Love Heart Lane

by Christie Barlow

  ‘But Auntie Isla said we’d raised lots and lots of money for the new bridge which means we can get Grandma home when she’s better.’

  ‘We can, the donations are flooding in.’

  ‘That means we’ve done a good job. So why is Daddy so mad with us?’

  ‘Well, I think you need to have a chat with your daddy about that. Sometime adults get it wrong too and I know for a fact he’s been so sad since you’ve been gone. He’ll have the biggest hug for you ever.’

  The hut door burst open and the look of relief on Fergus’s face was instant, the second he lay eyes on Esme. Scooping her up from Felicity’s knee, he hugged her like his life depended on it.

  ‘Thank God, thank God you’re safe,’ he murmured over and over, kissing her hair. ‘I’m sorry I shouted at you, I’m sorry we argued.’ He sat down on the mouldy damp sofa next to Felicity and smoothed down Esme’s hair. ‘What made you run away, I’ve been very sad without you.’

  Esme swung her legs and looked at the ground. ‘You were really mad, and I didn’t like you arguing with Felicity.’ She took a breath. ‘You shouted at her for posting the video and it wasn’t her.’ Esme looked down to the ground. ‘It was me…’

  ‘You?’ said Fergus in disbelief.

  Esme nodded. ‘Felicity’s phone was on the table and I picked it up and pressed something, and the video sent but I didn’t think it would matter until you started shouting. I’m sorry I made you mad.’

  Fergus glanced over towards Felicity who was looking at Esme. He didn’t know what to say.

  ‘And I didn’t like you telling me I couldn’t see her anymore. I like Felicity.’ Esme looked up through her fringe and gave Felicity a smile before looking back down at the ground again.

  Fergus took hold of his daughter’s hands. ‘I didn’t mean to shout, and I certainly didn’t mean to upset you.’

  ‘But we’re raising money for the bridge, to see Grandma. It’s a good thing isn’t it?’

  Fergus nodded. ‘It is a good thing,’ he said, not wanting to rock the boat. He had his own reasons for not wanting Esme to appear on the internet, but he’d never shared that insecurity with anyone.

  Felicity sat quietly throughout it all and watched the interaction between Fergus and Esme without interruption. He absolutely doted on his little girl; the love and warmth oozed out of his every pore.

  ‘What made you come to this place?’ asked Fergus, looking around the room then back at Esme.

  ‘Grandma tells me stories about the hut on the hill and the adventure always begins at the stile at the top of Love Heart Lane.’

  ‘She does now, does she?’

  ‘She told me you used to come here in the summer and hang out with Uncle Drew and Rory.’

  ‘We did, and Auntie Isla, Allie and Felicity too.’

  Esme’s wide eyes looked towards Felicity. ‘You’ve known my dad a really long time!’

  ‘I have,’ she answered with a smile. ‘Now shall we get you back down the mountain and see what my mum has to offer in the teashop to eat? You must be hungry?’

  Esme looked up at Fergus. ‘I am hungry.’

  ‘Come on, let’s go and get you fed but you have to promise never to run away again. You’ve given everyone the fright of their lives! And Auntie Isla and Finn were upset too,’ said Fergus, standing up. Felicity copied his lead.

  ‘I’m sorry Daddy.’ Esme cupped one of her tiny hands in her dad’s and the other one in Felicity’s as they began to walk back down the mountain.

  ‘Can we all be friends again?’ asked Esme, with hope in her voice.

  ‘Of course,’ answered Fergus, ruffling the top of his daughter’s hair. Esme skipped between them both and Felicity took a moment to reflect on the last few hours. She felt shattered and emotionally drained and had never been so frightened in her life. She’d experienced emotion like she’d never felt before and never ever wanted to experience again. Was this what it felt like to be a mother? The feeling of fear that had surged through her body when discovering Esme had disappeared was one she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy.

