Page 64 of Coming Home to Hope Street

‘Are you secretly waiting for Travis to come back?’

‘No, I’m bloody not!’

‘Then I don’t see the problem.’ Hannah put down her mug for a moment. ‘You’re failing yourself if you don’t give it a try.’

‘He’s such a good friend and I don’t want to ruin that.’

‘Phoebs, you’re coming up with every excuse in the book. I think you should go for it.’

‘We’ll see.’

Hannah groaned. Her mum used to say that all the time. It meant she wasn’t listening to her.

‘Anyway, we were talking about Kieran,’ Phoebe reminded her. ‘I was saying how arrogant I thought he was. I can understand why Livvy doesn’t want to be with him anymore. And to my knowledge he had about three pints bought for him but not once did he put his hand in his own pocket to return the favour.’

‘Oh, that’s bad,’ Hannah agreed. ‘Anything else I didn’t notice?’

Phoebe thought for a moment before shaking her head. ‘I just didn’t like him. And it was pretty poor what he did on Livvy, turning up when he was supposed to be with Pip.’

‘Yes, it was rather selfish. Although Livvy could have stayed.’

‘Would you?’

Hannah shook her head. ‘I suppose not. Shame for Callum though. They seemed to be getting on well. Now I’d much prefer it if Livvy got with him.’

‘Me too.’

Hannah thought back to their earlier conversations. ‘Do you honestly think Livvy and Kieran are still an item?’

Phoebe shook her head. ‘It’s not for me to say.’

‘Why not? You must have an opinion.’

‘I don’t know.’

Hannah paused. Phoebe still thought something fishy was going on with Livvy and Kieran but, to be fair she hadn’t said anything else about it. And now it seemed she still didn’t want to say anything detrimental.

‘I think it will sort itself out in the next week or so regardless,’ she said. ‘Then you can stop doubting her.’

‘I’m not! I’d rather she told him to sling his hook.’ Phoebe looked a little sheepish. ‘I’m kinda getting used to having Livvy around too. I was protective of you when she first came back, almost jealous, and worried that it would alter our friendship.’

‘You never said.’ This was news to her. She hadn’t expected anything like that from Phoebe, but she supposed it made sense. They had been like sisters for so long, and she could understand how the dynamics might have changed. To her knowledge they hadn’t, though.

‘How could I tell you that?’ Phoebe shrugged. ‘But I was worried about nothing. I like her now. She’s more the Livvy I remember, and she’s getting nicer the longer she settles here. Back to her normal self, I expect.’

Hannah took that thought with her when she popped in to see Thelma afterwards. Even though she spoke to her mum once a week when she visited the cemetery, there was no substitute for personal contact. Thelma had often been her confidante and was always there with wise words. She wondered if she had any suspicions about Livvy and Kieran.

‘I don’t like him, if I’m honest,’ Thelma said, echoing Phoebe’s thoughts. ‘He seems as if he’s an attention seeker. It was quite rude of him to turn up at the pub like that. And I’ve seen the way Callum is looking at Livvy. I think she deserves a chance at happiness. I doubt she’s had any fun with Kieran in a good while.’

Hannah decided to divulge a little information to Thelma, about Kieran coming and going over the years, leaving Livvy to cope on her own.

‘There you go.’ Thelma tutted. ‘I rest my case. Why has he come to Somerley?’

‘I’m not sure. But I do think Livvy doesn’t want him here the longer he stays. And I think I need to give her time to tell him that.’

Thelma smiled. ‘You really care for her, don’t you?’

‘Of course I do. She’s my sister.’

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