Chapter Five

 

‘It’s freezing out there,’ Juniper said, dashing into the bar of Snowflake Inn and making a beeline for one of the floral armchairs in front of the crackling log fire.

‘At least it’s not raining.’ Evie poured a large glass of red wine and walked around the bar towards her friend. ‘On your own?’

Juniper shook her head and her shoulder-length auburn curls bounced around her long, slim neck as she removed her coat. She tossed the coat on the back of the armchair and grabbed the glass from Evie, taking two large gulps. ‘No.’ She wiped a trickle of wine from her chin and licked her finger, smiling. ‘Mustn’t waste a drop. Roly is helping your dad fix the door knob on the front door. He’ll be here in a sec. Where’s Raven?’

‘Sulking.’

Juniper raised a perfectly shaped brow. ‘That goes without saying, but where is she sulking? In her room?’

Evie grinned. ‘No. Gran has insisted Raven learns how to make mince pies. I almost feel sorry for her.’

‘Who? Jessie or Raven? They’re both as bad as each other.’

‘That’s true. What did you say to Roland to get him to come? You didn’t tell him Raven fancies him, did you? She’ll kill me if she finds out I said that.’

Juniper dropped into the chair and took another two gulps of wine. ‘You’re kidding. If I told Roly someone fancied him, you wouldn’t see him for dust. He’s going through that ‘too cool for girls’ phase. I told him you needed a hand with some Christmas lights. He was on his way here before I’d even finished the sentence. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he has a secret crush on you. But I think he just likes doing things with his hands. Take that smirk off your face. That’s my baby brother you’re getting smutty about.’

‘What? I’m not getting smutty. Can’t a person grin without being accused of having dirty thoughts?’

‘It depends on the grin … and the person.’

‘Oh come on. I may look desperate but I’m really not into seventeen-year-old boys. Even if they are incredibly good-looking. And take after their older sister in that department.’

Juniper smiled. ‘Flatterer. How do you plan to get Roly and Raven together?’

‘I hadn’t. I don’t want to get involved in case it blows up in my face. I just thought if she was here and he came over.’ Evie shrugged. ‘If it’s meant to be, it’ll be.’

‘How philosophical of you. Why don’t you get Raven to make Roly and your dad some coffee? They’ll need it to stop themselves from freezing to death with that door open.’

‘That’s a good idea. I’ll go and tell her.’

‘Any chance of a mince pie?’ Juniper yelled as Evie dashed towards the kitchen.

A few seconds later, Evie returned with a plate of mince pies and shortbread. ‘Let the games begin. Raven’s turned the colour of a holly berry, but I’ve never seen her move so fast. Kettle’s on, Christmas mugs are out and she was checking her reflection in the window pane when I left. Not a terribly good mirror. She’ll be wondering why she’s got criss-crosses all over her face.’

‘Huh?’

Evie nodded towards the row of windows to Juniper’s right. ‘Leaded-light windows. Those little triangles and the antiquated glass distort the view of anything.’ She walked back to the bar and poured herself a glass of wine plus another for Juniper. ‘Where’s Darren tonight?’

‘Your guess is as good as mine.’

Evie glanced at her. From the tone of her voice, something was troubling her. For once, it might be a good thing that the bar was empty save for Evie and her friend. ‘Oh? Is everything OK between you and Darren?’

Juniper stared into the fire and, as Evie strolled back towards her, brushed a lock of hair from her face and let out a long, sad sigh. Logs crackled in the hearth, broke into clumps and sent sparks flying into the air.

‘I think he may be ‘doing a Nigel on me’,’ Juniper said.

Evie dropped onto the chair beside her. ‘You’re joking? You think he’s cheating on you? That he’s seeing someone else? Why? He only asked you to move in with him a few months ago. Why would he do that if he wasn’t madly in love with you?’

Juniper fiddled with her wine glass. ‘Why do men do anything? Why did Nigel take you all the way to Morocco and then a few weeks later, take someone else to the exact same place?’

‘Oh come on. You can’t compare Nigel with Darren. Nigel was a dick. Darren’s … the complete opposite. I was only with Nigel for a year. You and Darren have been together forever.’

