by Hannah Ellis
Elizabeth was thoughtful for a moment. It would probably be easier if she took Tilly away again. She really hadn’t expected to see Max, or for things to be so heated between them.
“I’m sorry I shouted at you,” he said. “You’re right, it’s in the past.”
“It’s fine. I don’t want to put you in an awkward position. I’ll take Tilly…”
“I’d be in trouble with Annette and Wendy if you did that.” His features softened and a smile appeared. The smile that she’d thought of so many times. “You don’t want to get me in trouble, do you?”
Maybe it would have been easier if she’d left while he was still angry with her. Him being nice to her felt like a different kind of torture.
He gestured to the barn, and Elizabeth grabbed the bag of Tilly’s things from the back seat before they started to walk there.
“Annette and Wendy must be grateful that you can help out,” she said, searching for something to break the silence. “I bet they love having you around.”
“I enjoy it,” he said, glancing at her. “You know how much I love this place.”
She did know how much he loved it, and how much it meant to him. All this time she’d been telling herself that she’d only known him a week and they barely knew each other, but she did know him. She felt as if she was meeting up with her best friend again after a long absence. She wanted to tell him everything that had happened since she last saw him. There was so much she wanted to say, but she didn’t know where to start.
They walked into the barn to be greeted by howling and barking dogs. Max held the door for her, and she relaxed slightly.
He shouted to the dogs, telling them to settle down. The noise gradually died down as they walked through the barn, glancing into the stalls as they went.
“Here we are,” Max said when they reached Tilly’s stall. The chalkboard hanging on the stable door already had her name scrawled on it. Max unlatched the door and they walked in.
“I probably brought too much,” Elizabeth said as she began to unpack things. She pulled out a dog bed and an old towel that was Tilly’s favourite for chewing and fighting with. “I brought her bowl,” she said, setting it down next to the one already in the stall. “I don’t know why. And toys,” she said, tipping out an assortment of battered and chewed dog toys. “It’s too much, isn’t it?”
He was gazing at her so intensely that she blushed and looked away. He’d turned her into a blabbering, awkward wreck. She felt like a lovesick schoolgirl and it was embarrassing.
“It’s fine,” Max said.
Elizabeth crouched to rub Tilly’s ears. “I’ve never left her anywhere before.”
“I’ll look after her,” he said. “She’s only with us a couple of days, isn’t she?”
“Yes. I’m going to stay with my sister for the weekend. There’s not really space for Tilly. No garden or anything…”
“I thought you didn’t get on with your sister?”
Elizabeth couldn’t hide her surprise. He actually remembered that? “We get on better now,” she said, rattled. She’d told herself so many times that it had been a meaningless fling, but now she remembered the time they had spent getting to know each other.
“That’s good,” Max said.
“Yes. Things changed.” She smiled at her understatement. So much had changed.
They left the barn and wandered slowly in the direction of the house, Tilly between them. Elizabeth’s mind whirred with all the things she wanted to say. She wanted to tell him about leaving Phil and quitting her job. And about her move to Hope Cove. She had so many questions for him too. She wanted to know why he got married so quickly when he’d seemed so unsure about his relationship. It was so rash. The main thing she wanted to know was whether he was happy, or whether he regretted the rushed wedding. There was so much she wanted to say, but didn’t feel she could.
Her heart raced when she opened her mouth to ask him about the wedding. She couldn’t help herself.
“I met your mum,” she said. “When I was buying the cottage. She told me all about the big last-minute wedding. She really likes to chat, doesn’t she?”
“That’s an understatement! She’s still telling everyone that story. I keep telling her to stop going on about it.”
“It’s kind of crazy, though, organising a wedding in a few weeks. That must have been stressful.”
“I’d say the wedding planner earned her bonus,” he said jokily. “And it definitely caused a few family arguments, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary for my family.”
“I think your mum described it as a farce…”
He nodded vaguely and his eyes sparkled with amusement. “It’s probably a fairly accurate description.”
They fell silent until they reached the house. Elizabeth wished she’d not mentioned the wedding. What was she expecting? That he’d tell her it was a huge mistake and they’d already decided to get divorced?
“Can I ask you something?” Max said when they reached her car.
She nodded.
“Are you happy?”
She paused for a moment, thinking about her new life in Hope Cove. “Yes,” she said. “I am. Are you?”
He refused to meet her gaze. “Oh, you know,” he said with a shrug.
No, she didn’t know. And she wanted to know. She wanted to hear everything about his life.
When he didn’t say any more, she stooped to hug Tilly, stalling for time. Why couldn’t she think of anything to say?
“I didn’t expect it to be this hard to say goodbye,” she said, her eyes damp. Of course, it wasn’t really the dog she was struggling to walk away from. After all this time thinking of him, all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around Max and never let him go. She should never have walked away that last day on the beach.
“Will you be here on Sunday?” she asked, trying her best to sound casual.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “Probably.”
“Okay,” Elizabeth said. “Well, maybe I’ll see you then.”
He tipped his head, then bent to the dog, holding her collar to stop her from following Elizabeth.
