Bored of spending her free time moping, or reading yet more worthy texts from her book list for September, Meredith decided on Thursday evening that it was time to get out of the house for a more sociable reason than work. Not quite yet ready for a full on night out, she texted her best school friend, Rosie, to see if she fancied a drink or two in The Stationmaster. Rosie seemed just as keen to catch up, so, slinging on a clean T-shirt and running a brush through her long dark hair, Meredith headed out.
‘I won’t be late,’ she called to Anna as she passed her in the hall. ‘I’m just going to meet Rosie for a couple of drinks.’
‘Have you had something to eat?’ Anna looked concerned.
‘I’m not really that hungry, but if I do get peckish I’ll grab something at the pub,’ Meredith replied. She knew Anna was worried about her, and wanted to make sure she didn’t make herself ill.
Hurrying down to the pub, she walked through the door and scanned the room for Rosie, who, it appeared, hadn’t yet arrived. Most people were sitting out in the beer garden, taking shelter from the still strong sun underneath the parasols and sipping cool pints of cider. As she headed over to the bar, however, she saw, with the exception of Flynn, the last person she wanted to bump into. Chatting to one of the bar staff as he waited for the rest of his drinks order, still in his green work polo shirt and jeans having come straight to the pub from a job, was Joe Flanagan.
Cursing inwardly, Meredith realised it was too late to change direction and go to the other end of the bar without looking like a total muppet. Especially when the bartender caught her eye and gestured that he’d take her drinks order next. She took a deep breath and, deciding to just ignore him, went up to the bar.
‘All right?’ Joe said as the bartender returned with the two other pints he’d ordered.
Meredith looked straight ahead, determined not to engage with him. She didn’t feel like another argument tonight.
Obviously taken aback by her silence, Joe tried again. ‘Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost it with you the other day. It’s all in the past.’ Joe gestured to his pint glass. ‘Can I buy you a drink?’
Meredith dithered for a moment, but she’d never been a spiteful person, and she was disarmed by Joe’s apology. He was right; he shouldn’t have started the fight, but perhaps he had good reason. She looked round, and into Joe’s clear blue eyes, so much calmer than they had been back in the orchard last week. He was smiling nervously, clearly waiting for a response.
‘OK, thanks. Apology accepted.’ She smiled. ‘And I’m sorry, too. I had no idea all that had gone on. Perhaps you never know someone as well as you think you do.’ As the bartender approached, she added, ‘I’ll have a pint of Caffrey’s, please.’
Joe raised an eyebrow. ‘Odd choice of drink for a summer’s evening.’
Meredith laughed. ‘I’ve been drinking a lot of it lately. It’s useful in the northern winters to keep out the cold, and I’ve got a bit of a taste for it.’
When the bartender had poured their drinks, there was a slightly awkward silence. Joe, eventually, broke it. ‘Um, I’m meeting some mates here. You’re welcome to join us if you want.’
Meredith smiled. ‘Thanks, but I’m also, er, meeting a friend. Rosie’s just texted me to say she’s running a bit late, as usual, so I’m just going to grab a table until she gets here. Thanks for the offer, though.’
‘No worries. I’ll see you around.’
‘Yeah. See you.’
They went their separate ways, Joe to a table at the back of the pub where two lads were already seated, and Meredith to the table nearest the window, where she could keep an eye out for Rosie. It was a warm evening, and the breeze drifting in from the doorway was welcome. Meredith watched as Joe took a seat, and felt her cheeks growing red as one of the guys at Joe’s table gestured in her direction. She saw Joe shake his head and mutter something she couldn’t make out before he sat down. Probably telling his mates what a snob I am, she thought bitterly, before castigating herself for the thought. Joe had just apologised to her, and he was her dad’s best friend’s son, after all. OK, so they hadn’t spent a lot of time together as teenagers, but she remembered playing together when they were kids. She owed him better thoughts than that.
Just as she was contemplating this, Rosie came barrelling through the front door of the pub and straight up to her table.
‘Soz!’ Rosie panted. ‘We got caught in traffic on the way home from Bristol – some crash by the airport – and I needed to get out of my work clothes.’ Rosie was working at a branch of Costa Coffee for the university vacation, which alternately left her knackered and wired, depending on how much of the product she’d had herself that day.
‘No worries.’ Meredith sipped her pint.
‘Got one in already, I see,’ Rosie observed, gesturing to the Caffrey’s.
‘Didn’t mean to,’ Meredith replied. ‘Joe Flanagan bought me a drink.’
‘Really?’ Rosie arched a speculative eyebrow.
‘Don’t look at me like that,’ Meredith replied. ‘It was an apology.’
‘And what would Joe Flanagan have done to have to apologise?’ Rosie smirked.
Meredith flushed. ‘It’s ancient history.’
‘Really?’
‘Really. Joe’s a nice bloke, that’s all.’
‘You know what they say, Merry – the best way to get over someone, and all that.’ Rosie was staring appreciatively at Joe and his group of mates. ‘Maybe it’s just boredom, being back home for the summer, but perhaps there are some good reasons to hang out in the village.’
‘I think I can do without finding out, thanks,’ Meredith muttered, staring down into her pint, which was the same colour as Joe Flanagan’s hair. ‘Joe’s not my type.’
‘Yeah, well, perhaps you should start looking at something other than musical geeks, if Flynn was anything to go by,’ Rosie replied. ‘Joe certainly looks like he’d be a bit of fun.’
‘Hadn’t you better go and get a drink?’ Meredith said, taking a huge gulp of her pint. ‘And while you’re there, get another one in for me, too.’ It was going to be a long night if Rosie was going to insist on trying to suss out who the fittest blokes in the village were, and Meredith was definitely not in the mood for that. She was still hurt over the break-up with Flynn; the last thing she needed was to start thinking about going out with someone else.
Rosie was still staring at Joe and his mates, who had moved back to the bar. She turned to Meredith with a broad smile. ‘I’ll be right back.’
Meredith tried not to watch, but she found her eyes drawn back to the bar as Rosie, tall, blonde, confident Rosie, immediately attracted the attention of Joe and his friends. Within seconds, she was chatting to them, smiling brightly and nodding. Meredith felt a slight sting as Joe started chatting to her. She was mollified when he glanced in her direction again and smiled. After all, Joe could talk to Rosie if he wanted, couldn’t he? Just as Rosie could talk to Joe. Deciding that she was in no way ready to trust her emotions at the moment, she dug out her phone and was, yet again, disappointed to see no message from Flynn. He hadn’t contacted her since the break-up. She was surprised to find that it didn’t hurt as much as she’d thought it would.