Vee considered her options. The thought of making Rick even crosser with her wasn’t appealing and neither was the prospect of getting even more on the wrong side of Beryl. These people were going to be in her life for the foreseeable future. She really should make the effort to get along better with them both.
‘Okay, you win,’ she said. ‘How about we call it quits here in a couple of hours, go back to yours and have showers and I’ll make my favourite pasta dish? If we’re going out for drinks, we don’t want to end up flat on our backs because we haven’t eaten beforehand.’
There was a pause as Rick considered this suggestion, and Vee regretted the wording of it. The thought of having Rick flat on his back with her had brought on an attack of the shivers, which was most unwelcome. She breathed deeply and tried not to look at him.
‘That sounds good,’ he said eventually. ‘And… I guess I should say sorry about being so touchy earlier. I know you weren’t prying and you’re right. Anything out on show in someone’s house is free to be looked at.’
‘I’m sorry too,’ said Vee, thankful that they appeared to be getting over the sticky patch. ‘I should have asked first. Anyway, let’s forget it and hope tonight’s not too dull.’
‘No visit to Beryl’s is ever dull,’ said Rick, grinning. ‘She’ll give us Prosecco and to go with it, hot sausage rolls, fresh from the oven. Winnie’s bound to be there, and she brings the spicy bits and bobs. Anthea usually provides olives and posh crisps.’
‘Is it a party then? I thought it would just be us. That does sound more fun.’
‘Definitely not just us but not exactly a party. Maurice is bound to be there – he asked Anthea to marry him in the pub last night and she said yes. In fact, I bet this do is to celebrate their engagement. We should get them a card and maybe a bottle of fizz.’
To her surprise, Vee found herself actually starting to look forward to this impromptu event. She mentally ran through what she might wear. So many of her old clothes had gone to the charity shop when she moved but she’d kept a few favourite dresses that would go well with her ankle boots. A rush of excitement made her wriggle with delight at the thought of having something to smarten herself up for, after the long hours cleaning and decorating over the last days. She noticed Rick looking at her more closely.
‘What’s up? Have I got paint on my nose, or something?’ she asked.
‘No… I was just thinking… you looked happy,’ he said.
‘And I don’t usually?’
‘Not very, no. I guess you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately, one way and another. A night out will do you good, even if it’s only at a fuddle next door.’
‘A fuddle?’ That word was unfamiliar to Vee and she raised her eyebrows. Rick smiled.
‘A bit of a do. A get-together. A shindig. Call it what you like. Not quite as big as a party, but something fun and cosy. Let’s do it.’
‘Yes,’ Vee agreed. ‘It sounds great. I’m going to crack on with painting the ceiling and then we’ll go and get our glad rags on. Turn the radio up, I need a bit of inspiration.’
Several hours later, Rick and Vee were standing in his hallway ready to leave for Beryl’s fuddle. Vee had been pleased with how her pasta dish had gone down. She’d rustled up a simple sauce of tinned tomatoes, onions, garlic and dried herbs. Rick had been very appreciative and even had seconds. They had eaten before they took turns to shower, deciding that it was safer that way, so that they didn’t arrive at Beryl’s liberally spattered with tomato sauce.
Vee had overcome a wave of tiredness and rummaged in her belongings until she found a dress that reached almost to her ankles and showed just the slightest hint of cleavage. She’d teamed it with trainers, when she remembered that they were going to be walking to Beryl’s house. The sassy ankle boots would have to wait for another night. Her newly washed hair had now dried naturally in curls that fell in just the right way around her face, for once. A touch of mascara and a generous application of scarlet lipstick had given Vee a final lift, and by the time she’d slipped on her denim jacket and gone to meet Rick downstairs, she felt as good as she was ever likely to feel after such an intensive couple of days’ work.
The look on Rick’s face when he watched her come down the stairs made the effort of getting ready instead of climbing into the comfortable bed all worthwhile. He didn’t say anything for a few moments, but then just murmured, ‘Wow.’
Vee smiled at him, taking in his faded jeans and white linen shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal tanned forearms. He was wearing baseball boots with stars on the sides, and he grabbed an ancient leather jacket from a hook on the wall to complete the look as he turned to open the front door.
‘This was my dad’s biker jacket,’ he said, when Vee automatically reached out to stroke the sleeve. ‘I know a lot of people don’t approve of leather and I wouldn’t go out and buy one of these nowadays, but I think it’s okay if it can be classed as vintage, don’t you? It reminds me of him. He used to let me sit on his bike and pretend to ride it when I was little.’
Vee nodded, with a sudden vision of a small, excited little boy in her head, bouncing on the seat of something like an elderly Harley Davidson, maybe. ‘Good memories come in all sorts of places,’ she said. ‘I’m finding a lot of mine in Dragonfly Cottage now it’s getting clean and bright again.’
They set off through the village towards Fiddler’s Row, with Rick carrying the bag containing a bottle of champagne and a congratulations card that they’d picked up on the way home earlier. As they passed the church, Rick raised his hand to a figure standing in the doorway. ‘Hi, Bev,’ he called, and the woman approached them, smiling. She was wearing denim dungarees over a red shirt complete with built-in dog collar. Her short, spiky hair was almost the same shade of red, and her many piercings glinted in the early-evening sunshine.
‘This is Venetia Prescott,’ said Rick. ‘And, Vee, this is our Rev Bev. She’s been the driving force in bringing people together in Willowbrook since she arrived.’
‘He’s good at laying on the praise,’ said the vicar, shaking Vee by the hand. ‘I haven’t done much. They’re a friendly bunch.’
‘Bev’s way too modest,’ said Rick. ‘What about all your groups? The Happiness Gang was the best one yet. We must be due a reunion sometime soon.’
‘That sounds intriguing,’ said Vee. ‘What did your gang do?’
‘We talked about what happiness is and if it’s possible to go looking for it,’ said Bev. ‘In a nutshell, it boiled down to us all finding things that had made us feel good over the years and realising that just… you know… a kind of peaceful contentment was as good as a burst of sheer happiness now and again. Will I see you both on Sunday in church?’ she added hopefully.
‘I haven’t been inside a church for years,’ Vee said, wondering if Rick was secretly hoping to make her see the light.
‘We might be there,’ said Rick. ‘I know I’ve missed a few services lately, but I love a good sing. If you promise me great hymns, I could be persuaded to drag Vee along with me. We’re busy blitzing her cottage though. It’s next door to Beryl’s, and that’s where we’re off to now.’
