‘Mum, Mum, look what we got,’ yelled Ella and Scott, racing straight into the house. Ella’s cat tail dragged down the spiral staircase behind her as she rushed to find her mother.
‘Wow,’ gasped Rhona animatedly, rummaging through their pumpkin buckets, brimming with confectionary. She pinched a lollipop from each of them and stashed them into the pockets of her hoodie.
‘They’ve been really good and only eaten a couple of things each,’ said Emma, who hadn’t realised how exhausting herding two excited kids round a village in the dark could be. It hadn’t helped that they’d begged her to take Wilbur and she’d foolishly given in, though she’d drawn the line at taking Bertha, who was still too young to be out anyway. Between Wilbur stopping to sniff every lamppost and the kids constantly running ahead, she felt knackered. She was glad to have temporarily secured Wilbur to the iron boot scraper embedded in the stone of Rhona’s cottage for a five-minute break.
‘Thanks again, Emma. I really appreciate it,’ said Rhona.
‘Yeah, thanks Auntie Emma,’ said Ella, giving Emma a squeeze.
‘You’re welcome.’
Emma took a seat at the little island and watched the kids pour the contents of their buckets onto the dining table where they began rifling through it, bartering with each other for swaps. ‘How are you feeling?’ she asked Rhona.
‘I’m okay, rest is definitely helping.’
Emma looked up at the beams festooned with cobwebs, bats and spiders.
Not only were there decorations everywhere, there was also a string hung up for pancakes, which were cooking on the stove, and a basin full of water with apples for bobbing, all of which suggested to Emma that Rhona hadn’t exactly been taking things easy as the doctor had suggested.
‘Have you been resting?’
‘I have!’ protested Rhona.
Emma eyed her suspiciously, knowing rest was not something she did well.
‘Skye helped with the decorations and the apples. All I’ve done is make some pancake batter, I promise.’ She waggled her palette knife emphatically at Emma before flipping the pancakes over.
‘Where is Skye, anyway?’ Emma asked, cracking open a walnut from the bowl on the island.
‘Out with Zoe. Zoe’s dressed up like Morticia Addams, Skye is Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. They look ridiculous!’
‘They’re quite old-school choices.’
‘Tell me about it!’
‘Mum, can I eat a Freddo?’ interrupted Ella.
‘If you put all the other stuff away first,’ replied Rhona, pointing to the spread of confectionary on the table. ‘Then go upstairs and wash your hands, it’s almost pancake time.’
‘Yay, pancakes!’ the kids said in unison and they quickly refilled their buckets, put them in the larder cupboard and headed upstairs to wash.
‘Any news from Finn?’ Emma asked, once the kids were in the bathroom.
‘We’ve messaged a few times, we haven’t spoken.’
‘Have you told him you’re meant to be taking it easy?’
Rhona gave a quick shake of her head.
Uncertain how best to challenge Rhona’s decision not to tell Finn, Emma paused. ‘He might like to know,’ she said carefully.
‘When there’s something to tell, I’ll tell him. For now, a bit of distance isn’t a bad thing. If it’s meant to be, this blip won’t stand in our way. If it’s not, then . . .’ Rhona tailed off, a sadness creeping into her eyes.
‘You guys are made for each other,’ said Emma supportively. ‘But if experience has taught me anything, it’s that honesty is always the best policy.’ She thought of her ex, Chris, and how she wished she’d told him when she’d first realised she didn’t love him, rather than drag it out as she’d done, making it harder for both of them in the long term.
‘I’m not being dishonest,’ Rhona replied defensively.
‘But you are being secretive,’ said Emma, trying not to sound too accusatory, conscious that she was keeping Bertha secret from Aidan.
Rhona tipped the pancakes onto a tea-towel and covered them up. She didn’t respond to Emma’s comment, but a telling bite of her lip told Emma everything she needed to know.
Emma really wanted to ask if Rhona had given any thought to Craig and the kids but, fearing it might raise her stress levels, she thought better of it.
‘I should head down to the beach, everyone else will be there by now,’ she said, getting down from the stool. ‘Are you sure you won’t come? We could park you on a deck chair and bundle you up like an old woman!’
‘I’m fine,’ laughed Rhona. ‘I’d rather curl up in bed and besides, I’ve no one to watch the kids.’
