by Fay Keenan
‘John Thornton as well as Mr Darcy, eh?’ Charlotte gave a snort. ‘Only not as talkative.’
‘Something like that.’ Anna sipped her wine contemplatively.
‘People deal with things in different ways,’ Charlotte said.
‘When you start a relationship, you’re so concerned with getting the other person to talk all the time. It’s like everything they say is infinitely interesting and you just want to know every last thing about them.’ Anna grinned ruefully. ‘Well, at least that’s how it happened the first time round. This time, I’m not so sure!’
‘You have to remember that you and Matthew both have a lot more history,’ Charlotte said. ‘That’s going to make you both much more cautious. Laying yourself bare can be frightening.’
‘I know,’ Anna said. ‘And I suppose it’s not surprising he doesn’t want to talk about Jonathan. I mean, it’s not like they parted on great terms.’
‘So the rumours are true then?’ Charlotte’s eyes sparkled. ‘Jonathan did have something to do with Matthew’s marriage breaking up?’
Anna grimaced. ‘I don’t want to go into specifics.’
‘Oh, come on, who am I going to tell? Just satisfy my curiosity, please. Did Jonathan have something to do with it?’
‘Let’s just say Tara didn’t stray far from home,’ Anna said heavily. ‘And no, I don’t know the gory details. All I know is she couldn’t have chosen anyone worse to have a fling with.’
‘Except perhaps Jack,’ Charlotte grinned. ‘The old fox has been known to pull a few lovelies in his time.’
‘Like father like son,’ Anna said sardonically.
‘Doesn’t Matthew find it weird, you living here?’ Charlotte gazed around the lounge. ‘I mean, it was Jonathan’s place for a long time before he left. He and Tara must have been at it under this very roof.’
‘He struggled a bit, at first,’ Anna admitted. ‘But that’s not surprising, really.’
‘I’m sure he’s laid a few ghosts… and other things… by now,’ Charlotte gave Anna a knowing look.
‘Trust you to lower the tone,’ Anna muttered.
‘Well, you never did tell me if I was right about him!’
Anna could feel her face growing hot. ‘No comment.’
‘Not even a little comeback?’ Charlotte raised a sceptical eyebrow. ‘Although perhaps little isn’t the operative word.’
‘Bugger off.’
‘Well look, if you’re not going to divulge any specifics, can you at least tell me if things are back on track between you?’
Anna couldn’t help the sudden, silly smile that painted itself across her face. ‘You could say that.’
‘So do you think you might be seeing in the harvest with him and dancing round some apple trees next January?’
Anna laughed. ‘For a moment I thought you were going to make another Maypole-related gag!’
‘Too obvious, darling; give me some credit.’
‘It’s going fine,’ Anna said simply. ‘And mentioning the “L” word wasn’t as bad as I’d thought, thankfully.’
Charlotte let out a low whistle. ‘You’ve really got it bad, haven’t you?’
Anna shrugged.
‘So do you think he is?’
‘Is what?’
‘In love with you, you berk!’
‘Well, he told me he was.’ Anna suddenly felt like a fifteen-year-old again as Charlotte squealed and grabbed her.
‘I knew it! Summer wedding, I bet you!’
‘Steady on, it’s still early days.’ Once Charlotte had released her, she topped up both their glasses.
Charlotte grabbed hers back and took another sip. ‘I’m so pleased for you, Anna. No, really, I am. Joking aside, you deserve a bit of happiness.’
Anna’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Thanks. I can’t believe all this, sometimes. I feel like at any minute I’m going to wake up back in our old house with my husband by my side, and all this has been some sort of weird dream. And you know what? I really don’t know how I feel about that.’
‘Falling in love again must be confusing,’ Charlotte said. ‘I know I’d be petrified if I was in your shoes. Dates are one thing, but this is getting serious.’ She looked at Anna. ‘Are you ready for that?’
