A Summer to Remember (33 page)

‘Blimey, Dom – these are seriously good,’ he said.

‘You think?’ Dominic said, seeming genuinely surprised.

‘Sure,’ Simon replied, ‘don’t you?’

Dominic shrugged. ‘I can’t see them any more to judge them.’

Simon gave a laugh. ‘Take it from me – they’re good.’ He lifted one up from the floor and took it over to the large window, which looked out onto a cobbled street. The painting was a view along the river from The Folly, captured earlier in the year when the cow parsley had frothed its way along the bank.

‘Nobody paints landscapes like you,’ Simon said. ‘You’ve just got a way of capturing the light that I’ve never seen before.’

Dominic gave a self-deprecating sort of a smile.

‘Why can’t I paint like you?’ he asked.

‘Because you paint like
you
,’ Dominic said. Simon’s style was abstract. He favoured bold colours and angular shapes, even if there weren’t any directly in front of him. Dominic often thought that that was a wonderful way to see the world. He’d painted like that for as long as Dominic had known him. They’d met on a day course in plein air painting, which had taken place on a farm out towards the coast. Dominic’s paintings had been representative and lucid; Simon’s had been abstract and heady.

‘I bet you’re going to sell out,’ Simon said.

‘Would be nice,’ Dominic said. ‘Although I’d settle for getting noticed.’

Simon nodded. ‘I’ve still got a massive student loan to pay off,’ he said.

‘Well, I’ve notified all the newspapers and magazines, and the mailing list was pretty extensive,’ Dominic said. ‘We just have to keep our fingers crossed that the show’s a success. I’m hoping the other gallery owners I got in touch with show an interest.’

‘And go on to represent our work and take us to the top?’

‘Something like that,’ Dominic said with a grin.

They talked about the perils of being a poor artist for a while, wondering if they should have studied something sensible like law or medicine, when Simon suddenly said, ‘Isn’t that Faye?’

‘Where?’ Dominic asked.

‘Just outside,’ Simon said, looking out of the window onto the cobbled street. ‘She’s heading up there.’

Before he knew what he was doing, Dominic put down the painting he was holding and was out of the door before he could explain himself, running in the direction in which Simon had pointed.

The streets were maze-like in this part of town and there were any number of places she could have dived into but Dominic was determined to find her – even if he wasn’t actually sure what he was going to say if he did catch up with her. He only knew that he
had
to speak to her.

Ever since that night walking back from The Folly in the half-darkness, he’d known that he’d made a dreadful mistake in breaking up with Faye. What had he thought he was doing, for goodness’ sake? All those years he’d wasted apart from her. It was crazy when he thought about it, and even crazier still because everybody around him knew how mad he was. His mother had always been going on about Faye.

‘She’s the best thing to ever happen to you,’ she’d repeatedly told her son. ‘If you think life gets any better than Faye then you’re going to be sorely disappointed.’

Even Nina had seen right through to the truth of things and she’d only been around for a few months. So how come it had taken him this long to find out for himself?

Dominic cursed himself as he ran on through the streets. He had to find her – right now. He’d wasted too much time already but, as he ran up and down each street in turn, he realised that the big confession wasn’t going to happen today and so he slowly retraced his steps back to the gallery, feeling defeated and deflated.

‘No luck?’ Simon asked when he walked through the door.

‘You sure it was her?’ Dominic said.

‘Pretty sure,’ he said, looking at his friend quizzically. ‘Why don’t you give her a call?’

Dominic gave a half-smile. ‘Because what I have to say really can’t be said over the phone.’

It was one of those wonderfully long summer evenings when the sun seemed reluctant to set and the long tall shadows stretched across the lawn slowly and imperceptibly. Nina had spent the day tidying up around Dudley’s study, filing his notes and photos and preparing email enquiries he was planning on sending to publishers. He’d been out for the day and, although Nina had been able to go about her job unchecked, she couldn’t help but miss his jovial company. She didn’t even mind his temper tantrums anymore. They no longer scared her, because she knew they would blow themselves out in a moment and he would be back to laughing once again. But she couldn’t help feeling weighed down by the knowledge that she’d probably not be around to witness any more of those amazing tantrums because the novel was complete, the study was all in good order and everything was prepared for the anniversary party. Nina’s job was done.