“It was good to see you again,” she said. She really was the queen of the understatement. And also a bumbling wreck. “Even though you shouted at me. It was still really good to see you.”
“You shouted at me too!”
He watched as she got in the car.
The ache in her chest began as soon as she pulled away. She couldn’t believe she’d seen him again.
It was as if she’d opened an old wound. Now it hurt more than ever.
Chapter 46
“I saw him,” Elizabeth said, lugging her bag past Josie and dropping it in the kitchen.
“Saw who?” Josie asked.
“Max.”
Josie’s eyes widened. Elizabeth opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. “I thought you had a job now,” she said, studying the wine label. “You could’ve got decent wine.”
“Glad to see living in a village hasn’t changed you completely,” Josie said. “Snob!” She reached for wine glasses and held them out to be filled up.
“You’re practically a celebrity now, aren’t you? Can’t you afford to pay more than four quid for a bottle of wine?”
“I’m not a celebrity. I just hang out with celebs! And I don’t see the point of expensive wine when cheap stuff will do the job just as well.” She took a mouthful and then followed Elizabeth into the living room. “And why are we talking about wine, not Max? What happened?”
“He was there when I dropped Tilly at the kennels,” Elizabeth said. “He’s helping out there for a while.”
“Interesting…”
“What’s so interesting about that?”
“I had him pegged as more of a city guy: a ‘wears a suit, drinks fancy wine’ kind of person. Now I’m envisioning a farm hand…”
“It’s not a farm; it’s kennels. Although they look like stables – but whatever.”
“Anyway, he doesn’t work there. He’s just helping out.”
“Did you know he’d be there?”
“No! I had no idea.”
“I don’t believe you, but never mind that. How was it?”
“Terrible.”
“Because you realised you had a fling with a dirty farm hand?”
Elizabeth put her wine down and reached over to give Josie a playful shove. “He’s not a farm hand!”
Josie giggled and leaned on the arm of the couch. “So why was it terrible?”
Elizabeth sighed. “Because he’s as lovely as I remembered.”
“That’s bad?”
“He’s married,” Elizabeth said with a shrug. “So, yes, it’s bad.”
“But I thought you were happy with your new life?”
“I am happy,” Elizabeth said. For a moment she was quiet. “I am. I love my new life. But seeing him threw me a bit. It was such a shock, and then it was just so lovely being with him again.”
“What does he think about you living at the cottage?”
“He was angry,” Elizabeth said. “He shouted at me. Not just about the house but about last summer. I think it’s a bit irrational considering he went and got married straight after.”
“Does he know you left Phil?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t mention it. What’s the point? It would just be awkward.”
“I suppose,” Josie said. “Will he be there when you pick Tilly up?”
“Yes, I think he’ll be there.”
“This is not good,” Josie mused.
“It’ll be fine. I’ll just pick up Tilly and leave again. I can manage that. ”
“That’s not what I meant,” Josie said with a smirk. “I was thinking it’s not good because you’re going to spend the next three days obsessing about seeing him again!”
Elizabeth laughed. “I’m not,” she said as firmly as she could. She didn’t even manage to convince herself, never mind Josie.
It was a lovely relaxed weekend. They did some shopping, went to the cinema, and spent lots of time lazing around Josie’s apartment in their pyjamas. On Saturday evening Josie insisted they get out and hit some bars like the young, free and single women they were. Elizabeth’s protests that she wasn’t that young any more fell on deaf ears. It was fun in the end, and Elizabeth was glad Josie had insisted.
Josie’s boyfriend, Jack, didn’t show up all weekend, even though Josie called and texted him. He called her back once, and Josie gushed down the phone. Apparently he needed to spend some time with the lads. Josie was understanding. Far too understanding, Elizabeth thought. She had a bad feeling about Jack, and it worried her that Josie was so besotted with him. Josie wouldn’t hear a bad word about him, so Elizabeth left the subject alone. It would work itself out one way or another.
Josie’s prediction about Elizabeth turned out to be right: Elizabeth’s mind wandered often to Max, rehashing their brief encounter at the kennels and then worrying about seeing him again when she picked Tilly up. It was a nervous excitement which caused an internal battle. Because she shouldn’t be nervous or excited about seeing him again. Both emotions were inappropriate.
She was a bundle of nerves as she left Josie’s apartment on Sunday. When she pulled up outside the kennels, the gates were closed so she parked on the road. She sat for a moment, taking deep breaths and checking herself in the mirror. He was married. She was being ridiculous. All she needed to do was make polite conversation for a few minutes, then take Tilly and leave. Why was she making such a meal of it?
Annoyed with herself, she finally got out of the car and made her way up the drive. She waited for Max to stride confidently out of the house like he’d done before. But there was no sign of him. In fact, there was no sign of anyone.
When no one answered when she knocked, she walked down to the barn. She called hello at the door and caught sight of Annette coming towards her with Tilly beside her. Elizabeth’s smile was automatic as she bent to greet the excited dog. She’d missed Tilly.
Annette had a huge grin on her face. “Remember me?” she said.
“It’s lovely to see you again,” Elizabeth said. “And thank you for taking care of this one for me.” She bent to stroke Tilly again.
