Autumn Dreams at Mermaids Point, page 17
‘Em.’
She sighed. ‘Look, I didn’t want to tell you because you’ll just make a big deal out of it.’
Well that didn’t sound great. ‘And if I promise to just listen?’
She laughed. ‘As if.’
He waited, all but grinding his teeth against the need to fill the silence. He’d promised to listen, so that’s what he’d do.
‘It’s not that big a deal,’ she said, finally, using her finger to press up the crumbs on her plate. ‘Bas starts back at college on Monday, and he said the student advisory team there is really cool. I thought I might go in and have a chat with them. See what my options are, you know, with resits and whatever.’
She’d been devastated when her exam results came through and she’d missed the predicted scores on a couple of key subjects. Tom had been worried as hell about it, but he’d promised her she could take a gap year, and though it’d gone against his every instinct, he’d stuck to his word. Just the idea she might be ready to think about going back to her studies was enough to make him want to jump for joy. Just as well Bas had gone home or he might have kissed the poor lad. ‘And is that something you’re happy to do on your own?’
That shoulder shrug again. ‘There’s a bus that goes from the high street and stops almost opposite the college. I can go in with Bas and there’s a couple of other people he’s promised to introduce me to.’
Though he was excited at the prospect of her making new contacts that would hopefully grow into friendships he knew better than to push. ‘If that’s what you want, then I think it’s sensible to get some advice.’ When she didn’t look up, he reached across and gently pushed her plate out of reach of her fiddling. She cast him a look from under her overgrown fringe and he gave her what he hoped would be an encouraging smile. ‘I’ll support whatever you choose to do.’
Her eyes narrowed a touch. ‘But you think I should go back.’
‘I think…’ he cut himself off and really thought for a moment about what he wanted to say. ‘I think you are old enough to recognise the importance of good results in ensuring you have the widest possible options open to you for your future. But I also said you could take a year off and I will one hundred per cent stick to that promise if that’s what you decide to do.’ He nudged his own plate aside and rested his folded arms on the table. ‘Look, Em. I’m going to need you to tell me if you want my help with any of this. I’m a bloody awful mind-reader so I can’t tell when you want me to back off and when you want me to wade in. It’s hard work this dad stuff, you know?’
She smiled then. ‘This daughter stuff isn’t exactly easy.’ She heaved a sigh. ‘I’ll go in on Monday and talk to them, and then maybe we can talk it over afterwards?’
Tom nodded. ‘You’ve got yourself a deal. Now, do you want anything else to eat?’
Shaking her head, Emily pushed back her chair and rose. ‘I’m going to go upstairs for a bit, if that’s all right?’
‘Sure. I’ve got to finish sorting my office out anyway.’ He let her get almost to the door before he called her name. When she looked back at him, he held out his hand, palm flat. ‘Forgetting something?’ He might not have made a big deal about the way she’d spoken to him earlier, but she must think he was born yesterday if she imagined she’d get away with it scot-free. She knew the rules, and regardless of whatever else was going on between them, actions had consequences.
She rolled her eyes, but still tugged her phone out of her pocket and slouched back to the table to put it in his hand. ‘When can I have it back?’
‘After dinner. Go on, now.’ She flounced from the room and there was a moment when he thought she might slam the door, but instead she closed it very slowly and deliberately. ‘That’s my girl,’ he murmured to himself as he shoved her phone in his pocket and began clearing away the plates.
18
‘And then what happened?’ Sylvia leaned so far forward she all but tumbled off her chair.
‘Nothing! I got out of there as quickly as possible before I made an even bigger fool of myself.’ When both Linda and Sylvia responded to that with sighs of what could only be described as disappointment, Nerissa scowled at them. ‘He’s my boss,’ she hissed.
‘He’s six foot something of exactly what you need,’ Sylvia countered, making Linda all but snort coffee out of her nose.
‘Stop it!’ God, why did her sister-in-law have to be so indiscreet? Nerissa glanced nervously around the busy café, worried about who might be listening. Her hand fluttered towards her neck before she forced it back into her lap. She’d taken Gareth’s ring off before she’d gone swimming and after her reaction towards Tom touching her – as innocent as it may have been – she’d felt awkward about putting it on after her shower so had left it resting in the little glass dish on her bedside cabinet.
