‘Who you’ve barely seen.’
He looks at the sky. ‘My sisters’ boyfriends help out too. I prefer stuff that’s preloved and free, I’m happy to help out when they over-buy.’ His eyes narrow. ‘It’s always puzzled me– when you’ve been brought up surrounded by so much love and warmth, how is this less?’
I’m picking myself up off the floor at this whole new take on our lives when it hits me. ‘Neither of us can understand where the other comes from because our existences are alien. We have no hope of getting on even without a child in the mix.’
Lando looks hard at the doorframe. ‘Let’s revisit this when our heads are clearer.’
‘It’s not going to change anything.’ I clip a spare lead to Martha’s collar and hand him the end. ‘There you go. See if you can get home without losing her.’
‘Now I’m here there is one more thing…’
I anticipate and answer. ‘Sainsbury’s small gravy bone biscuits. I’ve yet to meet a dog that doesn’t turn cartwheels for them. A pocketful of those, you won’t be collecting Martha from ours ever again.’
‘It’s not about dogs.’ He narrows his eyes. ‘Have you had a lot of one-night stands?’
I can’t admit ours is the only one so I deflect. ‘How is that your business?’
‘You’re right.’ I watch him shake his head and lead Martha away.
As he’s about to close the back gate, he hesitates. ‘I’m sorry, Maevey. None of this is how I wanted it to be.’
A moment later I hear the click of the gate as he leaves, and I’m none the wiser.
22
Windflowers, St Aidan, Cornwall
Sticks and wrong ends
Tuesday
That’s how I leave things with Lando, and that’s how they stay. As usual Tia is a rock with her support, and I do cry on her shoulder about how horrible it was being the one who ended up shouting, but as we can’t risk being overheard, our chat has been limited. It’s only five days later that the afternoon visit from the council finally gives me something big enough to take my mind off the terrible mess I’ve made of the situation with Lando.
Tia and I get to the beach hut with half an hour to spare. Every inch of it has been scrubbed over the past week, and I start pushing the newly painted furniture around the floor, then look up at Tia. ‘We might not even need these chairs if today goes badly.’
There’s a lot riding on today for Tia too, but she manages a smile. ‘The different creams work really well. If the council say “no” you won’t have trouble selling them on.’
I pull a face. ‘The finish at Unicorn Creek was astonishing. If we do get the go-ahead, I’ll have to raise my game to the next galaxy.’
Tia nods. ‘A high standard there is great for local reputation. It was good that Lando insisted on paying Jess for the suit and the dress, even though it was his manager’s dog that jumped out of the window and knocked you over.’
The jury’s still out on whether or not it was an accident. As for the rest, it’s a relief Lando knows about Nemmie, but other than that my life feels like a car crash.
I look up at the sky. ‘I’ve added wetlands to my list of hazards to avoid when out in a wedding dress.’
Tia laughs. ‘Along with harbours, strawberry tarts and ice cream sellers.’
I sigh. ‘After all the effort we put in, I can’t believe Sav only got a handful of usable pictures.’
Tia laughs. ‘Not every guy is as good with a camera as Lando.’
I let that pass and think about what’s coming next. ‘There could be quite a few people here today. Bart’s solicitors are licensing specialists. They’ve covered stuff like the fire risk assessment, the insurance and the design and access statements. They’re sending a full team today because we still don’t know what the meeting is about.’
Tia nudges me. ‘Listen to you sounding like a pro.’
I have to put her right. ‘Don’t be fooled, I’m a complete fraud in every area.’ I’m ticking off the points on my fingers. ‘I work at a wedding shop, yet I’ve never had a boyfriend. As for the rest, I’m just a mum who muddles along. How the hell can I think I can do this?’
Tia looks at me sideways.