“It was our pleasure. She’s been as good as gold.”
“I’m glad,” Elizabeth said, glancing around and shivering as the wind whipped over the fields.
“Time for a cuppa?” Annette said. She set off for the house without waiting for a reply. “Let’s get in and warmed up.”
Tilly slipped inside as soon as Annette opened the front door.
“I hope you’ve not been spoiling her,” Elizabeth said. “She seems to have made herself at home.”
“That was Max. He’s been giving her special attention. Treating her like a VIP guest!”
A strange feeling came over Elizabeth. It was crazy – she was jealous of a dog. She smiled wryly and slipped off her coat as they were enveloped by the heat of the house.
Chapter 47
Elizabeth followed Annette into the sitting room, where a log fire crackled and popped in the hearth. Wendy sat beside it in an armchair, her feet up and a book resting precariously on the arm of the chair.
“Oh, thank goodness,” she said, beaming at Elizabeth. “I was hoping you’d come inside. I’ve been cooped up for weeks and I’m going crazy! Knee replacement,” she added, pointing at her swollen leg.
“You poor thing,” Elizabeth said, squeezing her hand in greeting.
Wendy waved away the sympathy. “I’ll survive,” she said. “Take a seat. I thought I was going to miss you again. Last time you were here I only saw you in passing. Then Max said you two had lost touch. You certainly surprised him when you arrived with Tilly.” She looked at Elizabeth, curiosity etched on her face.
“It was good to see him again,” Elizabeth said cautiously. “And I’m sure he’s been a great help to you…”
“He’s been a godsend,” Annette said. “I don’t know how we’d have coped without him.”
Elizabeth couldn’t help but wonder if he would appear at any moment. His car was outside so he couldn’t be far away.
“He went into the village,” Annette said. “He was meeting a friend for lunch.”
“I thought he’d have been back by now,” Wendy added. “He knew you were coming.”
Annette cleared her throat and glared at Wendy. “I’ll make a pot of tea.”
“How do you and Max know each other?” Wendy asked quietly once Annette was out of the room. “He was a bit coy about it when I asked him.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth said, fumbling for the right words, “we, um … we met at Hope Cove. He was staying there and I happened to be there at the same time … and we just became friends … briefly. One of those weird things. It’s difficult to explain.”
She really hadn’t explained it well at all, but Wendy smiled nonetheless.
“He’s been helping out a lot, has he?” Elizabeth asked.
“Most weekends,” Wendy said. “I had a hospital appointment on Friday so he brought his laptop and worked from here. He does that sometimes.”
“But he’s still living in London?” She shouldn’t be so nosey but she wanted to know everything.
“Yes.” Wendy frowned. “We’ve been a bit worried about him, to be honest. He’s not been himself recently. It’s since the drama with the wedding. You heard about that, I suppose?”
Elizabeth nodded, but it seemed to be a rhetorical question. Wendy barely took a breath.
“I was never a big fan of Jessica. I always thought she was a bit manipulative, but––”
Annette reappeared with a tray of drinks and biscuits. “You’re not gossiping, are you?” she said sternly. “I keep telling you not to involve yourself in other people’s business.”
“I’m always getting in trouble,” Wendy said, beaming.
The conversation moved to ne
utral topics and Elizabeth was sorry Wendy had been interrupted. She shouldn’t be interested in the state of Max’s marriage, but she couldn’t help herself. She wanted to know. Especially if there were problems. Did that make her a horrible person?
Elizabeth stayed longer than she’d intended with Annette and Wendy. They were an entertaining pair, bickering and bantering good-naturedly. Wendy had a wicked sense of humour and had Elizabeth in fits of giggles several times. Every time Elizabeth talked about leaving, Wendy started another anecdote or asked another question. They talked about books and TV, education and travel: conversations that sucked Elizabeth in so that whenever she glanced at her watch she found time had jumped on again.
“Okay,” Elizabeth said, as another tale of Wendy’s youth came to an end, “I really have to go now!”
If she was honest, she’d lingered in the hope that Max might put in an appearance, but it didn’t seem like that was going to happen. He knew she’d be coming to collect Tilly. If he’d wanted to see her, he would have made sure he was there. He’d probably deliberately gone out to avoid seeing her. That made more sense. She was an idiot, she thought as she stood, shaking her head at the offer of another drink, or to stay for dinner. “I’ve had such a lovely afternoon, but I need to get home. It’ll be getting dark soon.”
“Max will be sorry he missed you,” Wendy said. “You should give him a call sometime.”
“Oh, no,” Elizabeth said. “I don’t think so. Just tell him I said hello. Besides, I don’t have his number.” She cursed herself. Why had she said that?
Wendy glared at Annette. “Write Max’s number down for Lizzie…”
“No, it’s fine,” Elizabeth protested.
“Go on,” Wendy said to Annette. Reluctantly, she wrote his number down and passed the paper to Elizabeth. “I hope you’ll be back with Tilly sometime too. We enjoyed having her around.”
Tilly was reluctant to move from her spot in front of the fire but slowly she followed Elizabeth through the house.
“I can walk you to the car,” Annette said, picking up the bag of Tilly’s things.
