The South West Series Box Set

by Rebecca Paulinyi

  “We need to talk, Lee.”

  “Is this him?” Gina asked, and Lee nodded.

  “Nathan,” Lee said, his name feeling strange as it passed her lips for the first time in a couple of weeks. “There’s nothing to say.”

  “Nothing to say? You upped and left, we haven’t discussed anything. We’re married, Lee, that means something to me.”

  Lee laughed. It was a slightly manic laugh, but it was laughter all the same. “It means something to you? It means something to you? You cheated, Nathan. You slept with those two women - and maybe more, I don’t know. Our marriage meant nothing to you, clearly - and now it means nothing to me. Leave me alone.”

  Nathan took a step towards her, his eyes sparkling a little in the moonlight, his hair falling haphazardly across the dark skin of his forehead.

  “Do you want me to go?” Gina asked, and Lee was torn; part of her didn’t want to be alone with him, while the other part didn’t want to make a fool of herself in front of someone whose good opinion she wanted.

  “Do you mind starting to walk up the hill? I’ll be right behind you, I just need to get rid of him.”

  Gina nodded, and fixed Nathan with a stare full of hatred, before turning on her heel and beginning to meander up the hill.

  “Lee,” Nathan said again, his voice softening. He took another step towards her and reached for her hand; Lee recoiled at his touch. She looked up at him and their eyes met; she fixed him with a steely glare and took a deep breath before addressing him.

  “Don’t touch me. You destroyed everything we ever had.” She swallowed, but pushed on before he had a chance to interrupt her. “I want a divorce.” She couldn’t quite believe the words were out of her mouth; she hadn’t planned it, she was just so angered by his words that it came out. But it wasn’t just her anger that fuelled her words; she meant them, she was sure of it. She looked him in the eye and could not even think what she saw in him. His actions had destroyed her feelings for him, but also her respect; he had hurt her so cruelly she could not even consider her life with him in it.

  He was in shock, she thought; he certainly stood there for a few minutes, his mouth slightly agape, no words coming out.

  And then Lee turned on her heel and marched up the hill of Totnes high street, beneath the strings of Christmas lights, ignoring the shouts of ‘Lee’ once Nathan finally found his voice.

  Chapter 9

  Pleased that Nathan didn’t know her address, she enjoyed a hot shower to remove the paint and dust from her body before snuggling down into her bed with a freshly made hot water bottle. Sleep eluded her for a long time, despite the multiple glasses of wine, as she replayed the evening’s events in her head. She hadn’t expected to see him; he seemed so out of place there, stood on the street outside her little café, that she had been in shock for a while.

  It was his words, though, that haunted her. Why wasn’t he more repentant? Why wasn’t he begging for forgiveness? She just didn’t understand. He said he was sorry, yes - but he wasn’t flooded with remorse. He gave excuses, he blamed her for leaving, he made statements that made no sense… If he really wanted their marriage, if it really had been a stupid mistake, wouldn’t he be devastated?

  She wondered whether he really wanted to fight for their marriage at all, or whether he was just going through the motions, doing what was expected of him.

  Would he stay the night somewhere, or would he drive straight back? She didn’t like how much he was on her mind this evening; what had been such an enjoyable evening had been soured by his appearance. Gina had realised she didn’t want to talk about it, and had kept her questions to a minimum - and yet here Lee was, with his name and his words running round her head, making the sleep that had come so easily in recent days elusive.

  It was late when she fell into a fitful sleep, with twisted dreams filling her mind. Images of Nathan, of the blonde, an imagined image of the nurse he’d spoken of at work… they all melded into one nightmare, held in their bedroom back in Bristol. Brandon, the sexist pig who’d overturned her for a male lawyer, appeared there too, although it made no sense for him to be there, and Lee woke several times with sweat on her forehead and her heart racing a hundred miles a minute, only calming down when she realised she was miles away in Devon.

  ***

  The next day as she and Gina headed back to café to organise deliveries, Lee found herself constantly looking over her shoulder, wondering if Nathan would reappear. Did she want him to? She didn’t think so, although she’d be lying if she hadn’t considered what she would say if he actually did apologise properly, actually did beg for her to forgive him. The problem was, no matter how much she mulled it over in her mind, she wasn’t sure what she would do if that actually did happen.

  Then again, she didn’t think it was likely to happen.

  This was their final day of preparations before the big opening on Monday, and Lee found herself feeling proud of what they had achieved. Although the charm of the little café that she had fallen in love with remained, it looked fresh and vibrant - and definitely had a new stamp on it. Today was the day that Gina’s sign was being fitted, and once again she felt lucky she’d met Gina, for she knew two people who could fit it that afternoon - and all for the promise of a free coffee on Monday.

  Holding her breath, Lee watched as the two men finished fitting the sign, making sure it was straight and clear. She felt a bubble of excitement ripple through her as they finished and she read the sign: Carol’s Café.

