Page 8 of Best Summer Ever

Given the current atmosphere I wasn’t sure I wanted to, but I didn’t have any other options. Sofa surfing with either Penny or Nick and becoming a burden to them was far less appealing than squeezing into my childhood bedroom and single bed. At least I could close the door in a room of my own in Mum and Dad’s cottage.

‘Of course you can stay,’ said Mum, reaching over and giving my hands a squeeze.

‘Yes.’ Dad nodded. ‘You can stay.’

‘Sure?’ I asked him.

‘Yes,’ Dad said again.

‘And it’s not all doom and gloom,’ I carried on, latching onto his slightly less belligerent tone. ‘I’ve already got some work lined up. Some shifts in the Smuggler’s to see me through the summer. Will it be all right if I’m here that long?’

‘Absolutely,’ Mum said, nodding. ‘The longer, the better. I daresay you’re more upset than you’re letting on and the bestplace for you is here while you’re getting used to the change. Having a job already sorted is wonderful. I admire you for getting straight on with things.’

‘I’m starting on Thursday,’ I gratefully told her.

‘You have a couple of days to settle in then.’ Mum smiled again. ‘Just what the heart doctor ordered.’

‘Thanks Mum.’ I sighed, feeling relieved that the hardest part of the conversation had now happened and that I hadn’t spilled the beans on my adulterous ex.

‘You’re sure you don’t want to tell us what caused the rift?’ she asked, tempting me again.

‘Quite sure,’ I firmly said, as much to convince myself as her. ‘I’m still processing it all, to be honest.’

Dad shifted towards the door.

‘Of course you are,’ Mum then said with a heavy sigh, before turning to Dad. ‘Isn’t it good about the pub, Robin?’

‘It is,’ said Dad, rattling the change in his pocket. ‘Come on then, let’s get your stuff unloaded.’

‘Don’t mind your dad,’ Mum said quickly as I went to follow him out. ‘I know he came across as a bit gruff, but he’s doubtless as upset as I am. It’s been a shock. He thought a lot of Laurence.’

‘I know he did.’ I nodded, willing myself not to succumb to tears.

‘He’s just got a lot on his plate at the moment,’ Mum carried on, trying to justify Dad’s largely unsympathetic response to my news.

‘So have you Mum,’ I pointed out, ‘but you’re being far kinder.’

‘He just worries,’ she said. ‘He wants to see you do well.’

‘Funnily enough,’ I told her, swallowing over the lump that was still lodged in my throat, ‘so do I.’

Chapter 3

I didn’t have a huge amount of stuff to add to the cottage, but it seemed to take up an extraordinary amount of space in my small bedroom, the hall and sitting room.

‘It won’t be as bad when it’s all unpacked,’ I desperately said as Mum, Dad and I tried to shift the randomly packed boxes about so they took up less space.

‘How on earth did you get it all in your car?’ Mum laughed, but Dad didn’t raise a smile and I could already sense that the summer had the potential to be a difficult one.

‘It was jammed in like sardines,’ I said, keeping my tone light. ‘Like some sort of complicated Jenga. Thank goodness the boot catch held.’

Mum laughed again, but still Dad said nothing.

‘I think I might just pop over to Nick’s and say hello,’ I said, when we’d finally finished moving things about and making them fit as best as we could.

I didn’t think it would do any harm to leave Mum and Dad to talk over my unexpected return to the fold. There must have been things they wanted to privately say about it and with me sleeping in the room next door, and with everything extra theycurrently both had going on, they were barely going to get the chance.

‘Unless I can do anything,’ I added, not wanting either of them to think that I wasn’t going to pitch in. ‘Is there anything I can do here? Dishes or anything? Or shall I unpack now?’

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