Bea stood and walked towards the kitchen. ‘Would you like tea or coffee?’
‘Just a glass of water will be great.’
Whilst Bea poured her a glass of water, Felicity admired the paintings and the decor of The Hemingway. ‘Just look at this boat. It’s magnificent. I can see the appeal of living on the water.’ She sat down in a chair next to Bea. ‘Especially on days like this, with these doors folded back.’
Bea handed her the water.
‘Thank you. And this gallery is such a good idea. These paintings are magnificent. Do you think if I asked Nolan to paint one of the teashop, he would? We could hang it inside.’
‘There’s no harm in asking.’
Felicity took a sip of water. ‘And apart from your ankle, how are you doing? I think there’s a possibility I may have met your sister and your ex this morning. They ate breakfast, then he left in a taxi that sounded like it was en route to the train station.’
Bea let out a breath. ‘He’s gone? That is music to my ears.’
‘Julia was telling me you’ve extended your holiday?’
‘I have, even though some people seem to think that I’m not capable of knowing what I want.’
‘And these people are?’ questioned Felicity, her tone warm and caring. ‘Sorry, you might not want to talk about it and here’s me firing questions at you.’
Bea smiled. ‘It’s okay, it’s nice to have someone to talk to.’
Felicity rummaged inside her bag and brought out a white paper bag. ‘A chocolate flapjack, made by Mother, is always good in a crisis.’
‘And you carry it in your bag, expecting a crisis?’ asked Bea, taking a piece from Felicity and devouring it in seconds. ‘This is so good!’
‘It is, isn’t it? It was one of those mornings when I thought, I’m taking some of that before it sells out,’ she replied, smiling. ‘It’s no good for the waistline, owning half a teashop, and most days I find myself walking in the direction of the chocolate shop next to The Old Bakehouse. Have you been in either of those yet?’
‘I daren’t. I would buy the entire shop. But I must go and take a look.’
‘So, who are these people who think you aren’t capable of knowing what you want?’
Bea found herself suddenly emotional. ‘Everything is a little bit of a mess and I’m torn between what I think I want to do and what people expect me to do.’
‘Can you talk to your sister about it?’ asked Felicity tentatively.
‘It’s a tricky one.’ Bea didn’t want to be disloyal to her sister by bad-mouthing her but she did need to talk to someone. She was a good judge of character, and she could see that Felicity was a kind and caring individual. She also needed a friend right now.
‘We don’t see eye to eye on most things. Sometimes I think she forgets she’s my sister. She talksatme instead of to me, if that makes sense? Her way is always the right way and my opinion really doesn’t count for much even when it’s about me. I think she thinks I’m having a mid-life crisis, turning up here, despite my not being middle-aged. She also thinks that once I’ve calmed down, I’ll return home and go back to the same routine.’
‘And will you? Is the ex still an ex? He travelled a long way, I’m assuming to put your relationship right.’
‘You assume right. He cheated and it’s not the first time but my sister still thinks I should give him another chance.’
‘But it’s what you want that counts.’
Bea was quiet for a moment. ‘I think I want to stay here permanently. It’s a very different way of living from what I’m used to but there’s something about this place that makes me feel good.’ She shrugged. ‘I don’t know where I’ll end up but I do know I don’t want my ex back. It’s just … every time I speak to my sister, I doubt myself.’
‘There’s a simple solution to that. Don’t speak to her about this situation. You need to come to your own conclusions about what you’re going to do. You don’t have to make a decision now. Just take each day as it comes. And you don’t ever need to feel alone. What you’ll find out about Heartcross is that we all rally together in anyone’s time of need. We’re your friends now and we’ll be here for you no matter what. You’ll see that for yourself when you meet everyone tonight.’
‘I have to admit I’m feeling nervous about the meeting.’
‘Don’t be. It’s good that someone has spotted what we need here in the village. It’s a serious subject and it needs to be addressed.’
‘I was reading online about your fundraising for the bridge. It was remarkable.’
‘Again, it’s just about recognising what the community needs and pulling together. When the bridge collapsed, we were stranded. We couldn’t leave the village, but with the power of social media we could get the attention of the rest of the country, and the more people that heard about it, the more who jumped on board.’