There was only one person she could turn to at such a time and so, sitting herself down on a wrought-iron bench beside a border stuffed with towering hollyhocks, she rang her friend.

‘Nina!’ Janey’s cheery voice cried down the phone a moment later.

‘Hi, Janey.’

‘You’ve been hiding away from me again,’ Janey said. ‘What’s been going on? I’ve left you about a thousand voicemails!’

‘No you haven’t,’ Nina told her. ‘You’ve left two and then you flew off to Corsica.’

‘Oh, yes,’ Janey said, ‘and I met this amazing guy from Edinburgh who was researching a book on wildflowers.’

Nina smiled. ‘What happened to the Italian you met on your last trip?’

‘Who?’ Janey said. ‘Oh,
him
!’ she said a moment later, once clarity dawned. ‘We kind of lost touch. You know how it is.’

‘I certainly do,’ Nina said, thinking of the mysterious Justin and then going on to tell Janey about his disappearance off the face of the earth – or Norfolk at least.

‘You don’t know when you’re going to see him again?’

‘Well, I’m not really expecting to,’ Nina said with a sigh that threatened to topple a nearby hollyhock.

‘Oh, right!’ Janey said, obviously not believing her friend.

‘No,
really
, I can’t see it happening. It was just one of those brief encounters,’ she said wistfully.

‘God, you’re such a hopeless romantic, Nina! It wasn’t even a fling! You could at least have had a proper fling with him, instead of a quick peck on the cheek.’

‘It wasn’t like that,’ Nina said.

‘What was it like, then?’ Janey said.

She took a moment before answering, trying to work it out in her own head first. ‘It wasn’t like anything really. At least, not like anything I’ve ever known. It was just—’ she paused, ‘really
easy
. Like we weren’t planning anything. We just enjoyed being in the moment. Does that makes sense?’

‘Not really,’ Janey said. ‘Didn’t you want to –
you know
?’

Nina couldn’t help laughing. ‘Well, he was certainly handsome.’

‘Blimey – if I’d been you, I would have had a mad passionate affair.’

‘What, on the river bank in front of the dogs?’

‘Definitely!’

Nina laughed, feeling herself blush at the mere thought. ‘It wasn’t like that,’ she said again.

‘But it could be – if you give him a call,’ Janey said. ‘You’ve got his number, haven’t you? Why don’t you have a good long chat instead of all these silly texts flying about?’

Nina took a deep breath. ‘I don’t want to chase him. I just don’t have that in me.’

‘Oh heavens!’ Janey chided. ‘Men
love
to be chased! I’m sure he’d fall all over you if you gave him a call. It would be red roses and chocolates at dawn, I’m sure.’

‘Anyway, it doesn’t matter, because I don’t think I’ll ever see him again. He’s probably forgotten all about me.’

‘Like you’ve forgotten all about him?’ Janey said astutely. For all her flippancy, she did have the ability to hit the nail on the head every so often.

Nina closed her eyes. ‘I’m leaving here first thing on Saturday,’ she said.

‘But I thought the party was on Saturday afternoon,’ Janey said.

‘It is,’ Nina said.

‘You’re not staying for it?’ Janey sounded surprised.

‘I can’t,’ Nina said. ‘I have to go. I don’t want to make a big fuss so I thought it would be easier to slip away before everything kicks off.’

‘But that’s
crazy
! You’ve virtually organised it all yourself. You should stay and have some fun!’ Janey said.

Nina had spent the last few days thinking long and hard about this very issue. ‘It would just be too sad knowing that I have to leave afterwards, and I’d probably only make everyone else miserable if I was down,’ she reasoned. ‘I
have
to go before that. It’s the best thing I can do. Really it is.’

‘And where exactly are you going?’ Janey asked.

‘Ah,’ Nina said, suddenly feeling a little shy. ‘Is your futon free?’

‘Not exactly,’ Janey said.

‘Oh,’ Nina said, realising that her friend had a life beyond her own needs.

‘I mean, there’s this stray cat that seems to have made his home on it.’