‘Perhaps that’s the problem. Perhaps he’s tired of me. Perhaps he regrets asking me to come and live with him in his cottage here. Perhaps he preferred it when I lived at home in Michaelmas Bay.’

‘Perhaps you’re imagining things.’ Evie pulled a face. ‘What makes you think there’s a problem?’

Juniper sighed dramatically. ‘He’s … different lately. I can’t explain it. Every so often I catch him looking at me and it’s as if he’s wondering who I am. I know that sounds weird but a couple of times I’ve caught him really staring at me. You know. Really intently. Like your dad stares at something when he’s trying to figure out how it works or how to get it to do what he wants it to.’

‘Does Darren want you to do something? Have you had any rows or disagreements since you moved in?’

Juniper’s curls swung to and fro. ‘Nah-uh. That’s the weird thing. I thought things were going really well. I thought … I thought this was it. That Darren was the one.’

‘Darren is “the one”. You’re seeing problems where none exist. I’m sure of it. Maybe he was looking at you and thinking how happy he is and how much he loves you.’

‘He didn’t look happy. Every time I caught him, he looked downright scared. I asked him what was wrong a couple of times and each time he immediately said that nothing was wrong. Everything was perfect.’

Evie flicked the back of her hand against the sleeve of Juniper’s red Christmas jumper which was sprinkled with little snowmen. Evie wore the same, except in green. They’d bought them for each other last Christmas and laughed that it was a good thing they hadn’t bought the same colour as that would be too spooky. Evie often wondered how it was that Juniper felt more like Evie’s sister than Severine ever had.

‘Well, there you are then. You’re imagining things.’

‘Am I? Didn’t Nigel tell you “everything was perfect” when you spent that weekend in Marrakesh? We both thought he was getting serious about you. Look how that turned out.’

Evie took a deep breath followed by three gulps of wine. ‘That’s true. That’s exactly what he said. But I still don’t think you can compare Nigel with Darren. That’s like comparing a mince pie with a shortbread biscuit. They’re both delicious in their own way but one is filled with lots of delightful things and oozes warmth and pleasure. The other is very tasty but in the end, it’s just a biscuit. Darren is the mince pie, in case you’re in any doubt and Nigel is shallow and … it doesn’t matter. It was a crappy analogy. A shortbread doesn’t cheat. A shortbread is just a shortbread.’

That made Juniper smile, but not for long. ‘I can’t put my finger on it, Evie. I just get the feeling he’s hiding something and that worries me. I didn’t think Darren and I had any secrets. Now I’m not so sure.’

Raven came charging into the bar like a black rhino. A thin black rhino.

‘Well, thank you very much!’ she hissed. ‘You could’ve told me I had flour all over my face. And not just a raisin but also a cherry in my hair. Now he thinks I’m a complete halfwit. And who the hell is Carmen Miranda? Grandpa said that’s what you’ll all call me from now on. I don’t care if I’m only fifteen. I want a beer and don’t you dare tell me I can’t have one.’

Evie held up her hands. ‘Hey! … Carmen.’ She couldn’t help herself. It was quite funny, after all. Even Juniper was fighting a grin. ‘Firstly, you didn’t have anything in your hair or on your face when I left the kitchen, so don’t shout at me. You must have done that afterwards. Carmen Miranda is – or was – a singer, I think. Or a dancer. Or both. Anyway, she was famous for wearing fruit on her head. Or hats covered in fruit, or something. And if you want a beer, have a beer. But only a half. Not a pint. What did Roland say then?’

Raven glowered at her. ‘Nothing. He just looked at me like he wasn’t sure what the hell I was. Then Grandpa took the cherry out of my hair and ate it. Actually ate it! He’s disgusting. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.’

‘But instead you came charging in here. Don’t you think you could have … oh I don’t know ... laughed it off or something?’

Raven’s eyes were like pools of burning tar. ‘Laugh it off? Are you mad? There is nothing funny about having fruit in your hair, flour on your face and being part of a family of lunatics. Believe me. Nothing funny at all. I’m calling mum and insisting she lets me go home. I’ve had about as much of this place as I can stand.’ She grabbed a bottle of lager and ran along the hall to the flight of stairs leading to her room.