‘Sometimes I think I am, that it could be so right for us, but then other times I get caught up in the fear of it all. What if I’m on the rebound? What if he is? What if we let our children get used to a situation that’s going to come crashing down around our ears and leaves them even more confused and hurt than we are?’ She sighed. ‘I just wish I knew more of the answers.’
‘If you did, it wouldn’t be half so much fun,’ Charlotte said wryly. ‘If you don’t take the risks, you’ll never experience the exhilaration.’
‘I just wish I didn’t feel quite so much like a teenager again. I could do without the angst.’
‘Yeah, but one of the joys of being a teenager was the mind-blowing hormonal surge!’ Charlotte grinned lasciviously. ‘And you can’t tell me you’re not enjoying that. I can see from your body language whenever Matthew’s around that he’s pushing your buttons.’
‘Whatever,’ Anna muttered, gulping down her wine.
‘And you’re certainly pushing his,’ Charlotte said. ‘I know you don’t believe me, but he’s a totally different man since you moved back here.’
‘How so?’
‘Well, don’t get me wrong, he was always pretty high profile in the village; I mean, you can’t keep the locals on side without kissing a few babies and putting your name to a few events, kind of a quid pro quo for the villagers not kicking off about a larger than anticipated bottling plant or twenty-four-hour loading, but he’s been a lot more approachable since you’ve been around.’
‘Oh, come on, we’ve only been seeing each other a few months!’
‘No, seriously. He’s thawed out a lot lately. I can’t remember the last time he actually spent more than a token half hour at the May Fair, for instance. And yet there he was with you for virtually the whole afternoon.’
‘I’m sure there’s more to it than that,’ Anna said, but she felt a warm glow of pleasure.
‘Anyway, whatever the reason, something’s changed. So I’d stop worrying for a bit about whether or not it’s going to last, and just enjoy it.’ Charlotte drained her wine glass. ‘Oh, and give me all the details, of course! And if you do hear anything about Jonathan, do let me know,’ Charlotte continued. ‘Believe me, darling, if he’s half as hot as I remember him being, he’s worth viewing!’
‘I’ll keep you posted,’ Anna said dryly, although she doubted she’d find anything out before Charlotte did. Her best friend had an uncanny ability to sniff out a scandal before most people even sensed there was one brewing.
As they parted company that night, Anna reflected on the changes in her life. Yet again, she found herself thinking about how bizarre her new situation seemed, and still couldn’t answer whether or not she’d change it for her old life.
28
‘What the fuck are you doing here?’ Matthew growled.
‘That’s a nice welcome.’
‘And you were expecting what?’ Matthew moved to close the front door, but Jonathan put a hand up to block him.
‘Look, I know this is a bit of a surprise, but we need to talk. I’ve just got in from New York. Can I come in?’
Shambling Irish Wolfhound grace met whippet slim elegance as Matthew opened the front door to admit his brother. ‘I suppose we should do this in private, rather than give more food to the local vultures.’
Time had been kind to Jonathan. Four years his brother’s junior, he almost matched him in height, and as he’d grown older his features had matured from a kind of beauty to a more masculine attractiveness. Light chestnut hair framed clear cerulean eyes. The bone structure was unquestionably Carter, but, always naturally slighter than Matthew, he still retained his rather louche good looks and elegant physique. He was wearing a lightweight cre
am suit with a blue shirt that, to Matthew’s irritation, perfectly matched his eyes.
‘Don’t get too comfortable,’ Matthew said. ‘You won’t be staying long.’
‘I’ll bear that in mind.’
‘Why are you here?’ Matthew said wearily. ‘What couldn’t be done over the phone?’
‘Dad rang me,’ Jonathan replied. ‘He said you weren’t too happy about us going behind your back.’
That’s a fucking understatement, Matthew thought. ‘It wasn’t the best news I’d ever had.’
‘He suggested that, as FastStream wants us both present when we sign on the dotted line, we ought to meet beforehand and clear the air.’ Raising his hands in anticipation of Matthew’s objections, he continued, ‘Look, I know it’s going to be… uncomfortable, but for the sake of the company, I think we need to grit our teeth and get on with it. You can punch me afterwards if you need to.’
