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Authors: Miranda Barnes
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good,’ Kirsty commented to Bob.
‘Oh, I like everything here,’ he said with a chuckle. He shrugged and added, ‘There’s nowhere I’d rather be.’
‘You like the peace and the quiet?’
‘It’s just about the only place I do feel at peace.’
It was a strange remark. Kirsty didn’t know what to make of it. They ate in silence for a little while. Then she said, ‘Better than at home?’
He gave her a wry smile. ‘I don’t really have a home any more. I used to. Now I just have a house, an empty house.’
Oh, dear. She waited. She waited for him tell her in his own way – if he wanted to tell her at all. She guessed marital breakdown had come into it.
‘Three years’ ago,’ Bob said slowly, ‘my family was destroyed in a single day. I lost my wife and two sons.’
Kirsty winced and pushed her plate aside. ‘Bob,’ she said gently, ‘don’t say anything you don’t want to. You don’t have to explain anything to me.’
He shrugged again. ‘It’s all right. It’s no secret. We’d rented a villa in Greece for a couple of weeks. The first holiday in a long time. Beautiful place. The kids loved it. We all did.
‘One night my wife persuaded me to go by myself to a local bar where we knew they would have a Man U game on the telly. She knew I would like to see it, but she and the kids couldn’t sit in a bar all evening. Anyway, she said they needed an early night.
‘So I went, had a couple of beers, watched the game, wandered back happy as a king. I thought they were all asleep. It was a long time before I realised they weren’t.’
Kirsty’s heart was pounding. She felt sick with dread. She stared and waited, not sure she wanted to hear any more but unable not to listen.
‘Faulty water heater, they said at the enquiry. Carbon monoxide poisoning. None of them even woke up.’
‘I’m so sorry, Bob.’ She gripped his hand hard. ‘I had no idea.’
He just shrugged.
But she knew now what his prescription was for. He had every right to be depressed.
‘What about you?’ Bob asked over coffee. ‘What about your life?’
‘Me?’ She chuckled nervously. ‘Nothing much to say, really. I live alone. Boring job. My long-time boyfriend and I called it a day recently. My mum died a couple of years’ ago. No other family that I’m in contact with.’
‘So you come here?’
She nodded. ‘I needed something new in my life, and the inn appeared like a godsend. I used to come here as a child with Mum and Dad, and I always remembered it as a place where I was happy. So I came back to see what it’s like now, and I fell in love with it all over again. Then I got to thinking about relieving poor Henry of his burden, and taking it on myself. I realised I could put it to rights, and enjoy myself doing it. Make a new life for myself, as well. Anyway,’ she concluded with a shrug, ‘it’s over now, that dream.’
‘Not necessarily,’ Bob said slowly. ‘I think the offer has been withdrawn.’
She looked sharply at him.
‘The board is down, I noticed. Go and see for yourself,’ he suggested.
With some reluctance, she did, and saw it was true. The “Under Offer” sign had reverted to a “For Sale” sign.
‘They go up and down like yo-yo’s,’ Bob said gently. ‘Estate agents, eh?’
She turned and saw he’d followed her outside. ‘How wonderful,’ she said with delight, hardly daring to believe it. ‘How absolutely... Oh!’
She shook her head and reached out to hug him and plant a kiss on his cheek. He hugged her back, laughing. She laughed with him and looked up. Then, surprising her, he kissed her. He kissed her properly. She closed her eyes and responded.
‘Sorry, Kirsty,’ he said, pulling away.
‘Don’t be,’ she said softly, gazing into his eyes and hugging him harder.
Only later did she realise fully what had happened, and begin to wonder what had come over them both. Nothing, she decided. Nothing – yet everything.
Chapter Twelve
The next
‘Oh, I like everything here,’ he said with a chuckle. He shrugged and added, ‘There’s nowhere I’d rather be.’
‘You like the peace and the quiet?’
‘It’s just about the only place I do feel at peace.’
It was a strange remark. Kirsty didn’t know what to make of it. They ate in silence for a little while. Then she said, ‘Better than at home?’
He gave her a wry smile. ‘I don’t really have a home any more. I used to. Now I just have a house, an empty house.’
Oh, dear. She waited. She waited for him tell her in his own way – if he wanted to tell her at all. She guessed marital breakdown had come into it.
‘Three years’ ago,’ Bob said slowly, ‘my family was destroyed in a single day. I lost my wife and two sons.’
Kirsty winced and pushed her plate aside. ‘Bob,’ she said gently, ‘don’t say anything you don’t want to. You don’t have to explain anything to me.’
He shrugged again. ‘It’s all right. It’s no secret. We’d rented a villa in Greece for a couple of weeks. The first holiday in a long time. Beautiful place. The kids loved it. We all did.
‘One night my wife persuaded me to go by myself to a local bar where we knew they would have a Man U game on the telly. She knew I would like to see it, but she and the kids couldn’t sit in a bar all evening. Anyway, she said they needed an early night.
‘So I went, had a couple of beers, watched the game, wandered back happy as a king. I thought they were all asleep. It was a long time before I realised they weren’t.’
Kirsty’s heart was pounding. She felt sick with dread. She stared and waited, not sure she wanted to hear any more but unable not to listen.
‘Faulty water heater, they said at the enquiry. Carbon monoxide poisoning. None of them even woke up.’
‘I’m so sorry, Bob.’ She gripped his hand hard. ‘I had no idea.’
He just shrugged.
But she knew now what his prescription was for. He had every right to be depressed.
‘What about you?’ Bob asked over coffee. ‘What about your life?’
‘Me?’ She chuckled nervously. ‘Nothing much to say, really. I live alone. Boring job. My long-time boyfriend and I called it a day recently. My mum died a couple of years’ ago. No other family that I’m in contact with.’
‘So you come here?’
She nodded. ‘I needed something new in my life, and the inn appeared like a godsend. I used to come here as a child with Mum and Dad, and I always remembered it as a place where I was happy. So I came back to see what it’s like now, and I fell in love with it all over again. Then I got to thinking about relieving poor Henry of his burden, and taking it on myself. I realised I could put it to rights, and enjoy myself doing it. Make a new life for myself, as well. Anyway,’ she concluded with a shrug, ‘it’s over now, that dream.’
‘Not necessarily,’ Bob said slowly. ‘I think the offer has been withdrawn.’
She looked sharply at him.
‘The board is down, I noticed. Go and see for yourself,’ he suggested.
With some reluctance, she did, and saw it was true. The “Under Offer” sign had reverted to a “For Sale” sign.
‘They go up and down like yo-yo’s,’ Bob said gently. ‘Estate agents, eh?’
She turned and saw he’d followed her outside. ‘How wonderful,’ she said with delight, hardly daring to believe it. ‘How absolutely... Oh!’
She shook her head and reached out to hug him and plant a kiss on his cheek. He hugged her back, laughing. She laughed with him and looked up. Then, surprising her, he kissed her. He kissed her properly. She closed her eyes and responded.
‘Sorry, Kirsty,’ he said, pulling away.
‘Don’t be,’ she said softly, gazing into his eyes and hugging him harder.
Only later did she realise fully what had happened, and begin to wonder what had come over them both. Nothing, she decided. Nothing – yet everything.
Chapter Twelve
The next
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