by Zoe Allison
He went over and hugged her. “You okay? Your eyes are red.”
Lily cleared her throat and smiled. “I was just chopping onions.”
Damon studied the kitchen counter. “There’re no onions here.”
Lily waved her hand and opened the oven to check on the pie. “That’s because I’ve started cooking them already, silly.”
He touched her arm. “Mum.”
She shut the oven door. “I’m fine, honestly.”
Footsteps sounded on the hallway flooring and Alastair Evans came through the kitchen door. He grinned and strode towards Damon to ruffle his hair. “Alright champ, how you doing?”
Damon ducked his head. “Watch it, old man. This do is styled to perfection.”
“Yeah, right.” Alastair laughed. “Dragged through a hedge backward more like.”
Damon smiled. His dad’s answer was to be jovial and make a joke out of every situation. Light relief was welcome in Damon’s book, especially right now. But he could tell his mum was lying about the onions, and he knew what she’d really been crying about.
Damon helped dish up and the three of them sat down to dinner. Lily chattered away about all the latest gossip and Alastair interjected with rubbish cheesy jokes. Damon watched them, smiling. He was glad they were all laughing together, because he was guilty that his situation upset his mum so much. Lily still had Adele and Sam once a week when he and Sarah were working, plus she saw them on his weekends. Her contact with her grandchildren hadn’t diminished, but she was devastated that his family had fractured and that he was so torn up by it.
Damon wasn’t particularly upset about splitting with Sarah. Their relationship had been over for a while, but he’d just put a brave face on it for everyone. It was the fact that he was no longer living full time with his kids that got to him. Only seeing them every other weekend was alien.
At least he was a master of his own destiny when it came to his career. Being a partner in his own company meant he could work flexibly from home and see more of Adele and Sam in the week. He and Sarah were still fine-tuning the details. Their relationship was amicable, which made shared parenting so much easier.
He studied his mum while she gossiped to his dad. Maybe he should take her to one side and reassure her that everything was going to be okay. He’d tried already, but she couldn’t stop worrying and trying to find little distractions for him. He tuned back in to the conversation between his parents.
Lily waved her hand in the air. “…so that’s Eva just arrived home this afternoon.”
“Mm-hmm,” replied Alastair, looking at the TV over Lily’s shoulder.
Lily turned to Damon. “It’s a shame, isn’t it?”
He paused, his fork en route to his mouth. “What’s a shame?”
Lily sighed. “About poor Eva and that nasty Callum.”
Damon frowned. “Eva Mathers? What about her and Callum?”
Damon hadn’t seen much of Eva since she’d gone to university. She’d married a Scottish guy called Callum but he’d only met him once, at Eva’s sister’s wedding. He and Sarah had been invited to Eva and Callum’s wedding, along with the rest of his family, but in the end, only Lily and Alastair had gone because Sarah had been heavily pregnant with Adele at the time.
Lily raised her eyebrows. “Remember I told you a few months ago they’d split up? And Eva decided to leave her job in Edinburgh and come home to stay with her parents. Well, she’s back now and she’ll be starting a new job nearby.”
Damon shook his head. “You didn’t tell me that. I would’ve remembered.”
Lily’s set her mouth in a hard line. “I doubt it. You’ve been so distracted by the kerfuffle between you and Sarah that you hardly listen to a word I say anymore…like your father. Though he never listens to me anyway,” she added under her breath.
“What’s that, dear?” Alastair replied, right on cue.
Lily rolled her eyes.
Damon took a sip of his drink. “What happened between them?”
Lily shook her head. “I don’t know. Meena does, but she’s sworn to silence. She’s the only one Eva’s told, except Matthew, of course. But it must be really bad, because Meena called Callum the ‘C’ word.”
Damon nearly choked on his dinner. “She called him what?”
“You know,” whispered Lily. “Crap.”
“Phew,” said Damon, glancing at Alastair, who was doubled up with laughter.