  Chapter 24

  The next morning, Felicity was sitting in the living room with her ear to the end of the receiver waiting for the phone to connect. She’d no idea what Annie Boyd’s reaction was going to be to her suggestion, but she was about to find out. Since the last news report everyone had been flabbergasted by the donations they’d received and the total was hovering near one hundred thousand, which was unbelievable in such a short space of time. Huge businesses were donating all over the country and the response was overwhelming.

  ‘Annie Boyd speaking.’ The voice on the other end of the line spoke with authority.

  ‘Hi, this is Felicity Simons, spokeswoman for the residents of Heartcross.’

  ‘Hello, Felicity, how are things at your end?’

  Felicity took a breath and began to explain all about the video and how it had gone viral. There was no denying Annie Boyd was impressed and even more so when Felicity shared the news of the fundraising total.

  ‘And that’s why I’m ringing,’ continued Felicity. ‘I’m aware I can’t be involved in the reconstruction of the original bridge, due to the many departments that need to be involved etc. But I was hoping with Councillor Smith now out of the equation and while you appoint someone else in his position, I could crack on?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ asked Annie with intrigue.

  ‘With the funds sat there, I could organise a meeting with the contractors and facilitate the go ahead for the temporary bridge to be erected – sooner rather than later for the residents of Heartcross.’

  For a moment Annie Boyd was quiet on the other end of the line. ‘And you think you can do that single-handedly?’

  ‘I can give it my best shot and I’m sure you can steer me in the right direction.’

  ‘I can indeed, I’ll email you a list of contractors we use alongside some other vital contacts. You really have done amazingly well raising that amount of money in such a short space of time. I’ll be employing you as a chief fundraiser!’ she said and gave a little chuckle.

  ‘That’s settled then,’ said Felicity, wearing an enormous grin. ‘I’ll get to work as soon as I receive the email.’

  ‘I’ll send it now and please keep me in the loop, Felicity.’

  ‘I will,’ and with that Felicity hung up.

  With a spring in her step she fired up her laptop and waited for the email to land in her inbox. True to her word, Annie Boyd had sent it immediately and had included a list of contractors, some of whom were based over in Glensheil and some even further afield. Maybe Felicity would need to take Drew up on his offer of launching his boat across the river to meet up with some of these people. There were approximately twenty names on the list and it was more than likely most of them were in the middle of projects already. Who knew when they could begin work on the temporary bridge? There was only one way to find out; she grabbed the phone and made herself as comfy as she could be on the bottom stair before she began to ring the names starting at the top of the list. But with every contractor she tried, she discovered that most already had work on for the next few months and couldn’t juggle their workload to help the residents of Heartcross. This wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d thought.

  Felicity crossed off the next name with a pencil and let out a sigh; she wasn’t going to be beaten. The next name she stared at was … surely not … Alfie Wilson.

  Felicity remembered back to the meeting in the teashop where Alfie had tried to ridicule her in front of everyone. He hadn’t changed from school, and he wasn’t a person that Felicity had ever warmed to, but maybe on this occasion she could muddle along with him for the sake of Heartcross? He must be good at his job if he had contracts with the council.

  Felicity pondered for a minute before popping back through to the teashop. ‘Have I got time to nip out?’

  Rona looked towards her daughter. ‘You have … is this to do with the phone
call?’

  Felicity tapped her chest and grinned. ‘You are looking at chief temporary bridge erector … not that that is the most glamourous title I could have given myself.’

  ‘Annie Boyd went for it?’

  ‘She did. She was amazed by the amount of donations and gave me the go ahead to get the show on the road, and the bridge over troubled waters.’

  ‘So, what’s the plan now?’ asked Rona, adding a pinch of salt to the pot simmering on the hob.

  ‘Well, I’ve started to ring around a few contractors, but so far no one could help due to their own workload. But then an interesting name came up on the list.’

  Rona raised an eyebrow. ‘Who?’

  ‘Alfie Wilson – not my favourite person in the world…’

  ‘Yes, but needs must, and that’s definitely his line of work. Is that where you are going now?’

  Felicity nodded. ‘Wish me luck.’

