‘Of course. Is it about the play? Kitty was telling me all about it. Sounds pretty cool.’
‘I don’t know about cool,’ said Nick. ‘It’s been so long since I did anything to do with drama, I’m not sure I can remember where to start.’
‘You talk yourself down a lot. Do you realise that?’ Carla picked up a piece of toast and bit off a corner.
Nick washed crumbs off his fingers, dried them on a tea towel, spooned hoops onto the toast and carried the plate through to Emily. She looked up from her drawing of the three of them playing on the beach and smiled. Nick’s heart swelled at the sight of the three figures. He kissed the top of her head in goodbye, his throat too tight to let out any words. Was this what it was like to be part of a proper family?
As Nick left the house and made his way towards the centre of the village, he reflected on the weekend so far. Yes, Carla had been frosty with him. Only to be expected. He had plenty of road left before he could prove himself to her, and it was only right she was a little unsure of him. But it could have been worse. They’d had a good time together, or at least he thought they had. Carla had relaxed a little on the beach earlier, and he was sure she had noticed how Emily had deferred to him on more than one occasion.
Nick was so preoccupied with his thoughts, he barely noticed he had already arrived at the community centre. The light was glowing inside, and he wondered how many people would be at the meeting. While villagers were used to him popping up at pub karaoke nights, to actually get up on stage – that was a very different matter. Then again, he hadn’t promised to be in the play, only to help with it.
He opened the door and walked along a dingy corridor. As he entered the main hall, his footsteps echoed on the polished floorboards. In the middle of the large space, a series of chairs had been set around a long trestle table. There were only two people occupying them, Margot and Kitty. Both looked up in anticipation at his entrance, and he couldn’t help noticing their shoulders sag.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked. ‘Wasn’t I supposed to be here?’
‘Oh no, it’s not that,’ said Margot. ‘We were hoping a few more people would have arrived.’
Nick checked his watch. ‘It’s still early. The meeting doesn’t start for another five minutes.’
‘Hmm, that’s true, but I’m not sure. People these days are so busy. It’s hard to get anyone to commit to extras like putting on the summer showcase.’
‘At least we’re here,’ said Kitty. ‘Between the three of us, I’m sure we can pull something together.’
Nick was pleased Kitty sounded so confident, for he wasn’t sure quite what they could manage with just three of them. Three people weren’t enough to put on a whole play, even if it was only a condensed version of the original.
‘Why don’t I make us some tea while we wait?’ said Margot.
Nick’s comment that he didn’t need any was forestalled by Margot rushing to the kitchen.
‘She needs to keep herself busy,’ said Kitty. ‘Have you noticed how she never stops? This is the first time I’ve seen her sit down for longer than thirty seconds.’
‘It’s her way of coping,’ said Nick. ‘You know about her son?’
‘Yes, Alice told me. Such a tragedy.’
‘She’s done well to get over it,’ he said. ‘Although I’m not sure you ever get over something like that. Margot’s a whirlwind, channelling all her grief and excess energy into helping the community. She’s quite a marvellous woman, really.’
Nick had positioned himself on the opposite side of the table to Kitty, and now he regretted that decision. He felt like he was being interviewed, like she could see every emotion playing on his face. It was better than sitting next to her, though. There was something about her that warmed his body and caused his skin to itch, but not in a bad way. She looked at him now, fixing him with that intense gaze from those turquoise eyes.
‘Carla seems lovely. Thank you for sending her down to the pub to meet up with us.’
‘To be honest, you were doing me a favour. It was nice to have a bit of time on my own with Emily again.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘It’s a bit awkward with the three of us in the house.’
‘I’m sure it is.’ The turquoise eyes smiled at him. ‘You must be doing better than you think because she seemed pleased with what she’s seen so far. It must put her mind at rest seeing the way you and Emily are with each other. You’re doing well, Nick.’
‘Really?’ Nick’s heart pattered with pride. ‘I’m not sure Carla is fully convinced, but at least it’s a good start.’ He held her gaze, and the air crackled between them. A clang came from the kitchen, and Kitty dropped her eyes to the table and changed the subject.
‘So, have you got any ideas about what to do for this play? Have you seen the script yet?’ she asked.
‘No, not yet.’
‘Here you go.’ Kitty took a bunch of stapled pages from her bag and pushed it across the table. ‘We may as well use this time to have a read-through while we wait for Margot.’
All the muscles in Nick’s body tensed. He ran a finger along the page, pretending to scan through the words, which blurred and jumped in front of his eyes. What if Kitty suggested they read through the play aloud? What would he do then? He needed time on his own to go through slowly, one sentence at a time. He couldn’t do it here, not now, not with people watching him. Nick was saved by Margot appearing with a tray holding a teapot and three mugs.
‘The tea’s been in that cupboard a while,’ she said. ‘It’s not up to my usual standards. The best I can say for it is that it’s hot and wet, and it gives us something to do while we see if anyone else is going to appear.’
They waited a further ten minutes, all twisting their heads around every time they heard a creak. Futilely. No one else arrived.
