choir.’

Angelia looked up and fixed him with a determined gaze. ‘So… what do you say we take that camping trip you talked about?’

His eyes brightened. ‘Seriously?’

‘Seriously. I mean we’d have to be back for Friday because it’s choir practice then, and again on Saturday and I can’t let them all down.’

Ed fist-bumped the air. ‘Hell, yes!’

The hour-long journey to Glenbrittle later that day was fun, like old times. They sang along to Hozier, of course, although Angelia not so much this time, but she enjoyed Ed’s dramatic delivery of ‘From Eden’, complete with hand gestures that made her giggle. Thankfully he kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead. They made a stop for Scrappy to have a bathroom break and for Ed to call into the nearest shop to gather provisions, although he’d been excited to inform her there was a café and shop on the campsite if they needed anything else.

The sky was heavy and grey for the whole journey, but Angelia wasn’t going to let it dampen her mood, and anyway, it only added to the drama of the scenery that surrounded them. The wildflowers in the hedgerows, dog violets, blackthorn and cowslips in their pinks, whites and yellows, were a bright, cheery contrast to the otherwise murky colour palette. But ultimately this was a taste of freedom she didn’t often get, and she wanted to make the most of every second. She fought the urge to stick her head out of the window to feel the breeze on her face like a puppy experiencing life for the first time.

It was raining heavily when they arrived at the Glenbrittle campsite, but it was still quite busy. Ed pulled the van into a space close to the beach and the shower block which was, surprisingly, a little quieter.

‘We’ll camp here so you have quick access to the loo and showers. You can keep your hood up and head down so no one will know it’s you,’ he said, clearly having thought things through, which she appreciated. ‘And hey, less midges thanks to the rain. Bright side and all that.’ He grinned. ‘Come on, I’ll get the kettle on.’

He climbed out of the van and walked around to the sliding side door that led into the main body of the camper. Inside was quite spacious for a two-berth vehicle. There was a countertop with a small sink, a two-ring stove and a fridge underneath, all situated opposite the door, and to the right was a double seat that flattened out into a bed. Scrappy was asleep in his red tartan harness, clipped onto the seat until Ed climbed in at which point he awoke and wagged his tail until Ed gave him a scratch behind the ears.

‘Hey, little fella, you looked all snuggly there, sorry for waking you.’

Angelia was able to swivel her passenger seat around without getting out of the van, which was handy considering the deluge outside. She unclipped Scrappy, removed his harness and placed him on the floor where he rolled around excitedly on his back trying to bite his tail until he exhausted himself, sighed, and decided on nap number twelfty-eleven of the day.

Once Ed had dried his hair off with a towel, he switched the gas on and fired up the heater to take the chill from the air. ‘I’m so glad you agreed to this,’ he said, rubbing his hands together and blowing into them. ‘Once we’ve had a cuppa, why don’t we get our coats on and take Scrappy for a walk on the beach? There’s nothing quite like a refreshing walk in the rain.’

‘Sounds good.’

Phone signal had been intermittent on the way down so as soon as she connected to the site Wi-Fi her phone pinged with several messages and a couple of missed calls. Most of which were from Josh.

Josh

Hey, Angel, just checking in as I haven’t heard from you in a while. Are we okay?

Then,

Josh

I just don’t understand why we can’t all go on as we did before. We could still tour. Just maybe not as often. You’ll get better maybe if you exercise your voice more.

Had he even listened when she had explained her diagnosis? He clearly hadn’t done the same research as Ferris, which, considering Josh had known her a hell of a lot longer and professed to love her, was a tad disappointing. If he had he’d have known that exercising her voice was the last thing that would help.

The next message read,

Josh

I miss you. And I’m sorry I didn’t handle this whole myasthenia thing very well. I just hate the thought of you being ill. It brings back painful memories of Lorelie, you know?

Again, she thought, I’m not ill. Not like Lorelie was. This is completely different. And way to make it all about you, Josh. Then came,

Josh

Have you forgotten about your old pal Joshy already? Because I can’t stop thinking about you, Angel. You’re constantly on my mind and it’s hard for me. I think we need to talk.

Good grief, talk about mixed messages, she thought.