‘Forget it,’ he snaps.
‘El...’
‘Seriously, forget it. I’ve got to get ready. Speak at the weekend, maybe.’
‘Okay. I’m sorry.’
‘Yeah.’
His eyes are a lighter, clearer blue than Vince’s, but at that precise moment they look just like each other.
That’s the last thought I have before he hangs up.
Chapter 33
The closer I get to Cornwall, the happier I feel. Charlie offered to come to Bodmin to collect me, but I know he has Nicki’s family arriving today, so he’ll have enough on his plate.
I step off the bus at Padstow and take a deep breath of the sea-salty, deep-fried-fish-and-chippy air scented with the tang of vinegar and smile.
I go straight to Charlie’s.
Nerves bounce around inside me as I approach the front door. Are they here yet? On impulse, I ring the doorbell.
I hear footsteps and then the door swings open and Charlie is standing there.
‘Hello!’
He looks heartwarmingly pleased to see me, and I know that I mirror him.
‘Why didn’t you use your key?’ he asks, stepping aside.
Oi, where’s my hug?
‘I wasn’t sure if Nicki’s family would be here,’ I admit.
At that precise moment, a short, stumpy, middle-aged woman emerges from the living room. ‘Hel—lo!’
‘Hi!’ I exclaim, feeling instantly on edge at the barbed intonation of her greeting. ‘I’m Bridget.’
‘This is Valerie,’ Charlie says, backing closer to the stairs to make room for his mother-in-law.Is she still his mother-in-law?
She has small, round eyes set within a smooth, unlined face, which is framed by lacklustre, medium-length, dark-brown hair. When she shakes my hand, her fingers are cool.
Her expression is cooler.
‘When did you arrive?’ I ask in as friendly a manner as I’m capable of.
‘About half an hour ago.’
I wonder if she’s lost the ability to smile, and then I remember that her younger daughter died last year and feel a prickle of guilt.
‘Are Kate and her family not here yet?’ The house seems very quiet.
‘Ian and the boys are checking into their hotel,’ Valerie replies. Ian is Kate’s husband. They have two boys aged five and seven, if I remember correctly. ‘Kate took April with her to get some milk,’ Valerie adds.
‘Oh, had we—’ I glance at Charlie and correct myself: ‘Hadyourun out?’
‘Yeah. Have you come straight from the bus stop?’