  Strolling down Love Heart Lane, Felicity noticed Drew and Fergus trundling along in a nearby field in the tractor. She hadn’t seen Fergus since they’d walked Esme back to the teashop, but she’d made her mind up to go and call in at the cottage later that evening to see how the land lay. She spotted Heather cycling through the village past the pub and she waved at Felicity who waved back.

  Despite the cold weather, there was Alfie, sitting outside the pub at one of the picnic tables with a full pint of beer in front of him, reading a newspaper.

  ‘Just the man,’ said Felicity, forcing a bright smile and trying not to hold a grudge at the way Alfie had tried to stitch her up in front of the other residents at the meeting.

  Alfie Wilson’s large-lidded eyes looked up with suspicion, and he took a glance behind him before turning back towards Felicity. ‘Are you talking to me?’

  ‘Yes,’ she answered brightly. ‘You are just the man I need.’ She regretted those words as soon as they’d left her mouth.

  ‘Really?’ he sniffed.

  ‘Have you got time for a chat?’

  Alfie shifted uncomfortably on the bench and moved his newspaper to one side.

  ‘I suppose,’ he answered disgruntledly, taking a sip of his pint and not looking happy at all.

  ‘I’ve got a proposition for you.’

  A sly smile slid across his face and again, Felicity regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.

  ‘How’s work?’

  ‘Work?’ he replied in puzzlement. ‘Proving a little difficult with the bridge collapse.’

  ‘That’s what I thought. How do you fancy being Heartcross’s knight in shining armour?’ Felicity trilled, sliding her legs under the bench opposite him.

  ‘Huh?’ he huffed, not having a clue what Felicity was leading to.

  ‘The video…’

  ‘The one with you and Fergus’s kid?’

  ‘That’s the one … it’s had a huge impact on raising the funds to erect a temporary bridge across the river. In fact donations are pouring in all the time.’

  ‘What’s that got to do with me?’

  ‘I’ve had the go ahead from Annie Boyd to recruit a contractor to manage the build.’

  It was only then that Alfie Wilson sat up straight and began to take notice of Felicity.

  ‘That’s going to be a big deal.’

  ‘It is indeed. How are you fixed?’

  ‘Me?’ He put a hand to his chest.

  ‘Well, you are on the council’s books and why not? It’s not as though you’re run off your feet at the moment, and this is your type of work, isn’t it?’

  ‘And you thought of me?’ He cocked an eyebrow.

  Felicity didn’t want to admit that actually she’d rung quite a few numbers on the list before she’d gotten around to him. Alfie didn’t need to know that.

  ‘You have to look after your own in this village, and as you are born and bred Heartcross, you are the best man for the job.’ Felicity didn’t know why she was blowing smoke up his backside, it wasn’t as though he was going to turn her down. What else did he have to do at this moment in time? ‘Your name will go down in the history books,’ she added, trying to seal the deal.

  The corners of his mouth turned up even more. ‘Let’s go and talk in my office,’ he suggested, standing up and swilling his pint down at record speed.

  Felicity didn’t even know he had an office or where it was, but she stood up and followed him down the lane anyway.

  As a child, she remembered Alfie and his family lived off the High Street in a two-up two-down, and that’s exactly where it looked like they were heading to now.

  ‘Here we are,’ he said pushing open the garden gate. Felicity followed him down the shingle path that led around the side of the house and towards the bottom of the garden. In front of her was a ramshackle shed that look like it had seen better days.

  ‘Come in,’ he said, pushing open a creaky door. Felicity had no idea how it was still standing after all the recent storms. She followed him inside and noticed the place was cold, his desk was stacked high with papers and there was barely any light shining through the grimy windows, which at a guess had never been cleaned in their lifetime.

  ‘Have a seat,’ he said.

  Felicity stole a glance around the small space but couldn’t see a place to sit.

  ‘Sorry,’ he said, shifting some paperwork off an old camping chair in the corner of the room. ‘Sit here.’

  Felicity carefully lowered herself into the chair and prayed it wouldn’t collapse underneath her.

  ‘It’s looks like quite an empire you have here,’ she said, eyeing up the most gigantic spider in the corner of the shed and praying with all her might it wouldn’t drop on her head anytime soon.

  ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘it all goes on in here.’

  Felicity was in no doubt whatsoever and shivered at the very thought.

  ‘So, what happens now?’ she asked, keen to move things along quickly.

  ‘I’ll draw up the contract and get the team in place, and you will need to transfer the money into the business account, so I can pay wages etc,’ he said, handing Felicity a folder that contained the banking details. ‘I’ll also liaise with Annie Boyd, as she’s actually a good friend of mine. We tend to use the same men for each job, and the majority of them live over in Glensheil which will make things a little easier on that side at least!’

  ‘It sounds like this will begin moving forward quickly.’ Felicity said in hope.

  ‘I’m on it now,’ replied Alfie, opening the filing cabinet and pulling out some papers. ‘We need to reunite this community with the outside world and thank you for thinking of me,’ he said with sudden sincerity. ‘Things have been a little difficult for me recently and this has given me a purpose again.’ His face softened and for the first time ever Felicity saw his hard exterior disappear.

  ‘Like I said, if the community can help each other, then let’s make sure we support each other.’

  Alfie nodded, and held her gaze for a moment longer than necessary. ‘You know at school, I always had a bit of a soft spot for you.’

  Felicity was taken back. ‘Actually, no I didn’t know that.’

  Alfie Wilson had always been one of those lads, the class clown. The guy who sat at the back, disrupting lessons and always being sent out of the classroom. As far as Felicity could remember, Alfie had fallen into a bad crowd at secondary school, whilst the rest of the gang from Heartcross had stuck together.

  ‘You were the prettiest, the funniest, the brainiest, everyone wanted to be your boyfriend.’

  ‘Don’t be daft,’ she said and found herself blushing.

  ‘It’s true, but you only ever had eyes for Fergus.’

  Those words rung true. Felicity knew that was the case – after those summer holidays hanging out at the hut there was never going to be anyone else for her.

  ‘That is true,’ she found herself saying. ‘So why have things been difficult for you?’ she asked tentatively, changing the subject.

  Alfie ble
w out a breath. ‘Remember my brother … Lucas?’

  Of course, Felicity remembered Lucas, he was a few years older than them.

  ‘Yes. Didn’t he move to London too?’ Felicity loosely remembered her mum saying something in passing.

  ‘Yes, he met his wife on a training course and fell deeply and madly in love. He left Heartcross and moved to London to be with her and bring up their family.’

  ‘That doesn’t sound a bad thing?’ queried Felicity.

  ‘They have one daughter. My niece, she’s gorgeous but then…’

  ‘But what?’

  ‘My brother’s wife, she became ill … she was diagnosed with cancer…’

  Felicity felt a surge of emotion. ‘That’s awful. I’m truly sorry, Alfie.’

  Alfie swallowed. ‘The good news is she’s come through it. I wanted to help more but I’m too far away, although I’ve spoken to my brother most days.’

  ‘And I’m sure he appreciates that. It is difficult when you live so far away.’ Felicity felt for Alfie, having been in a similar situation.

  ‘Why don’t you go and visit them?’ she suggested.

  Alfie sighed. ‘I think we need to build a bridge first to get me out of Heartcross.’ He gave a small chuckle.

  ‘Oh, there is that,’ said Felicity trying to lighten the mood.

  ‘And London is such a long way from Scotland.’

  ‘Opposite ends of the country,’ joked Felicity. ‘But on a serious note, don’t leave it too long. If you want to go and spend some time with them, just do it. When my grandma was dying … I regret not coming home, spending more time with her. I was caught up in my own problems and before I knew it, it was too late. Grandma passed away and I never got to say goodbye. That’s something that is going to live with me for the rest of my life.’

  Alfie thought about it for a second. ‘You know what, I think I will go and see them, just as soon as we get this temporary bridge up and running. Otherwise it might be years before the people of Heartcross can escape to the other side.’

  ‘That sounds like an excellent plan.’

  ‘Felicity … I’m sorry for being a pain in the backside in the teashop.’