Page 35 of Winter Wishes at Pennycress Inn

‘Scarlett? Are you still there?’ Donna’s tone was a little braver now, her voice a little less shaken.

‘Yes,’ Scarlett croaked. What did she want from her? An apology for something she hadn’t in a billion years thought was happening? She’d have never ever started to see Tyler if she’d known he’d been married. Heck, she’d moved in with him. They’d shared a life. Why would she have even questioned his intentions? Yes, looking back, the weekend stays in ‘Yorkshire’ at the poorly aunt’s house who didn’t take fondly to strangers, the grandmother whose care home didn’t welcome non-family members, the lack of holiday days he was entitled to at work, the fact he’d never introduced her to his parents or friends. Yes, the signs had been there, she could see it now, but at the time? At the time she’d been so grateful to have someone take care of her, to seemingly worship the ground she walked on, to feel protected by, that it had never occurred to her that he’d been leading a double life. That level of deception only happened in films, didn’t it? Not in real life, and not to her.

‘I’m not ringing to have a go at you, and I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you turned up on the doorstep or when I confronted you at the wine bar. I just couldn’t believe that you didn’t know. I still can’t quite…’

‘I didn’t. I didn’t have a clue.’ Looking down, Scarlett pinched the bridge of her nose as the familiar rush of guilt began to consume her. For the last four months, almost five now since they’d split, she’d spent so long reliving the life she and Tyler had shared, the conversations they’d had, everything, and she still couldn’t quite believe how well he’d covered everything up. Not once had she dreamt he might have been married, let alone have a kid. Yes, towards the end, she’d begun to suspect he might be seeing someone else, she’d suspected he might be having an affair, and that had been why she’d followed him that night, to try to catch him out, to confront the mistress. ‘I would never have started dating him, I would never have moved in with him if I’d even had an inkling he was leading a double life. Never. I…’

‘He’s doing it again.’ Donna’s words cut over Scarlett’s sentence. ‘I don’t know what he told you, but he told me he’d sold the flat. He didn’t. And I found out he’d started seeing someone else again.’

Letting the phone drop from her ear, Scarlett stared at it in the palm of her hand. Donna was still talking; she could hear her voice even if she couldn’t make out the words. Tyler had rung her a few days ago. He’d even tried to get in contact with Laura. Why would he have done that if he was seeing someone else? Throughout their relationship, he’d made her feel special. He’d made her feel as though she’d been his One and yet he’d replaced her just like that? She lifted the mobile to her ear again. ‘He’s seeing someone else?’

‘Not now.’ Donna laughed, a hollow, sad sound vibrating down the phone line. ‘Since finding out what he did with you, I’ve been more cautious, checking up on him, even following him. He made me feel as though I was going crazy, you know?’

Scarlett nodded. Yep, she could well imagine. Tyler had treated her well, he’d always been respectful, but when she’d begun to question if he was cheating on her, he’d tried to turn things around on her, tried to make her wonder why she was questioning him at all. ‘I can imagine.’

‘Exactly. God forbid if anyone questions his integrity.’ There was that laugh again, still hollow. ‘Anyway, I followed him back to the flat, and she was there. She didn’t have a clue either.’

Scarlett placed her hand over her mouth as bile rose in her throat. He’d actually moved in with someone else. So why had he been contacting her? Even Tyler couldn’t keep three homes on his wage, surely? It didn’t make sense. ‘What happened?’

‘I confronted him right there and then. Right in front of her. I imagine she left him if all the yelling she did was anything to go by. She hadn’t seen through him at all. I’ve chucked him out too, so he’s now living in the flat by himself. I just wanted you to know. I’m not sure why but, I don’t know, just in case he tries to get in contact and talk you into giving him a second chance. I thought you should know the truth.’

And that’s exactly what he’d done. That’s why he’d begun contacting her again. Because he was alone. Donna had chucked him out, and his new mistress had left him. He was alone, and she was preferable to being alone. Was that all she meant to him? After all the years they’d shared together. After the life they’d built, albeit it had all been a lie, but still? She was still second, third choice. He thought she was easy pickings. She watched as the splash of tears landed on her blue skirt, the pale fabric turning darker. He’d been using her back then, and he was trying to use her again. He didn’t want her, not for her being herself; he just wanted someone, anyone. ‘Thank you for letting me know.’