‘Everything all right?’ Laurie paused beside their table, a pair of dirty mugs hanging off one hand, a small stack of plates balanced on the other.
‘Your aunt’s been getting up close and personal with sexy Dr Tom,’ Sylvia said, eyes flashing in amusement.
‘Whaaatttttt?’ Laurie’s eyes grew round as saucers as she slid into the spare chair at their table and dumped the dirty dishes in front of her. ‘Tell me more!’
‘I hate you,’ Nerissa mouthed across the table as Sylvia launched into an altogether more lurid recounting of the unfortunate incident with the wetsuit, as those few humiliating moments would forever be known in her head.
‘And when he touched her neck as he was unzipping it, she went all goosebumpy,’ Sylvia was saying to Laurie with far too much relish.
‘It was cold!’ Nerissa interjected.
‘Funny how that didn’t come up when you were describing it to us,’ Linda said, mildly.
‘I thought you were my friend,’ Nerissa huffed.
As the three of them cackled like hens, she folded her arms and sat back in her chair. Honest to God, she should’ve never said anything in the first place. She’d meant it to be a humorous anecdote, a joke they’d laugh at together that she could then dismiss from her mind. Only, it hadn’t quite come out the way she’d intended and now she’d never hear the end of it.
Groaning, she covered her face in her hands. ‘I never should’ve said anything.’
‘Oh, come on, Nerissa, it’s all right.’ Laurie gently tugged her hands away and gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘We’re just pulling your leg, that’s all.’
‘Speak for yourself,’ Sylvia countered. ‘I think this is the best thing that’s happened in years. I must admit I had high hopes of something happening between the two of you, but I didn’t think the sparks would be flying this quickly.’
‘Mum!’ Laurie glared at her mother before turning back to Nerissa. ‘Ignore her, she’s just winding you up. I’m sure he’ll think it was something and nothing, don’t even worry about it.’
‘I hope so.’ Nerissa took a sip of her now-cold tea and shoved the cup back onto the saucer with a grimace. ‘I don’t want him getting the wrong idea about me.’
‘The right idea, you mean.’ When both her daughter and Nerissa turned on her, Sylvia held her hands up in surrender. ‘All right, all right. If you don’t want to take advantage of living under the same roof as the village’s most eligible bachelor, I won’t say another word on the matter.’ She zipped her fingers across her lips.
Nerissa wanted to believe that was indeed the last she would hear on the matter, but she knew Sylvia a lot better than that. Once she got fixated on an idea it was almost impossible to get her off it. ‘Give it a rest, will you? He’s not for me.’
Sylvia snorted. ‘No one will ever be for you unless you let them in. At least you’ve had the good sense to take that ring off. There’s a point when a memory becomes a millstone, you know.’
Nerissa’s hand flew protectively to the bare space at her throat. ‘That’s not fair.’ They’d had this argument too many times before. ‘I’m not against the idea of falling in love again – I’ve just never met the right man.’ When her sister-in-law opened her mouth to speak, Nerissa held up a hand. ‘Don’t. Just don’t.’
‘I only want what’s best for you.’
Nerissa leaned forward, deciding it was time to try a different approach. ‘The man has lost his wife. He and I work together. He has two children he needs to take care of. What about any of that makes you think he would be remotely interested in me?’
‘He’s got eyes. And a pulse.’
Frustrated beyond words at that flippant response, Nerissa started to lean back. There was just no point in talking to her when she got like this.
Sylvia laid a hand over her own, holding her still. ‘You weren’t made to be alone, Nerissa. You and your brother are peas in a pod. All that love inside you – you need to find someone to give it to. Someone who will treasure it and give it back to you tenfold.’
Nerissa swallowed down the lump forming in her throat. ‘I had that once.’
