Home for the Holidays Read online

  Jodie shuddered but still didn’t invite Alexia into her room.

  Trying not to mind, Alexia passed on Gabe’s lunch invitation and when Jodie looked as if she was going to refuse, added gently, ‘We can’t just desert Gabe, can we? None of this is his fault and he needs to know if we can contribute to whatever happens next.’

  Jodie’s mouth turned down at the corners. ‘OK. I’ll come. I’m going to bed now.’ With a tired smile she stepped back into her room and Alexia was left staring at a closed door.

  Chapter Eight

  Was Alexia surprised that she had to knock on Jodie’s bedroom door the next day to remind her of the lunch date? Not really.

  What she didn’t anticipate was that when they reached Gabe’s they’d find Ben ensconced in the kitchen, calmly mashing potatoes amidst the mouth-watering smell of roast lamb.

  Jodie hesitated, turning an uncertain eye on Alexia.

  Alexia was surprised, too, but if Gabe wanted to invite his nephew to Sunday lunch there wasn’t much she or Jodie could do about it. ‘Hi,’ she said when Jodie remained silent. ‘What can I help with?’

  ‘Strain the veg while I make the gravy.’ Gabe smiled at Alexia but it was Jodie his shrewd gaze followed as she flumped down in a kitchen chair.

  Everyone else chattered over lunch, enjoying the creamy potatoes and discussing whether Yorkshire pudding was best crisp or stodgy, but Jodie hardly spoke – though she drank her share of the wine. She picked at her food and gazed at the unvarnished pine table top. Gabe and Alexia exchanged glances.

  Presently, when Ben got up to clear away, Gabe kept Alexia and Jodie at the table. ‘So far as I can see, we have the building but no money for the refurbishment.’

  Alexia had no choice but to cast an even blacker shadow over the picture. ‘In fact, we’d be starting the refurbishment from a negative position because we now need things that we thought we had, like floor tiles and roof slates. And there’s a lot to make good where fireplaces and things were ripped out.’ It made her feel queasy just to think of the desecration.

  Then Jodie finally spoke. She rose slowly to her feet, her eyes full of tears. ‘I can’t help. At all. I have no money until I get paid from my current job. Shane took even the cash in my purse and everything of value from my room.’

  ‘Oh, Jodie,’ Alexia breathed. ‘You didn’t tell me that! I could have lent—’

  But Jodie ploughed on without looking at her. ‘If my rent to Alexia hadn’t already left the account I wouldn’t even have a roof above my head.’

  Alexia reared back in astonishment. ‘I wouldn’t throw you out, Jodes!’

  A tear slid down the side of Jodie’s face and she swiped it away. ‘Thank you. But it’s all I can do to drag myself to work at the moment and I have zero energy to bring to The Angel. And zero inclination. In fact, if I ever see the place again it will be too soon. Gabe, I think you should set fire to it and claim the insurance money.’ Her tears began to escape down her cheeks. ‘I’m so sorry that all this is because of me but I just want to go home. Don’t try and come with me, Alexia!’ She flung out a hand as if to physically ward Alexia off as Alexia began to rise. ‘I want to be on my own.’

  She grabbed a paper napkin and, blowing her nose, stumbled out.

  As the door shut behind her, Alexia remained on her feet, half-inclined to ignore Jodie’s words and go after her. ‘I’ve never seen her this down.’

  Gabe shook his head sorrowfully. ‘We’ll just have to give her space to recover.’

  Slowly, though still fighting an urge to run after her friend, Alexia resumed her seat. Gabe poured her a fresh cup of tea and added more sugar than she usually took, as if she needed it for the shock.

  He folded his arms on the table top and regarded Alexia keenly. ‘And what about you? You had no money invested in The Angel and I wouldn’t blame you if you walked away.’

  Alexia’s eyes grew hot as she noted the new lines on his face. ‘But the village still needs a café and friends don’t just disappear in times of need.’ Her breath caught as she realised what she’d said. ‘Oh! I didn’t mean Jodie.’

  ‘She’s as great a victim in this as anyone,’ Gabe allowed kindly. ‘She’s at her limit, strength wise.’

