‘Ah, well …’ Theo began.
‘Typical.’ She thumped her glass down. ‘As if Kate hasn’t been through enough, as soon as her back’s turned—’
‘There’s absolutely nothing going on between Theo and me. This is a surprise for her,’ I said, jumping in quickly. ‘Kate has given Theo an ultimatum to have the cottage business up and running by the time she gets back and I’ve offered to help. And let’s not forget,’ I said quietly, ‘that Theo has been through just as much as Kate.’
‘I know that.’ She huffed indignantly. ‘But I would have helped, Theo. Kate asked if I’d keep an eye on you, so I came round every day for a week offering to help. But you wouldn’t let me in.’
‘She really asked you to do that?’ he said.
‘Really.’ Molly tucked her hair behind her ears.
‘Sorry,’ Theo mumbled. ‘I went to pieces for a while. I only let Archie in because … I had no choice.’
He met my eye and I remembered that awful day with the bailiffs and the surprise arrival of the Bird family and the state of Driftwood Lodge. The coffers still weren’t exactly overflowing, but the recent bookings, plus the sale of his car to Archie were currently keeping the wolf from the door. And I had every confidence that he’d stay on top of his finances from now on.
‘Whatever.’ She knocked back the rest of her champagne and stood up. ‘You’ve got an actress to help you so obviously my professional services aren’t required.’
I willed Theo to say something to smooth her feathers.
‘Okay. Cheerio.’ He tipped up his glass and swallowed. ‘And thanks for the cake.’
Give me strength.
‘Molly, please don’t rush off.’ I touched her arm. ‘It seems to me that we all want the same thing. To give Theo and Kate the happy ending they deserve. I’m going to be here for another few weeks and I’d like us to be friends. Plus, there’s still some fizz left in the bottle.’
She bit her lip. ‘It’s tempting.’
I felt a twinge of hope until I realized she was contemplating another drink rather than being my friend.
Then she lifted her bag on to her shoulder. ‘But I’ve got to pick my son up from my neighbour’s soon.’
‘How is little …?’ said Theo, topping up everyone’s glasses regardless.
‘Ellis,’ said Molly with a flicker of amusement. ‘His name is Ellis and he’s fine. Thanks for the offer of another drink, but I’d better not or I’ll fall off my bike.’
‘Okay, another time?’ I began to walk her back to the courtyard.
‘Sure. Listen, I email Kate regularly,’ she hesitated. ‘I’m guessing you don’t want me to mention to her that you’re here?’
‘It’s up to you,’ I said. ‘She’s your friend. If you think that she needs to know, when she’s seven thousand miles away, unable to do anything but worry about it, tell her. But please believe me, my only reason for being here is to get Kate and Theo’s marriage back on track.’
She thought about it for a moment and, with a curt nod, handed me the cake tin and put her helmet back on. ‘I believe you.’
I was so relieved I pulled her into a hug just as a car roared up the drive and curved into a skid sending a shower of gravel towards our legs.
‘What on earth …?’ Molly gasped.
It was Archie in Theo’s old Triumph, which was unrecognizable. The red paintwork was glossy, the chrome gleamed and the engine sounded rich and throaty. Archie grinned at us through the driver’s side window and revved the engine. And then the passenger door flew open and Eliza jumped out.
Molly went over to greet her. She must have been a few years older than Eliza, but it seemed they knew each other well.
Archie got out, jingling his keys proudly. ‘What do you think of my new hobby?’
‘That depends whether it’s helped lower your blood pressure.’ I prodded his chest.
‘Ah, doctors,’ said Archie, waving a hand. ‘What do they know?’
Theo slapped him on the back. ‘Can I have my car back please? I’ll return all your money.’
‘Ha, not likely. It’s worth a fortune now. Look at this.’
In an instant Archie had the bonnet up and the two men stuck their heads under it.
‘So how did you end up in my brother’s car?’ I asked, joining Eliza and Molly who were whispering. Probably about me.
‘Hey, Nina,’ Eliza said in a high voice, her plump cheeks turning as pink as her hair.
Definitely talking about me.
