Chapter Twenty-Five

‘Well, it’s good to see you smiling and looking happy, my lovely.’ Winnie opened the biscuit barrel and poured the tea, while Jack settled into the prime spot for crumbs under the table.

‘Thank you, I feel happy.’ Since her talk with Felicity, Lisa was feeling happier than she had ever imagined she could when she had returned to her mum’s house. She knew nothing had actually changed, she had still lost her little Pip and nothing could change that, but sharing her grief and having someone tell her it was OK to feel the depth of the loss she had been struggling with, made her mind feel lighter. She felt more able to cope knowing she could talk to Felicity.

‘So have you been getting out and about? Been anywhere or met anybody new?’

Lisa smiled. ‘Well, nobody new, exactly.’

‘If you’re going to tell me that you’re taking that dog swimming again, they’ll be no custard creams for you, Lisa Blake.’ Winnie placed her hand over the top of the biscuit barrel.

‘A bit harsh, Winnie!’ Lisa protested, pulling a mock shocked face. ‘And I took Toby swimming just the other day. He was a very good boy; I went in with him. It was fun.’ Almost! Lisa had to admit playing with Toby had been fun, she could have done without Babs insisting on joining them in the water with her pair of ‘Newfs’, but up until that point – when the water had turned into dog-hair soup – she had enjoyed it.

‘I don’t want to know about that daft dog. Tell me what or who has put that smile on your face.’

‘Well, the truth is there’s nobody new, but things with Felicity are going well. We feel like friends again. I’m not sure her husband is too keen on me, but I’ll show him I can be a friend to Felicity. He’s just worried about her, I’m sure.’

‘Maybe he feels threatened by you.’ Winnie bit her ginger nut biscuit.

‘Me? Why would he? That makes no sense.’

‘From what you’ve told me you two were close once. He must know that. With you around he has to share his time with Felicity.’

‘Maybe.’ Lisa wondered if what Winnie said was true, she was normally right after all, but, other than that one evening, she had not taken up any of Pete’s time with Felicity and, besides, he didn’t seem the type to be possessive over Felicity’s time. Lisa knew all too well what that looked like. ‘No, he can’t be threatened by me.’

‘And you left to travel, didn’t you, my lovely? Getting married and having a family weren’t for you. Maybe he’s scared that you’ll remind Felicity of the things she didn’t do – of what she missed.’

Could that be it? ‘But I don’t think she’s missed anything. She has her life left to travel and see things.’ There’s no time limit on that; no clock ticking! ‘Her children will get older. If she wants those things, I’m sure she wants them with Pete. They love each other – I can see that.’

‘That may be true, but sometimes people can’t see the wood for the trees.’

Lisa sipped her tea convinced that Winnie was talking in riddles again.

‘So that explains the smile; now how about the twinkle in your eye?’

Lisa laughed. ‘Honestly, Winnie, I’m just happy to have friends like you. Work is going well – no lost dogs recently – and I’m really pleased to be reviving old friendships.’

‘So it’s not just Felicity.’

Damn. Lisa realised she had implied too much. Miss Marple clearly had nothing on Winifred Adams when it came to sniffing out a clue. Should she tell her about Nathan? She could do without Winnie making more of that situation than there was, or should be; she had Felicity and Melissa for that. If only she had lined up another drink with Dom, now she knew he was not a contender for Crimewatch, she could have mentioned that.

‘Um …’

Winnie sat forward in her seat.

Jack raised his ears.

Lisa inwardly berated herself; hesitating was building her news into something more than it actually was. ‘There is … someone.’

Winnie clapped her hands and swung her slippered feet in the air, causing Jack to scuttle out from under the table.

Oh no! Both Winnie and Jack had their eyes on Lisa in anticipation of an exciting morsel, and all she really had to offer was a once-rejected boyfriend who she was attempting to remain strictly friends with for fear of releasing all of those feelings she had attempted to quash over the years only to have to get over him all over again.

‘Not that sort of someone.’

Winnie harrumphed back into her seat. Jack took his cue from her body language and slumped back under the table.

‘It’s … it’s another old friend … like me and Flick.’ Really not like me and Flick! Lisa knew her cheeks were turning red and hoped Winnie would not read too much into it. The fact she and Nathan had been more than friends in the past, didn’t mean they couldn’t be just friends now. All she had to do was set some mental – if only she could control her wayward thoughts – and physical boundaries; boundaries that didn’t involve moonlit goodbyes, and the feel of Nathan’s muscular arms wrapped around her. ‘Nathan Baker and I went to school together. I saw him the other evening.’

Winnie smiled and sipped her tea, her silence encouraging Lisa to continue when she hoped to leave the conversation there.

‘We chatted; it was … nice.’ Perfect, like old times, once we both relaxed.

‘Uh-huh.’ Winnie smiled.

‘Nathan and I …’ Nathan and I? That sounded way too couply. ‘Nathan thought it would be nice if we saw each other again …’ Lisa was about to add as friends, but realised that would imply they had once been more than friends.

‘Well, I’m pleased for you, my lovely.’

Phew, well navigated, Lisa.

‘And when are you seeing him again?’

Or not! ‘Oh, I don’t know.’

‘Why not? Lisa, my lovely, when I saw you that first day, putting up your advert in the post office, you looked like a lost soul. Look at you now – there’s a glow to your cheeks and a twinkle in your eye. Don’t let the offer of friendship slide when it comes your way.’

Lisa felt a pang in the pit of her stomach; letting friendships slide was what she had done too much of in the past and she was not going to do it again. She had promised herself that. ‘Well, he texted yesterday.’ Lisa had ignored the text until now, but with Winnie’s words fresh in her mind she took out her phone. ‘He asked if I wanted to go to the fireworks on Saturday night, for old times’ sake.’ Finding Nathan’s message and deciding not to think on it any more, Lisa hurried off a text saying it would be fun and pressed send.

‘Ooh we all deserve some fireworks in our lives,’ Winnie chortled.

Oh Lord! Lisa needed to change the subject before Winnie got too carried away. ‘And how about you – spoken to your son?’ Ah ha, Winifred Adams, if I have to sort my life out then so do you!

Winnie’s eyes welled up. ‘I wrote him a letter.’

‘Oh.’ Lisa put her cup down and held Winnie’s hand – papery, cool skin over knotted bones.