  Alexia nodded, watching Ben absently as he moved back and forth to the sink. ‘Because I don’t have a financial stake I’ll make suggestions rather than recommendations. For one, if you have some money to add to whatever the insurance company pays out I could help you get The Angel up to a standard where you could at least sell it. But unless you have a lot of dosh, it won’t be a sympathetic restoration, rich in original period features, as was intended.’

  Gabe shook his head, seeming to sink into himself. ‘There won’t be an insurance payout. Giving a tradesman keys to the building and then him stealing from you is “theft by deception”. It isn’t covered.’

  ‘But that’s unfair! First the bank and now the insurance company say you just lose—’

  Gabe held up a hand. ‘Yes. I lose.’

  Unable to speak for a moment without spouting a stream of unladylike language, Alexia took a shaky sip of tea. Poor Gabe! Talk about good guys coming last.

  But then Gabe proved he wasn’t going down without a fight. ‘What about if I decide I still want the village to get its community café? Would you lend your expertise to the conversion? For as long as you’re still in the village, anyway. I know you have plans.’

  Plans that were in smithereens, but there was no point bothering Gabe with that right now. ‘Of course,’ she agreed dubiously. ‘But it means more money. Buying the kitchen equipment, even if you can get some second hand, will take a chunk of change. We can streamline a bit but you simply can’t run a café without certain equipment, and every surface in the food prep area has to be wipe-clean so we’re talking a lot of tiles, stainless steel, glass splash backs and that kind of thing. You have to have separate sinks for different purposes and we’d have to get the new plans past the Environmental Health people because we can’t just deviate from what’s agreed and assume they won’t mind.’

  Eyes twinkling, Gabe managed a smile. ‘I do have some money left.’

  Ben returned to the table, drying his hands. ‘If you’d let me invest, you’d have more. I sold my house and business before I came to Middledip. My share of that could provide the shortfall until the café begins making money.’

  Gabe frowned him down. ‘I’ve told you I’m not going to let you risk your capital. Alexia, what kind of money are we talking?’

  With pleated brow and much drumming of fingers, Alexia took the pen and pad and listed all the major unavoidable purchases with ballpark costs. Without calling in proper quotes or checking prices on websites it took a long time and a lot of guesswork, doing her best to recall her original scheme of works from her memory and carve it up to suit the new circumstances. She tapped the pen on her teeth as she went up and down her list, trying to be sure she wasn’t missing anything.

  Gabe and Ben had conducted several quiet conversations, made more hot drinks and were halfway down them by the time she finally sat back with a sigh. ‘Eight thousand for the kitchen workstations and equipment, even if you don’t buy an espresso machine or a full oven. And then there’s the groundwork, rewiring, plumbing and plastering. Easily another fourteen thousand, and that’s only for work that we absolutely can’t do ourselves. It could easily inflate.’ She watched Gabe raise his eyebrows and puff out his cheeks. ‘They’re probably higher figures than you were expecting.’

  Gabe managed to collect himself and turn his attention to her figures. ‘You’ve listed next to nothing for the seating area.’

  ‘Hopefully it won’t cost much. I’m sure I can find an eclectic collection of chairs and tables for not much on Gumtree. My new plan will owe more to The Scavenger than Grand Designs and there’s going to be a lot of painting and repurposing going on.’

  ‘That’s a fantastic idea.’ Gabe summoned a smile. ‘It will mean picking t
hings up, I suppose, but we have Ben and his truck.’

  Ben was silent for just a fraction too long. Alexia caught an odd expression on his face as his gaze rebounded from hers. No doubt he was realising that helping Gabe meant spending time with Alexia. ‘That’s right,’ he answered, his smile bland. ‘Evenings and weekends. No problem.’

  Alexia began to feel awkward and defensive. Whatever that look on his face had meant it wasn’t Goody goody! What a fab time we’re going to have! ‘I’ll try not to call on you more than I have to,’ she said stiffly. ‘But I don’t have a vehicle that will carry as much as yours.’

  ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,’ Gabe chided. ‘A big, strong, practical man with a truck will be a godsend, Alexia.’

  ‘Of course.’ Alexia tried to sound casual, absolutely not wanting Gabe to get a whiff of the whole getting-their-clothes-off-and-regretting-it scenario.

