‘I’m good, thanks.’ James indicated his glass of water.
‘You’re very good at staying sober,’ she slurred.
James nodded. She was right. He really was.
‘Can I talk to you?’ She had a hand on his forearm and was sliding it up.
He moved a little away from her and said, ‘Sure,’ in his most off-putting voice.
She wasn’t put off. ‘Could we go outside?’ They were in the village hall’s function room.
‘Yeah, sure. Or maybe into this corner.’ He walked over to a table set apart from everyone else but in full view of the room, and sat down at one of the two chairs there. Dina followed him over and sat down on the other chair, pulling it closer.
‘Here’s the thing,’ she said. ‘I really like you.’ Okay. Excruciating.
‘I’m going to leap in right there,’ he said. ‘I could be completely mis-reading the situation but I get the impression that you might be looking for a relationship. I’m the opposite. I’m really not looking for one. You know. That’s part of the reason I came here. Romantic relationships really aren’t for me. I really don’t want one. For various reasons.’
‘What are those reasons?’ She was still slurring and still sitting too close to him. He was so not going there. He didn’t talk about this with anyone and he couldn’t really imagine anyone hewouldlike to talk to about it. Certainly not Dina. He didn’t feel any kind of deep connection with her. Which was a good thing. An image of Cassie sitting next to him on the wall in the field came into his head. And another of watching Fred while Cassie talked to him. Maybe there was someone he could talk to. Although he wasn’t going to.
‘They are… complicated.’ What to say? He just wanted this conversation to be over. And when she was sober tomorrow, if she remembered this, she wouldn’t be happy. ‘It’s basically a genuine case of “It isn’t you, it’s me”. I like this song.’ He didn’t. Some kind of rap was blaring out of the speaker and he really wasn’t a fan. ‘Want to dance again?’
‘How would you feel about a one-night-only thing?’ Dina was practically sitting on his lap now. James shook his head and started to stand up.
‘I’m really flattered, I really am, but I feel that we have a great friendship – we do from my side, anyway – and I really wouldn’t want to ruin that.’ And there was another image of Cassie in his head now. Standing in the field together, under the stars. He shook his head. ‘Come on. Let’s dance.’ He stood up fully, held his hand out to Dina, pulled her off her chair and led her over right into the middle of a group of people jumping up and down, still to the same ear-splitting rap.
On the upside, he’d managed not to have to say a baldNo. And he’d managed not to go outside with her. On the downside, he did really like her as a friend and that had beenawkward.
‘Dance with me, James?’ Laura leaned her sticks against the wall and held out a hand to him. The rap song had finally finished and a much easier-on-the-ear, slower one had come on. ‘There’s still life in the old girl.’
‘I’d be honoured,’ James told her.
The rest of the evening was a blast.
* * *
The next day he had a lot to do.
‘Morning, Dina.’ She was in her back garden hanging up sheets. ‘Great evening last night. I thought I’d just catch up about the animals and their feed. I probably won’t have time to speak tomorrow morning because I’m leaving early. Call me someone who Cassie’s had too much of an influence on, but I’ve made some notes for you.’
‘Thank you.’ She smiled at him from round the side of a large patchwork duvet that she’d just thrown over her washing line. ‘I probably owe you an apology for last night. I was a little drunk.’
‘No, no apologies. If anyone should be apologising it’s probably me. I’m pretty sure I did some terrible dancing.’
Dina laughed. ‘Okay.’ Good news. Not too much awkwardness.
The rest of the day was full of packing, clearing up, writing notes for Cassie (really – what had happened to him?)andstocking up the freezer for her and arranging a delivery of fresh food for her in ten days’ time for the day she was going to get back.
* * *
This was great. The wind in his hair, the open road ahead of him, country music blaring out of the car radio. James had almost had a lump in his throat when his ferry had left the island, which was why this road trip had been such a good idea. Something to look forward to rather than the anti-climax of just going straight home. He was driving from Maine down to Chicago and then following Route 66 to Los Angeles before flying home from there.
Time for a break. James had seen the signs for this viewpoint for the past few miles and had decided he should stop. One, he was tired. Two, it would be ridiculous to do this trip without taking in the sights regularly. And three, if he didn’t stop now he might not get another opportunity to call Cassie while she was still awake. It would feel strange now not to talk to her on a daily basis.
He got out of the car and walked up to a viewpoint facing towards Montreal.
There was a lot to tell Cassie. The staggering vastness of North America. The fact that right now he wasn’t far from the Vermont house he could have rented instead of Cassie’s, and how he was very glad that he’d rented hers. The meat, meat and meat menu at the diner where he’d had lunch.
‘Hi.’ She sounded sleepy. Good job he’d called now.
