A Summer to Remember

by Victoria Connelly

  ‘Really, I’m not that interesting a subject,’ she said.

  ‘Tell me anyway,’ he insisted, with an encouraging smile.

  Nina took a deep breath and they walked together along the sun-baked footpath, the green-gold barley field stretching to the horizon in front of them.

  ‘I recently left my job in Norwich. I’d been there ages but, recently, I began to begrudge every single second of my time in the office and finally realised that I had to leave.’

  ‘That sounds very brave,’ he said.

  ‘Oh, it wasn’t really. It took the encouragement of a good friend and a few glasses of wine one lunchtime before I got up the nerve.’

  ‘Still, it’s good to make a decision you’re happy with,’ he said.

  Nina nodded. ‘And then I ran into Olivia – she lives at the mill.’

  ‘Yes,’ Justin said.

  ‘You know her?’

  ‘We’ve met.’

  ‘She’s lovely and I really think it’s fate that we bumped into each other when we did because she offered me a job working for her husband. He’s writing a novel and I’m helping him sort everything out.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘You don’t think I can?’

  ‘No – I didn’t mean that. I can’t believe he’s – Dudley’s – writing a novel.’

  ‘Oh, believe it. It’s very good, too.’

  ‘You’re kidding?’

  Nina nodded. ‘He has a wonderful turn of phrase and there’s a lot of humour in it, too. He’s very funny, you know.’

  Justin laughed. ‘I can’t quite imagine that.’

  Nina smiled. ‘I wouldn’t have believed it either if I hadn’t read it with my own eyes, but he’s very talented.’

  They walked on or rather they walked, stopped, walked, stopped again as Ziggy learned to do things properly.

  ‘You know, I used to babysit for the Milton family,’ Nina went on.

  ‘You did?’

  ‘Years ago when the two youngest boys were at school. The eldest was away at boarding school so I never got to see him but, to be honest, two young boys were quite enough to handle.’

  ‘I bet they were, too.’

  Nina smiled as she remembered the young Dominic and Alex once again.

  ‘So, you’ve never met Billy?’

  Nina shook her head. ‘I’m sure I’ll see him at the anniversary party.’

  ‘Ah, yes, I’ve heard about that.’

  ‘Are you coming?’

  ‘I expect so.’

  ‘Do you know the Miltons well?’ Nina asked.

  ‘Well, I’ve always lived around here and you tend to get to know people quite well.’

  Nina nodded. ‘I think half of Norfolk is coming, judging by the catering that’s being laid on.’

  ‘The Miltons never like to skimp on anything, especially when it comes to parties,’ Justin said.

  ‘It must be nice having a large family,’ Nina said wistfully as she stopped in the middle of the path after Ziggy had pulled on his lead once again.

  ‘You’re not from a large family, I take it?’

  ‘No,’ Nina said. ‘I’m an only child and I don’t even see my parents much these days.’

  ‘That all sounds rather sad.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know. It all seems quite normal to me,’ Nina said with a shrug, ‘although I can’t help envying families like the Miltons, who always seem so happy in each other’s company, even if they’re fighting, you know?’

  ‘I know,’ Justin said.

  ‘You’ve got a big family, too?’ she asked.

  ‘A couple of brothers, yes,’ he said.

  ‘And you all get on?’

  ‘Pretty much,’ he said. ‘We spend enough time together so as to remain friends, but enough time apart so that we don’t become enemies.’

  Nina laughed. ‘That sounds like the perfect recipe for a happy family.’

  They walked on, reaching the river once more and startling a pair of moor hens who danced across the water to the far bank, away from the prying eyes of the humans and the inquisitive noses of the dogs. The water was deeper and slower here, and not for the fainthearted swimmer. The Milton boys had been brought up along this river, though, and knew every bank and curve. Nina remembered the time that they had all swam until the last pink streaks of sky had faded into darkness and then made their way home across the fields with wet towels and happy hearts.

  A light breeze picked up now and Nina’s hair was blown back from her face. The sun felt delicious and the weather-men had promised a good summer for once in the UK. After the recent years of dismal grey skies and temperatures that meant the entire population was still sporting jumpers and coats throughout the school holidays, a long hot summer was just what everybody needed. Nina was so grateful that she would be spending it at the mill – even if it did mean that she had become a dog trainer as part of the bargain.