‘He saw me struggling with my bag at the bottom of the drive and gave me a lift,’ she said, fanning her face. ‘And you’ve met Molly, that’s nice, now we can all be friends.’
I looked at Molly, who also looked flushed.
‘Eliza’s just told me how you gave up your job and rushed back from London to look out for Theo,’ she muttered. ‘I’m sorry I doubted your motives. They’ve been through so much as a couple and I really want them to have the happy-ever-after I didn’t get with my marriage. I’m afraid recent events have left me a bit suspicious of men and attractive single women.’
‘Mine and Theo’s relationship is completely above board, I promise,’ I said with a grin. ‘Friends?’
‘Sure.’ She smiled. ‘I’ve never met a celebrity. I feel a bit star struck.’
I laughed. ‘You hid it very well.’
‘Yay, now we can all be mermaids together,’ cried Eliza. ‘The tails have arrived from America just in time! Let’s go and try them on!’
Molly and I pulled faces at each other as she scooted round to Archie’s boot and pulled out a big nylon zipper bag.
‘More drinks, everyone?’ Theo held up the bottle.
‘Not for me,’ said Archie. ‘I’d rather have a cup of tea.’
‘Me too,’ said Molly, whipping off her helmet. Archie looked at her properly for the first time and obviously liked what he saw.
‘Molly meet Archie, my brother. Archie, this is Molly, a friend of Kate’s.’
‘Wow,’ said Archie. ‘I mean hello. Pleased to meet you.’
‘Hey,’ she said, coolly holding out her hand for him to shake.
‘Sorry, I’m a bit sweaty,’ he said with a grin.
‘You are,’ agreed Molly, wiping her hands on her leggings – a gesture that also wiped the smile off his face.
‘Molly has a little boy,’ I added. ‘Called Ellis.’
‘He’d like your car. He’s only four but he’s car mad,’ said Molly. ‘Unfortunately I can’t drive, and since my husband left me for Tess the Tart, he’s reduced to riding on the back of my bike.’
‘I am rather proud of the Triumph,’ Archie said. ‘Spent a fortune on it to get it running again. Treated myself to a deluxe mohair hood. Top of the range.’
‘Sounds like a waste of money to me,’ said Molly, doubtfully.
Archie swallowed. ‘Well, I—’
‘Who wants cake?’ I said, whipping the lid off the cake tin. ‘Molly made it.’
‘Yes please,’ said Archie, patting his flat stomach. ‘What sort is it?’
I had never seen my brother eat cake in his life. He was a savoury snacker through and through.
‘Oh, nothing special,’ she shrugged, ‘just a banana loaf.’
‘My favourite,’ said Archie goofily, gazing at her.
He hated bananas.
‘Then it’s your lucky day,’ she said drily, pulling her phone from her pocket.
I went in to fetch a knife and some plates while Molly phoned her neighbour to check on Ellis. This afternoon was turning into quite a party.
Chapter 15
Before I got as far as the kitchen the phone in the hall rang.
‘Brightside Holidays, how may I help?’ I said.
‘Maxine here,’ said my mentor bluntly. ‘How’s the friend in need?’
‘Apart from being allergic to his own cat, he’s fine, thankfully,’ I said, explaining about the series of unfortunate events that had led Eliza to suspect
Theo was suicidal. ‘Bit of a wasted journey, really.’
‘On the contrary,’ she argued. ‘Now your friend knows he can count on your support when he does need it; we all want someone who’ll drop everything for us. Bravo.’
‘That’s a lovely way to put it, thank you,’ I said, with a rush of warmth for the usually no-nonsense Maxine.
‘So now what?’ she said.
‘Technically, I could come back to London,’ I said. My mood dropped a notch at the thought.
‘No need. The writers are raving about the “long coma” storyline you and I concocted. Ron and Marjorie will soon be conducting a clandestine affair right under Nurse Elsie’s nose. The cast is thrilled. It’s going to be very uncomfortable viewing.’
She said this last bit with relish and I couldn’t help smiling.
‘I’m so glad the show hasn’t suffered too badly after I leaked my own death,’ I said. ‘What a relief.’