‘And what? You think you can’t have it again?’ It was Sylvia’s turn to sound frustrated. ‘There’s no such thing as soulmates. There’s no one person who is our perfect match. Save that nonsense for the romance books. What there is are people who come into our lives and make the risk worth the reward. It’s messy and difficult and wonderful, but never perfect. If you wait for perfection, you’ll end up with nothing. Am I right?’ she addressed the last words to Linda. ‘Tell her that I’m right.’
Linda held up her hands. ‘Don’t drag me into this.’
‘There, see! Now you’ve upset Linda,’ Nerissa snapped. ‘This was supposed to be a nice lunch with friends, can we please get back to that?’
‘Oh, I’m not upset,’ Linda said, her tone matter-of-fact. ‘I’m just the last person in the world to give romantic advice, based on my track record.’
Nerissa cringed and even Sylvia had the good grace to blush. ‘Sorry. That was tactless of me.’
Linda shrugged. ‘It’s the truth.’ She turned towards Nerissa. ‘Look, I’m a long way from even thinking about another relationship, but I will agree with one thing Sylvia said. I’d hate to think that Nigel was my one shot at a happy relationship, because if he was, then life owes me a damn refund.’
‘Exactly my point!’ Sylvia folded her arms and gave Nerissa a smug smile. ‘I’m not saying you should throw yourself at Tom – though you never know, he might like it.’
‘Sylvia!’ Nerissa half-laughed, half-despaired.
‘Just be open to the possibility, that’s all I’m saying. Give it time and see what develops naturally.’
‘Naturally? Nothing is going to develop between us naturally. We’re co-workers.’
‘But you could be friends given time, and the right circumstances. He just needs to see you in a different light, that’s all. A non-work environment. You should both come to Sunday dinner tomorrow – and the children, of course. Your brother always cooks enough to feed the five thousand. Linda’s coming, aren’t you?’
Linda jolted from what Nerissa suspected was a kick under the table. ‘What? Oh, umm, yes. Sunday lunch, lovely. The more the merrier.’ She gave Nerissa a helpless look of apology.
‘No.’
‘No?’ Sylvia widened her eyes in mock-surprise and Nerissa wished she was close enough because she’d be giving her a kick under the table – and not a gentle one. ‘Well, perhaps another time.’
Perhaps when the ocean froze over. Or mermaids really did start showing up in the bay – and not ones who were pop stars staging a publicity stunt, but the proper, mythical ones Nerissa and Laurie had both been named after. ‘Perhaps,’ Nerissa said in the same tone with which said ‘no’.
Whether she’d decided she’d made her point or as a gesture of peace, Sylvia reached for one of the menus Laurie had laid on their table earlier. ‘Right then, what shall we have for lunch? I quite fancy a slice of quiche.’
Thankfully, the rest of their lunch passed smoothly, and by the time Nerissa let herself back into the surgery, it was after half-past two. The kitchen was empty, but she followed the sounds of revving engines to the lounge to find Max sitting cross-legged on the sofa, a game controller in his hand and what looked like a Formula One type racing game on the screen. From somewhere overhead, she could hear the thump-thump of music and deduced from that Emily was up in her bedroom.
‘I’m back,’ Nerissa announced to Max, before noticing the empty glass on the coffee table. Moving to pick it up, she waved it towards him. ‘Need a refill?’
‘No thanks.’ Eyes glued to the screen, he still managed a smile.
‘I’ll leave you to it, then. I’m going to make a start on tomorrow’s lunch.’ If she got the prep done now, she could leave the meat to cook and have a couple of hours to herself before she needed to finish everything off.
She’d only had time to tie her hair up out the way, wash her hands and slip an apron on to protect her dress when Max appeared. ‘What are you making?’
‘I got some nice steak from the butcher yesterday, so I thought I’d make a pie.’
‘Make it?’ He pulled a chair out from the table and plonked down on it. ‘Can’t you just buy one?’
Nerissa smiled. ‘I could do, but home-made is always nicer. Besides, it doesn’t take very long.’ She opened the cupboard she stored all her baking things in and pulled out the large earthenware mixing bowl that had belonged to her mum, followed by a deep, ceramic pie dish. She placed them both on the table, then rummaged in a drawer for her rolling pin, pastry brush and a fork to crimp the edges of the crust.