“It’s not funny,” Lily said. “The poor girl’s devastated. She’s had to give up the GP partnership she worked so hard for to get away from it all.”
Damon leaned back in his seat. Eva Mathers. They’d played together as kids. Not only were their mothers best friends but their older sisters had also been as well. The two of them were in each other’s company a lot and had become good friends. But they’d drifted apart through high school because they’d ended up mixing with different crowds. She was very academic and worked hard. He’d always known she’d go off to university and become a doctor or a lawyer or something. For him, school had been a laugh. He wasn’t bothered about studying, just chased girls and had fun. In Eva he remembered a feisty girl at primary who had morphed into a shy, quiet one at high school. It had likely been a defence mechanism because being smart hadn’t made you very popular at their school. When they had been younger, she’d given him a run for his money—always an answer for his cheeky comments. Later in their school careers, if their paths ever crossed, he’d just gotten a ‘Get lost, Damon’, and she’d walk off.
Lily was staring at him. “What’s your opinion on it?”
He focused his attention back on his mum. “On what?”
Lily huffed out her breath. “On Eva and Callum, of course.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why I even bother talking to you pair.”
Damon smiled. “I hardly think my opinion matters. I’m not much of a relationship expert, am I?”
“Well,” said Lily, “I just wondered, seeing as you two are in the same boat…”
Damon laughed. “Yeah. I’ll need to get her number to call to see if she wants to start an Oakcastle lonely hearts club.”
“Good idea,” Lily said.
Damon paused. “I was being sarcastic, Mum.”
Lily’s face fell. “Oh right. Well, I’ll just get the pudding sorted.” She stood and went over to the kitchen counter.
Normally Damon would offer to help, but he was too distracted. For some reason, Eva had settled into his brain. She’d always been really pretty but lacking in confidence. He couldn’t remember her having a boyfriend at school. The first one he’d known about was when they were eighteen at sixth form college, although he hadn’t seen as much of her then because he’d dropped out to start his own business. In contrast to Eva, Damon had had a different girlfriend every month at school.
He wondered how many others from their year were now coming out of long-term relationships. God, I feel old.
Damon was talked into staying over at his parents and having brunch with them the next morning. He didn’t have anything to do until the following afternoon and being home alone in that big house just made him miss the kids more acutely, so he agreed.
As he settled into bed in his old room, he found Eva drifting across his thoughts again. It was funny how someone he hadn’t seen in years could start playing on his mind constantly. He drifted off to sleep, dreaming that he was back in school, turning round in his chair and seeing Eva’s dark curly hair flicking as she turned her head towards the window. He’d always gotten the feeling that she’d been looking at him seconds before. But that couldn’t be right, could it? She’d definitely thought he was a bit of an idiot.
Chapter Two
The next morning Eva had been sent to the small shop along the road from her parents’ to get some eggs for breakfast. The day was bright and cloudless, so she’d decided to walk.
She arrived and started wandering up and down the narrow aisles. It was a new place and unfamiliar to her.
She couldn’t for the life of her spot where the eggs were. Then she rounded a corner and walked smack bang into someone.
“Oops, sorry.” She glanced up at the man she’d collided with, heat rising in her cheeks.
Damon smiled. “That’s okay. I got pretty used to being knocked about by you at school.”
Eva stood open-mouthed for a second before she remembered herself. “Sorry… I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
He grinned. “That’s okay. I think you’ve broken my foot, though. Good job you’re a doctor. You can fix it for me.”
Eva laughed, trying to cover the fact that a million butterflies had suddenly nested in her stomach. “No problem. As long as your feet don’t smell.” Oh my God, what’s wrong with me? Why did I just say that?
Damon raised an eyebrow, and Eva’s knees were suddenly the consistency of jelly.
“How dare you,” he said. “I’ll have you know every part of me smells great.”
Eva watched him for a second, trying really hard not to think about the fact that he still was great-looking, never mind smelling—or the fact that her flirting game was well below par. Who else would tell their biggest lifetime crush that their feet smelled?