‘Told you,’ she said blithely. ‘And the PR team thinks the new thread is strong enough to make the cover of Sensational Soaps magazine. So all in all you’ve probably done us a favour.’
‘In that case, I’d like to stay here and get Theo’s business properly established.’ I paused. ‘But two months away from London is a long time, do you think my career will suffer?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ she scoffed. ‘You’re still on screen in Victory Road and even after the episode in which you’re injured airs, you’ll still appear comatose under the bed sheets.’
She was right but it wasn’t quite what I meant. I didn’t have an agent any more, and I was worried if I wasn’t seen out and about that people in the business would forget about me.
‘But London’s where it’s at,’ I said. ‘I should be seen, I should network. Build my profile.’
Maxine clicked her tongue. ‘I think you’ve done enough of that for the time being.’
I sighed. ‘You’re right. All I really want to do is be a better actress. But I can’t even work on that if I’m down here.’
‘Not true. Laurence Olivier once said that an actor should be able to create the universe in the palm of his hand. And to do that, dear heart, you need to experience the universe, the world, life. Use your time away from London wisely: feast on life, observe, interact, soak up the emotions of others, get high on new experiences. It will add new depths to your craft. Something you’ll never get from flirting with the gossip columns. Whatever that agent of yours says.’
‘Ex-agent,’ I said. ‘And yes, I’ll do just that, I promise.’
Just then Eliza dragged her huge bag into the hall and pulled out a long strip of iridescent fabric in shimmering tones of blue and another of orange and pink.
‘Sorry to interrupt,’ she said, ‘but do you want to be Peacock Mermaid or Tropical Mermaid? I’ve already bagged Bahama Blush Mermaid.’
‘What was that?’ Maxine demanded. ‘Did someone just say mermaid?’
‘Got to go, Maxine,’ I said with a giggle. ‘Looks like I’m going to be very busy experiencing life.’
Ten minutes later, Molly, Eliza and I had been transformed.
‘Oh my word,’ I laughed, adjusting my realistic-looking scallop-shell bra. ‘I like it. I really am a mermaid.’
The full-length mirror confirmed it. From the waist down I was encased in a tight spandex tail which changed through a spectrum of blues as I moved. Eliza added the final touch: a stiff piece of plastic which she stuffed into the fin-shaped bottom section. She pulled me up to standing and turned me round on the spot.
‘Amazing. And this is just on dry land,’ she beamed. ‘Wait till you get into the water.’
‘That water, out there?’ I pointed through my bedroom window to the sea. Even from this distance I could see the frills of white, indicating how rough the waves were.
‘It’s the most incredible experience,’ she confirmed. ‘And free, that’s what I love about it: the freedom. Kicking powerfully through the water so fast it feels like you’re flying. You feel magical.’
‘And totally freezing, I should imagine,’ Molly put in.
‘Pah,’ Eliza said, as if hypothermia was beneath the concerns of a mythical sea-creature, and tugged at her own tail, which was straining a bit over her generous curves.
‘You’ve been obsessed with mermaids since primary school,’ Molly said, wriggling her legs into a very tight orange and pink Lycra sheath. She looked incredibly sexy in hers. If anyone was going to lure men on to the rocks with a siren song, it was Molly. ‘I’m so happy you’ve made this happen.’
‘I know. Remember how jealous I was of Madison when I realized she’d been named after the mermaid in that film Splash?’ She turned to me to explain. ‘Molly’s little sister Madison was in my class.’
Molly snorted. ‘And on careers day Madison said you got in trouble because you filled in your career form saying you wanted to be a mermaid and your key skills were keeping your eyes open under water and holding your breath.’
‘That horrible Mr Norton had no imagination. He wanted me to learn touch-typing.’ Eliza pulled a face.
The pink in her hair matched her tail perfectly and her bikini top, which was doing its best to protect her modesty, had tiny shells knitted together with silver thread. She looked ethereal and beautiful and completely elated.
‘I definitely couldn’t see you cooped up in an office, typing all day long,’ I said.
‘There was no chance of that. I had a vision, I knew I could make it happen. I had a job in an underwater-themed restaurant in Australia for two months. They had a tank behind the bar and I used to swim backwards and forwards and wave at the customers. Best job ever.’