  ‘That’s it!’ Justin said, breaking into her thoughts as they walked along the path. ‘Excellent progress. You’re looking great together. Good teamwork!’

  Nina laughed at the praise.

  ‘How does it feel?’

  ‘Really good!’ she said. ‘I just have to keep it up now, don’t I?’

  ‘Oh, yes. That’s the real trick. It’s easy to lapse into old habits, but dogs respond well to consistency. Keep up the good work and the rewards are there.’

  Suddenly, Nina’s phone beeped. She retrieved it from her trouser pocket. ‘Oh, dear,’ she said a moment later.

  ‘Anything wrong?’

  ‘I’m needed back at the mill. Paperwork crisis!’

  ‘Ah,’ he said.

  They looked at one another and Nina couldn’t help feeling sad that the walk had come to an end already.

  ‘I can’t thank you enough for all your help.’

  ‘Well, you’re not quite there yet. There’s still a long way to go.’

  ‘Of course,’ she said with a nod.

  ‘But I’m happy to help whenever you like.’

  They paused for a moment, the sweet spiralling song of a skylark cascading down upon them.

  ‘Well, I’d better be—’

  ‘Nina!’ Justin said.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I was just wondering if you’d like a drink sometime. Or a chat. Or another walk.’

  She smiled.

  ‘I mean, we don’t always have to talk about dogs, do we?’

  ‘I guess not,’ she said.

  ‘It might be nice to talk about other things, too,’ he said.

  ‘Okay,’ she said, her heart racing. Was he asking her out on a date? And how did she feel about that? She’d told herself that she was going to steer clear of men, but she had to admit that the idea of going out with Justin was rather exciting.

  ‘Here,’ he said, grabbing a piece of paper from his pocket and scribbling down his mobile number. ‘Give me a call.’

  Nina took it. It seemed wonderfully old-fashioned to be given a piece of paper with a handwritten number on it rather than somebody just ringing your phone or offering you a business card. ‘Thank you,’ she said, ‘for everything.’

  ‘You’re welcome,’ he told her.

  ‘Okay,’ she said, not quite knowing how to say goodbye, but Justin did it for her, raising his hand in a friendly wave and whistling to Bess who had her black and white nose stuffed into a tussocky piece of grass.

  Nina turned with Ziggy and the two of them headed down the footpath towards the old bridge that would lead them back to the mill.

  ‘I’m not going to look back this time,’ she said. ‘I’m not. I’m not.’

  But, as soon as she reached the bridge, she sneaked a look back at the retreating figure of Justin, and couldn’t help smiling when he turned around, too, and gave her a final friendly wave.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nina had forgotten how much she used to enjoy eating with the Miltons. Sitting in the dining room with them now, she looked at them all in turn and
couldn’t help feeling a little jolt of happiness at being made so welcome. Like Faye, she thought, who was sitting between herself and Alex. They had both been made honorary members of the family.

  ‘You know, we haven’t had a proper family meal for ages,’ Olivia said excitedly, her eyes darting around the table. ‘Although it’s such a shame that Billy couldn’t make it. I think he’s flying across Europe or somewhere.’

  ‘You’re probably right,’ Dudley said, ‘but I don’t understand why he doesn’t stay here with us when he finally comes back down to earth.’

  ‘Oh, you can’t expect him to do that. He’d much rather be with his friends,’ Olivia said. ‘Staying up late and going on pub crawls or whatever it is they get up to.’

  ‘He can do that and still stay here,’ Dudley said.

  Olivia shook her head. ‘It’s not the same thing at all. You remember when you were young, don’t you? You wouldn’t want to be reporting home and answering awkward questions from your parents all the time, would you?’

  ‘I’m not in the habit of asking awkward questions,’ Dudley said, taking a sip of wine from an elegant crystal glass.

  Olivia laughed. ‘Of course not, darling!’ she said in a sing-song, tongue-in-cheek kind of a way.

  ‘I’m still getting over that time you asked that girlfriend of mine – what was her name?’ Alex said.

  ‘Phoebe,’ Dominic prompted him, obviously knowing the story.

