And he made his way home with a hollow feeling inside of him. Morgan had gone. She’d left, gone to Scotland to start a job and marry Ronan.
And she hadn’t even said goodbye.
* * *
‘What’s going on with you?’ Trevor asked when at midday, making bacon sandwiches for their lunch, Nate dropped two rashers on the floor and then proceeded to cut his finger as he sliced the bread in half once it was filled with much less bacon than there otherwise might have been. He’d insisted on doing some sorting in his dad’s loft the moment he’d got back from the house because it meant he could take his frustration out on the things up there. He’d made a pile of things that his dad could look through before they went to charity shops or in the bin and stacked everything against the wall in the bedroom he was sleeping in. As it turned out, there wasn’t as much up there as he’d feared but it had still felt cleansing to have a good go at it.
‘Nothing’s wrong.’ Nate ran his finger under the tap and wrapped it in kitchen towel to stop the blood. Why did tiny cuts always bleed so much?
Nate had got a message from Jasper to say that Morgan had gone to Scotland and he didn’t know anything other than that the stall was Nate’s. Nate had no idea whether that meant he had it to himself next week, or whether he could have it forever if he wanted to come back here to Little Woodville. The message implied Jasper knew about as much as Nel did.
‘If I’d done what you just did, you’d have me shipped off to the nearest old folks’ home before I could argue,’ Trevor pointed out as Nate found a plaster to replace the tissue.
He sighed and pulled out a chair at the table. Even that wasn’t straightforward – the legs got stuck on the table’s feet and it was a wrestle to get them free. He sank his teeth into his sandwich and he was halfway through before his dad said anything else.
‘Was the loft terrible?’ Trevor asked.
Nate had to smile. ‘No, it wasn’t. You saw the pile of things to go through, didn’t you?’
‘I did but I wondered if it was so awful up there, that’s what’s put you in this mood.’
‘No, it wasn’t terrible. And now it’s done.’
‘Thank you. I appreciate it.’ But he wasn’t going to let it drop. ‘Son, what’s going on?’
Nate gave him a look. ‘Don’t think I haven’t noticed how much HP sauce you’ve put on your sandwich.’
‘At my age, I deserve it,’ was his reply. ‘Does your mood have anything to do with a certain lady friend who came here one evening?’
‘You knew Morgan was here?’
He bit into his sandwich, the HP sauce oozing out of one side. ‘I’m old, not stupid. I peeked out after you’d made cheese on toast and saw you through the window. Don’t worry, I didn’t spy for long; I left you to it.’ After another bite and wiping the sauce from his plate with a finger, he said, ‘I figured if you had something to tell me, you’d tell me. If you didn’t…’
‘She had an interview for a job in Scotland.’
Trevor paused while he ate his mouthful. ‘Everyone knew she was moving there.’ But he tilted his head. ‘Never thought she’d go. Something seemed to be keeping her here.’
‘Well, not any more. She’s gone.’ Nate sank his teeth into his own sandwich.
‘But she didn’t say goodbye to anyone.’
Nate hadn’t thought anyone else would be as bothered as him. Nel had looked confused and concerned rather than perturbed, Jasper was obviously bewildered, judging by the tone of his message. Nate wondered – had she said goodbye to anyone? Or had she decided she wanted to leave without any fuss? Which he supposed had its benefits.
When he’d finished eating, he flipped the top back on the HP sauce bottle and took both plates over to the sink.
‘Something must have happened,’ said Trevor, still discombobulated at the sudden news that Morgan had left the village. ‘I don’t think she’d just up and leave the house, the market stall, Little Woodville.’
Nate sat down again. He’d sort out the dishes later. This wasn’t just about his feelings; it was about everyone else’s too. ‘Perhaps doing it without much fuss was the way to go. And there’s not much we can do about it now. What it does mean is that I should be able to take most of my wooden items to the markets on Saturday as I’ll have both tables to myself.’
‘You’ll sell it all, I bet.’ They went through what was left. ‘I sneaked in there earlier today and I saw the blanket box. Your mum would’ve loved it.’
Nate let a breath go. ‘You know, I think she would too.’ He wondered whether his mum would’ve liked Morgan. But it hardly mattered now, did it? ‘I won’t sell it, though.’
‘It’s a nice memory.’
‘Would you like it?’
Trevor thought for a moment. ‘No, you keep it. It was between you and your mum. I feel it’s something special for you.’