  “Who’s Carol then?” one of them - Mason, she thought he was called - asked, looking a little confused.

  “She was my gran,” Lee replied; “I always used to go to coffee shops with her, so it seemed fitting. Besides, I love a bit of alliteration!”

  “Sounds good,” he replied, dusting off his hands with a rag and packing away his tools.

  “Oh, Lee, it looks wonderful.” Lee whirled round to see Val stood, looking up at the café that had been hers for so many years.

  “You think so?” Lee asked with a cautious smile. “I felt bad changing things…”

  “Oh, shush, it needed updating and I couldn’t face painting it, not with my old bones. No, it looks fantastic - I can’t wait to come in on Monday for a cup of tea!”

  Lee beamed - it was just what she’d needed to hear.

  ***

  Opening day arrived drizzly and grey - but, since it was the first of December, Lee wasn’t too surprised. She and Gina were at the café bright and early, making sure everything was ready. Both wore brand new aprons, with colourful cupcake patterns all over them. The coffee machine was on and ready to go, and Gina had spent several hours teaching Lee the basics of making a good coffee. While hers didn’t look as artistic as Gina’s - and she planned to take the orders and money and leave the actual barista work to Gina - she’d be able to make them at a push.

  “Ready?” Gina asked as the clock struck eight, and Lee nodded. A blackboard was propped up on the counter with their opening offer - any drink and a cake for £5. With a nervous smile at one another, they turned the sign from ‘closed’ to ‘open’ and unlocked the door, ready for their first customers.

  It was slow, at first; it was earlier than most of their friends would be up and about and in a coffee shop. But the rain worked in their favour, and slowly the trickle of customers (most of whom commented on the new decor and asked how long they’d been open) turned to a stream and by lunch time it was threatening to become a flood.

  “Wow, Lee - it’s packed!” Val’s thin voice somehow rang out over all the chatter in the café; it was just after lunch time and nearly every table was full.

  “Oh, Val, here, have this table,” Lee said, quickly wiping down the only free table and directing Val to it. She glanced around at the tables full of every type of tea, coffee and hot chocolate, and grinned. “It’s gone well! Lots of advertising for today though - I’m not expecting this every day. Still, it’s nice to get our names out there!”

>   “It’ll be all anyone can talk about - trust me,” Val said, patting Lee on the hand. “Now, let me take a look at this menu, you get on with whatever you need to do.”

  The bell on the door rang as it opened again, and Lee nodded. “I’ll be back in a minute!”

  Back behind the counter, she turned to face the customer who had just walked in. He wore a police uniform, but carried the hat in his hand which let her see his curly, dark blond hair. She met his blue eyes and smiled, and was rewarded with a grin that showed off a gorgeous set of straight, white teeth.

  “Hello, officer,” she said, surprised to hear a hint of flirtation in her voice. “I hope there’s nothing wrong?”

  The tall man laughed a little, and then glanced up at the menu. “No, not unless you know something I don’t! I was told I could get the best coffee around, so I thought I’d come in on my break and grab one. You only opened today, right?”

  “That’s right,” Lee said with a grin. “And they are the best coffees.”

  “What would you recommend?”

  “How about a gingerbread macchiato? Especially for Christmas - unless you’re not feeling festive yet.”

  “How could I not be feeling festive - the town lights are on, the tree is lit - I’ll take one.”

  Gina began to make the drink without needing to be told; she and Lee had got into a rhythm today when they had been rushed off their feet and they were pleased to have made few mistakes.

  The police officer counted out change to pay for the drink, and as Lee was ringing it into the till he spoke again; “You know, if you’re feeling festive, the Christmas market opens this evening. It always pretty magical…”

  She didn’t feel the need to mention she already knew, or that she was already going; she simply smiled, and handed him his change. “Thanks.”

  As he left with his coffee, Gina elbowed her sharply in the ribs. “What was that?” she asked with a grin.

  “Nothing…” Lee said, blushing furiously. And it was nothing - her marriage had just fallen apart, there was no way she was looking for another man right now. Besides, she was getting ahead of herself - all she had done was a bit of casual flirting with a good looking police officer…

  Chapter 10

  At five thirty, they locked the front door, turned the signs to closed and sat themselves down on the white, wooden chairs that they had freshly painted that week.

  “I’m exhausted!” Gina exclaimed, but she was smiling all the same. Lee glanced at Gina and smiled; her hair was falling out of its messy bun, she had splatters of milk and coffee down her apron what looked like cake crumbs on her top. Had Lee seen herself in the mirror, she would have seen that she didn’t look much different - messy, exhausted but elated.

  “I can’t believe how many people came!” Lee said, desperate for a cup of coffee but lacking the motivation to move and make one.

  “I know a lot of people in this town and, besides, everyone loves somewhere new. Now we’ve just got to keep the business up. Have you counted how much we took?”

