Rita laughed and smiled warmly at the landlord. ‘You all right, Pete; you remember Kelly?’
Pete ‘the Pilchard’ Perkins slid two large glasses of cold French Sauvignon Blanc over the worn bar without a word. He knew their orders already. He kneweverything.
‘I never forget a face, you know me, and can I say, young Kelly, that you look as fit as a bargee’s ferret this evening,’ the strong Cornish accent conveyed. ‘And these are on me.’ He winked.
Kelly guffawed. ‘I’ll take it, whatever it is, I’ll take it.’
‘Never trust a man with mutton-chop sideburns,’ Rita quipped.
The landlord’s ample stomach wobbled. ‘Oi! I’ll have you know they’ve won competitions, these ’ave.’
‘Cheers, Pete,’ Rita said as she and Kelly laughed in unison.
They settled into what had been Rita and Archie’s favourite corner booth, the one tucked just under the crooked window that looked out to the harbour, its glass slightly misted from years of salty sea air. A few regulars nearby raised their glasses in a friendly toast, their faces flushed from the warmth of good company.
Kelly squeezed Rita’s hand. ‘So, I don’t want any of your many brave faces tonight. I want to know exactly how you are?’
Rita took a large glug of wine. ‘I know it’s been a while now, but it… everything still feels… off, you know. Like he’s going to walk back in with muddy boots and a list of jobs I haven’t done.’
‘You were with him twenty-five years, darling.’
‘I know, an age. And I still can’t talk about the accident or anything about him with the kids, I just can’t, and Sennen wants me to. Meanwhile, Thom hates me. I’m sure he thinks it was my fault. It’s so hard.’ Tears filled Rita’s eyes.
‘It was an accident. A freak fucking accident, and it wasn’t your fault. And you must hold on to the fact that the investigatingofficer said he wouldn’t have suffered. That it would have been quick.’
‘But he was angry when he left, Kel,’ Rita said quietly. ‘He was bashing things around, in a right boot-stomping mood and what if he was angry because of something I’d done to annoy him, and I just didn’t realise what.’
Kelly rested her hand on top of her friend’s. ‘We’ve been through this a million times, Reet. That coast road is fast; the drop is steep. Archie was at the wheel, not you. The type of relationship you had, you’d have known if it was you who’d upset him. And you can’t live in the “what ifs”, because that makes a slow death for yourself.’
‘Sometimes I feel maybe I didn’t know him at all.’
‘Because of the debt, you mean?’
Rita took a huge noisy breath and nodded. ‘I just don’t get it. On the statements are cash withdrawals mainly, and you know what interest is like on these things. I’m living on credit cards – luckily ones that still have a bit of credit on them.’
Kelly nodded and took a drink. ‘What exactly was he spending the money on; have you any idea?’
‘Nope, not a scooby.’ Rita sighed deeply. ‘I realise now why he put that post box on the gate. So I never got wind of the new cards he’d applied for in both of our names!’
‘Oh, Reet. Thank God you sold the cows and the tractor then.’
‘Yes, I still feel such guilt for that, but I’m sure Jago Jenken paid over the odds, you know, so at least Archie’s credit cards are paid off now.’
‘Why would a Jenken do you a favour?’
Rita shrugged. ‘I have no idea.’ She chewed her lip. ‘I flirted with him the other day. And, well… I enjoyed it. How bad is that!’
Kelly laughed softly. ‘Reet, there’s no harm in that. Grief doesn’t come with a timetable. Doesn’t check when it’s OK to move on.’
Rita groaned, covering her face with her hands. ‘Oh God… I’d never take it any further. Not a chance. Hilda would kill me for one.’
Kelly nudged her shoulder. ‘Relax, you’re allowed a little harmless flirt now and then. I have a world record for it.’
Rita smirked despite herself. ‘I don’t think Archie would’ve been impressed if he’d caught me daydreaming about Jago Jenken in nothing but his work boots.’
Kelly’s grin was pure sauciness. ‘Let’s just sit with that thought for a moment, shall we?’
Their eyes drifted to the hearth, where a fiddle player was tuning up, the first notes of a catchy sea shanty cutting into their conversation.