‘Well, if you change your mind when Skye gets back, you know where we are.’
‘Have a great time,’ said Rhona, piercing holes in the pancakes to thread string through.
‘I’ll check on you tomorrow,’ said Emma, giving her a hug before she left.
Emma wound her way down the hill with Wilbur, past the ancient fishermen’s cottages with their rusty-coloured stone and pantiles, and on to the little crescent beach beyond the harbour. In the distance she saw a campfire burning bright under a full moon that lit up the sand. And there, sitting round the fire, were Jen, Eve, David and Phil with Elsie by his side. Their laughter and chatter carried up towards Emma on a light autumn breeze.
‘How’s Rhona?’ asked Jen, after everyone had welcomed Emma and Elsie had run circles round Wilbur.
‘She’s fine but she needs to rest.’
‘Isn’t that like asking a bee not to buzz?’ said Eve.
‘Doctor’s orders,’ laughed Emma, who missed Rhona’s presence. It felt odd, her not being there, as if a vital ingredient of the group’s alchemy was missing. ‘Your hair is amazing, by the way.’
‘Thanks.’ Eve reached into her huge, backcombed hairdo, which she’d sprayed cobweb-silver, and pulled out a plastic spider.
‘And the make-up is fab, too,’ said Emma, admiring Eve’s chalk-white face and black and silver eyes.
‘Did you remember the bananas?’ asked Phil. He handed Emma a stick with a sausage on it, his shirt sleeve torn and forearm covered in fake blood. It looked as if he’d had a nasty accident at the shop.
‘I did.’ She reached into her backpack and pulled out a bunch, slightly disappointed that no one had commented on her Blair Witch costume – checked shirt, jeans, hiking boots and mauve beanie hat. ‘And I brought salted caramel spread to go on them,’ she said, rummaging around in the bottom of her pack for the jar.
‘Yum,’ said Eve, and she took it from Emma, cracking open the seal and dipping her finger in.
‘Eve, that’s gross!’ yelled Jen.
‘You’re such a child,’ laughed Phil as he wrapped the bananas in tin foil and placed them on the edge of the fire.
‘Can’t help it!’ said Eve, and she sucked her finger clean exaggeratedly.
‘These potatoes should be almost ready,’ said David, holding up a foil-wrapped potato on a skewer.
‘I brought salad,’ said Jen, and she stretched for a large Tupperware box which was full of beetroot, rocket, goat’s cheese, avocado and walnut.
‘And I’ve got the toppings,’ said David.
‘Well, don’t you two make an excellent pair,’ winked Eve, and Jen flushed pink.
‘What did you bring, Eve?’ asked Phil, diverting attention from Jen’s embarrassment.
‘Copious amounts of marshmallows, of course!’
Phil shook his head despairingly. ‘I don’t know why I asked!’
‘David, if you want to swim, we should do it before we eat,’ said Jen.
‘Let’s do it,’ he replied, rubbing his hands together gleefully.
‘I wonder if that’s all they’re going to do,’ smirked Eve, as the three of them watched Jen and David, followed by the dogs, wander down to the water’s edge, where Jen dropped her swim robe and strolled confidently in, as if the water held no danger. David, on the other hand, faltered, dipping his toe in cautiously even though he was clad from head to toe in protective gear. Jen reached out her hand to him.
Eve wolf-whistled at them, prompting Phil to throw a cloth at her.
‘Leave them alone,’ he said, though none of them could keep their eyes off them. Elsie barked excitedly at the water’s edge as Wilbur, sensing David’s apprehension, plodded slowly into the water and stood guard by his side.
‘Is Wilbur still swimming?’ asked Phil.
Emma nodded, keeping an eye on Wilbur. ‘It seems to be the one thing that he’s still able to do without much effort.’
They sat quietly, watching David mirroring Jen’s movements. When she knelt down in the water, he did too, when she put her face in, he did the same. After showing him different stroke techniques for a while, she eventually managed to get him chest-high in the water, Wilbur paddling in circles around them. After a while he transitioned into a horizontal position, his arms stretched out in front with a float, his legs kicking frantically behind.
Eve whistled and hollered triumphantly, and Elsie continued to bark.
‘I’ve never seen him look so uncertain, but he’s doing great,’ said Emma, impressed by Jen’s teaching skills.
