Page 32 of One Snowy Day
‘Yeehah.’ She stopped herself. ‘Sorry. That made it sound likeI’m off to join a rodeo. I’m actually just really excited because I’m a jobbing actress, and expected to be a really terrible waitress and live on the poverty line for the rest of my life, all for the sake of being able to waft around telling people that I’m sacrificing my personal wealth for the sake of my art. But today I got a brilliant job, coaching in a theatre school, teaching kids and teenagers to act and perform, while being paid a decent wage. So go me.’
He lifted his coffee as if in a toast. ‘Go you. Congratulations.’
Much as he was beginning to enjoy this exchange, he wondered if she’d leave now that she’d got her good news out of the way.
Apparently not.
‘So now that I’ve invaded your personal space…’ The spookily accurate account of his earlier thoughts made him blush a little. ‘…Do tell me how you come to find yourself a stranger in a village in the middle of a snow storm. It’s like the start of every Christmas romcom ever. And by the way, my sister, the grumpy one who displayed questionable customer service skills, is single.’
That did actually make him laugh out loud. So that’s where all this was going. He’d been right on point with the mischief thought earlier. And something told him that given her reserved manner and blatant lack of interest, her sister wouldn’t be at all pleased if she knew that… He flicked back to remember her name… If she knew that Ginny was out here trying to set her up with a random bloke.
‘How do you know I’m a stranger?’
‘Because I’ve never seen you before, and around here, everyone knows everyone and all their business. And, trust me, someone with a big expensive Range Rover like that one isn’t going to go unnoticed.’
‘Ah, fair point. Would it change things if I told you that it was a hire car?’
She sagged dramatically. ‘Yes. I’d be swamped with disappointment and may possibly retract my pointless efforts to explore any romcom romance between you and my sister.’
‘Then retract away because I’ve only got it for the day. But thank you for considering me. And my car.’
‘Urgh, plot twist. But you don’t get off that easy. There might still be some redeeming qualities. I’ll need more information on the purpose of your visit here.’
He decided that the only way to handle this was to surrender. ‘I live in London, but I had to come up here today for a family meeting. I’m flying back to London tonight, but I had some time to kill, so here I am.’
‘In Weirbridge? Random.’
‘Not really. I lived in Burnbank when I was a kid. My mum grew up there and when she was a teenager she worked here in this café.’
‘Really? That’s amazing. What was her name?’
‘Felicity. Felicity Morden. Actually, she was fifteen when she worked here so her name would still have been McSlay. She’s passed now, so I very much doubt there will be any trace of her.’
‘Felicity…’ He watched as Ginny began to repeat the name, and then suddenly stopped, as if paused by a remote control. Then her whole energy shifted, and she suddenly shouted, ‘Alyssa. ALYSSA!’ in the direction of the empty counter.
In seconds, her sister materialised from a doorway behind it, and she didn’t look happy about it. In fact, she was definitely giving off harassed vibes.
‘You called?’
‘This is Lachlan,’ Ginny was saying now. ‘And his mum was called FelicityMorden.’
She put an unmistakable emphasis on the surname and hersister had an immediate reaction. She darted across to their table, pulled out the chair next to Ginny and sat down.
‘I didn’t introduce myself earlier. I’m Alyssa and I’m the owner here.’
That’s when he realised his mistake. He really hadn’t thought this visit through, probably because he hadn’t thought for a second that he’d strike up a conversation with anyone. He was someone who kept to himself, someone who preserved his privacy, who would no sooner share with a stranger than run naked up Weirbridge Main Street in the snow. And this was why. You just never knew when you would say the wrong thing.
Two things happened simultaneously. First, he realised where he’d seen her before – at the reception of the lawyer’s office this morning. She was demanding to see Jeremy Sprite. And secondly, in that moment, a horrible, sickening, oh-so-obvious-in-hindsight comment from this morning’s meeting came back to him.
They’d notified the current owners of the café that their lease was being terminated. And now, way too late, he realised that he was about to face the consequences of that action.
4 P.M. – 6 P.M.
17
JESSIE
Stan was sitting at the kitchen table, with a mug of tea in front of him and a packet of caramel wafers by his side. That bugger could eat rubbish all day and he never gained weight, whereas Jessie maintained she could drive by Greggs on the bus and gain three pounds.
