Page 5

‘Of course, deary. How can I help?’ June replied. Even the way she spoke sounded older than her years, but Holly found it endearing.

‘I know it’s been a while, but I realised I’ve never thanked you for telling Mum about the cottage in Bourton.’

‘The cottage?’ June frowned.

‘If you hadn’t told Mum about it straight away and given her the keys so we could look around, I’m sure someone would have snapped it up. And it’s been so perfect for me and Hope.’

Although Holly had finished saying what she needed, the frown still hadn’t left June’s expression. If anything, it had grown deeper.

‘Sorry, Holly, dear, I’m not sure what you mean?’

Holly smiled patiently. Apparently, June’s elderly characteristics stretched as far as having variable memory skills. ‘You’re friends with the landlord? You gave Mum the keys to look around it.’

At this, June shook her head.

‘No, not me, love. Your mum’s told me about the cottage, of course, but it was nothing to do with me. You’ve got the wrong person, I’m afraid.’

‘Oh,’ Holly said. ‘Perhaps it was Lenny then. She just said a neighbour, so I assumed?—’

‘Lenny? Know a landlord in Bourton? No, love, you’re definitely barking up the wrong tree here, but I’m pleased you’re happy.’

Holly wasn’t sure how else she was supposed to reply, but there was no doubt that June didn’t know what she was talking about. And it felt unlikely that she would be mistaken about Lenny, either. Before she could think of a reply, June was speaking again.

‘I’d love to stop and chat, dear, but I’ve got a potato salad to make. You won’t mind if I excuse myself, will you? I’ll see you out here in about an hour, right? We can catch up then?’

‘Sorry, what?’ Holly shook herself back to the moment, with June’s words taking just a second longer to sink in. ‘Yes. Yes… the party,’ she said. ‘I’ll see you then.’

5

Back in the house, Holly’s mother was spooning mouthfuls of mashed banana into Hope, making aeroplane noises as she went. There was no point in Holly explaining she was trying to get Hope on a relatively strict feeding schedule. Firstly, as separated parents, both she and Ben had formed routines that suited them best as individuals, and no matter how much they tried to unify them, something always seemed to get in the way. Besides, her mother looked after Hope for more weekdays than Holly did, and the last thing she wanted to do was say anything to rock the boat. Still, as she entered the kitchen, she couldn’t help but shake the feeling of perplexity from her conversation outside.

‘Thanks for helping your dad with that, love,’ her mother said.

‘It was no problem,’ Holly replied, as she took a seat next to Hope. ‘Hey, Mum, I spoke to June. Thanked her for putting you in touch with her landlord friend who owned the cottage. But she didn’t seem to know what I was talking about.’

‘Did she not?’ Her mother continued feeding Hope as she spoke. While Holly couldn’t be certain, it seemed like she wasavoiding her gaze. ‘Oh, well, no, of course she wouldn’t. She wasn’t the one who gave me the landlord’s information.’

‘But I thought you said it was your neighbour.’

‘I know what I said,’ she replied, with the slightest of huffs.

‘Well then, which neighbour was it?’

Her parents lived in a semi-detached house, with June and Lenny sharing the adjoining walls. On the other side of them was a bungalow, with an old man who only ever appeared to snap at passers-by walking with dogs to tell them to stop barking, even when they weren’t. Considering her mother had never had a pleasant word to say about the man, it seemed unlikely he was the neighbour she was talking about.

Holly fixed her gaze on her and waited for a reply. None came.

‘If they’re going to be here tonight, then I’d really like to say thank you,’ Holly pressed. ‘I should have sent them something before now.’

Her mother let out an irritated sigh. ‘Really Holly, do you have to go on about it now? I can’t remember who it was at the minute. There’s a lot going on today, in case you haven’t noticed. And it was quite a while ago. Maybe I saw an advert in the newsagent’s. Yes, come to think about it, I’m sure that’s how I heard about the place. Someone local placing an ad in the newsagent’s.’

Holly pressed her lips together tightly as her mother turned her back to her and began washing up the banana bowl. There was no denying it – Wendy was definitely avoiding looking at her.

Checking that Hope was firmly strapped into the highchair, Holly stood up and moved across to the sink by her mother.

‘No, you definitely said it was a neighbour, I’m sure of it. Besides, they gave you the keys, remember? They wouldn’t have been able to do that if it was an advert in the newsagent’s.’

‘Well, if you’re that sure of it, then that must have been what I said. Now, are you going to help me or not? Your father’s still in the shower, and outside isn’t ready. He hasn’t sorted the barbecue and I haven’t even made enough bread rolls. So if you’d like, you can make yourself useful and give me a hand and make a bread dough. Otherwise, I’m not entirely sure why you came early at all, unless it was just to pester me?’