Chapter 23
‘It’s pizza night!’ I say excitedly later that evening when Charlie drives up the steep hill leading to the campsite and the green horsebox comes into view. ‘I totally forgot!’
‘Oh, man. . .’ He stares longingly at the people queuing up for wood-fired-oven yumminess.
‘Stay and have one with me?’ I suggest.
‘Yeah?’ he asks distractedly, his eyes following a man carrying four pizza boxes across the road in the direction of the field steps. He looks at me and grins. ‘All right.’
I don’t have a neighbour at the moment so he parks up next to Hermie.
‘Do you reckon April will be okay with the salt?’ he asks as he gets her out of her car seat.
‘I dunno.’
‘She’s almost one,’ he muses.
‘A margherita should be fine.’
‘Yeah, it should be, shouldn’t it?’
I still find it bizarre that he even wants my opinion.
‘I’ll go and order,’ he tells me. ‘Do you know what you’re having?’
‘I might go for the veggie one today,’ I reply. ‘I’ll get the table sorted.’
He comes back with a couple of bottles. On pizza night, a company turns up selling local ales and ciders. He’s opted for the latter.
It’s such a mild, balmy evening that I decide to dig the second camping chair out of the boot so we can both sit outside in the late sunshine while we’re waiting for our food.
‘You could do with a camping table, too,’ Charlie says. ‘I’ve got one somewhere. I think it’s in the shed.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, I’ll bring it over at the weekend.’
‘That would be cool.’
‘Useful for when you have company.’
There’s a short, awkward silence.
‘I’m sorry your friend’s not coming this weekend,’ he says.
I blush. ‘I do have other friends, you know.’
He chuckles. ‘Yeah, obviously you have friends, Bridget. Lots of them, I imagine.’
‘It’s just annoying that my close ones are married with kids or they live in other countries.’ Bronte is in Sydney and Laura is in Key West.
‘Bet your friends overseas miss you,’ he says.
‘Probably not as much as I miss them.’
‘Why would you say that?’
I shrug. ‘They’re pretty settled.’
‘I bet they miss you as much as you miss them.’ He sounds sweetly protective.
‘Maybe.’
‘Definitely.’
I look at him and grin, loving the fact that we’re now officially friends.
He smiles into his cider bottle and then swigs from it.
‘Do you reckon she’s all right in there?’ I ask. April is currently rummaging around in my wardrobe tent.
‘As long as you don’t mind your clothes being trampled on.’
‘Nah,’ I reply. ‘What time will the pizzas be ready?’
‘Six thirty. I’m surprised she hasn’t started complaining actually. All those rice cakes, I suppose.’
She polished off half a packet of them on the way back here.
‘Do you want another cider?’ I nod at the drink he’s almost drained.
‘I’d love one, but I have to drive home.’
‘Couldn’t you take her back in her pushchair and leave the pickup here?’
He looks thoughtful. ‘I suppose I could. She’s good at transferring, actually, so if she falls asleep. . . Yeah, all right, then.’
I come back a little while later with two more bottles.
‘That is such a good idea,’ I enthuse, jerking my head back at the horsebox. ‘It reminds me of Morris’s cream-tea business, actually.’
In The Secret Life of Us, Morris starts up a business delivering cream teas by bicycle to campsites and village greens.
Charlie laughs. ‘That was my idea.’
‘What?’
‘Nicki stole it. Adam and I were going to do it.’
‘No way! But it’s such a good idea! Why don’t you?’
‘I can’t now, I’d look like a right div.’
‘Rubbish! You should!’
‘Nah. Anyway, I don’t have the time. Adam could if he wanted to.’ He shrugs and takes another swig from his bottle. ‘This is going down really well,’ he says.
‘It’s almost six thirty.’ I grab my purse. ‘I’ll go.’
I wait in the queue to collect, counting up the amount of money I’ll need, only to find that Charlie has already paid for them. He refuses my cash when I try to hand it over.
‘That’s not fair,’ I say. ‘I should give you petrol money for today, too.’