Nina laughed. ‘Oh, Janey! You
hate
cats.’

‘I know!’

‘And you’re always going away. You can’t possibly look after an animal.’

‘He’s kind of shared by everyone in our street, I hear, but he is rather partial to my futon. Still, if you don’t mind sharing.’

Nina breathed a sigh of relief at not being homeless. ‘I won’t mind a bit!’

Chapter Thirty-One

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear, promising the sort of day associated with ice cream, straw hats and burnt shoulder-blades. Marie the cleaner was doing her best to keep everything in order as endless lines of people marched through the garden carrying tables, chairs, crates of champagne, balloons, napkins, tablecloths, musical instruments and flowers. Poor Benji didn’t quite know where to put himself, and seemed to be under somebody’s feet wherever he chose to play.

‘Come on, Benji. Looks like neither of us is wanted anymore,’ Nina said, taking pity on him and inviting him into the study. There wasn’t a lot for him to do in there, but at least he’d be out of the way, and he was company.

If Nina was honest, she felt at a bit of a loose end, too. Alex had arrived home late the night before and seemed to have taken charge of coordinating the marquee whilst Olivia and Dudley were busy coordinating themselves. So she sat in the study watching Benji dismantle one of Dominic’s old Transformers, watching the clock tick round and wondering when she should quietly slip away.

She’d spent half of the night before writing a letter to Olivia and Dudley, thanking them for welcoming her to their home and for making her time there so wonderful. She told them that it was the best job she’d ever had and that she would miss them enormously. It had been a good job she’d written the piece with a Biro, too, because, had she used her favourite fountain pen, it would have ended up a terrible blotchy mess with the tears she had shed over it. She was going to leave the letter on Dudley’s desk and would slip out of the house with her suitcase once the coast was clear.

Janey thought Nina was mad to miss the party and it seemed a shame that she’d never get to wear the beautiful dress that Olivia had bought her. She couldn’t help feeling a bit like Cinderella before her fairy godmother makes a timely appearance. It was hard not to feel sorry for herself as she sat in the study, listening to all the to-ing and fro-ing outside in the hallway – the laughter, the shouting and the general chaos that always seemed to surround the Milton family. How she would miss it all, but Nina kept having to remind herself that she wasn’t part of this family. She was just the hired help and she was no longer needed and, as ungrateful as it might seem to the Miltons that she was running away before the party, she just couldn’t bear to stay – being a part of the fun and the games only to have to leave afterwards; it was just too cruel a fate.

Needing someone to confide in, she’d even texted Justin that morning about her decision.

It’s all too much
she’d written.

But you can’t leave!
he’d texted back immediately.

But I can’t stay
she’d said.

Are you sure they don’t want to keep you on?

Nothing’s been said
she’d told him.

Talk to them, Nina! x

But she couldn’t put her own selfish worries first. This was Dudley and Olivia’s special day and she didn’t want to spoil it with talk of employment.

‘Do you fancy going out into the garden, Benji?’ Nina asked, suddenly in need of some fresh air. The little boy looked up from his home on the carpet. ‘We could see if we can find any snails behind the greenhouse.’ Nina wasn’t particularly fond of molluscs, but she thought it would be an incentive for Benji. Nina saw that she was right as he sprang up off the carpet, his toy forgotten.

They walked across the lawn together, careful to avoid the staff who were setting up in the marquee. Olivia had been most disappointed to find out that marquees only came in white, and that it hadn’t been possible to have one in silver or purple to match her colour scheme. Nevertheless, it had caused great excitement as it was erected on the lawn at the back of the mill house on Friday morning.

Nina hadn’t been quite sure what to expect, but was surprised when she saw an army of five men set it up. She’d taken several trips into the garden throughout the course of the morning to check on the progress. She’d never been in a marquee before, other than the tiny, tatty ones at the local fete, and she tried to imagine what it would look like once the furniture and decorations were in place. As she walked past with Benji, she attempted to get a glimpse inside the vast tent, seeing only a floating mountain of balloons in purple and silver, and a towering flower display filled with gigantic lilies that looked as if they had been carved from marble. The champagne, wine and glasses had all been delivered the day before, too. It was going to be a wonderful party.