Rob had joined them in The Old Bell when Alys and her aunt were halfway through their first drink and discussing whether they should just go ahead and order without him. He’d despatched half of his first pint very swiftly, muttering something about it being a dusty afternoon on the farm, then had gone back to the bar to put in an order for fish and chips all round. Alys was so hungry that she had to stop herself bolting her food when it arrived but she noticed that Moira just toyed with hers and Rob ended up eating most of her chips as well as his own.
‘Are you sure you don’t want them?’ he asked, each time he took a few more on his fork.
‘No, honestly, they’re yours,’ Moira said finally, pushing her plate in his direction. ‘I think I ate too much cake earlier.’
Alys was pretty sure that Moira had eaten as little as she had in the café today but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned to Rob and described the cake that she had made as her farewell to the café.
‘Where’s my piece, then?’ he asked, sitting back after he’d cleared Moira’s chips. He patted his stomach. ‘I’m pretty full right now but I’m sure I could squeeze in a tiny piece of cake.’
‘Oh!’ Alys clapped her hand over her mouth. ‘I’m so sorry. I should have saved you a piece. I didn’t think.’
Rob raised his eyebrows and sighed heavily. ‘I see,’ he said meaningfully.
Alys was flustered. Why hadn’t she thought to save him some? ‘I’ve got a photo of it,’ she said, fishing out her phone and thrusting it under his nose. ‘See?’
‘Well, that’s just made it worse,’ Rob said. ‘Tempting a man with tales of some special cake that you’ve made for all your friends, then all you can offer him is a photo of it. A photo, not even the tiniest slice.’
‘I could do with another drink,’ Moira said. ‘Rob, would you mind?’ She fished in her wallet and waved a note at him. ‘And get one for yourself and Alys while you’re there.’ She brushed away their protests and stacked the plates as Rob stood up. ‘Here, could you take these back too?’
She noticed Alys’s quizzical look. ‘Sorry, I can’t abide plates being left in front of you once you’ve eaten. They could do with some more help in here.’ She looked around. ‘And I thought it would give you a break from Rob’s teasing.’
But Rob wasn’t done. ‘It’s no good, you know,’ he complained once he’d returned with their drinks. He looked at Alys. ‘You’re about to reduce the number of thirty-somethings in the village by fifty per cent.’
Alys laughed. ‘That’s a bit of an exaggeration! And if you’re including yourself in the total, why, you don’t even live in the village anyway.’
‘Well, I’m only a few miles away. And anyway, I grew up here, Mum and Dad still live here, so I’m an honorary resident.’ He took a sip of his beer. ‘So, where do you think you’ll head first on your travels?’
‘I don’t know yet.’ Alys was caught off guard. ‘I haven’t thought that much about it. I’ll probably make a spur-of-the-moment decision when I’ve checked out the flights. Australia, maybe?’
‘Australia! So far! I had no idea …’ Moira looked startled, then collected herself. ‘Well, at least you won’t have any problems with the language,’ she said lamely, grasping for something to say.
‘Which part are you thinking of going to?’ said Rob, ‘I’ve still got a couple of mates out there from when I was working. I could hook you up with them, so at least you’d have somewhere to stay.’ He paused and his expression changed. ‘Actually, thinking about it, they might not be quite your cup of tea.’
Alys made a big effort to divert the conversation away from her forthcoming travels or, indeed, anything to do with the café or the village by asking Rob about the farm. He loved to talk about the rare breeds and how passionate he was about preserving them for the future, and her strategy paid off. He was still talking about them as they finished their drinks and he looked at his watch.
‘Sorry I can’t give you a lift to the station tomorrow, Alys.’ Rob got to his feet and prepared to settle his bill at the bar. ‘I’ve got an early start. We’re moving the sheep from the high pasture and then I’ve got to stick around while the bloke comes to service the big combine.’
‘No worries, Moira already booked a cab,’ said Alys, looking up at him. She felt a terrible pang as she realised that this might be the last time she ever saw Rob.
‘Hey, no need to look so sad,’ said Rob, bending down to give Alys a hug, just as she rose to her feet, leading to a clumsy embrace that caused a chorus of whoops and catcalls from the regulars at the bar. He dismissed them with an easy shrug, while Alys blushed furiously.
‘You’ll be back.’ Rob’s tone was firm. ‘You won’t be able to stay away. And Moira will be delighted to see you any time, won’t you?’ He turned to Moira.
‘I’ve already told Alys what a godsend she’s been these last few weeks,’ said Moira. ‘I don’t know how I would have managed without her. She didn’t just step into my shoes, she did so much more. She brought all the lovely vintage china into the café and as for her cake recipes – well, the place has never been so popular. I hope she knows she’s got a home here whenever she wants it?’ She turned to Alys with a slightly wobbly smile.
‘I can’t begin to tell you what a good time I’ve had.’ Alys paused and bit her lip as she thought over the last few weeks and how much seemed to have happened in that time. She thought about trying to summarise all the things that meant so much: the joy the countryside had given her, how much she had loved searching for the vintage china, her delight in trying new recipes for the café, the fun of meeting new people and how welcoming everyone had been. Words failed her so she put an arm around Moira to disguise the fact that she was close to tears herself. ‘Come on, time to go,’ Alys said, trying to sound brisk and matter-of-fact. ‘I’ve got to finish packing my bag this evening.’
‘Ah, your bag. I remember it well.’ Rob grimaced. ‘Hope you asked the cab company for their strongest driver,’ he said, turning to Moira. ‘Alys needs a weightlifter to deal with her luggage. She’s going to have to master the art of travelling light if she’s heading for Australia.’ And with a grin and a wave he was out of the door.
Early the following morning, Alys, standing in her room at Moira’s and looking out of the window, found herself smiling at the memory of Rob’s teasing before she gave herself a little shake. It was time to get on, otherwise the cab would be here and she’d still be in her dressing gown. There was nothing to be done now – the next phase of her life was about to begin.