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“Well, you know what they say;There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. But no one said you can’t add a bit of bling into the sensible outfit.”
Alex muttered something into his drink, but Kate ignored him, mouthing aThank youacross the table to her kind, thoughtful friend.
“Right, Joy, it’s your turn,” said Bob, carrying the large box over to her.
“What on earth can this be? It’s enormous!”
“This is a present from Mum, too. She says she misses you and hopes to come around and see you using it before long.”
Joy slowly peeled back the wrapping paper, folding it on the table for reuse at a later date. “Oh, my dear. But this is too much.”
“Bloody hell, I wish you women would just be grateful and not force me to admit when my presents are second hand.” Bob grinned, and helped Joy pull a keyboard from the box. “Mum was remembering how you used to sing all the time. Her hands are too arthritic to play these days, so we thought you could make better use of it. Fancy singing us a few carols after lunch?”
Joy’s eyes lit up at the thought. Everyone ignored the groan which escaped Alex’s lips.
“Right, my turn,” said Joy, digging into her handbag and pulling out three presents. “I’m sorry dear,” she said to Alex. “If I knew you were coming I would’ve got you a little something.”
“No problem, Joy,” said Alex, giving her one of his winning smiles. His smile could melt any woman’s heart, except Joy’s apparently, as she nodded and moved on.
“Maddie, I wasn’t sure what you liked, so this is just a little something.” Joy handed Maddie a small gift. On finding a bag of clotted cream fudge inside, Maddie gave Joy her widest grin of the morning.
“Now, Kate. This one is for you.”
Kate unwrapped a rectangular package. Beneath a layer of bubble wrap, sat a framed photograph of Moira. She was wearing the green dress Kate wore to the Christmas do, her head was tipped back in laughter, as if someone had told the funniest joke in the world. Kate’s own eyes filled with tears. “That’s how I always remember her,” said Joy. “The life and soul of any party, big hearted, funny and gregarious.”
“Thank you so much, Joy. I’ll put it in pride of place on the windowsill.”
“Now for you, young man,” said Joy, holding out a similar shaped package to Bob. “I found this when I was sorting through my old photos to give to Kate. It was taken years ago during a Church day out at the beach.”
Bob unwrapped his present and made a strange noise, somewhere between a choke and a gasp. Kate looked over his shoulder at the photograph he was holding. A couple sat close together on a beach, their hands entwined, gazing into each other’s eyes. The woman was beautiful, thick hair caught by the breeze, long legs kicked out in front of her. The man was the spitting image of Bob. Tall, broad, with a thick head of hair. The only difference was the thick-rimmed glasses that perched on his nose.
“Joy… thank… thank you,” said Bob, before pushing back his chair and hurrying from the room.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
WITH LUNCH OVERand stomachs full, Alex went for a nap in Kate’s room and Bob accompanied Joy outside when she went for a smoke. Maddie offered to help pack up the table, and Kate hoped she could use the opportunity to get to the bottom of what was troubling her friend.
“Maddie, be honest with me. Have I done something to piss you off?”
Maddie’s eyes filled with tears and she looked at the floor. “You hate your present.”
“No, of course I don’t hate it. It was very generous of you.” Kate was telling the truth, but what she didn’t add was that the expensive set of shower gels were a far cry from the thoughtful gifts Maddie had presented in the past. “This isn’t about presents Maddie, it’s about you. You’ve been weird ever since you arrived, and I get the feeling I’ve done something wrong.”
“What could you have possibly done wrong?” Maddie snapped, as a single tear dangled perilously from her nose. “Sorry. Seriously though, this isn’t about you. I’m just going through some shit right now and I’m not the best company. I almost cancelled, but hoped a change of scene might do me good.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, just the usual. Work is crazy at the moment and I’m working on a case that’s really getting to me.”
“You’re sure it’s just work?”
“Justwork? Do you have any clue what I have to deal with? No, of course you don’t, you’re just playing at running a B&B whilst living off your inheritance.” Maddie’s words stung like a slap in the face. “Sorry, Kate, I didn’t mean that. I’m just jealous I guess.”
“Jealous of me? As you implied, I’m a nobody, living in a small town contributing nothing to society. You’re the hot shot lawyer.”
“Don’t be like that, it doesn’t suit you.”
Kate bit her tongue. So, it was alright for Maddie to be moody and snappy, but not Kate? What the hell had happened to her friend. “Are you sure this doesn’t have anything to do with a man?”