  ‘Phoebe – ah, yes!’ Alex continued. ‘Well, I remember the time you asked her if I’d proposed to her yet.’

  ‘And what was wrong with that?’ Dudley asked. ‘She was a decent girl. Good family. Intelligent.’

  ‘Dad – it was our second date!’ Alex said.

  Dudley shook his head. ‘Makes no difference when you know you’ve met the right woman,’ he said. ‘I knew the minute I saw your mother.’

  ‘Oh, Dudley – you did not! I had to coax you for months.’

  Nina exchanged looks with Dominic across the table and they grinned at one another. She loved listening to their stories and their banter, even though she couldn’t help feeling that she was somehow intruding on a special family moment. But it was an honour all the same. She’d never had many family moments of her own. There wasn’t really much of a chance, being an only child with a father who worked away from home for weeks at a time. In fact, the only time Nina remembered an occasion that could loosely be referred to as a family moment was a trip to Great Yarmouth when she was seven, but even that had been far from perfect.

  Nina’s dad had refused to pay for the car park and had then acted out a scene of outrageous disbelief, worthy of any budding Othello, when he’d got a ticket for parking in a residential area. Nina had been so embarrassed by his ranting in the middle of the street that she’d run into an arcade and hidden, only to be found and slapped sonorously on her bare legs by her mother in front of a group of highly amused teenagers. She had stung all the way back to Norwich.

  Did the Miltons know how lucky they were, Nina wondered? In an age where broken families were the norm, their situation seemed unusual in the extreme.

  Olivia gave a little laugh. ‘Do you remember that time Billy brought home that girl who looked like a horse?’

  Alex burst out laughing. ‘She did, didn’t she?’

  Nina’s eyes doubled in size. ‘Really?’

  Olivia nodded. ‘She had this mane of hair that she kept swishing about and a long face and the most enormous teeth I’ve ever seen, poor girl. Billy never forgave me for pointing it out to him, but I was merely saving him from a lifetime of teasing. Perhaps that’s why he never brings girls home any more. We scared him off and he now keeps his paramours away.

  ‘Pass the butter, Nina, dear,’ Olivia sang. ‘We have met the most wonderful girls through our boys, haven’t we, Dudley?’ she continued. ‘But nobody has surpassed the lovely Faye.’

  Nina almost choked on a chunk of cucumber and Faye blushed to the very core of her being and, when she glanced up at Dominic, Nina could see he had done the same.

  ‘Now, don’t go embarrassing the young ones,’ Dudley said, waggling his knife at Olivia in warning.

  ‘But you have to admit I’m right,’ Olivia charged on, completely undaunted. ‘Our Faye is very special,’ she said, leaning forward in her seat to smile at the blushing girl. ‘The mill wouldn’t be the same without her, would it?’

  Dudley harrumphed and Alex gave a laugh as Dominic continued to blush.

  ‘Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t quite believe that we have Nanny Nina in our midst,’ Alex said, causing Nina to join in with the blushing competition. ‘Fancy the Night Angel descending upon us again!’

  Dudley spluttered into his mixed salad and Dominic’s fork scratched and skated out of control on his plate.

  ‘God! I’d forgotten we used to call her those names!’ Dudley laughed.

  ‘Don’t embarrass her!’ Olivia chided. ‘I’m sure she had nicknames for you, too.’

  ‘Did you?’ Alex probed.

  Nina cleared her throat. ‘Well, er—’

  ‘I’m sure, unlike you, Alex, that Nina is far too polite to divulge them,’ Olivia said, giving him a warning glare.

  ‘What were they? I can’t remember you ever calling us anything,’ Alex said, completely ignoring his mother.

  ‘Well, of course she wouldn’t! Did you ever call her Nanny Nina to her face?’ Olivia smiled, causing Alex to blush for a change.

  ‘Oh, come on, Nina. What did you used to call me?’ Alex said, naturally assuming that he was important enough to warrant a nickname. ‘You must have had a name for me.’

  ‘I didn’t – honestly,’ Nina said, casting back in her mind to see if there really was something amusing to retrieve. No, she’d never had a nickname for Alex. Of that she was quite sure.

  ‘Let Nina eat in peace, Alex,’ Dominic complained.

