Page 44 of A Secret Cornish Wish
‘And guess who I bumped into outside the pub?’ she says, her eyes shining. ‘He wasn’t sure he’d be welcome tonight at our mermaid reunion. But I assured him we’d all welcome him with open arms.’ Suzy gestures towards the door and a tall young man appears, carrying some empty glasses from the tables outside.
‘Rob!’ Eddie says first. ‘Why didn’t you tell us you were already here? You could have joined us earlier.’
Rob smiles. ‘Let me just put these on the bar,’ he says, lifting some glasses. ‘Then I’ll be with you. The pub is really busy tonight, so I’ve just been helping out for a bit.’
I’m suddenly aware that the four joyful faces around the table are all turned towards me.
‘What?’ I ask. ‘It’s only Rob.’
‘How are you all?’ Rob comes over to our table. ‘It’s good to see you again.’
A part of me thinks Rob hasn’t changed a bit since we were at school, and a part of me thinks he looks very different.
Like Suzy, he’s a little taller, and he’s definitely ‘filled out’. His slight frame is now more muscular and broad underneath his white T-shirt, and I can see a shadow across his face where he clearly has to shave away a dark beard. But his hair is still the same – the warm sandy colour I remember admiring so much at school, and his eyes are of course the same deep shade of chocolate brown. And, I’m pleased to see, still look kind and gentle as he casts his gaze around the table at us all. His eyes rest upon me.
‘Hello, Frankie,’ he says quietly. ‘It’s been a while.’
‘Yes,’ I reply, not liking how my stomach is reacting to this interaction one bit – it seems to think now is a good time to take up internal gymnastics once more. ‘It has been. Are you well?’ I hear a polite voice enquiring, making me sound like I’m in a Jane Austen novel.
Rob smiles. ‘Yes, very well, and you?’
‘Yep, I’m great, thanks.’
There’s silence while we make this short exchange.
‘Rob, come and sit down.’ Mandy gestures to an empty chair next to her. ‘Are you happy perching on that stool, Suzy?’
‘Let me get a round of drinks in first,’ Rob says. ‘On the house!’
Once Rob has got us all a drink, we settle around the table.
There’s a quick update on what everyone has been up to for those who have arrived late. Then it’s not long before the formalities end and we all fall into our past roles once more.
‘I still can’t believe one of us is getting married,’ Suzy says, looking at Claire. ‘I still feel like I did when I was fifteen.’
‘You don’t look much like you did back then,’ Claire says, once again deflecting talk about her wedding. I get the feeling she doesn’t want to seem different to the rest of us this evening. ‘You look amazing! Being a singer obviously suits you.’
‘Thank you, kind friend,’ Suzy says. ‘But I’m not sure I’ll be doing it much longer.’
‘Why?’ I ask ‘You’re so good. What’s changed?’
‘I have. It’s time I started making a difference – using my voice for something other than singing.’
‘What are you going to do?’ Rob asks.
‘I’ve been offered a job working for Tony Blair,’ she says quietly.
‘The politician?’ Eddie asks.
‘The new leader of the Labour Party – yes. It’s only a very junior position. But I hope it might be the start of a career in politics.’
‘Wow, politics is a bit different to singing,’ I say. ‘But that’s what you said you always wanted to do – make a difference.’
Suzy nods.
‘They think he might be the new prime minister, don’t they?’ Mandy says. ‘I’ve got a mate who works at the Houses of Parliament. They reckon he’s a shoo-in if he plays it right at the next election.’
‘That’s a while away yet,’ Suzy says. ‘But that’s the plan, I’ve been told. It’s a very exciting prospect.’
