‘See you around!’ he called as she wandered off, mentally in heaven as her tongue lapped at the ice cream. It was truly amazing and so refreshing in the heat. She raised a hand in lieu of a goodbye, already knowing she would re-enter the cheese zone tomorrow for another go at one of his ice creams.
Mae
‘Mummy!’
Mae hadn’t even swung the gate open at her mum’s house and Hannah was already hurtling towards her, her new sandals slapping noisily against the garden path as she propelled her little body forward. Moments earlier, Hannah had been playing with her dolls on the small patch of grass in front of the house while her grandmother relaxed with a book in a deckchair.
‘Hello, little lady.’ Mae opened the gate quickly and scooped her daughter into her arms, planting a noisy kiss on her cheek and making her giggle. ‘I hope you’ve been behaving for Nanny.’
‘She’s been an angel,’ Eloise said from the deckchair. She twisted her wrist to check the time. ‘You’re early, aren’t you?’
‘There was a bit of a problem with the B&B, so Corinne sent me home early.’
‘Typical Corinne,’ Eloise said as she placed her book facedown on the grass. ‘Is everything okay with the B&B now?’
Mae shifted Hannah onto her hip and made her way across to her mum. ‘It’s all sorted. I’ve had a cancellation on both of my rooms, but I’ve managed to fill one of them already.’ Mae placed Hannah back down on the grass in front of her dolls. ‘Hopefully I’ll be able to fill the other quickly and won’t miss out on too many days.’
‘It’s high season, so I’m sure it won’t be a problem.’ Eloise slotted a bookmark between the pages of her book and closed it. ‘So, this guest. Is it a female guest? Or male?’ She’d adopted a casual tone as she enquired, but she was fooling no one. Though single herself, Eloise was desperate to see her daughter coupled with a man – any man, it sometimes seemed to Mae.
‘It’s a woman,’ Mae said, trying not to smile when she saw the clear disappointment on her mother’s face. ‘She’s married, but her husband’s working away or something.’
‘Working away, eh?’ Eloise said. ‘That’s what I used to tell people whenever your father buggered off with one of his floozies.’
‘I’m sure it’s nothing like that,’ Mae said, though her voice was filled with little conviction. In her experience, men and relationships usually came hand-in-hand with heartache.
Eloise shrugged. ‘Maybe not. There are some decent fellas out there, if you look hard enough. Or look at all in your case.’
‘Mum…’ Mae groaned.
Eloise held her hands up in surrender. ‘I’m just saying.’
‘Well, don’t just say anything.’
‘Sorry. I just worry about you being on your own.’ Eloise battled with the deckchair to get her feet on solid ground. ‘Are you staying for a cup of tea?’
‘I shouldn’t, really. My new guest is picking some things up and I’d like to be there to settle her in. You know how grateful I am having Mrs Hornchurch on hand, but she does like to chew people’s ears off.’
‘She’s lonely,’ Eloise said. ‘That house used to be full to the brim with people when I was growing up next door. There were Mr and Mrs Hornchurch, their three children, Mrs Hornchurch’s parents and an aunt or cousin – I can’t remember which now. It was bedlam! Now there’s just poor Mrs Hornchurch rattling around the old place with only the dog for company.’
‘I do try to stop and chat when I can.’ Mae felt bad now. She knew how much loneliness could bite.
‘I know you do.’ Eloise, having freed herself from the deckchair, gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek. ‘Now, are you sure I can’t tempt you with a cuppa? I’m parched in this heat.’
‘I really should be getting back. I’m not sure how long it’ll take Willow to pack her things. She said she won’t be bringing much.’ Crouching on the grass, Mae started to gather the dolls and place them in the plastic box that housed them and their accessories.
‘Okay, darling.’ Eloise took the box of dolls and tucked it under one arm before leaning in to kiss Mae’s cheek. ‘Take care – and don’t work too hard.’ She stooped down to kiss her granddaughter. ‘Bye, sweetheart. Be good!’
Taking Hannah’s hand, Mae made her way to the car, strapping Hannah into her seat at the back before climbing in herself. She waved to her mum – who had returned to the deckchair and her book – before driving back to the bed and breakfast.
The house Mae had grown up in – and which Eloise still occupied – was only a few minutes’ drive from the seafront, but it had always felt like a big adventure whenever Mae had visited her grandparents as a child. It felt different at Granny and Grandpa’s, as though the town was more alive down by the seafront, and it was certainly more fun with the beach, pier and arcade within easy reach. She’d loved the house as a little girl, with its three floors of rooms to explore and the large garden at the back with a rope swing and slide. It hadn’t been a bed and breakfast back then – it had simply been Granny and Grandpa’s house, almost a second home for Mae growing up. It had been a happy place, away from the drama of her parents’ often turbulent relationship, and she hoped she’d created an equally happy home for her daughter.
‘Can I watch telly?’ Hannah asked as soon as they arrived home, sliding her new sandals off her feet without unbuckling them and kicking them onto the hallway floor.
‘Don’t you think you should put these away first?’ Mae scooped the sandals up from the floor and handed them to her daughter. ‘Before our guest arrives and breaks her neck before she’s even unpacked?’
‘Who’s coming to stay today?’ Hannah asked as she and Mae climbed the stairs. Mae was about to tell her about Willow when the doorbell rang, the sudden and piercing sound making her jump.
‘Make sure you put those in the bottom of the wardrobe,’ she said, pointing at the sandals before scurrying back down the stairs again. She opened the door, expecting to see Willow on the doorstep, but it was a young woman, blonde rather than brunette like Willow, wearing cut-off denim shorts and a blue-and-white-striped T-shirt. She had a hefty-looking rucksack slung over her shoulders, the strap of a laptop-style bag crossing her chest, and a camera looped around her neck. How she was still standing under the weight of it all was a mystery to Mae.
‘I don’t suppose you have a room free?’ she asked. She bit her lip as she waited for an answer, her eyebrows inching slowly up her weary-looking face.
‘You’re in luck,’ Mae said, opening the door wider and stepping aside. ‘I’ve had a cancellation this afternoon and the room’s still free. Come in and I’ll get you booked in.’
‘Really?’ She smiled now, her lips stretching wide across her face. She had such a pretty face, with rosy, defined cheeks and blue eyes that sparkled now she was no longer grimacing. ‘Thank you so much. I’ve been wandering around for ages. I couldn’t find a room anywhere! I thought I was going to have to move on, which is a shame as this seems like such a lovely town. I’m sorry, I’m babbling.’
Mae laughed as she led the way into the living room. ‘Don’t worry about it, and I’m glad you’ve found somewhere to stay. I’m Mae Wright, by the way.’
‘Melody Rosewood.’ The woman held her hand out and Mae shook it. ‘This is a gorgeous house. I’ve stayed in some pretty grotty places over the past couple of weeks, but this is not one of them.’
‘Thanks.’