To her relief, a smile played at the corners of his mouth, indicating that he’d taken her stupid comment in good humour. Perhaps she’d manage the rest of the conversation without alienating him after all.
Damon met her gaze. “You’re back in town then. Mum says you’ve got a new job in Silverbridge?”
Eva swallowed in an attempt to lubricate her dry mouth. “Yeah, that’s right. I missed the place so much I decided to come home, you know? It’s party central down here.”
Damon laughed. “What were you searching for when you decided to rugby-tackle me?”
Eva scanned the shelves. “Eggs. Mum forgot them for breakfast.”
Damon frowned. “Hmm. Same here. Our mothers are still very alike.”
Eva raised her eyebrows. That sounds suspicious. They both needed the exact same thing from the local shop at the same precise moment?
Damon led her to the end of the aisle where the eggs were stacked and grabbed a couple of boxes. “Allow me, Madam.”
“Why thank you,” Eva said. “You really know how to spoil a girl.” Damon did a mock bow and went to the counter to pay.
They headed out onto the street together, Damon sporting a plastic, egg-containing bag on his wrist.
“So,” Eva said, thinking carefully in order not to come out with any more ridiculous statements. “What’s the hometown gossip?”
Damon rubbed his chin. “Let me think. The big news stories are…woman seen hanging out washing, man drinks pint in pub and…milkman delivers milk ten minutes late.”
Eva blew out a big breath. “Wow. That exciting, huh?”
He glanced over, smiling. “Yup. Can hardly contain it. This place is a pumping hive of sin.”
Eva tried to stop images associated with sin and Damon crowding her thoughts. She cleared her throat. “Do you see anyone from school?”
He nodded. “I’m still friends with a few of the guys. John and Steve are both married with kids and Dave is currently single. Those of us who’re fathers are considered to be late starters, though. There’re a couple of blokes from our year who’ve got about six kids with various women.”
Eva’s eyes widened. “What?”
“Yep.” He ran his hand across the air in front of him, as if tracing a newspaper headline. “Haven’t you heard about Eric Donovan, serial father?”
She shook her head. “Sounds like something off a terrible talk show. I remember Eric but I didn’t know he had loads of kids. Come to think of it, I’m struggling to think how he got one woman to shag him, never mind several.”
Damon laughed. “I know what you mean. I don’t understand how the guy has any game. Remember when he pretended that he’d been in a porn film?”
Eva covered her face with her hand. “Oh my God, I forgot about that. He thought it would impress the girls, but it just made everybody feel nauseated”
He smiled. “What did he say the name of it was again?”
Eva shook her head. “Eric does Oakcastle.”
Damon laughed so hard that he had to pause for a second and hold his stomach. “That was it! Bloody hell that was a classic.”
Eva smiled. “The film…or his story?”
He grinned. “His story. There’s still no evidence of the film’s actual existence. Trust me… I’ve done the research.”
Eva’s butterflies were rapidly evaporating. She still suffered a surge in heart rate when she looked at him, but it was so easy to be in his presence, even after all this time. They reached the crossroads where Damon needed to turn left to get his parents’. It was just a few houses down the street. They came to a standstill.
Eva turned to him. “So is your new house nearby?”
He nodded, pointing over the crest of the next hill. “See that chimney there? That’s mine.”
Eva peered into the distance. “One of the new builds? They’re lovely.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I’m settling in, gradually.”
She smiled. “Well it was good to bump into you…literally.”
He grinned. “Thanks, I enjoyed it too. Next time I’ve got a few ribs you can break.”
She laughed. “Come on. I hardly touched you.” She nudged his arm gently.
Damon grabbed his arm in mock pain and stuck out his bottom lip. “Ow.”
Eva made a show of rolling her eyes, though secretly her insides were churning just at the touch of his jacketed arm. She didn’t want their encounter to be over. She smiled. “Hopefully I’ll see you around.”