‘No problem. I thought it was the decent thing to do. And I realise now that you were as much a victim to his lies as I was. Bye.’ Donna hung up.

Slowly letting the phone drop to her lap, Scarlett took a shuddering breath in. Tyler had replaced her just like that. And why wouldn’t he? Why would anyone want to even be with her? She’d spent years flitting from job to job before finding her home at Devon’s Wine Bar. She’d poured all her energy into her art, hoping that one day she’d be able to make enough to not need another job. Her head really was in the clouds, as the damn Jarvis twins had once said. Of course, Tyler had never really wanted her for her. It had all been a game to him. She saw that now. He’d liked the thrill of cheating, of seeing how far he could go without getting caught. It had never been about her.

‘Hey, I’ll give you a penny for them.’ She heard Rowan’s voice, light and jovial, before she watched him come to stand in front of her. ‘Is everything okay?’

Swallowing, Scarlett dragged the back of her sleeve across her cheeks and forced a smile. ‘Yep, all good. How great was this market!’

Rowan frowned slightly before nodding, seemingly deciding not to question her any further. ‘Yes, it’s been great. I’ve sold a ton of bags of coffee and have given away double the number of business cards to people promising they’ll be in touch.’

‘That’s brilliant.’ Scarlett pushed herself to standing and turned to pick up the two large boxes she’d stacked on one another. She was careful not to catch his eye or even to look in his direction. The last thing she needed right now was for him to notice she’d been crying and want her to talk about it. She couldn’t do that, not even if she wanted to. She couldn’t tell anyone what had gone on between her and Tyler. Not if she didn’t want to lose Rowan as a friend, at least.

‘Here, let me help you with those.’ Stepping forward, Rowan easily took the boxes from her arms.

‘Thank you.’ Checking she’d not left anything, she spotted a string of bunting trailing from the top box and quickly wound it up before tucking it inside and picking up her bag. As she followed him back through the village green towards her van, which she’d once again parked in front of Neil Parson’s Hardware Store, she was grateful for the comfortable silence as they walked. Ever since her conversation with Donna, she had a million thoughts running through her head, none of them particularly good, most of them self-deprecating, and she just needed the time to process everything she’d learned during that brief conversation.

Looking out across the village centre, she watched as people still hung around. The Christmas market may have been over for the year, but people were still ambling home, some ducking into the pub for dinner or a drink, some queueing outside the chip shop eager to get something warm inside themselves for the walk home, others hovering outside the small restaurant peering at the menus displayed before making their way inside. Meadowfield was a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of Manchester, and she could see how much the community meant to the villagers. Even just sitting behind her stall, she’d witnessed numerous people running up to each other to chat or clusters of neighbours enjoying a mulled cider whilst discussing Christmas plans. She’d always hoped to be able to live somewhere like this. Somewhere she’d know people, be able to recognise her neighbours in the streets.

24

As they neared the van, she pulled her bag from her shoulder and rummaged inside, searching for the key. It was nice to be able to experience a community like this during the run-up to Christmas. More than nice. Especially since working at Pennycress, people had been recognising her, talking to her. She might be leaving soon, but she’d enjoy all the community living whilst she could.

As Rowan paused outside the van, he shifted the boxes in his arms, tilting them towards him as the one balancing on top moved a little.

‘Sorry.’ Trying to focus on the task in hand, Scarlett clicked the key fob and stepped forward, pulling the door open.

‘Cheers.’ Stepping inside, Rowan placed the boxes on the floor next to the sofa before turning around. ‘No Thelma today?’

Scarlett shook her head, smiling at the thought of Rowan worrying about little Thelma. ‘No, she’s still up at the farm. Nicola and Charlie are looking after her whilst I’m over at Pennycress. We thought it’d be easier. Plus, Nicola reckons Charlie loves being able to relive his childhood by fussing over her. He used to have guinea pigs growing up.’

‘Ah, that’s nice for her to be pampered then.’ Grinning, Rowan jumped back down from the van before patting the pockets of his jeans, a worried expression creeping across his face.

‘Is everything okay?’

‘I think I must have left my keys at the stall.’ He grimaced. ‘At least I hope I have, or I’ve completely lost them.’