Page 6 of A Colourful Country Escape
He shoved a paper into her reluctant hands. ‘No arguments. This little bundle of new dreams is all yours.’ He looked her up and down as she stood on the wet pavement, dripping and shivering like one of those skinny, hairless dogs. ‘It looks like you need one.’
He had no idea how much.
Chapter 4
It had been three long days since Lexie had stood shivering outside Le Grande Bijou, watching her so-called boyfriend choose engagement rings with Tabby Sidebottom. And she was absolutely done with snivelling and moping over a relationship that had apparently been built on a pack of juggling jokers. She’d thought Drew had enjoyed their cosy nights and crispy wontons. It turned out she was as disposable as their greasy wrappings. If he could see her now, he’d probably call her impractical. Well,good.
Ron’s magical newspaper fluttered on the dashboard as a spring breeze blew through Lexie’s beloved orange camper van, Penny. She really should fix that draughty window. But with her whole life crammed inside like a pocketful of promises, she was trying not to look back.
The van was chugging down the motorway more than Lexie would have liked, under the sheer weight of it all. The dashboard clock ticked loudly at her and she tried to ignore its advancing hands. Her trip south wasn’t meant to take this long; she couldn’t afford to be late. The poor old banger shuddered and let out another dubious cloud of smoke, and Lexie winced. She made a mental note to donate some money to somewhere or other, to make up for her ugly carbon footprint. Just as soon as she had any cash.
But Lexie had just maxed out her credit card to pay off Scary Landlord, and she’d never see her deposit again. Maybe Ron’s paper full of new beginnings would be just the ticket, if she could only get to this interview on time.
The job advert had looked intriguing. Social media manager for a company with pretty much zero online presence. What was all that about? It would certainly be a challenge.
‘Come on, Pen,’ she willed the vintage VW. ‘You’re not trying to tell me something, are you?’
Lexie looked in the rear-view mirror, trying hard to conjure up the image of her late aunt Jasmine, who’d bestowed Penny the camper van upon her. But she saw nothing, other than the bright, sunflowery interior that still lived on in her aunt’s honour – even if the rest of the van was trying its hardest to conk out on this trip. Well, that and mountains of boxes, some of which were stuffed with paperwork Lexie was too scared to look at.
Was she doing the right thing? Maybe she should take the hint and turn back. But no, there was nothing there for her now. She had no home in Manchester and she wasn’t going to prove Drew’s loser theory right by going back to sharing a bunkbed at her parents’ house. She needed this job, and the money and sense of worth it would begin to restore. And, anyway, the clouds had definitely been clearing as she’d travelled away from that mess. Things were less grey, less …
Dun dun duddla duddla dun …
Lexie jumped as theHollyoakstheme tune twanged through her headphones. It was the ringtone she’d set up for Sky, not least because a call from her younger sister generally signified drama.
‘Hey!’ Lexie tried to sound upbeat. She loved her sister, but having spent twenty-two of her twenty-seven years on the planet trying to steer Sky away from trouble, she never knew what to expect. And this was really not the time.
‘Oh my God, Lex. Mum told me about Drew shagging that posh girl. I hope you’re OK.’
Lexie winced. Her sister was never one for softening the blow. In fact the tactfulness gene had skipped her altogether – she’d been too busy queueing up for her head full of dizziness.
‘Cheers for the imagery.’ Lexie tried her best not to imagine her ex-boyfriend poking his manhood anywhere near Tabby and her Sidebottom.
‘Yuck, did you actually catch them … ’
‘No, Sky. They were ring shopping. Getting ready for some wedding I knew nothing about.’ Lexie swallowed hard.
‘Ooh, that’s even worse, isn’t it?Ring shopping.I mean, he never talked about marriage with you, did he? And you were together eighteen whole months. That’s, like, a lifetime.’
‘Yes, thanks for that.’
‘Why didn’t he want to marry you, then?’
Lexie pushed her foot down harder on the accelerator, for all the good it did. A silver Aston Martin sped past like a bullet and she tried not to roll her eyes.
‘I don’t bloody know. Maybe rich people are just … rude?’ It was as good an answer as any.
‘So Mum says you’re running off again. To Chew-something-or-other?’
‘Tewkesbury. It’s a medieval town in the south-west. All black-and-white buildings andRosie and Jimbarges, from what I’ve seen on Google.’ A whole different world from the buzz of the city.
‘At least it’s not Asia this time, but Mum and Dad are still worried about you. And I can’t believe you’re going to fiddle your CV … ’
Lexie shot a nervous glance over her shoulder. ‘That’s enough.’ Being criticised by her hopeless kid sister was doing nothing for her already plummeting self-belief.
‘But you could go to jail for that. I heard about this guy … ’
‘No, you cannot. And I’m not taking career advice from someone whose most impressive CV entry is three weeks at Greggs.’