  “Not yet,” Lee admitted. She knew she wouldn’t make a profit in the beginning - after all, she was the one paying the wages and paying for the redecorating - but she hoped that it wouldn’t be long before it turned a small profit.

  “I could fall asleep here,” Gina admitted.

  “We promised we’d go to the opening of the Christmas market!” Lee said, trying to get some energy back into her voice.

  “I know, I know. You only want to go because PC Gorgeous might be there!” Lee batted her away and rolled her eyes.

  “Please,” she said, “I’ve got so much on my mind right now. It’s just that we promised your friends, and I do love a Christmas market! Let’s go home - I’ve got the car round the corner - and get showered, then go for half an hour or so. Then an early night before we’re back in here tomorrow!” They’d planned to both work every day the first couple of weeks - then they would take it in turns so they could have time off. They were both too excited about the project for now to mind giving up all their free time.

  “Oh okay, okay - but I’m keeping my eye out for PC Gorgeous, you know, just in case.”

  Lee didn’t respond to that, but instead busied herself with locking up and setting the alarm. In truth, her mind was a jumbled mess; Nathan’s sudden appearance over the weekend had shattered her carefully composed veneer of calm, and someone flirting with her had made her feel all sorts of feelings of guilt and confusion. As they walked to the car, they passed a tiny little wedding dress shop and Lee couldn’t help her eye from wandering to the display in the window, and her mind from wandering back to her own wedding dress: white, A-line, covered in a delicate lace with a long train. She’d felt like the most important woman in the world in that dress; felt like her life was charmed. She had the job, she had the man, she had the gorgeous home…

  Had being the operative word.

  By the time they’d reached the car, Gina was asking her if she was okay as she was so quiet; Lee told her she was just tired, but the truth was much more complex.

  Was she making a huge mistake, walking away from her seemingly charmed life because of a set back?

  ***

  A hot shower gave her mind time to calm and her muscles time to ease from their day of hard graft. She couldn’t remember the last time she had done such a physical day’s work - and she hoped her body would cope with the shock of a job so different from sitting at her desk or representing people in court.

  “Bathroom’s free,” she shouted to Gina, who had opted for the second shower before their trip into town for some well-earned mulled wine at the Christmas market. Back in her bedroom with a towel wrapped around her hair to keep it from dripping down her back, she shivered slightly and rifled through her growing collection of new, second hand and vintage clothes. Considering she’d arrived here with only the clothes on her back nearly three weeks previously, she’d amassed a decent enough range of clothes. A pair of black jeans and a slightly sparkly silver top were the choices she went with: smart, warm and a little bit festive. On a whim she chose some candy cane earrings that she’d bought in the market the previous week, before drying her hair quickly in an attempt to warm herself up. She glanced at the clock - six thirty, and they were meeting friends at seven. A quick listen out of her bedroom door told her Gina was still in the shower, and she decided to give Beth a quick call.

  Perhaps she could reassure her that her crazy decisions were rooted in some sort of sanity.

  She answered after the third ring - a good sign for someone who often let it ring off before ringing back ten minutes later, having forgotten to put her phone on loud. “Hey, Beth, it’s me.”

  “Lee! I’ve been meaning to ring all week. How’s things?”

  “Honestly? I haven’t a clue. But they’re definitely busy…” Lee filled her in on the purchase of the lease, opening Carol’s Café and their successful first day.

  “What happened to my always-planning big sister?” Beth asked with a laugh. “You’re more like me every day. Are you happy?”

  “I’m happier than I was, does that count?”

  “Definitely.”

  “I wasn’t sure… I passed a wedding dress shop today. It made me think… and Nathan came here over the weekend.”

  “He did?? Why wasn’t that the first thing you told me!”

  “Oh Beth,” Lee said with a sigh, running a hand through her freshly dried hair. “He just appeared, I wasn’t expecting it… and he didn’t even seem that apologetic, truth be told. He said he was sorry, but…”

  “But?”

  “I just felt like he was going through the motions. Doing what was expected.” It was the first time she had admitted it out loud. “I told him I want a divorce.”

  “Good. Lee, he doesn’t deserve you - you are worth ten of him. You do whatever it is that makes you happy - screw everyone else.”

  “I’m going to a Christmas market tonight - does that count?”

>   “For you, yes! Not for me - but you know I’m very bah humbug about these things.”

  “A cute police officer flirted with me today,” Lee blurted out, without really planning to.

  “Really!” Lee could almost picture the grin on Beth’s face.

  “Oh, stop, it was just flirting. But it was nice that someone might want to flirt with me.”

  “Shirley Jones, you are gorgeous, and don’t you forget it. You’ll have men falling over themselves to date you, when you want them to - trust me.”

  “You always say just what I need, sis. And I’ve decided to go back to my maiden name - I don’t really want to hear Jones.”

  “Point taken. Anyway, enjoy your evening - I’ll speak to you soon?”