“That would’ve been unethical.”
“Shame.”
They headed over to a darker corner of the field, only lit by the shadows of the flames that were now climbing high over the wood and the wicker guy that had been atop the bonfire. Jake had made himself scarce, possibly not deliberately. When he wasn’t working, he had the attention span of a goldfish with ADHD. Zack knew the chances were he’d spotted a pretty tourist who was in town for the night and fancied his chances.
So he was alone with Sorrell and he was trying not to feel nervous about it.
“Let’s stand here,” he said, guiding her over to a space that wasn’t overcrowded and she’d be able to see without other people getting in her way. He wanted her to have a break from being stuck in the manor house, away from the centre of town, and see some of what Severton could do.
Everyone seemed to be leaving the clubhouse and congregating outside, some announcement having been made. Then the lights in the clubhouse went out and crackling could be heard above the lulled noise of the crowd.
There was a whoosh as five identical pink streams of colours sliced the black sky, and he heard Sorrell gasp, her attention captivated immediately.
It wasn’t the fireworks though that Zack watched; it was the woman standing next to him. Her face lit up when she smiled and laughed at the fireworks and he saw the girl she’d been, or maybe the woman before her ex had called it off and left her with a hotel that had been his dream, not hers. He studied her as her face lit up with the flashes of light from the fireworks, her hair reflecting their greens and golds. Her expression lost some of the anxiety he’d noticed and instead she relaxed, her attention purely focused on what was going on there and then. Zack didn’t notice anything, his focus taken by just her until the crowd exclaimed as the finale burst in a cataclysm of sound and colour. He was slightly delayed in joining the applause that marked the end of the display, but he hoped that no one had noticed.”
“That was amazing,” she said as the clubhouse lights went back on and some of the crowd started to disburse. Others stood near to the bonfire, sparklers dancing through the dark and hot food and drinks steaming into the cold air. “I wanted a fireworks display at my wedding.”
Zack thought about what to say, unsure. “Did you have one planned?”
She shook her head. “No. Mark thought it was too crass.”
“Maybe it’s a good thing it isn’t going ahead then. Gives you more opportunities to enjoy fireworks in the future.”
She turned to look at him. “Maybe you’re right.”
Chapter 7
“Zack, Glenda Halliwell’s wandering in the gardens again in just her nightie. We were wondering…”
Zack pulled at his hair and stared at the computer screen which had remained the same for the last ten minutes, his mind not on the email he was composing.
“Fuck,” he cursed, pushing his chair away and spinning it to see Leisa McGrath, one of the specialist nurses he employed. “It’s freezing out there.”
“I know,” Leisa said. “She slipped out of the door Mac left open. We need to move his room to an outhouse. Or make him live with the alpacas. Or hurry up opening the other rooms in the dementia wing”
“Can we not find a care home in Greenland?” Zack said, pulling on his Barbour coat. “How long has Glenda been outside?”
“About ten minutes, if that,” Leisa said. “She won’t budge for anyone. She’s saying—”
“She’s waiting for her husband,” Zack finished. It was the usual story. Glenda Halliwell had Alzheimer’s and spent most of her days as a nineteen-year-old waiting for her soon-to-be husband to court her. Fortunately, it had been a happy time and she’d only get cranky when she realised he wasn’t there yet and also fortunately, she thought Zack was her fiancé. “I’m on it. I can pretend to be Mr Halliwell for twenty minutes.”
“She’ll make you dance. She’s saying she’s on her way to a ball. I’m worried about her, Zack. I think we need to get the doctor in to check her over.” Leisa tucked her hands in her pockets and tensed her shoulders.
“Her coughing?” Zack headed to the door and held it open for Leisa. “I’ve noticed it’s getting worse.”
“She’s coughed up blood, too. And her general health is declining,” Leisa told him. “Thankfully, she doesn’t always realise it, so she isn’t worried. The times when she’s aware of her reality are few and far between.”
“Which isn’t always great for her family,” Zack said. He knew it was hard for the relatives of those who had dementia. Some days their parents or grandparents or aunts or uncles would recognise them; other days they were seen as strangers. Glenda Halliwell’s family lived nearby and came regularly, including her granddaughter who’d just had a baby. She would bring the little girl to see her great-gran and Emily would be the star of the show, although Glenda would speak about having her own family one day, when she was married.
“But Glenda isn’t unhappy, Zack. And they know that. I hope you’ve got your dancing shoes on,” Leisa gave him a quick smile. They’d been here before.
“Always,” he said, picking up speed down the corridors towards the patio where Glenda would be.
Although he wasn’t keen on the idea of Glenda being outside unless she was properly wrapped up, he was more than happy to escape his office for a while. Nothing he’d managed to do had been productive. Papers remained unfiled, emails from social workers remained unanswered and the budgets he needed to submit to his uncle remained unfinished. His head was elsewhere—less than half a mile away in the manor house to be exact, with a certain redhead who he’d struggled to stop thinking about.
“Glenda,” Zack said as he headed through the open door. One of the carers was outside with her, looking bluer than a baby’s eyes. “It’s cold outside. Why don’t you come in?”
“Ronnie!” Glenda said, her face brightening as she saw him. He wished he received the same reaction from all women. “You’re here! I thought it was Friday when we were going dancing!”