He gives me a dirty look. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘Seriously, if you’re driving me to Heligan on Saturday, then I’m paying for the petrol.’
‘Bridget, I want to go to Heligan. Can you chill out, please?’
‘Then I’m paying the entry fee for us all.’
‘Whatever. You can if you really want to.’
‘I really want to.’
We move into the van and Charlie balances April on his knee while he’s cutting up her pizza. It must be tricky for him to eat with her in his arms, but somehow he manages it without spilling cheese all down his T-shirt. She fares less well. Her face is covered in tomato sauce within minutes of tucking in. A couple of weeks ago I would be worried about her getting food on the bench seat, but it doesn’t really bother me now.
I know the power of Johnson & Johnson baby wipes.
‘Is it her birthday soon?’ I ask Charlie from my captain’s chair position. I’m in the passenger seat, having not bothered to turn the driver’s seat around since I drove back from Bristol airport.
‘Two weeks, this Sunday.’
‘Are you doing anything for it?’
His voice is loaded when he replies. ‘Yeah. My parents railroaded me into throwing a party. I haven’t felt much like celebrating.’
‘It’s a big milestone,’ I say.
‘Yeah. I know.’ His eyes dart up to look at me. ‘Will you come?’
‘I’d love to.’ I’m thrilled that he asked.
‘Nicki’s mum and sister’s family are coming, too.’
‘Will they stay with you?’ I wonder what they’re like.
‘Just Valerie, Nicki’s mum. The house isn’t big enough for Kate’s brood. Valerie will only be here for a couple of days, though. Couldn’t stand it for much longer.’
‘Do you get along with her? You like Kate, right?’
‘Kate’s fine. Valerie can be hard work.’
‘Will Nicki’s dad come, too?’
He shakes his head. ‘No. Alain is married to his work.’ He sounds bitter.
‘Do you see him much?’
‘I’ve met him twice,’ he replies flatly. ‘Once at our wedding, and the second time was at Nicki’s funeral.’
‘Jesus’
He meets my eyes. ‘Nicki and I had talked about going to Thailand earlier this year so Alain could meet April. She wanted them to have a relationship.’
‘Have you ever been?’
He shakes his head. ‘Never. Nicki used to go at least once a year. He glances at me. ‘But you know that, right?’ There’s an edge to his tone.
I sigh. ‘Would you rather I wasn’t reading her diaries?’
‘No. Definitely not,’ he affirms. ‘It’s just. . . It’s kind of odd. You understand, right?’
I nod, because of course I do.
‘You know so much about me. Us.’
Obviously by ‘us’ he means him and Nicki.
‘Not that much,’ I reply. ‘She didn’t really write about personal stuff when you got back together.’
‘What do you mean?’ He looks confused.
‘When you met up again in your twenties. Her diaries weren’t so much diaries as notebooks,’ I explain.
I can almost see the load lifting off his shoulders – he looks so relieved.
‘I’m sorry, I thought you knew that.’ I’m bewildered. ‘I should’ve said something earlier. I only know her deepest thoughts from when she was a teenager.’
‘So you know all about Isak,’ he states.
‘Yes,’ I reply honestly, glancing down at April. My mouth drops open.
He quickly follows the line of my sight and checks his daughter. She’s nodding off.
‘Oh, my God, poor baby,’ he whispers, trying not to laugh. ‘She’s so knackered. I’d better change her and put her in her pram.’
‘Let me get the table out of the way,’ I say as he slides out of the bench seat.
While he’s getting April’s things from the pickup, a thought occurs to me.
‘Why don’t you let her sleep in the bed?’ I suggest, already making it up for her. ‘It’ll be more comfortable and, if she’s good at transferring, you can still take her home in her pram.’ He hesitates. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely,’ I insist. ‘It’ll be warmer, too.’
‘I don’t know, it’s still pretty nice out here.’
‘Good. Because you and I are going to be sitting outside.’
He smiles at me and waits while I finish making up the bed.
‘I’ll get us a couple more drinks,’ I say, leaving him to settle April on his own.