A woman in a checked shirt and a gilet comes in pushing a buggy, holding out her hand. ‘I’m Nell, we’re out without our tails today. Due to Plum’s chamber of commerce initiative, and the rest of us being inundated with babies, Clemmie’s having a Little Cornish Kitchen stall in Loella’s fabric shop.’ She gives me a hearty slap on the back. ‘If ever you need eggs, I deliver to your door.’
Clemmie laughs. ‘Don’t worry if you can’t keep up!’ She takes the bowl from me and wraps it in paper. ‘This is a Villeroy and Bosch; it’s not that old, but you’ve bagged yourself a bargain.’
I grin back at her. ‘I’m hoping to use it for fruit– if that’s nottoocontroversial for my housemate.’
I’m not sure why I’m sharing this, other than the feeling that if we knew each other better she’d understand.
‘If you’re arguing over where to store the bananas, thingsarebad!’ Her smile is warm. ‘Apart from your grumpy housemate, how are you settling into Scarlett’s place?’
I pull a face. ‘I’m crossing my fingers I’ll last the summer.’
‘Good luck with that!’ She searches through a pile of patchwork pieces, and then hands me the card she finds. ‘In case it doesn’t work out, this might be useful.’
I’m staring at the words above the phone number. ‘A studio space at the Net Loft?’
She’s still beaming at me. ‘A shop space with a sleeping gallery, small but perfectly formed, free until at least October, and currently crying out for an occupant. A friend of ours was about to sign the lease, but her dad was taken ill and now she’s in St Andrews not St Aidan.’
With holiday rentals round here at thousands a week, I hadn’t thought of looking for anywhere else to stay. I mean, swanning into a rental agent just isn’t who I am. I prefer to live in the kind of places that happen without me realising they have, where it’s easy to slip in and even easier to slip out again.
I wave the card at her. ‘Thank you, I’ll definitely give this some thought.’
She laughs at me. ‘You probably think you won’t, but if you’re already scrapping over where to put the apples, you might be glad of it.’
Plum leans over and drops a paper bag into the midst of my shopping. ‘There’s a muffin there to brighten your day. Now all you need is someone to take you and your parcels back to Boathouse Cottage.’
Nell lets out a loud guffaw. ‘You’re quite a local celebrity. The woman who walks on the beach with a pony the same colour as her hair, people will be fighting to give you a lift.’
Plum joins in. ‘A very hunky housemate you’ve got there. What a shame his personality doesn’t match his looks.’
I load my bags onto my arms. ‘Actually, I’m good to walk.’
As Clemmie finally ushers me out into the afternoon wind she nods at the card in my cardigan pocket. ‘When you do call the number, tell them Clemmie said to ring.’
13
The Barnyard, Saltings Lane, St Aidan
Big bites and loud noises
Friday
Dropping my parcels in a pile on the ground, I’m still asking myself what just happened there. I sit down on some low stone steps, but before I work out which bag my cake is in, I hear my ringtone drifting upwards from my pocket.
‘Scarlett! What time is it with you?’ I kick myself for starting with a question and rush to fill in the gaps that I haven’t told her about in messages. ‘I’m at the Saltings Lane barnyard, shopping for England if not the world…’
Scarlett cuts in. ‘Time? It could be time to tell me what the hell is going on at Boathouse Cottage, Betsy!’
I knew it was coming, but my heart drops like a stone. ‘At the cottage?’ I sound a lot like a strangled hedgehog, but Scarlett’s voice is steely.
‘It’s the first day of our long weekend, after two whole weeks I finally come face to face with Tate, and over breakfast he tells me Miles has been at the cottage–for months!Why didn’t you say something?’
‘Honestly, Scarlie, he’s rarely there, it’s not a problem.’
Her voice rises. ‘It is for me! What the hell was Tate thinking going behind my back? He should have let me know!’
And she should have told him about me, too, but I’m glossing over that. ‘Truly, Scarlett, the first time Miles and I coincided, we decided it was so insignificant there was no point mentioning it.’ I think what else I can add to make it sound plausible. ‘And since then, I’ve barely seen him.’
Scarlett is straight back in. ‘But you hate him! If he’s even there for a second with you and Pumpkin, it’s too long. I’m so sorry, this is such a cock-up! Lately my life’s been one bloody cock-up after another.’
