Page 41 of Summer at Harbour View House
‘Hello, Liz,’ Albert greeted her. ‘Good to be back. Where do the years go, eh?’
They seemed to be old friends, and chatted away while Natasha sat at the end of the bar and listened. The two teenage girls, whose names Natasha picked up as Ebony and Cassandra, quickly disappeared into the family room with Cokes and a pair of pool cues, while Albert and Marigold settled at the bar to talk to Lizzie.
‘How’s life across the Tamar?’ Lizzie said. ‘Building up your invasion force?’
‘Training the archers, erecting the siege towers,’ Albert said. ‘Got me a commission to paint them with some threatening pictures of Dartmoor wildlife.’
‘Many up on the campsite yet?’
Albert’s smile dropped. ‘A handful. Nothing like there was when the kids were small. Changing world, isn’t it?’
Lizzie gave a slow nod.
‘Are you up on the campsite?’ Marigold said suddenly, turning to Natasha, who shook her head.
‘I’m just up the lane behind the pub,’ Natasha said. ‘I’m housesitting for the summer for my work colleague’s rich sister.’
‘That old dump next to Edward,’ Lizzie said, winking at Natasha. ‘Nice to have someone in there for a change. Don’t think that woman who owns it has been down in five years. Just left it there to rot.’
‘Probably can’t stand Edward’s karaoke,’ Marigold sniggered, and they all burst into laughter, making Natasha feel like she was on the outside of an inside joke. Figuring there was only one way to get on the inside, she finished her coffee, then pointed at the Local. ‘Lizzie, I’ll have a pint of that, please.’ Then, smiling at Albert and Marigold, she said, ‘Would you guys like to join me?’
It turned out that Albert and Marigold had cousins living in Olive Hill, just a couple of stops up the Brentwell Line from Bathwater, on the other side of Birch Valley. They’d stopped in the same fish’n’chips shop on the Exeter road as Natasha had frequented as a teenager, and had even bought their tent from Wright’s DIY, where Natasha’s father bought his gardening equipment. As the pub began to fill up with other campers and a handful of locals, Natasha found herself finally getting into the spirit of the summer. She was standing in a corner, losing a game of darts to Marigold, when the door opened and Hannah appeared, with Davey and Ben behind her, now thankfully with shirts on.
Lizzie began to clap, and a ripple went through the group. ‘There he is!’ Lizzie called, waving at Ben. ‘Pinkle’s most famous son!’
Ben, a smug grin on his Dan Dare face, lifted a hand to acknowledge the cheers. Natasha rolled her eyes as people backslapped and high-fived him, Ben making surfing gestures every time someone called out ‘Fifty-four feet!’
‘There you are,’ Hannah said, coming over to Natasha, just as Marigold landed a 92-point checkout to complete yet another darts hammering. ‘We were wondering what happened to you.’
‘Needed some air,’ Natasha said.
‘Anyway,’ Hannah said, seemingly ignoring her, ‘Davey and Ben swore me to secrecy. That’s totally him! That’s Eddie John Willard.’
‘I know,’ Natasha said. ‘Everyone round here seems to.’
‘I can’t believe it, can you? Davey promised to drive me up to the main road tomorrow so I can get some reception and call my dad.’
‘That sworn to secrecy thing didn’t last long, did it?’
Hannah rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, Nat. You’re so 1990. It’s fine if it’s your parents.’
‘Perhaps he doesn’t want anyone to know where he is.’
‘Do you think so?’
Natasha lifted an eyebrow.
Hannah stared at her for a moment, then slowly nodded. ‘Oh.’
‘So perhaps it wouldn’t be nice of us to tell people that we know where he lives, just in case he’s trying to stay incognito.’
Hannah bounced up and down, her sandals smacking off the sticky floor of the darts oche. Natasha resisted the urge to put a hand on her shoulder and hold her down.
‘It’s like a spy movie, isn’t it?’ Hannah said.
‘I’m not sure I’d go that far, but it’s definitely interesting.’
Hannah bounced a couple of times, then suddenly stopped, her eyes narrowing. She turned to Natasha, her eyes little more than slits, then put a hand on Natasha’s shoulder and pulled her forward until her warm breath tickled Natasha’s ear.
