We’d only managed to get as far as the doorstep of the cottage when Grace stopped in her tracks.
‘Phone, I’ve forgotten my phone.’ Grace rummaged through her bag before racing back inside the cottage, leaving me standing in the fresh air. I looked up when I heard a car door slam and noticed Sam. He’d changed from his sports gear and was now dressed in casual jeans and a navy-blue polo shirt. He was collecting his shopping from the boot of his car, and when he looked up our eyes met. His face lit up briefly, but he shifted his gaze to the ground and quickly turned away. Surely he wasn’t going to ignore me?
Taking a deep breath, even though I was feeling anxious about Sam’s odd behaviour, and with my heart beating in double time, I decided to go over.
‘Hey?’ I said softly.
He looked up once more. The waft of his aftershave caught on the light breeze and flipped my tummy straight away.
‘Hey, how’s the knee?’
‘All sorted now.’
The conversation seemed to end there. He looked like he was about to say something else but changed his mind. There was a sudden awkwardness between us and I felt an instant pang.
Hearing the door of the cottage close, I realised Grace was on her way out. ‘I’d best go,’ I managed to say, thankful my voice wasn’t shaky.
He nodded, but there was a sadness in his eyes as he held my gaze. I was confused. There was a connection between us and I knew he must feel it as much as me. I watched as he carried his shopping up his path, exchanging a few words with Grace before disappearing inside his cottage. Every time I looked at him my heart melted, but was the blossoming friendship between us over now? Before it had really begun? His behaviour had changed towards me in a matter of seconds once Bert had pulled over in that van. Why was he giving me the cold shoulder all of a sudden?
Putting on a brave face, I walked towards Grace, not quite knowing what to do about the situation. How things can change in such a short space of time!
‘You okay?’ Grace noticed. ‘You seem distracted.’
I gazed up wearily.
‘You’re teary? What’s going on?’
I couldn’t help it. All day my emotions had been all over the place and I couldn’t understand why Sam would suddenly treat me this way. Maybe I was being over-sensitive, but something just didn’t feel right.
‘I wish I knew,’ I sighed. ‘There’s something strange going on. One minute Sam and I are getting on like a house on fire, and then Bert pulls over in the van and everything seems to change in a split second. Sam’s now acting cool towards me.’ My voice cracked, ‘I’ve no idea what is going on.’
‘Van? What happened with Bert?’
I shared with Grace what happened that afternoon. ‘Why did Dorothy treat Sam like that in the teashop and why is Bert warning me to stay away from Sam?’ I didn’t understand any of it.
Grace linked her arm through mine and with a fleeting glance over my shoulder I saw Sam was standing in the window watching us. We began walking. Grace was quiet and I eyed her carefully. ‘Why do I get the impression there is something you aren’t telling me?’
‘You like him, don’t you?’
‘I do, yes … so tell what’s going on. Why are Dorothy and Bert acting that way towards him?’
Grace held my gaze, I waited for her to say something.
‘Please don’t think I don’t support you and your family, of course I do, but I like Sam, he’s always been good to me. I really don’t want to take sides.’
‘Sides? Sides about what?’ I was beginning to feel anxious.
Grace looked panicked.
‘Surely it can’t be that bad.’
‘Unfortunately, in such a close-knit community people never forget and Florrie was a huge part of this village, everyone loved her.’
I was on the verge of tears again. ‘What’s Grandma got to do with this?’ I enquired, forcing myself to sound far brighter than I felt.
‘Oscar Bennett …’
That was the second time I’d heard that name today.
‘The man who killed your grandma.’
‘What about him?’ I asked. My heart was now beating ten to the dozen.
‘Oscar Bennett was Sam’s uncle.’
I gasped, ‘You’re joking?’ My head was spinning with this snippet of information.
She shook her head, ‘Unfortunately not.’
I took a second to digest the information, which had completely taken me by surprise.
‘You said, was his uncle?’
‘Oscar Bennett was killed in a road-traffic accident after he served his time in prison,’ continued Grace.
I sucked in a breath, ‘If truth be told, I’m not too sorry about hearing that piece of news, but what has any of this got to do with Sam?’
‘People who were close to Florrie never moved on. Oscar Bennett had brothers, they are still notorious petty criminals around these parts.’
‘And Sam’s tarred with the same brush as his family?’
‘Exactly.’
‘That’s a huge grudge to be holding for all these years.’
‘Even now, most of the petty crime in the area has something to do with them.’
‘But Sam isn’t a part of it?’ I asked, thinking how unfair it was to be accountable for someone else’s actions after all this time.
‘No, from what I understand he doesn’t even speak to them. He goes about his own business and against the stigma, and by sheer hard work and determination Sam has become successful, the top of his game. No matter how some people act towards him, he holds his head up high.’
‘If things are that bad for him, why does he stick around?’
‘Because one day he hopes people around here will see past the fact that he’s related to Oscar and will accept him for who he is, and not for the reputation of his uncle.’
We walked in silence as I thought about what Grace had just told me. Just seeing the animosity towards him made me realise how over time certain situations can get way out of hand. I knew all about people holding grudges for far too long, hiding secrets and letting things fester without talking them through. I only had to look at the situation between Grandie and Mum. Even though I was emotionally involved in the situation, it was obvious to me that Sam was being treated unfairly and my heart truly went out to him.
One thing was for sure, he definitely had staying power to put up with being treated like a pariah. Why wasn’t it obvious to the rest of the village that there was no connection between Oscar and Sam except a bloodline? They weren’t the same people, both had their own minds.
‘What are you thinking?’ Grace broke the silence. ‘You’re not mad at me, are you?’ Her expression was earnest.
‘For being friends with Sam? Of course not, what sort of person would that make me?’ I said softly, feeling a little overwhelmed by it all.
There was no denying today had been an emotional day for me, discovering the truth about my grandma’s tragic death. But that wasn’t Sam’s fault. He hadn’t been driving that car.
Then an uneasy thought crept into my mind. Why had Sam’s behaviour suddenly changed towards me when Bert had pulled up in his truck and told me Grandie was out of hospital? He must have realised at that moment who I was – Florrie Parker’s granddaughter. That would explain his change in behaviour. I knew I needed to talk to him, but what if he didn’t want to talk to me and kept his distance? I felt a pang at that very thought.
‘I need to talk to him, Grace.’
‘You will, but look, we’re here now.’
We paused on the pavement, shielding the early evening sun from our eyes while looking up at the large sign on the front of the building.
‘Florrie Rose School of Dance,’ Grace read out loud.
‘My grandma,’ I said simply, as goosebumps tingled my skin.