Matthew shook his head. ‘You really have no idea, do you? You swan back in here, having charmed the pants off the FastStream board, and you somehow convince Dad you can handle this deal better than me. And let’s face it, I’ve only been running this company for over a decade, so what would I know?’ He started to pace the short distance between the parlour fireplace and the large window that looked out onto the back garden. ‘Dad just goes with it, trusts you have our best interests at heart, even though you couldn’t give a shit about the business the last time I checked, and says all right then, Jonathan, you take care of it.’ The pacing got more agitated. ‘And somehow, against all my better judgement, I have to accept this, despite the fact that the last time you had anything to do with the business, you were actually too busy sleeping with my wife to take much notice of it.’ He turned back to Jonathan. ‘How am I doing so far?’
Jonathan took a deep breath. ‘I know this looks bad. I know I shouldn’t have gone anywhere near FastStream without making contact with you first, but I also know these guys. They’re big on family values and even bigger on British produce. They pulled out of a deal with Thornbury’s Cider two years ago because they weren’t convinced it was the right product to suit their ethos. But you got in there, and you convinced them that Carters is the one. They were wavering for quite a while before they agreed, weren’t they?’
‘So what rabbit did you pull out of whose hat to make them see sense?’ Matthew’s voice was heavy with sarcasm.
‘Don’t get me wrong, they loved you, but they found you a touch unapproachable at times. They could see the sense in the deal, and it stacked up financially, but you didn’t exactly open up to them, did you?’
‘What? You expect me to bare my soul in the boardroom to secure this thing? That’s not my style.’
‘I know, I know, which is where I came in, as your wingman, if you like.’ Jonathan smiled sardonically. ‘I played up some of the struggles the business has had, tried to make the board more sympathetic to you as a quality, local producer. They lapped up all the historical stuff, but they wanted to know more about its human face. I stepped in, filled a few gaps with some sentimental bullshit about the bad times, your single dad status, how it nearly all went down the swanny until you saved the day. The Yanks loved it.’
‘So you aired my dirty laundry?’ Matthew, aghast, took a large slug of his whisky. ‘There I was, thinking that my integrity, professionalism and sound business sense would be enough, and all along they wanted a sob story? This is international business, Jonathan, not the fucking X Factor. I suppose you left out that you were one of the reasons I became a single father in the first place.’
Jonathan flinched. ‘Look, I only told them what they wanted to hear.’
‘So, going forward, we need to put on a so-called united front, do we? The deal’s only done if we sign together.’ Matthew, tired of pacing, slumped in the armchair by the fireplace.
‘Don’t say you couldn’t use the help,’ Jonathan said quietly. ‘You’ve done nothing but work for the past fifteen years, Matthew. I want to help, and properly this time. I know you don’t believe me, but I want to make things up to you. This deal with FastStream was my way of taking that first step.’
‘That’s as maybe, but if you’re back on board, you do things my way,’ Matthew said bluntly. ‘I’m in charge, not Dad, and certainly not you.’
‘I mean it. I do want to help.’
An uneasy silence descended between the two.
‘I should get going,’ Jonathan said at last. ‘If you need me, I’ll be at Dad’s for a few days until I can get something more permanent sorted. He’s given me the box room.’
‘Christ, could you even get in there? Last time I looked, it was chock-full of Mum’s old novels.’
Jonathan smiled ruefully. ‘It took a while to navigate past the piles, but I got to the bed in the end.’
‘So you’re going to be hanging around, then?’
‘Well, I can hardly be a board member from five thousand miles across the water, can I?’
Matthew let a small smile play over his features. ‘You might live to regret saying that.’
‘I’ll see you soon,’ Jonathan replied. ‘And we’ll make arrangements to fly out at the end of next week, shall we?’
‘I’ll get Jen onto it,’ Matthew said. ‘And Jonathan?’
‘Yes?’
‘You’re not off the hook.’ Matthew’s face was grim again. ‘Just because I’ve let you back on board with this deal, it doesn’t mean all’s forgiven. I’m doing this because Dad asked me to. Are we clear?’