‘What’s this for?’ Max picked up the pastry brush and started playing with it.
‘Wash your hands, please, if you’re going to help me.’ She hadn’t meant to suggest it, it was just something her mum had always said to her and Andrew when they were kids messing about in her kitchen.
Max looked up at her. ‘Can I help you?’
He sounded surprisingly eager, so she nodded. ‘If you want to. There’s a spare apron hanging on the back of the door.’ When he turned his nose up at the idea, she folded her arms. ‘My kitchen, my rules, and as I’ll be the one trying to get bits of stuck-on pastry out of your clothes later, rule one is you have to wear an apron.’
He grumbled a little but did as he was told.
When he’d washed his hands, she asked him to show her and she lifted first one hand, then the other to study his nails for any dirt. ‘You’ll do,’ she said, with a wink. ‘Now, have you done any baking before?’
Max hesitated. ‘I made some fairy cakes with my mum, but that was a long time ago.’
Her heart ached at the forlorn expression on his face, and she couldn’t fight the urge to touch his cheek. ‘We can do that another day, if you’d like? It’s good to remember the fun you had together.’ When he nodded, she decided to leave it at that. ‘Right, let’s get everything we need for today. Can you get me eggs and butter from the fridge, please?’
While he did that, she got the flour, her trusty kitchen scales and a large wooden board, which she placed on the table with a cloth beneath it to catch any stray flour. It took her probably twice as long to show Max each step in the process rather than doing it herself, but he was eager to learn and it was nice to have a bit of company. She was surprised at how well he concentrated throughout the process, having expected him to get bored, and once they wrapped the prepared pastry in cling film and set it in the fridge to rest, she expected he’d be eager to get back to his game. ‘Thank you for your help.’
‘Is that it?’ He frowned at her.
‘Well, I need to make the filling and let that cook for a couple of hours, but that’s it for now so you can go back to your game if you want to.’
Max’s face fell. ‘Oh, okay.’
‘I mean, you can stay if you want to – it won’t be very exciting, chopping some mushrooms and peeling a few carrots, that sort of thing.’
‘I can do that!’
The pieces of carrot were a variety of sizes and the mushrooms cut a bit too big, but Nerissa didn’t care because it was worth it. She found a station on the radio that played hits from the 80s and 90s and in spite of Max’s many protests about how rubbish the music was, they ended up having an impromptu disco once the meat and vegetables were simmering away in the oven.
‘And now,’ the DJ announced. ‘Here’s one I’m sure you’ll all remember the moves to. Get up off your sofa and join in because here comes Los del Rio and “Macarena”.’
The pulsing beat of the music kicked in and Nerissa clapped her hands together. ‘Oh, I remember this.’ She started doing the hand movements automatically even though it must’ve been twenty-five years or more since she’d last done it. ‘Come on, Max,’ she called out to him as she swung her hips in a circle and did a quarter-turn jump to the right. ‘It’s easy.’
‘What do I do?’ he asked, standing next to her.
‘Just follow my lead. Shoulder, shoulder, behind your ear, and again. Hip, hip, bottom, bottom, big circle, now jump!’ She called out the instructions as she moved and he started to copy her and they both started laughing when he jumped the wrong way and ended up facing her.
‘Like this?’ He was using the opposite hands to her, but she was amazed at how quickly he picked it up.
As the ‘Aiiiiiieee!’ end of the chorus played again, they both jumped and Nerissa found herself face-to-face with Tom, who was leaning in the doorway of the surgery corridor, a huge grin on his face. She should probably have been embarrassed, but damn it, she was having too much fun. ‘Come on, Tom! I bet you know this.’
‘Dad doesn’t dance,’ Max said before almost falling over laughing as he got his arms all tangled up and lost his place in the dance.
‘Ha. Shows what you know.’ Shoving up the sleeves of his rugby shirt, Tom stepped into line with them and, to Max’s delighted horror, he picked up the moves at exactly the right point and performed a perfect round of them.
The song was just coming to an end when Emily came marching in from the other door. ‘Can’t you turn it down?’ She stopped dead at the sight of them all gyrating around the table. ‘Oh my God, what is this?’
