Jean Harris spotted us and waved madly. I smiled. As much as I was fond of the residents of Otterleigh Bay, Jean was my favourite. She reminded me of my grandmother, and regularly welcomed me into her home for a cup of tea and a natter. ‘We have two spare seats, come on over.’
Amanda looked ready to protest when I guided her over. ‘What about the Petersens?’
‘They’ve managed to build a multimillion-pound company, I’m sure they’ll cope with some beer and questions.’
Everyone shifted to make room: Jean and Jim slid down the bench, Claire and Owen moved a whole pile of coats. I slid in beside Amanda, quite pleased at the lack of space. It gave the perfect excuse to have her pressed up against me.
‘You alright?’ I whispered.
‘Yes.’ She took a large swig of her chilled white wine and swallowed hard.
The quiz started with a riotous cheer and the scratch of cheap biros on hard tables.
Kenny shouted something about no cheating when a sullen-looking boy of nineteen or so scrolled through his phone. He rolled his eyes and put it on the table while the other tables heckled him jovially.
The quiz continued, question after question through a mix of laughter, chatter and hearty competition. Amanda was doing her best beside me, but she remained stiff beside me. She smiled at the right moments, nodded politely when the Harrised spoke to her, and even got a round in.
But every few minutes, she gave me a look. A flicker of concern before her eyes flicked to her clients.
‘You’re overthinking,’ I whispered when she stiffened beside me yet again.
‘No I’m not.’
‘Liar.’
The Petersens, meanwhile, were having a whale of a time.
They were laughing harder than I’d seen all day, already making firm friends with a load of the locals. Morag in particular, along with he dog Scruff, seemed taken with Rita. Scruff sat in her lap, oblivious to the dog hair that covered her expensive sweater. Not that Rita seemed to care. She patted him rhythmically, like a furry little drum.
But Amanda watched them as if they were toddlers who’d just discovered walking.
At one point, Bill got up to buy another drink, and she jolted as though to follow him.
I touched her wrist before she fully stood.
‘Amanda, they’re fine, I promise.’
Her eyes narrowed, those spikes rising. Then she slowly sat back down. Her pulse beat fast as I held her, the little thump quickening beneath my fingertips.
The quiz eventually ended in a tie-break between the Petersens and a local family. In the end, the locals won. Not that the Petersens seemed to mind one iota. They’d already drained Kenny’s small selection of not-very-nice champagne and moved onto the top shelf whiskies. Not only for them, but they also purchased by the bottle and quite liberally topped everyone up around them.
Claire smiled softly at Owen, before turning to Amanda.
‘I heard that you made Bayview look outstanding. Word is that you’re like a Christmas magician.’
I choked on my drink.
Amanda flushed. ‘Well, I’m not sure about that. In the end, the kids decorated it with Henry here, in just about every shade under the sun.’
‘I saw some pictures that Eilidh saw from Emmy, who saw them from one of the waitresses. I love your style. The glass, the gold touches, the soft lighting and real evergreens. Perfection.’
A smile lit up Amanda’s face, and she finally really relaxed, leaning her side against mine.
And then someone ordered shots.
A lot of shots.
And the Petersens looked guilty of the crime. I passed, but to my surprise, Amanda took one of the little red glasses and clinked it with Claire’s before downing it and coughing.