  But Gabe was already gnawing on the next issue. ‘I’d meant to offer Jodie the opportunity to still run the café, just as an employee rather than a partner. But in view of what she said …’ His eyebrows knitted.

  With a pang, Alexia nodded. ‘She’s not cut out for taking risks and things going wrong.’ She tore the pages she’d been working on from Gabe’s pad. ‘OK, let me work on the plan …’ She broke off as her phone began to ring. ‘It’s Jodie’s mum, Iona,’ she said in surprise. She hurried to answer, her stomach giving a funny swoop.

  ‘I think it’s only right to tell you,’ Iona said, the instant the call connected, not giving Alexia time to greet her. ‘Jodie’s decided to come home to live at my house.’

  Alexia’s stomach swooped more violently. ‘But I was with her a couple of hours ago and she didn’t say a thing.’

  ‘I know. She’s just owned up to leaving without waiting to tell you herself.’ Iona spoke in a low voice as if Jodie might be nearby. ‘Yesterday she came and asked if she could come back here to live. What could I say? When your kid’s in trouble you do what you can. But I couldn’t let you get home and just find her gone.’

  ‘She’s gone already?’ Alexia’s voice rose. Gabe and Ben paused in their conversation.

  ‘I’m afraid so. She called me to come and get her, and she had everything in black bin bags when I arrived. She’s up in her old room now with a bottle of wine and the door shut.’

  Gabe’s kitchen seemed to wobble slightly around Alexia. ‘She must have been packing last night and that’s why she didn’t want to let me in her room. But why couldn’t she tell me what she was going to do? Why … why sneak out, like this?’

  Iona sighed. ‘I knew you’d be upset. She says she’s left you a letter.’

  ‘Right,’ Alexia said numbly. ‘I suppose I’d better go home and read it, then.’

  When she ended the call she found Gabe and Ben gazing at her sympathetically, obviously having gathered that all was not well. Economically, she filled them in.

  Gabe shook back his ponytail in distress. ‘What on earth’s she thinking? Good gracious. I’ll pour you another cup of tea.’

  Blindly, Alexia halted him. ‘Thanks, but I need to get home.’ Her heart was pounding so hard that she felt as if it had drained all the blood from her face. Why would Jodie leave like a teenage runaway while Alexia’s back was turned? A knot rose in her throat.

  ‘Let me walk with you.’ Gabe reached for his jacket.

  But Ben was already on his feet. ‘I’ll run her home in the truck. She looks as if she might pass out.’

  Alexia found herself being bundled into her coat and ushered out of the door. ‘I never pass out,’ she protested as her gallant knights steered her towards Ben’s silver truck. But her voice was far from convincing, wavering thinly and pitched several notes higher than usual.

  Gabe patted her hand softly. ‘Let Benedict drive you so I’ll know you reached home safely. I’ll ring you later.’

  It seemed easier to acquiesce. Her legs did feel as if they were made of string and she only gathered the strength to climb up into the truck because Ben stepped forward as if to lift her. She wasn’t sure she could cope with having his hands on her again. Not right now.

  Gabe waved farewell and soon they were bumping down the track and travelling the few yards along Main Road to her cottage. It took only a minute but it was long enough for Alexia to decide to put Ben in the picture.

  It came out clumsily the moment he drew the truck to a halt outside her house. ‘I won’t be leaving Middledip now.’

  He didn’t pretend not to understand. ‘I wondered. You didn’t mention a commitment to a new job while you were outlining your plans for The Angel.’

  She leant her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes, exhausted by the dramatic turns her life was taking. ‘Opportunity lost.’

  ‘But maybe not lost permanently? You just need to find an alternative community project—’

  She rolled her head to indicate the negative. ‘Not so far as Elton’s concerned. I’ve besmirched my project-management CV by allowing a builder to “do me up like a kipper”, apparently.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Yeah. Maybe I should have downplayed that side of things. But Elton was such a prick about it I’m not sure I want to work with him now.’ She forced herself to open her eyes and straighten her spine. ‘Anyway. Not your problem. What I started out to say is that I’m staying in the village. You and I weren’t ships that passed in the night so much as two that ran aground on the same sandbank. I’d like to pretend it didn’t happen, especially if you’re to be involved to some extent with The Angel.’