‘Jen’s a great tutor. I’ve never known anyone so comfortable in the water,’ said Phil.
‘Not even you?’ asked Emma, who remembered him racing into the sea to swim with Wilbur in an attempt to cheer her up last summer.
‘Not even me,’ he said, plating up hot buttery potatoes for the three of them.
‘Thanks, Phil,’ said Emma. She took her plate and added the slightly charred sausage she’d been holding over the fire. With the cheesy, buttery potato and autumn salad, it looked like a little feast.
‘So, what’s going on with both of you?’ Phil asked Emma, positioning himself cross-legged between her and Eve.
‘I’m just trying to juggle everything while Aidan’s away – the build, Christmas, the puppy,’ she said pointedly.
‘Have I like totally added to your workload?’ he grinned, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
‘You could say that!’ laughed Emma, unable to resist Phil’s playfulness.
‘She’s not that bad,’ said Eve.
‘Other than the pooing, peeing, barking, biting, jumping and oh, let’s not forget, eating absolutely everything, be it food or furniture!’ said Emma, who’d had about her fill of Bertha these last few days. It had only been nine days since her arrival, but it felt to Emma like a lifetime.
‘She did let you know about Rhona,’ reminded Eve in a ‘come off it’ tone.
‘Yeah, and then while I was with Rhona at the hospital, she managed to eat her way through the best part of Wilbur’s bed,’ she said, recalling the moment she’d walked into the utility room to find Bertha, fast asleep, surrounded by shreds of fabric and polyester stuffing.
‘That’s not good,’ said Phil, his eyes wide in both horror and amusement.
‘Particularly not when you own a guesthouse,’ said Emma, who seemed to spend most of her days now keeping an eye on the pup to make sure she hadn’t stolen cushions, gnawed sofas or peed on the carpets.
‘She’ll improve, I promise,’ said Phil.
‘She’d better. If Aidan comes home to find a puppy has created a shedload of repairs for him, he isn’t going to be too happy.’
‘You should enrol her in a training class. It could be fun.’
Emma clapped her hands to her face at his suggestion. ‘I haven’t the time,’ she said. Then, realising she sounded a bit grumbly, she asked, ‘What’s up with you?’
‘One of the guys has quit at the shop so I’m going to have to go back to working full-time for a bit. It’s a bummer.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ said Emma.
‘Yeah, what about the work-life balance thing?’ said Eve.
‘I’ll get it back, when I can hire someone new. For now, it means I won’t be able to help out at the house. Sorry, Em.’
‘Don’t worry about it. Work’s ground to a halt anyway. Until we know what’s going on with the movement, nothing’s happening. I’ve had to cancel all my bookings for the next two weeks.’
‘David doesn’t seem too worried,’ said Eve, casting her gaze out to where he and Jen were splashing around in the moonlight and laughing merrily.
‘No, but then again, David never seems bothered by much,’ said Emma, trying to hold on to George’s advice to only worry when there was something to worry about. Easier said than done, she thought, when you’re the one holding the purse strings.
‘What about you, Eve?’ asked Phil.
‘I’m okay,’ she said, a little flatly.
‘How are things going with Andy?’ asked Emma.
‘Alright, I think.’ She doodled absently in the sand with a finger. ‘He’s a bit skint, so there’s not much we can do together other than hang out at his place.’
‘Did you say his kid’s in one of the classes you’re volunteering with?’ asked Emma.
‘Yeah, he’s sweet. I really like him. And bright as a button. I just wish Andy was in a better position to provide for him.’
‘He’s struggling?’
‘I had to lend him money to buy Cian new school shoes,’ she said, gazing into the fire.
Emma and Phil exchanged a puzzled, worried glance.
‘What does he do?’ asked Phil.
‘He’s a labourer. But he only works part-time so he can look after Cian.’
‘Huh,’ said Phil, and Emma could tell that he, like her, was doing some quick mental maths. ‘How does he get by?’
‘I’m not sure, it’s a bit early for me to be asking too many questions.’
‘Not if he’s asking you for money, it isn’t,’ said Emma, more abruptly than she’d intended. She hadn’t said anything to Eve, but she’d sensed something about him at Rhona’s party that she didn’t quite like.
