I went over and picked up the photo, but when I looked at the group of people in the photo I was hit with an overwhelming sense of grief. They were all smiling but I could tell none of them were truly happy. Their smiles were nothing more than masks used to convince the world they were OK when they weren’t. Some of them were faces I’d grown up with, whilst others weren’t so familiar. I’d gone to Frank’s shop for ten pence mixtures as a kid and Diane’s café had been the scene of many birthday treats. My relationship with her wasn’t the best any more though; she was Mrs Cunningham’s best friend and had taken her side after the accident.
And suddenly I knew, just by looking into their eyes, that I had to check out the Broken Hearts Book Club – even if it was just to see why they meant so much to Nana Lily. Diane probably wouldn’t make me feel very welcome, but I had to satisfy my own curiosity. Although I didn’t want to admit it, a strange excitement began to brew inside me. I began to wonder about the members and what their stories might be.
One thing was for certain though: I definitely wasn’t looking to take Nana Lily up on her posthumous offer to lead them and live in Luna Bay. As much as I loved Rose Cottage and the magical memories it conjured up, I couldn’t come back.
No way.
Here’s an important lesson to learn about my dad: if he says he’ll have something sorted out in no time, don’t listen to him under any circumstances.
Mum and I returned from our trip to Rose Cottage to find the house even more flooded than when we’d left. According to Dad, the damp patch that had looked fit to burst had, well, burst.
‘I poked at it with the end of a paint roller and there was more water in it than I’d thought!’ he said with a bright, wide grin. ‘It’s fine though, bit of plaster will sort it – no problem!’
Mum stared around her at the sodden carpets, walls and furniture, looking absolutely horrified.
‘You said you’d sort it! Look at it, there’s no way we can stay here! What are we going to do?’
‘Don’t you worry,’ Dad replied. ‘I’ve got a plan! I phoned The Purple Partridge and spoke to that nice young man who runs it. Jake, his name is. You’ll like him, Lucy. He’s going to let us stay there for a couple of nights while the place dries out.’
Oh wonderful, I thought, I epically embarrass myself in front of the sexy barman by running out on him and now I’ll have to face him again.
Then again, I said to myself with a smile, the thought of seeing those gorgeous arm muscles wasn’t entirely unpleasant…
After a lot of hasty packing, the four of us traipsed over to The Purple Partridge where Fitty McFitterson – who I now knew as Jake – greeted us with a smile as we walked through the door, laden with bags and looking very sheepish. Everyone, that is, except Dad – who’d been the cause of it all. He looked as happy and carefree as usual, while Mum, George and I were all fed up and in need of a strong brew.
Stepping out from behind the bar, Jake’s eyes briefly caught mine and he smiled in recognition.
‘Oh dear David, what have you been up to this time?’ he asked while grabbing a bag from Mum.
Dad did an over-the-top gurn and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Flooded the bloody house, didn’t I?’
‘It’s like living with Norman Wisdom,’ Mum muttered. After realising we’d all heard her, she put on her best prim smile. ‘It’s ever so kind of you to put us up for a couple of nights, Jake. I’m sure we’ll be out of your hair by the weekend.’
Jake shook his head. ‘It’s no problem, really. We’ve got a couple of spare rooms upstairs going begging, so there’s plenty of room.’
Our eyes met again and I was sure I saw him smile.
‘Follow me guys, it’s just up here.’ He jabbed his thumb in the direction of the door leading to the pub’s upstairs area.
Up the stairs, the main living quarters consisted of five main doors. One had a lock on it and a brass number one attached which I guessed led to Jake’s flat.
‘The bedrooms are just here.’ He gestured to the first three doors. ‘And that’s the bathroom there. The plumbing’s not the best, but should be all right for a couple of days at least. Enjoy your stay; anything you need, just ask.’
He looked back at me as he retreated down the hall to return to the pub. A tiny raise of his eyebrows made my heart skip. This was going to be a very interesting couple of days.
***
My theory was proven right on our first day at The Purple Partridge. After a surprisingly restful night’s sleep, I made a mad early-morning dash for the bathroom before Mum or George could occupy it for hours on end or Dad had a chance to flood it.
When Jake said the plumbing ‘wasn’t the best’, he hadn’t been kidding. The taps were creaky, there was hardly any hot water and the pressure ranged from a drip to a deluge. However, there was a certain quirky charm about it and I reminded myself how lucky we were that Jake had been able to put us up.
Jake.
He popped into my mind uninvited and I felt my heart rate start to speed up. I’d never seen anyone quite so gorgeous for a long time and those arm muscles… I shook the thoughts free before I turned into a complete drooling mess. The last thing we needed was me making our temporary stay here more awkward than it needed to be by making eyes at the delectable landlord. Instead, I put my head back and allowed the tepid water to run down my hair and back – hoping some of my fears and anxieties about being back in Luna Bay would be washed away too.
I stepped out of the shower, wrapped a fluffy white towel around myself and prepared to make the dash back to my room. There was still so much to think about. While staying in Luna Bay and carrying out Nana Lily’s wishes definitely held an appeal, the thought of being confronted with everything I’d been running from scared the life out of me. I wanted to move on, really I did, but I wasn’t sure if Luna Bay’s residents – Maggie Cunningham in particular – would let me.
As I prepared to make a run for it, I heard a voice behind me.
‘Morning you. Sleep well?’
I jumped and spun round to see who the voice belonged to. In my haste, I let go of my towel and ended up showing Jake everything I had.
Great Lucy, way to make your stay here not awkward.
‘Oh bollocks!’
‘Well that was more than I bargained for!’ He laughed as I scrabbled around for the towel. I pulled it back around myself and clutched it tightly to my chest. I noticed him giving me an appraising look and didn’t feel particularly comfortable.
‘S-sorry… I-I was just having a shower…’
He nodded, still fixing me with that peculiar look. ‘Yeah, erm, I could see that. I was just coming up to see if you fancied some… some breakfast.’
I squeaked that I wasn’t hungry and ran back to my room as fast as I could. It was official: this latest screw-up had tipped me into a crisis and I needed to take some sort of action.
If ever I needed a sign to straighten my life out, flashing a sexy barman was it.
Of all the places to sort your mess of a life out, there are few better places than the Moonlight Café.
Perched at the very top of Luna Bay’s steep main street, its unparalleled views of the North Sea, beach house-style décor and freshly baked bread and cakes will have you forgetting your troubles in no time at all.
Unless you’re me, that is.
I found myself