‘As the crystal that’s all over your hallway floor,’ Jonathan replied. ‘Don’t worry, big brother, I won’t be presuming any sense of intimacy.’ Without pausing to shake his brother’s hand, Jonathan walked out of the parlour and the front door.
Matthew just stood for a long time after Jonathan left. How was it possible to go from adolescent excitement to adult trepidation in the space of half an hour? Shaking his head in bewilderment, he went to get the dustpan and brush.
29
Anna’s days at the tea shop started early. She’d drop Ellie off at nursery at quarter to eight, and be through the shop door by eight o’clock. Over the last months she’d established an efficient routine of checking the dates on the stock left overnight and the milk in the fridge, giving the tables their first spray down and checking the cutlery, before setting out the newer stock, getting the till sorted out and then opening the doors for eight thirty. This ensured the tea shop caught any passing trade from the other shop owners in the village, and then a group of post-school-run parents would be in at around nine o’clock for their morning lattes and, more often than not, a slice or two of whatever cake took their fancy that day. Then it would be all go until about two o’clock, when she’d have a breather and a sandwich before the afternoon rush. The shop usually closed its door at quarter to five, giving her time to tot up the takings before she left to pick Ellie up at five thirty.
After the first few weeks, she’d grown accustomed to the chats with her regulars, and definitely enjoyed listening in to her customers’ conversations; discreetly, of course. She’d learned a great deal of the extramarital frolickings of one particular couple from the gossip of their neighbours, and was stunned to find out that the hitherto rather popular local Member of Parliament was definitely not flavour of the month with his constituents after installing a huge and unsightly wooden building in his generous back garden to house both his sauna and his hot tub. The thought of that particular honourable member stripping for either activity was enough to put anyone off their cake, Anna thought.
The regulars, along with the steady stream of tourists who topped up the tea shop’s early summer income, kept Anna busy enough through the day, to the point where customers often waited for tables. Today was no exception, and as Anna took some cash off the table by the bay window to put into the till, she heard the tea shop door open. Surmising she had a minute or two before whoever it was would want to order, she nipped into the kitchen to check on the batch of sco
nes she’d put in the oven. She often prepared the mixtures the night before, at home, since her Health and Safety Certificate had come through, and then baked them to order the next day. It seemed a more efficient use of her time than getting floury during business hours. Ellie, kitted out with her own pair of protective gloves and a hairnet, liked to assist her from time to time, although more scones seemed to get eaten than made when Ellie was involved.
On her return to the restaurant area, she noticed the customer had taken a seat at the newly vacated table by the window. The early summer sunlight, bright and increasingly warm as June started to flame, was casting him in silhouette. Wavy hair tumbled over his forehead; tanned arms were revealed by a light blue polo shirt, and long legs were shown off by tailored shorts, feet in a pair of Dunlop Green Flash trainers. The effect was attractive but a little contrived. Anna assumed he must be a tourist. As if to confirm this, he was tapping away at a MacBook, and his mobile phone, also from the ubiquitous brand, was lying on the table.
‘Hello,’ she said, wandering over to the table. ‘What can I get you?’
It was only when he turned away from the sunlight and faced her squarely that Anna made the connection. The bone structure was unmistakeable, as was the uncanny mannerism of brushing a hand through his hair before speaking. Irrationally, Anna wondered why neither of them had ever bothered getting their hair cut shorter.
‘Hi lovely, can you get me an espresso and a slice of doorstep toast?’ Jonathan Carter gave her a winning smile.
‘No problem. Would you like any jam with that?’ Anna scribbled down the order, taking a moment to observe Matthew’s younger brother from under her lashes. She wondered if she ought to introduce herself; it was always so difficult to know what to call herself in relation to Matthew. Girlfriend sounded too juvenile, partner too serious, and as for lover… She blushed at the thought.
‘No thanks, just butter it up. You’re Anna, aren’t you?’ Jonathan said, saving her the decision. ‘My father’s told me all about you.’