‘Alright, Emma,’ snapped Eve. ‘It’s just money for shoes. It’s not as if I’m funding his crack habit.’
Emma jolted at her response.
‘Joking!’ Eve laughed tightly.
‘I just want the best for you, that’s all,’ said Emma, hating that she’d upset Eve, but feeling instinctively that Andy wasn’t right for her. ‘I know your heart’s in teaching; you’ve been so energised since you got involved with the school. I don’t want anyone to stand in the way of that.’
‘Here, have a marshmallow,’ said Phil, handing Eve a stick, which helped defuse the tension.
Just then, David and Jen came running up the beach in their wetsuits, grabbed their towels and sat down to dry off by the fire. As they were tucking into their meal, a figure walking onto the beach caught Emma’s eye.
‘That looks like George,’ she said, offering him a wave.
‘Get him to come join us,’ said Jen, and Emma beckoned him over.
‘Hi,’ he said when he reached them, looking cosy in a chunky cable-knit jumper.
‘What you up to?’ asked Emma.
‘Out for an evening stroll. Who could resist that moon?’
‘Who indeed?’ said Emma dreamily, gazing up at it.
‘Come join us, man,’ said Phil. Emma shuffled over to make space.
‘Thanks,’ he said, taking a seat on the sand next to Emma and smiling fondly at her. He gestured to the spread of food. ‘This looks incredible.’
‘There’s plenty to go round,’ said Emma, and Phil immediately found a spare plate and loaded it with a potato while Jen dished up the salad and Emma the toppings.
George was tucking into his food when Wilbur came mooching up the beach and shoved his head straight underneath George’s arm to get the best possible vantage point for his food.
‘Someone’s hungry,’ laughed Phil and he tossed over a raw sausage which Wilbur snaffled. Without missing a beat, Elsie appeared at Phil’s side and barked until she too was offered one.
‘That should keep them happy for a while,’ said Emma, placing a hand at the base of Wilbur’s spine as he lay down to dry out by the fire. George, sitting on the other side of Wilbur, ran his hand down his glossy coat, his hand briefly grazing Emma’s. Feeling uncertain about the proximity, Emma removed her hand. She thought of Aidan and what he might be doing right now, but communication had dwindled between them this last little while, and she wasn’t sure what he’d be up to. ‘Sorry for dashing off so quickly at the hospital,’ she said quietly. ‘I was worried about Rhona, you know, I wasn’t thinking straight.’
‘I’m used to it. It’s a bit of an occupational hazard,’ he said, then leaned in a little. ‘By the way, your costume is fab – Blair Witch, right?’
‘It is!’ said Emma, delighted that someone had identified it at last.
‘Very understated.’
‘Thank you. I’m not sure anybody else got it.’
‘You need to hold a torch up to your face and do a lot of heavy breathing,’ he said, making Emma laugh.
‘I fancy another dip,’ said David, who’d consumed his food more hastily than Elsie. ‘Shall we?’ he asked Jen.
Emma’s phone rang just as David and Jen waded back into the sea.
‘Rhona?’ she answered.
‘Is Skye on the beach?’ she asked, sounding panicked.
‘Not that I can see. What’s up?’
‘She said she’d be home over an hour ago and she hasn’t come back.’
‘Have you called Zoe’s mum?’
‘She hasn’t seen them either. Emma, I don’t know what to do. The kids are asleep; I can’t go out looking for her.’
‘Rhona, everything will be fine.’ Emma adopted her most composed voice though her stomach churned at the news. ‘They’ll have lost track of time, that’s all. It’s really important that you try to stay calm, okay?’
‘But—’
‘I’ll go look for her.’
‘What’s going on?’ asked George after Emma had reassured Rhona and hung up.
‘Skye’s not come home. Rhona’s beside herself. I need to go find her.’
‘We’ll all go,’ said Phil, immediately getting up. ‘David and Jen can make sure the fire dies down and pack up the stuff.’
‘We should split up,’ said Emma.
‘Eve and I can head east and do that side of the village. We’ll take Wilbur with us. You start round here?’
‘Sure,’ agreed Emma, hastily packing up her things.
‘I’ll come with you,’ said George.
‘Thanks,’ she said, her mind too busy thinking about where Skye could be to wonder whether spending more time with George was a good idea or not.