‘Oh dear,’ Juniper said. ‘And I think I’ve got problems.’

‘I think we need more wine.’

Evie refilled their glasses and had just returned to her seat when her dad came into the bar, rubbing his hands together. Juniper’s brother Roland followed behind, carrying two empty mugs.

‘Goodness it’s cold out there sweetheart, but with Roland’s help I’ve fixed the doorknob and hopefully the hinges too. I think I’ve upset Raven again though. I saw her dart in this direction.’

 ‘Raven’s gone to her room,’ Evie said. ‘She wasn’t feeling well.’

‘Oh? It wasn’t because I called her Carmen Miranda, was it?’

‘I don’t think that helped, Dad.’

‘That child is so sensitive. She’s just like her mother was at her age. Do you remember, Evie? Severine was always stamping her foot and running to her room. Even in her twenties.’ He grinned and shook his head as if they were fond memories.

‘How can I forget?’ Evie didn’t recall them quite so fondly. Severine’s little tantrums had usually been Evie’s ‘fault’, although Evie rarely knew what it was she was supposed to have done to cause them. For the most part, Evie and the rest of the family just put up with them but when Severine discovered she was pregnant at twenty-one, Evie said, ‘That’s definitely not my fault. You’ve only got yourself to blame for this one.’ Severine didn’t speak to her for weeks. That was a time Evie did remember fondly. Evie did love her sister, and Severine loved her, Evie knew that. They simply didn’t like each other very much. The only thing they had in common was their family and although Severine was two years older than Evie, she didn’t act like it.

 ‘Beer, Roland?’ John walked to the bar and poured himself a pint, holding up an empty glass and waving it at Roland.

Roland’s head was bent, his jacket collar up, and he was looking directly at Evie beneath his dark lashes. His cheeks flushed and his eyes sparkled as he edged closer. ‘Er. Yes please.’ His gaze didn’t deviate from Evie’s face.

Evie shifted in her chair. She’d known Roland since the moment he was born. They got on well whenever she saw him, but he could be so intense at times. More than once it crossed her mind that, given the right circumstances, Roland could turn into a serial killer.

Juniper was auburn and took after her mum in the looks department. Roland had hair almost as black as Raven’s and eyes to match. Roland’s skin was a shade darker than Juniper’s pale olive complexion, and even at seventeen the boy could be a heartbreaker, Evie was certain of that. He also had a smile that, in Evie’s opinion, no teenage boy should have. It was positively dangerous. Just like his dad’s had been. Roland was the spitting image of his Italian dad – who was a bit of a lothario and returned to Italy soon after Roland’s second birthday. At least that was the story. Jessie said she wouldn’t have been surprised if Sylvie – Juniper and Roland’s mum – had killed the man and buried him in the back garden, possibly because despite fathering two children, he still wouldn’t marry her. Sylvie had certainly been quick enough to get over him and marry her neighbour, Peter Green. She even changed her children’s surnames. Evie doubted there was any truth in her gran’s theory, but one thing was certain: Roggero Tazzeone’s whereabouts was a complete mystery.

‘Hi Evangeline,’ Roland said, perching on the arm of Juniper’s chair and staring intently into Evie’s eyes. ‘Sis said you needed a hand with some lights.’

Evie sat further back in her chair. ‘Hi Roland. Um … yes. But not tonight. It’s too dark to see what we’re doing.’

Roland always used her full name. Several times she’d told him to call her Evie but he said he liked Evangeline. No one except his sister called him Roly. He had been a tubby child and sisters can be cruel, but Roland didn’t seem to mind.

‘I’m free tomorrow. College has closed for the holidays. Or any day if tomorrow’s not cool. I’ll give you my number. Text me.’ He smiled at her in a way that said a whole lot more than “text me”.

Evie’s cheeks burned but it had nothing to do with the heat from the blazing log fire. Juniper’s throwaway comment might not have been too far off the mark. Did Roland have a secret crush on his sister’s best friend?

Oh hell. That was the last thing Evie needed.