Page 31 of Happier Days (Family Life in Somerley #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Ava had butterflies in her stomach as she set off for the lakeside event. It was a few minutes to six, and people were piling in from every direction on foot.

Jack had told her the evening would bring in a lot of money from the surrounding villages and towns. Eliza said she tried not to be put on the work rotas for each one, but it didn’t always happen. Tonight was one of the not-happening ones, so Ava was heading there alone.

She drew nearer to the café, hearing music getting louder with each step. It sounded like a brass band was playing, and she imagined how magical it would have been to hear it play Christmas carols last year.

Up ahead, Jack was waiting for her, and she waved to show him she was nearly there. He came to greet her, the huge smile on his face the most welcoming thing she could see.

‘Ready to be wined and dined, so to speak?’ he asked, holding out his arm.

‘You bet.’ Ava linked her arm through it. ‘Where are the kids?’

‘They’re all here somewhere, and they message me if they need me. We have a meeting point, and I check in on my phone if I haven’t been able to spot any of them for half an hour. But genuinely they have so much fun that they stick around.’

The music became louder as they made their way through the cabins, all lit up on the outside and in.

Some of them were open. Ava noticed Ruby’s wasn’t.

She’d told Ava she could make a small fortune but found it was the one night a month that she preferred not to work as everyone she knew was in one place.

Poppy loved it, too. Sometimes Ruby opened for a couple of hours and then joined in, but not tonight. Ava hoped she’d spot her out.

They walked on and rounded the corner to the large, cobbled area that led down to the lake.

Ava gasped when she took in the transformation.

All the kiosks and camper vans were selling food; the smells were delicious; fairy lights lit in every colour imaginable.

The queues were long, the menus varied, and the buzz of chatter almost deafening.

Her favourite stall was a Land Rover Defender that had been converted into a coffee bar.

‘This is fantastic,’ she shouted to Jack over the noise.

Jack grinned. ‘What do you fancy for starters? Pulled pork? Beef burger? A bacon roll? Chips?’

‘Pulled pork, please.’

They joined the queue and chatted like the old friends they were. Moments later, Brooke appeared with her cousins, introductions were made, money was handed out by Jack, and the kids were gone again.

‘You see?’ Jack chuckled. ‘They only want me for my money.’

‘Surely not,’ Ava quipped.

Once they had their food, they found a spot on a picnic bench and tucked in.

‘This is amazing,’ she said after her first mouthful of food had gone down.

‘The pork or the atmosphere?’ Jack asked, wiping at his mouth.

‘All of it! The music is a great touch. I can’t believe you get to do this every month.’

‘Me neither. During summertime we barbecue. Winter months we have bonfires. There’s always live music, and there may even be dancing. The band changes later to a local indie group. They’re very good.’

‘What time does it finish?’

‘It’s always over by midnight, and it’s usually the locals who stay for the last hour.’

Brooke caught their eye, and Ava waved to her. The girl gave her two thumbs before laughing and merging back into the crowd.

‘She seems really lovely,’ Ava told him.

‘She is. I’m glad she takes after me and not her mother.’

Ava saw he was joking and smiled. ‘I was surprised, if I’m honest, that you’re so friendly with Katrina after what happened.’

‘It’s taken a while for us to get to this stage.

I was hurt at first, but I didn’t want things to be awkward for Brooke.

And maybe a part of me was glad it was over.

We hadn’t been getting on for a while before.

Obviously, I know why now, but we were staying together for Brooke, mostly.

An unspoken rule, but there, nonetheless. Neither of us was particularly happy.’

In that instant, Ava realised she was falling for Jack. It was him who was making her feel alive again, not so much Sapphire Lake. She knew already that she didn’t want the night to end.