Damon nodded. “I’m sure our paths will cross. See ya.”
Eva turned to head for home, then he shouted her name and she paused, her pulse picking up. Maybe he’s going to ask for my number?
Damon came back towards her. “You forgot the eggs. Meena will disown you if you come back empty-handed.”
Eva’s heart sank. Of course. Damon handed her the box. Their fingers brushed as she took it from him, sending a million volts of electricity shooting up her arm, and she only just avoided the container slipping from her grasp. She caught Damon’s gaze and for a split second their eyes locked. Had he felt that too? No he probably thought she was an idiot for nearly dropping the box.
She cleared her throat. “Thank you.”
He glanced into the middle distance for a second, then ran a hand through his hair. “No problem. Okay, well. See ya… Wouldn’t wanna be ya.”
She smiled. That was one of their old sayings from when they had been kids. She waved as she turned to go. It took all her willpower not to sneak a look back over her shoulder at him. She started walking but it was a couple of minutes until her heart rate normalized. He was even more handsome than she remembered and really fit too. Even with that brief touch to his arm over his jacket, she’d been able to feel solid biceps underneath. What’s wrong with me? I’m not sixteen anymore.
On arriving home, Meena greeted her right as she got through the door. “Oh great, beti. You got the eggs.”
Eva raised her eyebrows. “Why wouldn’t I have gotten them? They’re not exactly a rarity.”
“Oh, no reason, no reason,” Meena said, taking the box from her. “See anyone you knew?”
Eva stifled a laugh. That was confirmation that her mum and Auntie Lily had engineered the scenario. She decided to torture Meena. “No,” she said, “I didn’t see anyone. Why?”
Meena hesitated. “Oh, I’m just interested, that’s all. Anyway, I’ll get our brunch going.” She turned and disappeared into the kitchen.
Eva cursed under her breath. You’re onto a losing game there, Mum.
Chapter Three
Eva awoke the next morning with palpitations. In her dream she’d been back in the corner shop standing in a deserted aisle when Damon strode up, grasped her around the waist with one arm and behind the head wi
th the other, then brought his lips down onto hers and kissed her passionately. He was pushing her up against the shelf of tinned goods in order to ravish her when she came to. She sighed, aggrieved that she’d woken up at the good bit. It dawned on her that it was the first night since the whole Callum debacle that she hadn’t dreamt about her ex-husband, so that was plus, though a pity that the latest dream was unobtainable.
She padded downstairs in her dressing gown and slippers and took a seat at the kitchen table. Her mum was busying around the kitchen and paused to set a steaming cup of tea in front of her. Eva smiled. If I stay here much longer, I’m going to die of a tea overdose.
Meena glanced over. “What’re you smiling at?”
Eva shook her head. “Nothing. What’s the plan for today’s mother-daughter bonding extravaganza?”
Meena sat next to her, rubbing her hands together. “I’ve got a couple of things planned. You’re going to love it.”
Eva raised her eyebrows. So far her mum’s sneaky activities hadn’t been to her taste. “What sort of things?”
Meena smiled. “I’ve got us a treatment booked at the new spa at Alton Hall, then lunch in the main hotel. After that, a little shopping trip so I can treat you to some nice new clothes.”
Eva smiled with relief. “That’s sounds great. But you really don’t need to buy me anything. I can get my own clothes.”
Meena shrugged. “I want to. You need a nice wardrobe to start your new job.” She lifted her wrist to check her watch. “We should probably get ready because the treatments are at ten a.m.”
Eva nodded and finished the last of her tea. “Okay. I’ll just grab a shower.”
The drive to Alton Hall was beautiful through the Yorkshire countryside. As Eva gazed onto the sun-tinted fields, she let her mind drift and relax, starting to feel more confident that a move back here could help her on the road to recovery from her messy marriage breakup and the trauma she’d been through. Memories from her previous job started to surface and she expertly shoved them to the back of her mind, something she was well practiced at.
