Page 2 of Snowflakes Over Micklewick Bay

‘Aye, she is that,’ agreed Florrie. ‘Mind, I should warn you, she’ll have you there all day, ruffling her ears, if you’re not careful.’ She chuckled fondly, making Hannah’s watery smile return.

‘I don’t mind,’ said Hannah, gazing down into Gerty’s eyes, her heart melting a little.

Much as Gerty was fond of an ear tickle, it wasn’t long before the Labrador was distracted by the cawing of a seagull that had perched on the nearby wooden railings separating the top prom from the precipitous drop down to the bottom prom and she trotted off in its direction, as far as her lead would allow.

Florrie settled herself on the bench beside Hannah, the two women watching Gerty as she sniffed around the ground nearby, the seagull having flown off when she’d ventured too close.

Florrie breathed in an appreciative lungful of chilly air. ‘My fiancé Ed and I sit here every morning, come rain or shine. It was his grandparents’ favourite place to stop when they were alive; it’s the reason we sponsor this bench, in honour of their memory.’

‘My Auntie Coll loves it—’ Hannah’s heart twisted and her throat constricted, stopping her words in their tracks as she was faced with a fresh surge of emotions. ‘I mean, she used to… Sorry… it’s…’ She shook her head, unable to say anything further. Get a grip of yourself, Hannah!

‘It’s okay, there’s really no need to apologise.’ Florrie wrapped her gloved fingers around Hannah’s, squeezing them gently. ‘I understand.’

Florrie’s kindness just about undid her and she pressed her lips together in a bid to contain her sadness as the chilly wind slipped over her face. She scraped back a straggle of hair that was blowing over her eyes, wondering if Florrie really did understand. If the news had reached the folk of Micklewick Bay. If she was aware of what Hannah had only learnt that morning and was still struggling to make sense of. There’d been a lot to take in; it would be days before it properly sank in, not to mention the implications – they didn’t bear thinking about right now. Hannah was only thankful it had been put in writing for her to read through later; she knew she hadn’t grasped everything she’d been told.

The muted ringing of a mobile phone caused Florrie to cock her ear towards the small leather backpack hooked over her shoulders. ‘Is that yours or mine?’

‘It’s mine,’ Hannah replied flatly. She could feel her phone vibrating in the pocket of her roomy overcoat, as it had numerous times while she’d been walking. She’d ignored it; hadn’t had the stomach to get involved in a conversation with anyone. She still didn’t, but her curiosity was now prodding at her so she reached into the pocket and scrabbled around for her phone.

Her heart juddered at the name glaring back at her accusingly from the screen.

‘Darryl?’ she said, gasping in disbelief and snatching the tears away from her eyes. Her stepbrother’s name was the last one she expected to see.

‘Darryl? Oh heck!’ said Florrie. Despite the thoughts colliding in her mind, the hint of distaste in Florrie’s voice didn’t escape Hannah’s attention and she fleetingly wondered as to the reason. But now wasn’t the time to ask.

‘Oh heck’s putting it mildly,’ Hannah murmured. He’d never called her before. She knew he had the landline number of her home – which he, thankfully, hadn’t troubled for years – but he didn’t have that of her mobile phone. Such was their estrangement, she’d never had a reason to give it to him, which meant he must’ve got it from someone else. She, of course, had his, as well as his landline number; her aunt had made sure she had them so she would know if it was him calling, giving her the option of whether or not to answer. ‘Forewarned is forearmed, as they say, which is very important with the likes of him and his mother,’ Auntie Coll had said, not hiding her intense dislike of the pair.

Hannah’s brow furrowed as her train of thought took her to the only person she’d shared her mobile number with in Micklewick Bay: the receptionist at Cuthbert Asquith & Co. Solicitors when she’d called to arrange the appointment she’d had that morning. Surely such information would be confidential? Unease prickled over her scalp as her phone continued to ring. Now Hannah thought about it, the woman had seemed quite frosty when she’d arrived at the office but, at the time, she’d been too distracted by the anxiety that had gripped her to give it much consideration. Realisation that there could only be one purpose for Darryl getting in touch dawned: it would be the same reason for her appointment at Cuthbert Asquith & Co. It was too much of a coincidence otherwise. If Darryl had found out what she herself had only just learnt there, she couldn’t even begin to imagine how enraged he’d be, which was another good reason not to accept his call. She’d been on the receiving end of his foul temper more than enough times as they were growing up to know he was best avoided when he was angry. She winced at the reminder. Come to think of it, he was best avoided full stop. The last time she’d come face to face with Darryl, and his equally toxic mother, Polly, was the day of her father’s funeral six months ago when they’d rounded on her.

‘There’s nothing here for you now both your parents are dead,’ Polly had snarled at her.

‘My mother’s right. You’re no longer welcome in Micklewick Bay. You should leave and never return,’ had been Darryl’s parting words.

