Кристи Барлоу – Love Heart Lane Series (страница 6)
‘And are we still on for tomorrow night?’ asked Felicity, looking between Isla and Polly. ‘Girly night?’
‘Absolutely,’ they both chorused in unison.
Rona moved towards Martha and kissed her on her cheek, ‘It is good to have you back.’
‘And I’ll see you tomorrow night too,’ Martha snagged Felicity’s eye as she walked towards the door. ‘Girly night.’
Knowing Felicity would just want it to be the girls, Rona thankfully came to the rescue: ‘How about you join me at the pub tomorrow night? I’ll ask Aggie and Meredith will be behind the bar. We can catch up properly.’
‘Good plan, and I’ll show you how to use that app.’ Martha winked at Rona who let out a chuckle.
‘Behave,’ she said, waving Martha and Isla on their way. ‘I’ve no intention of joining the minefield that is social media. I’m quite happy with the way things are …’
‘We’ll see,’ Martha shouted over her shoulder with a wicked twinkle in her eye as the door closed behind them.
‘She’s a character and a half,’ added Polly, with a grin.
‘There is no doubt that one has lived life to the full and is still doing so, by the sounds of it,’ answered Rona. ‘Isla has definitely got her hands full there.’
‘Maybe you should have a think about that dating app. I can always sit here and set you up a profile over a couple of mugs of tea,’ teased Polly, as Rona playfully rolled her eyes.
Felicity was still chuckling. ‘Martha is right though, Mum, maybe you should put yourself out there, you have so much to offer and deserve to be happy.’
Shaking her head in despair, Rona coaxed her daughter towards the sink. ‘Don’t be daft, my life is perfect just the way it is, unlike Isla’s, by the state she was in when she arrived today.’ Rona gave Felicity an inquisitive stare, but Felicity brushed it off, not wanting to break her friend’s trust.
‘New babies, change of routine, tiredness, I’m crying just thinking about it.’
‘It’s an exhausting time for any woman, and you feel like you don’t know if you are coming or going, you’re someone’s mother, wife, daughter, sister, grandmother … you lose all perspective of who you are. Everyone wants a piece of you. I can remember screaming and crying
Her mum’s words rang in Flick’s ears. Maybe Isla was feeling the pressure a little? She didn’t have any hands-on support; with Drew running the farm, looking after the children was left solely down to her. Felicity didn’t elaborate on the conversation with Isla, but she was worried about her friend. Isla wasn’t a moaner, she worked hard and saw the good in everyone and every situation and didn’t like any sort of confrontation. Felicity knew she would have felt disloyal talking to her about the argument with Drew, which meant it must have really bothered her.
Hopefully a night with the girls tomorrow would pep her up a bit, but Felicity knew she was going to keep a closer eye on her.
Through the kitchen window, Isla could see Drew and Fergus loitering in the yard in front of the stable block. Fergus was tapping on his phone with a goofy grin on his face. Isla felt an
Isla scrutinised Drew’s stony face. He didn’t look like his mood had improved as he shovelled the muck into the wheelbarrow. Any second now he’d be taking a tea break and she was surprised he hadn’t already popped his head around the door to ask who the Mini belonged to.
Martha had taken a stroll to the corner shop to catch up with Hamish, while Isla did her very best to make up the spare room as best she could. It felt like Martha had brought everything except the kitchen sink, and after the umpteenth trip to the car the Mini was finally empty, much to Isla’s relief.
She switched on the kettle and placed two mugs on the table. Already she was feeling apprehensive about telling Drew that Martha was here to stay … indefinitely.
The door swung open. ‘No Fergus with you?’ Isla asked, noticing him walking off towards the driveway.
‘No, he’s nipped to the teashop to see Flick. She’s all he ever talks about just lately, Flick this, Flick that,’ he said, slinging his phone on to the table and pulling out a chair.
‘I think it’s lovely that they are so in love, don’t you?’
Drew looked up and rolled his eyes, ‘Not if you have to listen to him going on about it twenty-four/seven.’
Isla felt saddened by Drew’s reaction. In the past her friends had been jealous of Drew’s romantic ways, snatching every moment he could with her, texting her from the fields at every opportunity, leaving presents and flowers on the doorstep. He made her feel like she was the only girl in the world. Isla poured him a mug of tea then began to unload the dishwasher, whilst wondering how and why things had changed so quickly between them.
‘Where’s Angus?’ asked Drew. ‘And no biscuits?’
Isla sighed and slid the biscuit barrel over in his direction. ‘Angus is taking a nap and I see your mood hasn’t improved much.’ She turned her back on him and carried on putting the clean dishes away.
‘What do you expect? A morning at market with hardly any produce sold.’
‘What do you mean, hardly any produce sold?’
‘Exactly what I said, and I noticed you did your usual trick of disappearing to the teashop to spend money, no doubt on a cooked breakfast.’ His tone was accusing. ‘When we have more eggs on the farm than we can actually sell, oh and thinking about it, you’re paying to eat our own eggs, as we supply the teashop. It’s ludicrous!’
Isla began to feel her hackles rise again. After the argument he’d instigated this morning she’d needed to let off steam to her friend. He worked alongside his best mate day in and day out, and unless she left the house she had no-one to speak to.
‘You know what Drew, I woke up in a good mood this morning until you decided to throw your toys out of the cot about … Actually, I have no idea what the argument was about.’
Unlike Isla, she was now spoiling for a fight, she could feel the hot flush rising up her neck and stood there, rooted to the spot with one hand on her hip.
Drew was staring straight at her before he snapped his ginger biscuit in half with dramatic effect and dunked it into his tea.
‘I’m just sick to the back teeth of being the cash cow. I think it’s time you thought about getting a job.’
There was that word again … job. Isla just didn’t understand where all this animosity was coming from.
‘A cash cow?’ Isla was astonished by his choice of words. ‘So, let’s just throw this out there, if I go to work who do you think is going to take Finn to school … look after Angus, wash, iron, cook, run the house? Are you going to do all that? Or are we going to use the money from this job I’m meant to be getting to pay someone else to do the job I’m already doing at home?’ She flung her arms up in the air, prompting Drew to answer, but before he had a chance she continued, ‘And where’s all the money gone from the jar? The emergency money?’
‘Having breakfast at Bonnie’s teashop is not an emergency.’ His voice was firm. ‘I’ve hidden it.’
If Isla had been a cartoon character, she would have had steam bursting from her ears with rage, ‘You’ve done what?’ she shouted angrily. Drew had well and truly overstepped the mark now.
‘If you need any cash for an emergency, just ask.’
Isla shook her head in total disbelief. ‘Are you for real, what do you think this is, the 1950s? This is ridiculous. What the hell has gotten into you?’ Isla’s eyes threatened tears, frustration building inside her. She didn’t really have the faintest clue why they were arguing like this. It was so out of character for Drew. ‘You put that money back in the jar. You couldn’t do the job you do if it wasn’t for me supporting you, looking after the house and
Drew cowardly cast his eyes downwards, he knew he was pushing Isla to the limit, but he couldn’t help himself. ‘And whose is that awful-looking Union Jack Mini parked outside? I thought you had company.’
Isla swallowed, she’d been dreading this moment with the mood Drew was in, but maybe she was worrying too much. Drew had always seemed to like Martha. Maybe, just maybe her arrival would be a blessing in disguise.
Feeling apprehensive, she said, ‘This is going to make your day … you’ll never guess who’s back in town?’ Isla painted a smile on her face and crossed her fingers behind her back.