Page 26 of All Summer Long

‘Niamh …!’ Alice said, glancing around to make sure no one had heard. ‘No, of course I didn’t drag him upstairs. He ran me a bath to surprise me, and we had dinner together. We were talking and the kiss just sort of happened, you know?’

‘I so wish I had your life,’ Niamh sighed dramatically. ‘It’s not fair that you get to see a sexy cowboy todger when I have to look at Brice Robertson’s. It’s like a shrivelled toad.’

Alice ejected that particular image out of her head speedily. ‘I only kissed him, Niamh, and I won’t be doing it again in a hurry after the way he acted this morning.’

‘What, you mean the time he gave your cheating big bad ex what for and showed him what he’s missing?’

Alice sighed. ‘Robinson did it for himself, Niamh, not for me. He’s got a million issues with his own screwed-up marriage and decided that meddling in mine would make him feel better.’

Niamh’s mouth thinned out. ‘If it means that Brad got a taste of his own medicine then I don’t see why you’re so mad.’

Alice drank a huge mouthful of wine. ‘Everything’s messed up, Niamh. Brad came to tell me that he wants the house.’

‘The manor?’ Naimh said, all romantic thoughts cast instantly aside. ‘He wants Borne Manor?’

Alice nodded miserably. ‘That’s what he said.’

‘What for? He never even really liked the place!’

‘Reading between the lines I think Felicity is behind it,’ Alice said. ‘He used phrases like “perfect country bolt hole” and “why should you have all the peace and quiet?”’

She shook her head, remembering back over the heated conversation she’d had with Brad after he’d declared his intention to take the manor. It had been so obvious that the words and phrases he was spouting were being fed to him by his jealous girlfriend. She could only thank her lucky stars that she’d made the decision to lease the place out when she did, and even more lucky stars that it had all gone through so quickly. One superstar in particular had saved her bacon, and she’d thank him if she didn’t feel so much like killing him. Even if Brad did want the manor, Robinson had a watertight six-month lease and was entitled to stay there until the end of October, giving Alice much needed thinking time and space.

‘But you’re gonna fight him, right?’

Alice nodded slowly. She’d never been more determined or sure about anything in her life. ‘That glamping plan just got a whole lot more urgent.’

The much promised sunshine made an early appearance the following morning, flooding the Airstream with shafts of light that bounced off the polished domed ceiling above Alice’s bed. Her eyes still half closed, she basked in the gentle warmth adding to her sleepy comfort as it filtered through the polka dot voile screens that shielded the windows. Stretching, cat like, she contemplated bringing an early coffee back to bed. Opening one eye, she looked at the kettle and wondered if she could will it to boil itself. If the coffee could just see its own way into a mug and over here to her in bed, that’d be just about the perfect start to the day. That was the thing with caravan living. Everything was so close you could almost touch it. Truth told she didn’t hate it. Much as she adored the manor, being in there on her own had quite often been a lonely experience. The Airstream was cosy and compact, a protective tin bubble around her from Brad, Felicity, and even from Robinson.

‘Alice!’

She groaned and cocked her ear to listen as someone banged on the door.

‘Alice, open up. I’ve got coffee.’

Hmm. It sounded like Hazel. Alice looked at the kettle again, impressed with her own ability to summon coffee. Or maybe there was more to Hazel’s magical skills than anyone gave her credit for. Either way, she pulled herself up and scrubbed her fingers through her hair.

‘Coming,’ she called, climbing out of bed and pulling her robe on over her PJs. Tying the belt reminded her of the last time she’d worn it with Robinson in the kitchen at the manor. Snatching her hair back with a band she found in the pocket, she shook the memory into the recesses of her head. It was way too early for that sort of thing.

‘Morning, Hazel,’ she said, opening the door to find her neighbour had made herself at home on the chairs out there. ‘This is a surprise, come in.’

‘I better not, love,’ Hazel said, her eyes on the caravan roof. ‘Rambo followed me. He’ll want to come in too.’

Alice leaned out and peered up at the mynah bird perched above her doorway. He peered back down at her with his shiny, black bead eyes.

‘Filthy bugger! Change your sheets!’ he screeched, a perfect mimicry of Hazel’s tone.

Alice jumped and shot him a filthy look as she stepped out of the caravan to join Hazel on the deckchairs.

‘Sorry about him. It’s all he’s said since he heard me telling Ewan off about the state of his room yesterday.’

Alice smiled and sipped from the hot-pink mug of coffee Hazel handed her.

‘Well, this is nice,’ she said, wondering why on earth Hazel had come calling.

‘Don’t start without Stewie!’ A voice carried over the lawn, and seconds later Stewie himself bounced into view, resplendent in black silk pyjamas and a lime bandana knotted around his head in lieu of his usual wig. He carried a china cup of tea in one hand and, oddly, a paintbrush in the other. Before Alice could stop to ask what was going on, Niamh jogged into view too, catching up with Stewie as they reached the Airstream and took any seat they could find.

‘Is this another thinly veiled attempt to get an audience with Robinson Duff?’ Alice said, fussing Pluto’s furry head and looking expectantly from one to the other. ‘Only I don’t think he’s as much a morning person as you lot obviously are.’ She looked discreetly at her watch. It wasn’t even seven-thirty.

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