Which was exactly what she’d done. Until today, when she had no choice.

THREE

Hannah’s phone finally went silent and she puffed out a weighty sigh of relief. But it was to be short-lived as the shrill trilling started up almost immediately, sending her stomach swooping once more.

‘If that’s him again, it looks like he’s determined to get hold of you.’ Florrie pulled a face that told Hannah she wasn’t his biggest fan.

‘It does, doesn’t it?’ Florrie’s expression made Hannah pause, taking her back to the way she’d spoken his name. Before she could dwell on it any further, another thought struck her: had her stepbrother got wind that she was in Micklewick Bay? She sincerely hoped not, especially since she’d been careful to tuck her car in one of the back alleyways down Resolution Row, which was a side street that led off Victoria Square in the centre of town. She’d scurried straight to her appointment with her aunt’s solicitor in the square, head bowed, hood up, her chin tucked firmly into her scarf. The generous proportions of her overcoat had made her feel like she was draped in some sort of voluminous monk’s habit. Much to her relief, the streets had been quiet – no doubt owing to the weather – but all the same, she’d kept her gaze glued to the pavement, deliberately avoiding eye contact with anyone on her way to and from the office, such was her determination to fly below the radar.

In fact, her original plan had been to head straight home once the appointment was over and done with, but what Hannah had learnt in her half hour there had left her reeling. She’d stepped out onto the street and found herself unable to stop shaking, her mind spinning with it all. Despite her distressed state, she’d still managed to comprehend she wasn’t in a fit state to drive. Which was why she’d set off walking instead.

Had Darryl spotted her then? she wondered. Or maybe someone else had seen her and tipped him off. There’d been other clients in Cuthbert Asquith & Co’s waiting room, but she couldn’t say how many, never mind who they were since she’d deliberately avoided looking their way as she’d slid onto the nearest chair. She’d trained her eyes on her hands in her lap, fiddling with her fingers while awaiting her appointment. If anyone had recognised her, they didn’t say; no one had uttered a word. Could it have been one of them? The thought sent a wave of panic rearing inside her. Oh jeez. She should never have come back. After her last visit to Micklewick Bay, she’d sworn never to set foot in the town again – and it wasn’t simply because she was taking heed of Darryl and his mother; the town was tied up in too many unhappy memories that were resurrected as soon as she passed the cheery ‘Welcome to Micklewick Bay’ sign. She should’ve trusted her gut and ignored the old solicitor’s insistence that what he had to tell her was of such importance it needed to be done in person. During their brief telephone conversation the previous week, he’d stressed that her aunt had made that particular request. It had puzzled Hannah but, naturally, she felt obliged to respect her aunt’s wishes.

This is too much! Her heart started thumping faster. If Darryl had been in contact with the solicitors, it wouldn’t be long before he and his mother started making life unpleasant for her. There was no way they’d take any of it lying down. ‘Ugh! Why am I letting that dratted man get in my head again?’ She scrubbed at her eyes, desperate to erase all thought of him.

The ringing stopped once more and Hannah hurriedly went to turn her phone off, but her spirits plummeted even further when she spotted the list of missed calls and texts from Darryl’s number that had landed while she’d been walking. There was at least a dozen! ‘I can’t face you today – or any day, for that matter!’ She turned off her phone as quickly as her frozen fingers would allow before stuffing it back in her pocket. It was inevitable she’d encounter him at some point, but she wanted to get her head around everything she’d learnt that morning before she tackled a conversation with her stepbrother. She’d need her wits about her for that; he’d do all he could to run rings around her. After all, he’d had years of practice doing exactly that when they were kids. And worse, no doubt, he’d have his pushy mother with him, urging him on and adding her own nasty brand of spite to proceedings. Hannah wasn’t strong enough to deal with that today.

A whimper came from Gerty as the Labrador pushed her head into her lap once more, making Hannah start – in her distress, it had slipped her mind that Florrie was sitting beside her. She absently ran her fingers over Gerty’s head, welcoming the distraction.

‘Are you sure you’re all right?’ asked Florrie. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to sound like I’m prying.’

Hannah released a weary sigh. ‘Everything’s just been… it’s been a difficult time recently. My… my aunt… she—’ Putting it into words still caused unbearable pain, the weeks since the funeral doing little to smooth its sharp edges. ‘She passed away… breast cancer…’ Hannah hadn’t been able to use the word ‘died’. It was too cold, too final.

Florrie gave Hannah’s arm a sympathetic rub. ‘I’d heard and I’m really so sorry for your loss. I know how much she meant to you. I can remember Colleen coming into the bookshop. She was a lovely lady, my bosses and I thought a lot of her. She was always so cheerful and friendly, and her colourful clothes were guaranteed to brighten the dullest of days.’