Читать книгу The Lavender Bay Collection - Sarah Bennett - Страница 21

Chapter Eleven

By the time the Lambrini bottle was empty, they’d managed a layer of undercoat on the two biggest walls. Libby dropped her roller into the tray, knuckling the base of her back to stretch it. ‘Right,’ she declared. ‘I’m on strike until you feed me!’

Happy for an excuse to stop herself, Beth placed the brush she’d been using to edge along the skirting into a jar of cloudy water and stripped off the bandana she’d used to tie back her hair. ‘I thought we might get a takeaway, if that’s all right with you two?’

‘Perfect!’

‘Ooh, can we have pizza? I haven’t had pizza in ages.’

Libby and Eliza almost tripped over each other in their eagerness to respond. Knowing only too well her own shortcomings in the kitchen, Beth tapped her chin, pretending to consider the point further. ‘Or, I could make us something. It’s the least I should do to thank you both for helping me out like this.’

Their responses were even quicker this time:

‘Oh, no. Don’t put yourself to any trouble!’

‘It’s our pleasure to help you, B, that’s what best friends are for.’

She looked between the two of them; she could tell by the way Libby’s eyebrow was twitching she was trying not to wince, and burst out laughing. ‘God, you two are so easy to wind up! The menu’s on the pinboard in the kitchen. Come on.’

Bypassing the board, Libby went straight for the fridge and grabbed a fresh bottle of wine. ‘Who needs a menu? You and Eliza will split a large Hawaiian, because you’re freaks who think hot fruit is an acceptable topping, and I’ll have a regular spicy sausage.’

It had been their staple order whenever they were together, and Beth couldn’t help but smile when she gave the details to Gina over the phone and the woman added, ‘And two garlic breads, right, Beth? I heard Eliza was home for the weekend so I’ve been expecting your call. It’ll be about twenty minutes. Shall I send Davey to the back gate?’

‘Yes, please. We’ll keep an eye out for him.’

‘All right, love. How are things, by the way? I can’t tell you how thrilled we both were that you’re going to keep the emporium going. It’s been such a feature of the prom for so many years, the town just wouldn’t be the same without it.’

Beth knocked her head against the wall. She knew Gina meant well, and of course her return would be the talk of the town, but the weight of expectation didn’t help the butterflies in her tummy. The moment she opened the doors, everyone would be in to have a good snoop around and offer their opinions on what she’d done with the place.

She sighed. ‘It’s a lot of work, Gina. A bit more than I expected, if I’m honest.’ She felt a nudge at her elbow and smiled gratefully to Libby when she handed her a brimming glass of wine. ‘But I’ve got plenty of helping hands, I just hope people like what I’ve done with the place.’

‘You’ll be grand, sweetie. Don’t let those busybodies from the improvement society intimidate you. That leader of theirs is a nosy baggage. You know she came in here and told Davey we should consider upgrading our menu. Like this town hasn’t run on our pizzas and kebabs for the past twenty-five years. Bloody cheek!’

Beth sipped her wine, and made appropriate ‘uh-hum’ noises, letting Gina’s diatribe wash over her. Hester had clearly ruffled the woman’s feathers, and there was a real sense of hurt beneath the angry words filling Beth’s ear. It would be easy for a stranger to make assumptions about the type of establishment Gina and Davey ran, but the food was all freshly prepared with ingredients of the highest quality. Yes, it was a takeaway, but not the kind that had drunks spilling out onto the pavement after the pubs closed. Gina finally ran out of steam and let Beth go with a promise to call them if she needed anything.

‘Wow, who stuck a bee in Gina’s bonnet?’ Eliza asked with a smile as Beth hung up.

‘Mrs Bradshaw, on behalf of the improvement society. Suggested they should upgrade from pizza and kebabs to stuffed ravioli and mezze.’

Libby snorted into her wine, choking so hard Eliza had to give her a thump on the back. ‘Oh, to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation!’

Beth giggled. ‘I know! I bet it wasn’t the ravioli that ended up stuffed.’

Libby choked again. ‘That woman desperately needs to find a hobby before she turns the whole bloody town against her.’

‘Oh, I’m sure she means well.’ Typical Eliza, keen to see the best in everyone.

‘Sam told me she’d been hinting about the pub needing a facelift too…and he kissed me.’ Beth had no idea what possessed her to blurt out her confession.

‘The pub? Our pub? Cheeky mare! Wait…what?’

Blushing, Beth glanced from Libby’s knowing grin to Eliza’s open-mouthed expression of shock. ‘Twice, actually.’

‘Where? When? Come on I need details! And shut your mouth, Eliza, it’s not like this hasn’t been brewing for years.’