‘That was a real job?’ I said, never having considered that there was such a demand for mermaids before meeting Eliza.
‘She’s a brilliant swimmer,’ said Molly proudly. ‘Very powerful legs.’
‘So how did you end up running a gift shop?’
‘Oh, you know, parental commitments,’ Eliza said.
No, I thought wryly, not having experienced much in the way of commitment from mine.
Eliza hopped in front of the mirror and pulled us either side of her and while we gazed at our reflections, preening and twisting from side to side, she told us how she’d taken over the shop for her mum, who’d gone to live with her sister in Wales. Her first task had been to change the name from Seaside Tackle to Mermaid Gift and Gallery. Her second had been to turn a profit for the first time in a long time and only then could she start working on her own plan to open a mermaid school in Brightside Cove.
‘And this summer, I will,’ she said, tilting her chin up. ‘With the help of you two, my Siren Sisters.’
‘Isn’t that a town in the Cotswolds?’ Molly sniggered, nudging Eliza.
‘I should send that teacher a picture of us dressed up,’ said Eliza. ‘Prove him wrong.’
‘As long as I can do this.’ I sucked in my stomach and turned sideways.
‘No!’ Eliza gasped in mock horror. ‘Being a mermaid is about having the body confidence to say this is who we are, we’re real!’
Molly and I exchanged amused glances but the irony of mermaids being ‘real’ was lost on Eliza.
‘I want women to come and have the most amazing day, to feel beautiful, to celebrate their bodies whatever they look like and to connect with their inner beauty. And I want to put Brightside Cove on the map as having its very own mermaid school.’
‘That’s really inspiring.’ I looked at Eliza afresh; her ambitions might have been different to mine, but there was a steely determination behind those vivid blue eyes that I’d not seen until today.
‘Says the famous actress,’ Eliza retorted.
I shook my head. ‘I’m only famous for my mistake, not my acting. Normally, I get people coming up to me and saying, “Have we met? Do I know you?” But one day I plan to be famous for my talents.’
‘Your goals make mine look a bit dull,’ said Molly, wrinkling her nose. ‘All
I want is for my business to be successful so I can support my boy and never let him down like his dad did.’
‘Aww.’ Eliza hugged her. ‘You could never let Ellis down.’
Molly’s words transported me back to something Archie had said when he was little. That he wanted to be a successful businessman when he grew up, so he could look after Mum and me and never let us down. He’d done it, too. My only regret for him was that he seemed to be so wrapped up in his work that he’d never given himself the chance to fall in love. And he was such a lovely man; he deserved someone to love him.
Molly was still talking, listing the simple things she’d like to do: pay her bills without worrying, learn to drive ready for when Ellis started school in September, save up to take him on holiday to Disneyworld because he was a massive Disney fan … Selfless things. Which made my goals feel very selfish.
‘What is your business?’ I asked, picking up my brush and running it through my hair.
‘A bit of washing and ironing for people.’ She shrugged. ‘Just fitting in around Ellis.’
‘Do you do laundry for holiday lets?’ I asked, remembering how much washing the Bird family had generated during their week’s stay.
‘I would if there were any,’ said Molly. ‘Tourism hasn’t quite made it to this part of Devon.’
‘Not yet,’ I said. ‘But I reckon if the three of us work together, it could be quite a summer for Brightside Cove.’
My phone began to buzz and Eliza handed it to me.
‘If that’s Idris Elba,’ she said, ‘it’s probably for me.’
It was Trudy FaceTiming me. Molly began fiddling with Eliza’s hair to make it more mermaidy and I took my phone to the window to talk to Trudy in London. At least I assumed it was London, it was very dark and there were two pale sticks behind her head.
‘I wish you had mobile reception in that remote location of yours,’ Trudy hissed at the screen. ‘So I could phone you like a normal person, I could really do without you being able to see me.’
They were legs behind her, I realized, in high heels.
‘Are you kneeling on the floor?’
‘Yes, I’m hiding behind the counter at work and I might have a booking for your cottages. Someone special.’
A Match Made in Devon Page 15