  Alex was quiet for a moment, but not because his brother had asked him to be. Nina watched as he eyed her every now and then, and saw as the moment of realisation as it dawned upon him. ‘I’ve got it!’ he said, triumphantly spearing a radish and holding it aloft. Nina grimaced. She believed him. ‘You didn’t have one for me, but you had one for Dominic, didn’t you? Am I right?’

  ‘Alex!’ Olivia hushed.

  ‘Alex!’ Dominic warned with a dark glare.

  Nina looked around the table, distraught at being the centre of attention. She looked down at her plate and counted her tomatoes. One. Two. Three. Four. She wished she could pick them up, one by one, and pelt Alex with them.

  ‘I really don’t know why you’re making such a scene about it,’ Nina said, trying to make light of the situation in the hope that it would go away.

  ‘I’m not!’ Alex remonstrated. ‘But you certainly are!’

  The whole table had suddenly grown silent and four pairs of eyes were pinned to her; Alex’s, Faye’s, Olivia’s and even Dudley’s. All except Dominic’s. He was hiding under a deep scowl.

  Nina could see that she would get no peace until she’d divulged her secret. She bit her lip as she looked at Dominic. She hadn’t meant to embarrass him. Would he ever forgive her? But it was too late now.

  ‘It was Dom—’ she stopped, as if regretting it already.

  ‘Yes?’ Alex encouraged.

  ‘Domino.’

  Alex spluttered. ‘Domino?’

  Nina nodded.

  ‘Oh, that’s so sweet! If only we’d thought of it!’ Olivia giggled. ‘I suppose it was because he was so small.’

  ‘Oh, Mum!’ Dominic said with a groan.

  ‘What?’ Olivia continued to giggle. ‘I think it’s lovely.’

  ‘Olivia, you’re embarrassing him,’ Dudley growled.

  ‘Domino!’ Alex said with a hearty laugh.

  ‘Isn’t it cute?’ Olivia smiled, handing the plate of bread around, oblivious to Dominic’s discomfort at the far end of the table. It was then that Nina saw something that nobody else
seemed to notice – a brief moment when Dominic and Faye caught each other’s eyes. It was so fleeting, but tiny smiles were exchanged and Nina felt sure that there was warmth within those smiles. Warmth, understanding – and maybe even a little regret at a love having been lost.

  Simplicity was the key word, Dominic thought, as he scoured his bare cupboards for ingredients the next day. Pasta with salad would be light enough, and it would mean that he wouldn’t have to go shopping, which in turn meant he could spend more time organising himself and his place. It wouldn’t be quite the spread of the night before, but then, he’d never be able to compete with his mother when it came to home cooking.

  For a moment, he rolled his eyes as he remembered last night’s dinner. Alex had apologised afterwards in his effortless way and Dominic had done his best to shrug it off. After dessert, which had been a very large helping of Eton Mess, Nina had helped Olivia to stack the dishwasher and Dominic had hung around the living room in the hope of talking to her at some point. He listened to her silvery laughter coming from the kitchen. She seemed so at home at the mill and it was hard to imagine a life without her there. His mother obviously adored her and his father’s temper had eased ever so slightly since her arrival. Just like when she’d been a babysitter, she was working wonders on them all.

  A moment later, he heard her walking down the hallway, with Ziggy by her side.

  ‘Nina,’ he’d called.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Can I talk to you?’

  ‘Of course,’ she said. ‘I’m just going to give Ziggy a run in the garden.’

  ‘I’ll come with you,’ he said and the two of them left the house together. The evening had cooled and a lavender sky sewn with bright stars greeted them.

  ‘It’s a beautiful evening,’ she said.

  Dominic nodded and wanted to tell her that she was beautiful, too, but, as ever in her presence, he had become tongue-tied and cripplingly shy.

  ‘What was it you wanted to talk about?’ she asked him, unclipping Ziggy from his lead and watching as he romped around the garden, stuffing his head in the borders, which Faye took so many hours organising.

  ‘Well, I—’

  ‘Gosh,’ Nina suddenly interrupted him. ‘I hope Alex didn’t embarrass you too much at dinner. I can’t apologise enough about that revelation. I shouldn’t have said anything.’