Eliza glugged a mouthful of her wine. ‘Yes, you’re right, but still the thought of anyone kissing my brother is a bit…’ She shuddered, though her eyes were full of humour.

Taking her own fortifying drink, Beth held up her hand. ‘Before you get too excited, we’ve decided to stick to just being friends.’

‘What? Why?’ Libby demanded. ‘You two are a match if ever I saw one, I think you’d be great together.’

Beth shook her head. ‘It’s too complicated, and not the right time for either of us.’ She waved her arm to indicate the space around her, almost spilling her wine in the process. ‘I need to put all of my focus into this place, and Sam’s got his hands full with the pub, and…’ It was on the tip of her tongue to tell them about the restaurant idea, but it wasn’t her news to share. ‘everything. It’s bad timing.’ She was starting to hate those two words.

A familiar toot-toot sounded from the street below, and Beth grabbed her purse. ‘Saved by the bell!’ She hurried out of the flat and down the stairs.

Libby followed her out to lean over the top bannister rail. ‘It’ll take more than a pizza to save you, B. We want all the gory details!’

Beth took her time collecting the pizzas, trying to concentrate on the friendly conversation with Davey as he refused her offer of a tip and carefully counted out the change she was owed. She pocketed the coins, and had just balanced the pizza boxes on one hand when he reached into his car to produce a plastic carrier bag. ‘Here, Gina sent you each a slice of tiramisu, on the house.’

‘Oh, Davey, that’s very kind, but you should let me pay for them.’ Beth had her hand halfway to her pocket before he waved her off.

‘Don’t you dare! You know she likes to spoil you girls when she can. Just make sure she has an invitation to your grand opening, and that’ll be payment enough. She hasn’t stopped talking about how pleased she is to see you picking up where Eleanor left off.’

Grand opening? Beth swallowed hard. She’d hoped everyone would be busy enough with their own businesses that she’d be able to open the doors to the emporium quietly in the run up to Easter. From what Davey was saying, that didn’t sound like the case. ‘I…I’ll make sure to let her know the date.’

‘Splendid.’ He handed over the bag with a broad smile. ‘I know you’ll do Eleanor proud, Beth.’

It was hard to talk around the sudden lump in her throat, so she settled for a nod and a slightly watery smile. Hands full, she pushed the gate closed behind him; locking it seemed like overkill, it wasn’t as though she was living in a high-crime area of London anymore. The only people who came to the back door were delivery men, and her friends. Entering the house, she kicked the back door shut with her heel. The Yale lock clicked into place and she used her elbow to push the deadlock button up. More than enough security.

She carried the food into the living room, to find Libby had opened another bottle of wine and laid out sheets of kitchen paper to use as napkins. Eliza took the pizza boxes from her hand, then noticed the carrier bag swinging from Beth’s fingers. ‘What’s that? Garlic bread?’

Beth shook her head. ‘That should be in the top box, I think. This is Gina’s homemade tiramisu—her treat. I’ll just pop it in the fridge for later.’

By the time she returned, Eliza had ripped the lid off one of the boxes and shovelled half the Hawaiian pizza together with several slices of garlic bread on to it. She slid it across the coffee table towards Beth and she sank into an armchair with a sigh. ‘Gina’s expecting a grand opening for the emporium.’

Libby paused with a slice of pizza just inches from her lips. ‘The whole town is, B, I assumed you’d realise that.’

Groaning, Beth snatched up her wine glass and took a swig. ‘Tell me you’re kidding? I was hoping for something quiet.’ She still had serious doubts about whether she could make a go of things, and hosting a big party felt like a commitment she wasn’t sure she was ready to make. Easter would be the real test, so she’d give herself until the end of April and then sit down to evaluate her options. She’d keep that to herself for now; as much as she loved her friends, it had to be a decision for her and her alone.

‘Fat chance of that around here. This is the most exciting thing that’s happened since the newsagents rearranged their shelves last summer. Face it, you’re the talk of the town.’ Libby stuffed half the slice in her mouth and began to chew, which must have been tough given the huge bloody smirk on her face.

‘Just imagine what they’ll be saying once they find out you’ve been smooching the boy next door,’ Eliza added, tartly.

‘What? Oh, God, don’t even go there. It was two kisses.’ Two of the best kisses she’d ever experienced, but that wasn’t the point. ‘I shouldn’t have bloody said anything.’ She grabbed for the remote control. ‘Shall we watch a film?’

Eliza leaned forward to snatch the remote from her hand. ‘Nice try, but you’re not getting out of this. I want to know what’s been going on between you two.’ She didn’t sound cross, much to Beth’s relief, more concerned.

