‘Never to be repeated,’ he said, sounding crestfallen. ‘I was rather hoping that was going to become a regular thing.’
‘No way,’ I laughed. ‘For a start, I’ll be leaving before the end of the summer and you said the trick was to always leave them wanting more, didn’t you?’
‘Oh yeah,’ he said, scratching his head. ‘I do seem to remember saying something like that.’
‘So,’ I said, tracking back to my original question. ‘How’s your week been? Have you been busy?’
He didn’t answer until I carried our drinks through.
‘You could say that,’ he said, taking a mug from the tray. ‘And Charlie’s still digging his heels in.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ I said. ‘I was hoping you might have found some common ground by now.’
‘Me too.’
It was sad to think that between them they couldn’t work it out.
‘Well,’ I said, trying to inject some cheer into the conversation, ‘you can forget about Charlie and the farm for a while over the weekend, because I have plans for you, Joe Upton.’
I was hoping that if I kept my tone light and made it sound like a fun night out, then he might just get swept along and agree to it before he realized exactly what it was.
‘No can do, I’m afraid,’ he said, shooting me down before I’d even pitched the idea. ‘I’ve got to go away for a bit.’
‘Oh no,’ I said, ‘when?’
‘This afternoon,’ he said, nodding at the clock on the bookcase, ‘almost this minute, in fact.’
‘That’s such a shame,’ I huffed. ‘I was going to enter us as a team in the board game club competition.’
The expression on his face pretty much matched the one Hope had worn when I first aired the idea to her.
‘The board game club that happens at the pub?’
‘Yes.’
‘The club that Sam runs in the Smuggler’s next door?’
‘The very same.’
‘You’re kidding, right?’
‘No,’ I said, swallowing down a mouthful of the still too hot coffee. ‘I thought it would be fun.’
Joe leant forward and put his mug down on the table.
‘Fun,’ he laughed, but he didn’t sound happy. ‘I think you and I have very different ideas about the meaning of the word fun, Tess. I’m the last person Sam wants to see in his pub. You saw the look on his face when I turned up the night of the power cut and when we spoke it was as awkward as arse.’
‘But the pair of you can’t carry on like this,’ I told him. ‘If you’re really going to be back here for a while Joe, then you need to at least try . . .’
His jaw began to grind and I stopped talking. I had been considering throwing in a ‘for Hope’s sake’ comment, but decided against it.
‘Please don’t interfere in this, Tess,’ he said, sounding more upset than angry which made me feel even worse. ‘Don’t go getting ideas about trying to fix this because you can’t, okay? It’s beyond that, way beyond that.’
‘It wasn’t just my idea,’ I said, thinking perhaps I could get away with mentioning her after all. ‘Well, it was to start with, but someone else agreed to it.’
‘Who?’ he demanded. ‘Who in their right mind would agree to something as stupid as this?’
‘Hope,’ I said.
‘What?’
‘I ran it by her too, and she thought it was about time the pair of you made your peace.’
Joe’s jaw stopped grinding and his cheeks began to flush.
‘Well, she would, wouldn’t she?’ he swallowed. ‘No doubt she wants to help clear her boyfriend’s conscience.’
‘I’m pretty certain she wasn’t only thinking of him,’ I said softly. ‘She told me that the two of you used to be a couple. That you were together for a long time . . .’
‘What does that matter?’ Joe snapped, sounding upset. ‘She’s with Sam now, isn’t she? Just as I always knew she would be.’
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘she is with Sam, but that doesn’t mean . . .’
‘Oh, Tess,’ Joe butted in again, ‘just leave it, all right. I daresay your heart’s in the right place, but you should be grateful that I’m going away because had you got me to the pub under false pretences, then it really would not have ended well.’
He stood up and made for the door and I followed him back outside.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said as he struggled with the gate. I was grateful that it had stopped him rushing away. I didn’t want to leave things like this. ‘I just thought . . .’
‘That you could make it all better,’ he sighed.
‘Yes,’ I nodded. ‘Exactly that.’
He left the gate and came back and pulled me in for a hug.
‘Let’s just forget it and catch up when I get back, okay?’ he said, squeezing me tight. ‘I’m pretty certain I’ll be in need of a good moan about Charlie and the farm again by then.’
‘All right,’ I agreed, squeezing him back. ‘We’ll do that.’
‘And in the meantime,’ he said, letting me go so he could look down at me, ‘don’t get any more ideas in your head about trying to mend me, all right?’
‘All right,’ I smiled.
‘I’ve got enough on my plate without adding well-meaning women with a penchant for feather boas into the mix.’ He laughed as he went back to yanking at the gate.
‘I think you’ll find,’ I called after him as he finally pulled it open and walked away, ‘you were the one wearing the feather boa!’
He waved but didn’t look back and it was only then I noticed Sam and Hope standing outside the pub. I had no idea what they had made of my parting shot, but Sam turned away and headed back inside with a face like thunder.
Chapter 17
I didn’t even make it as far as the bar on Saturday evening before Hope appeared at my elbow and ushered me into a shady corner.
‘So,’ she said, her dark eyes shining, ‘are we all set? I know I thought it was crazy to begin with, but Sam’s moods are driving me to distraction and I’m willing to try anything now.’
Knowing that she was now fully on board with the idea made me feel even worse about disappointing her.
‘I’m really sorry, Hope,’ I whispered, keeping an eye on the bar where Sam was pulling a pint and wearing an expression that could have curdled milk, ‘but it’s not happening.’
‘Joe’s not coming?’
I shook my head.
‘Damn,’ she groaned, no longer bothering to keep quiet. ‘Maybe you should have invited him to the cottage instead of the pub.’
‘What good would that have been when we needed him here?’
‘I don’t know,’ she shrugged, ‘maybe you could have softened him up a bit at your place and encouraged him to come here after.’
I wasn’t sure what her idea of ‘softening him up’ entailed and I didn’t ask, but I was pretty sure you would have to be more than friends to do it.