‘I didn’t know what to expect when I made my detour this morning but I can honestly say that, apart from being sick on the ferry, I’ve really enjoyed my time here. Let me make a toast…’
They all held up their glasses. ‘Mine is water, I can’t drink on the job otherwise I’ll be sacked,’ Amelia said, looking over at Cora and Dan, who were setting up some sort of audio equipment in the corner of the pub.
Clemmie leaned in towards Verity and whispered, ‘Don’t believe her, I’m sure there’s a vodka in there.’
‘A toast to a fabulous day and a stunning island with breathtaking scenery. Thank you for making me feel so welcome. I already feel like I’ve made new friends.’ They clinked their glasses together.
‘You have made new friends. That’s what I love about this place – year after year visitors come back here and we see the same familiar faces because they just love our little island so much. We hope you’ll be back.’
‘I will, I already know it.’ It had crossed Verity’s mind a number of times throughout the day that she could extend her visit, but knowing that Ava would be making her way to Amsterdam, and that she herself had technically gate-crashed Ava’s adventure in the first place, she felt she couldn’t let her friend down. But there was still a tiny niggle in the back of her mind. She wanted very much to throw caution to the wind and stay for at least a few more days.
‘Are you hungry? Can I grab you anything before I go and serve the other customers? There’s lots of delicious dishes – seafood platters, locally sourced fillet steak, and of course the pub’s speciality, fish and chips.’
‘I could smell the fish and chips as soon as I walked through the door. I’ll go for that.’
‘I’ll have the same,’ added Clemmie.
Amelia wrote the order down on the pad before taking it through to the kitchen, then she disappeared to the other end of the bar where she continued to serve drinks.
‘It’s lovely to see you again,’ said Verity, turning towards Clemmie. ‘I’m assuming this is your local?’
‘It is – and tonight you’re in for a treat.’ She pointed towards the makeshift stage that had been erected in one corner. ‘It’s open mic night. It’s usually very entertaining. There’s everything from comedians to singers.’
‘And we have a prime viewing spot right here. How good is the talent?’
Clemmie looked dubious. ‘Sometimes it can blow you away and sometimes it’s that bad you wish you were blown away.’
Verity laughed. ‘Do you ever get up there?’
Clemmie shook her head. ‘No, I’m the shy and retiring type.’
Amelia interrupted as she walked past. ‘Do not believe a word she says. There’s nothing shy or retiring about that one.’
‘Hey,’ replied Clemmie, pretending to look hurt.
‘How do you two know each other?’ asked Verity, admiring their jovial friendship.
‘Our great-grandmothers were friends, our grandmothers were friends, and our mothers were friends. Unsurprisingly, that friendship has slipped down to the next generation – and of course, with such a small population on the island, I can’t get rid of her.’ Clemmie gave Amelia a wink.
‘I heard that!’
‘That’s just wonderful.’ Verity thought about her own family. Her grandparents were the most stable people in her life and she’d loved them dearly. They’d taken over her upbringing from a young age when her mother showed more interest in her social life then in caring for her. By the time she went to school it was her grandparents who took her there, and to her extra-curricular activities, and soon their home became hers on a more permanent basis. From time to time she stayed with her mother, usually when she’d been let down by yet another man. In her early teens that sense of abandonment had had a huge impact on her self-esteem, not helped by her mother’s determination to keep secret the identity of Verity’s father. Verity could only assume he was a married man with his own family or was serving time at His Majesty’s pleasure. Of course, she had asked her grandmother about her father, but Granny had been just as much in the dark as she was. Verity had done a DNA test but it was still sitting on the Ancestry website, as there had never been a match. So her father remained very much a mystery.
‘I bet living in the island is just like a close-knit family.’
‘It is. The island is that small that everyone knows everyone and we can’t avoid each other. We aren’t without our difficult relationships and family feuds, of course, but I suppose any family falls out occasionally…and in a time of crisis we all band together.’
Verity wondered what Clemmie meant by ‘difficult relationships’, but just then Amelia placed a plate of fish and chips in front of each of them, and the conversation moved on.
‘Woah! Look at the size of the fish. What are you feeding them around these parts? It looks more like a whale.’
‘Fresh from the bay this morning.’ Amelia grinned. ‘We often joke that we must have the fattest puffins around these parts, what with the size of the fish.’
‘I’ve seen the puffins this afternoon. I couldn’t believe how many you have here.’
‘Thousands and thousands. It’s not called Puffin Island for no reason!’ Amelia said, grinning as she went to clear the plates from a table in the far corner.
‘And I met the man who lives in Cliff Top Cottage. I think I upset him.’
