Just The Way You Are(85)

‘What about in winter, when it’s still dark?’

‘Less to be done in winter.’ He took a sip of water. ‘I don’t sleep so well these days. Still not used to an empty bed. Getting out here with the birds and the beasties helps it not seem so…’ I waited while he stared at his plate for a long moment. ‘It’s a bit of company. The kind who don’t ask intrusive questions about how you’re feeling.’

‘Well, I for one am very grateful. But if I can keep thanking you with a meal or a drink from time to time, I’ll try really hard not to ask anything intrusive. Although I can’t vouch for Joan.’

It was another gorgeous summer evening. Sultry and sweet with the scent of honeysuckle, cut grass and the faintest hint of a bonfire from somewhere down the lane. In between the birdsong a distant tractor hummed, and the sky was palest periwinkle.

I curled my bare toes in contentment, my mother’s shadow banished by the glow of the evening sunshine. It had been a hell of a week, but here, sipping coffee with my neighbour, I soaked up the peace and embraced the moment.

I even managed to stop thinking about Sam.

Joan arrived back just after nine, and after a solid fifteen minutes of describing her entire trip out, from the colour of the waiter’s tie to the number of Maltesers on her ice-cream sundae, I escorted her up to bed. Hurrying back down, hoping that Ebenezer hadn’t taken the opportunity to slip back inside now the sun had begun to set, I was offering him another drink before I’d even spotted that the bald head and grumpy T-shirt were now a sun-kissed crop and a checked shirt.

‘Hi!’ I skidded to a stop. Nesbit had no such qualms, running to greet the collies, Scout and Willow, as long-lost friends.

‘Hey!’ Sam jerked to attention, rubbing a hand through his hair as if self-conscious.

‘Your neighbour offered me a drink. Having said that, it was about ten minutes ago.’ He checked his watch.

‘He can be quite slow.’

‘Right.’

‘He can also be quite strange. You’re probably best off having one with me, instead.’

He shifted in the chair. There was a chance I was imagining it, but Sam really did seem a bit awkward. ‘Okay, thanks. That would be great.’

‘Tea, coffee? A beer?’

‘I’ll have whatever you’re having.’

Before I could decide what that was, the door of Middle Cottage opened and Ebenezer shuffled out carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses on a tray.

‘Oh, wonderful. We were just wondering what to drink.’

‘I’ll leave these here,’ Ebenezer said, placing the tray on my table. He then twitched his face at me in a gesture so out of character that it took me a few seconds to realise that he’d actually winked.

‘There’s only two glasses.’

‘I’ve only got two glasses,’ he said.

‘No problem, I can fetch one.’

‘No, no need to bother with all that. You two enjoy your evening.’

‘Ebenezer, it’s less than ten steps away; it’s no trouble.’

‘I’m feeling very tired. I need to go to bed,’ he said, suddenly finding the ability to scurry inside before we could object any further.

‘I’m so sorry about that. As I said, he’s a bit strange.’

‘No apology necessary. This is a decent bottle,’ Sam said, picking it up to read the label, before holding it up to me. ‘Shall we?’

‘Um… were you looking for me, or…?’ I asked, sitting down next to him.

‘Oh, yes, I was out walking the girls, and realised that I was right by your back hedge, and I heard Joan, meaning you were probably up, so thought I’d call in and see how it went today.’

‘Oh, I see.’

Or rather, I saw that Sam had just made up a convoluted excuse to visit me on a Friday night. When I started pouring, I felt so jittery that I slopped wine all over the table.

‘I must have arrived just as you went inside. But like I said, your neighbour offered me a drink.’ He took a paper napkin from the pile I’d brought out at dinner and started mopping up the mess. ‘I hope I’m not disturbing your plans?’

‘My plan was to sit here and have a drink with a friend until the stars come out. Seeing as that friend has bailed on me, I can cope with that being you instead.’

‘Excellent.’

We sat there pretending to admire the lovely surroundings while in reality the peace of the evening had been engulfed by strange tension and unspoken subtext that I had no idea how to interpret. If Ebenezer had wanted to kindle some romance, he’d instead managed to snuff out any trace of embers.

After a while, Sam suddenly spoke. ‘So, um, how did it go at the hospital?’

‘Better than any of us hoped. Any of us apart from Joan, that is.’

The tension gradually dissipated as we spoke about everything that had happened. Sam asked what the plan was for when Leanne left hospital, and when my throat seized up before I could finish explaining that they might all go back to Chester, him reaching across the shadows and taking my hand seemed completely natural.

A few seconds later, the music started.

‘Is that a coincidence, or is he some sort of peeping Tom?’ Sam asked, dropping my hand as he glanced over his shoulder at Ebenezer’s now open kitchen window.