  She turned to find Ben looking at her with a strange expression. ‘You’ve just stolen my speech.’

  ‘OK, good. Unflattering, but good.’ She felt for the door handle.

  ‘Likewise. Would you like me to see you into your house?’

  ‘I’ll be OK, thanks.’ Alexia let herself out onto the pavement, summoning up a smile and waving farewell as she fished for her door keys.

  It wasn’t until she got inside her house that she let the tears out. They poured down her face as she gazed around, realising that Iona had not somehow got the wrong end of the stick. No longer did Jodie’s coats clutter up the hooks behind the kitchen door or hang askew on the newel post at the foot of the stairs. Her haphazard DVD stack was missing from beside the TV. There was no sign of the jumble Alexia had teased Jodie about since the days when Jodie’s school bag had needed tipping out just to assess its contents.

  On legs that shook as she absorbed the magnitude of the betrayal, Alexia climbed the stairs. She had to take several breaths before pressing down the handle to Jodie’s door. When it swung ajar she saw a room that looked as if her childhood friend had never shared her home. The bed stripped. Every shelf and surface cleared except for the chest of drawers, on which lay a single sheet of paper.

  As if in a dream, Alexia crossed to pick it up and read Jodie’s rounded handwriting.

  Dear Alexia,

  I’ve decided it will be better if I live with Mum for a bit. I need a clean break from everything that happened with Shane, not to live in a room that I shared so often with him.

  I wish I’d never met him. I wish you’d never made him and Tim the contractors at The Angel. Everything’s got too much for me and you know how I am.

  If you can find it in your heart to give me back some of my rent for this month I’d appreciate it. This mess isn’t all down to me.

  Jodie x

  Alexia sank down onto the bare mattress, the letter quivering in her hands. Hurt tears flowed harder, flooding down her face and landing on her hands in her lap.

  It took her a long time to dry her eyes. Then she fetched her laptop, opened her online banking app and returned the entire month’s rent to Jodie. The system wouldn’t allow her to send it without typing something in the box designed for a reference so she typed in a single full stop. It seemed appropriate. And so much more dignified than typing in what she was really feeling.

  Chapter Nine

>   A pair of sessile oak trees needed to come down. It pained Ben not to try treating them first, but they were showing advanced symptoms of acute oak decline and jewel beetle infestation. As some more distant stands of oak weren’t yet affected and these stood near Carlysle Hall, Christopher Carlysle was firm that they should come down and the local authority had agreed. Now was the ideal time as the approach of winter meant the tree sap would have fallen, along with the leaves.

  Ben zipped up his heavy jacket, his breath hanging white on the air. He needed to fell the trees in sections to keep the house safe and affect the garden as little as possible, Cassie, Christopher’s wife, being a keen gardener – although she’d admitted she wouldn’t be wielding her secateurs much so long as the cold weather lasted.

  While Ben stepped into his harness, put on his hardhat and visor and wielded the screaming chainsaw from a mobile elevated work platform, two estate workers used a flat-bed truck to cart the timber away to be pulverised by the wood chipper. Another estate worker, a man called Ted who Ben had ensured had the necessary training in manual handling, aerial rescue and first aid, usually worked as the mate that safety dictated Ben have.

  Despite the chilly autumn damp, it was hard and dusty work. By Friday afternoon Ben was pleasantly tired, glad to oversee the clear-up then head for home. He drove slowly up the track to Woodward Cottage, trying to enjoy the prospect of warming his frozen limbs in a hot bath without remembering Alexia in it. They’d each warned the other off so he had to do as she requested and forget their night together.

  But when he unlocked his front door he halted with one foot over the threshold. His mail was lying on the doormat and his heart skipped a beat as he recognised the handwriting on one letter.

  Lloyd’s.

  Stepping over the mat, he discarded his damp boots and hi-viz jacket and tramped up to the bathroom. Half an hour later, now refreshed and in clean clothes, the letter was still lying where he’d left it. He made himself coffee and let Barney out of his tub to play on the kitchen floor.