Libby on the other hand, was full of nothing but mischief. ‘Yes, tell us everything. How was it?’

‘It was okay.’ Beth helped herself to some pizza, stuffing it into her mouth before she could say anymore.

‘Okay?’ Libby snorted. ‘You don’t blurt it out and then blush the way you are over an okay kiss. Details, B, come on now. Let me live vicariously through you.’

Beth couldn’t help but laugh. The way Libby made things out to be, you’d think she’d never had a boyfriend. Sure, her choices might be limited by being in a small town, but things couldn’t be as bad as she kept making out. ‘It was nice.’ Heat rose in prickling spots across her chest and throat. ‘Very nice.’

Eliza shuddered. ‘That’s enough detail for me, thanks. When did this all happen?’

‘The first time was when he helped me fix the sink.’ She winced almost as soon as she said it, knowing she’d given the game away.

Eliza arched an eyebrow. ‘And the second?’

‘In the stock room,’ Beth mumbled. ‘When we had the mix up with the inflatable dolls.’

Libby choked on a mouthful of wine, and kept spluttering until Eliza thumped her on the back to help clear her airway. ‘Okay,’ she said, when she finally managed to speak. ‘I don’t care what Eliza says, now I definitely want details.’

They stayed up late; Beth’s anecdote about the dodgy sex toys had led onto Eliza telling them about a terrible Ann Summers party she’d been talked into attending by a member of her book group, and Martin’s horrified reaction when she’d shown him the catalogue afterwards. They’d laughed until their sides ached, their noise level increasing as the contents of the wine bottle disappeared.

Full of pizza, feeling slightly dizzy and with a combination of minty toothpaste and garlic confusing her taste buds, Beth crawled under the cover of the double bed in the spare room. Eliza was already snuggled in against the wall, and Libby looked cosy enough in a kind of nest she’d made on the floor using the mattress they’d dragged in from Beth’s old bed and a pile of quilts and pillows.

Stretching out, she clicked off the bedside light, leaving the room dark except for a sliver of moonlight peeping through a gap in the top of the curtains. She felt a hand brush against her side and slid her hand out to grasp Libby’s fingers.

‘I’m glad you’re home, B,’ she whispered sleepily.

‘Me too, Libs. I missed you both so much.’ A soft snore came back in reply.

Recalling the brief conversation with Eliza that morning, she stretched out her other hand to grasp her friend’s arm. ‘And now you might be moving even further away. What will we do without you?’

Eliza rolled towards her and shifted closer until her head rested on the edge of Beth’s pillow. ‘I don’t want to go,’ she murmured. ‘Is it awful of me to say that? It feels awful, like I’m being disloyal to Martin. His career is important, and I know I should be more supportive.’

The wine had softened her inhibitions, and it was on the tip of Beth’s tongue to tell Eliza exactly what she thought about Martin and his passive-aggressive bullshit, but she clamped her jaw tight until the urge passed. Whatever she thought about the situation, he was Eliza’s husband and she didn’t want to put a strain on their friendship.

Trying to feel her way towards the right thing to say, she settled eventually for, ‘You’ve put him and his work first for a long time. I remember how hard it was for you when you first moved up north.’

‘It’s silly. I’m being silly. It’s not like I’ve seen you every five minutes, but at least I knew you were only a train ride, or a couple of hours drive away. An eight-hour flight is something different all together.’

Beth squeezed her arm. ‘You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.’

Eliza’s sigh tickled the hair on her shoulder. ‘It’s not even certain he’s going to get it, so I might be worrying over nothing. It won’t be the end of the world, and it would be the ideal time for us to start a family as I won’t be working over there.’

The lack of enthusiasm in her voice set alarm bells ringing in Beth’s head. Planning a baby should be something joyful, a time for celebration and excitement. Eliza made it sound anything but. ‘The last time we talked about it, you weren’t ready to have children.’

Her friend rolled over onto her back, and Beth could sense her drawing away. ‘I’m not getting any younger. If we’re going to have kids, now’s as good a time as any.’

Bloody hell, she was too drunk, and nowhere near drunk enough to have this conversation right now. ‘There’s plenty of time, Eliza. No need to rush into any big decisions just yet.’

‘You’re right. There’s no need to worry yet, he hasn’t even got an interview.’ Eliza yawned. ‘I think the wine’s gone to my head, and got me talking nonsense. G’night, B.’

Feeling like she’d failed her friend, Beth gave her arm a final squeeze. ‘Night, darling. Sleep tight.’ From the way Eliza tossed and turned beside her, it seemed a fruitless wish—for both of them.