Page 46 of Hearts Colliding
“Ryan!”
The pen broke in two and he jumped.
“What’s that?”
“You’re day dreaming again.”
He withered under his nan’s glare.
“You’re here but you’re not here. Been doing that a lot lately. I’ve never seen you so distracted. Anybody would think you were in love.”
Everybody around the table laughed. He tried to join in but something ground hard, deep in his chest, and he couldn’t. He couldn’t laugh at the notion of being in love with Alex.
“Just tired, that’s all,” he finally managed to croak. “This is taking up a lot of time and energy.”
“Well, now you’re back in the land of the living, what we were saying is that this proposal has opened up a division in the village, and we need to stop it getting any worse.”
“Eva’s right,” Charles said. “The number in favour, although in a minority, can’t be ignored. The bald truth is, Alex was right when he said the Harbour had benefited from outsiders coming in. This was a declining village but with the arrival of people with money in their pocket, the place has thrived. And I’m one of those outsiders who’ve not only benefited the village, but have benefited from it.”
“You’re not an outsider, Charles my love.” Eva reached over and clasped his hand. “You’re a West Country boy with connections to a lot of the old families in these parts. Don’t be calling yourself an outsider again, because I’ll not have it.” A murmur of agreement went up around the table.
Charles returned the squeeze. “Maybe not a true outsider, then, but whatistrue is that when I opened up the café there was nothing beyond a couple of pubs, including the Arms, and Beryl’s Baps ’n’ Buns, doing takeaway tea and coffee from a machine. That’s not the case anymore, because success breeds success. Many of the supporters of the development are long standing residents, those with once ailing businesses who have seen their fortunes rise. They want a larger slice of the cake, not realising the cake is only so big. As for the rest, it’s those who’ve come from elsewhere and set up ‘lifestyle enterprises’.” Charles air quoted the words.
Eva and Doreen huffed in unison.
“And we know who they would be. Crystal healing therapies and Wicca-friendly beauty products. Honestly, I ask you. Who in their right minds would believe any of that old bull poo?” Doreen glared and crossed her arms over her chest.
Ryan glanced as Joss, hunched over his laptop, tapping away and making a bad job of keeping his face straight.
“Can you spell ‘bull poo’ for me please, Gran?”
Doreen glowered at her grandson.
“Those kinds of places, I’ve no time for them,” Eva said, “but if pressed — and I don’t like to say this even though it’s true — the pub’s been doing very good business over the last four or five years.” She shrugged, her mouth twisting down as though loath to admit it. “We were doing all right, or just about, before we started seeing an influx of new people, but since then business has been booming. I understand why some might want that tide to rise. Of course I do, I’m a businesswoman after all.”
“Many have benefitted,” Charles agreed. “Yet, only so much is sustainable. Most, thank goodness, seem to understand that. The majority of those opposed have followed the template we issued, but there are a few that have gone a bit off track…”
Charles’ voice was nothing more than background noise as Ryan once again drifted off on a cloud of errant thoughts. Alex smiling up at him, his body warm and pliable, his lips damp and puffy and begging to be kissed…
Fucking hell. His cock stiffened and strained against the zip on his jeans. He dragged his chair in closer to the table and grabbed for his coffee, but his clumsy hand knocked it over, spilling what was left all over the table.
“Shit. Sorry.” He grabbed some paper napkins from the dispenser, but all they seemed to do was spread the mess, not clear it up.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll get a cloth.” Declan, sitting next to Charles, rushed off towards the counter.
“What’s got into you, boy? You’re off with the fairies, and that’s not like you. Or not until recently.” Eva stared hard at him, and Ryan turned away from her piercing gaze.
“It was an accident, that’s all,” he muttered.
“Right, all sorted and no harm done,” Charles said, moments later, as Declan cleared up the spillage. “Okay. Yes. Objections that were less than focused, let’s say.”
Ryan forced all his attention on Charles, willing himself to not, absolutely not, meet his nan’s burning scrutiny.
“Like this one.” Charles held up a piece of paper. “It’s claimed the development will disrupt the earth energy of the ancient ley line that runs between the New House and the standing stones on Rising Moor. It’s a somewhat unusual point to raise but the rest of it is more considered, thank goodness.”
“Ancient stones? They were put up in 1978 by somebody named Keith. He came here from Birmingham.”
Eva’s focus shifted to Doreen. Thank god for Brummie Keith.
