Page 9 of Will You Stay Another Day?
Perhaps her views on people like Greg were wrong.
He’d dropped the word ‘passport’ into the conversation, a clue perhaps that Em was travelling. More importantly, he’d talked about the importance of a person’s face. His actual words were ‘it holds their true identity’. That must have been his way of saying that Colin and Shirl’s apparent identification of the body was irrelevant, his way of encouraging Lili not to give up.
This was the strongest proof she had yet – the psychic knew, he did, that Em wasn’t dead.
6
Lili locked up the shop and turned to face Tommo and Meg. The three of them started walking, Lili studying passersby, looking for that familiar face. On the last Friday of every month, she took staff members out for a drink in Mevagissey. It had been a tentative idea but Em had insisted she go for it.
‘Don’t be a dick. Of course you must do it. Most of the managers I’ve worked with think criticism is the way to inspire staff, instead of free cocktails. It’s not rocket science.’
An assistant manager, Andrew, worked half of his time in Mevagissey, the other half at a Ware & Care store in Truro. Hers was only a small shop but Lili had a reliable team of volunteers, mainly retirees or unemployed youngsters. But like tonight, sometimes the Friday night drink out ended up just being Meg, Tommo and Lili who’d built a solid friendship despite the differences of three generations. Tommo didn’t work on a Friday but was always up for a free drink, he said, but Lili knew it was for the company. Both Meg and Tommo lived in Mevagissey but now and again would come over to hers in Truro to look around Lemon Street Market and have dinner at her cottage.
‘It’s hard filling the time since Joe died,’ Tommo once said. ‘I’m busy with the garden, I read, I keep Ware & Care running a few times a week…’ He’d attempted a smile. ‘But I never realised how much time Joe and I spent simply… being. We didn’t need clubs. We didn’t need a whirlwind social life. We had each other and that was enough.’
It had been like that for Lili with Em. Any spare time after work they just chilled by cooking – well, Lili did. Cup-a-soup queen Em would wash up. They’d watch Netflix and argue over their celebrity crushes – Glen Powell for Lili, Tom Hardy for Em.
‘I was almost going to stick to mocktails tonight. Nearly got an ear infection after going cold water swimming with my neighbour’s son.’ Tommo dragged on his cigarette as they walked along the back streets to a favourite bar that had a collection of fishing rods across the ceiling.
Lili trailed behind. Every now and then she took out her phone.
‘Good for the heart,’ said Meg, chewing gum. ‘My gran swears by it. She and her mates go most weeks throughout the year.’
‘Join them, do you?’ he asked.
‘Not on your life!’ She gave an impish grin.
Lili got drinks whilst Meg and Tommo talked quietly together. They stopped when Lili returned carrying a tray. She sat down and handed out the drinks. ‘There was a new special – a Dark ’N’ Stormy daiquiri.’
Meg drank and closed her eyes. ‘That rum is amaziiiing.’
They chatted about Meg’s twenty-first birthday last week, Tommo asking her to spill the tea about a night out with her friends, looking very proud of his use of modern slang. They moved on to Christmas, or at least Meg and Tommo did, him protesting at how his younger colleague had already begun her festive shopping and it wasn’t even Halloween. A shop regular, a teacher called Callum, came up and they spoke about how they hadn’t seen him for a while. Lili zoned out, thinking about Greg the psychic and everything he’d said a couple of days ago. She zoned back in when Meg pulled a comical face and mentioned the special ceremonies at Lili’s place.
‘I overheard two elderly customers talking. They’d heard about your Sunday afternoons but didn’t know the detail. One said her friend had seen three men coming out of your cottage the other week. I almost burst out laughing when I heard the words “sex parties”.’
Tommo bellowed with laughter. Lili almost choked on her drink. Let people think what they wanted. What went on was private to the people who took part and not for broadcasting.
Lili knocked back the last mouthful of her cocktail and exhaled. ‘I needed that.’
‘Busy day?’ asked Tommo.
She shrugged.
He shot Meg a glance and she cleared her throat. ‘I… we… need to say something.’
‘You actually hated that drink?’
‘Of course not! And you know me – no filter according to my ex. I’d have said something after the first sip. No, it’s just… well… the last month or two?—’
‘Are you okay, gal?’ cut in Tommo, and he ran a thumb behind one of his bright red braces decorated with seashells. ‘Me and young Meg have been worried. You haven’t been your usual self this last year, but just when you seemed happier, things have taken a downturn.’
‘You don’t smile as much, haven’t bothered with make-up – not that you need it,’ Meg added hastily.
‘I’m fine.’
‘You didn’t chase that shoplifter this morning like you normally would have, you called the police instead,’ said Tommo.
‘And you didn’t sing when Taylor Swift came on the radio yesterday. It was as if you weren’t listening.’
