Page 5 of Happier Days (Family Life in Somerley #1)

CHAPTER FIVE

Ava woke with a start. Thick velvet curtains at the window ensured she couldn’t see a thing, and for a moment she sat up in a panic.

Then she flopped back down again, realising where she was.

Once her heart had slowed, she switched on the bedside lamp, automatically reaching for her phone. It was only half past five.

She snuggled under the covers, even though the heat in the room was a tad stifling.

She couldn’t believe she’d slept so well.

In London, the noise of the city often woke her, but it was as calming to her as she assumed the quiet must be for the villagers.

Familiar sounds all around them, whether that be silence or noise from the wildlife.

She managed to fall asleep again. An hour later, she hauled herself out of bed. After a quick shower, followed by a coffee from the machine in her room, she pulled on her trainers and coat. Fresh air would do her good, and she was dying to explore the village while it was still early.

Walking downstairs to the ground floor, Ava spotted another young woman behind the reception desk.

‘You’re up bright and early,’ she greeted Ava. ‘Did you sleep well?’

‘I did,’ she replied. ‘Thought I’d have a walk before breakfast.’

‘Rather you than me. It’s really cold!’

Ava opened the main door and set off up the driveway. The hotel was about a quarter of a mile from the visitors’ entrance to Sapphire Lake. She turned right, instantly recalling summer months when hordes of traffic would get stuck in the narrow road.

The lake was two miles long, but the entrance to it was tiny and not equipped for the many cars that tried to get onto the car park.

When they’d visited, Ava’s dad would put out cones on the pavement, so they’d have somewhere to park the car on their return.

Most of the time, though, they came by train, hardly leaving the village.

It had been a home from home for many years, until the accident which had robbed her of the man she’d adored and eventually sent her mum off to live in Spain with a new husband. Ava didn’t much care for Ray, but he made her mum happy and that was all that mattered.

A burst of angry wind almost knocked her over as she pushed through it. What on earth was up with the weather? It was spring, not winter, and darker still because of the grey-black clouds above.

She pulled in the collar of her coat, the cold still getting in wherever it could. Several lights shone in windows, the peaceful silence enveloping her the further she went.

A few minutes along the road, Ava stopped when she approached the cottage where she used to stay with her parents.

To her utter joy, it had been completely renovated, and in place of the tiny two-up, two-down she remembered, it had been extended, doubling its original size.

An oak-build room had also been attached to the end.

A light went on at the window, and she couldn’t help stopping to glance in. It was still a kitchen, and she could see it had been opened up through to the back of the house.

She pictured herself sitting around the table with her mum and dad, eating freshly caught fish from the lake and ice cream from the farm shop. It brought a lump to her throat. Even after all these years, she missed the memories she could have made with her dad; his comforting presence.

How her life had changed since that teenage girl played around the area without a care in the word, having her greatest adventures.

She set off again, until she came to the fork in the road. Turning left would lead her to Somerley, the road to the right nearer to the lake.

She continued past the winding entrance down to the visitors’ car park. The large welcome sign promised a coffee shop, farm goods, freshly baked cakes, and locally grown honey. There was even a gin shack. She hoped to get a chance to check that out while she was here.

The road narrowed into a single lane and, after she passed a few homes on her left, more thick woodlands came up. Ava wondered if there were any homes this way.

Her stomach gave a loud growl. A few more minutes and she’d turn back for breakfast. She was definitely ordering a full English today, having worked up an appetite for it.

Up ahead, a dog barked. Moments later, a chocolate Labrador bounded towards her. She moved out of its way but lost her footing and fell. The dog came to investigate, licking her hand.

‘Are you okay?’ A man ran towards her. ‘Sorry, you must have startled him.’

‘Me, startle him?’ Ava gasped in annoyance. ‘He practically bowled me over!’

‘He was just excited to see someone. We don’t have many people venturing up here. You’re not hurt, are you?’

‘No… but I could have been.’ Her pride wounded more than anything, she sat for a moment.

He offered his hand, and when Ava looked up, she saw a familiar face. It had aged considerably, but equally it hadn’t changed at all.

Short dark hair peeped out from underneath a woollen hat.

His face was open to the elements, having a pink glow to his cheeks, stubble on his chin, and a sparkle in his deep-blue eyes, almost the colour of the lake she remembered.

A striped scarf was tucked into the neck of his zip-up hoodie, and thick socks showed at the bottom of his leggings.

He pulled her to standing, and Ava chose to keep hold of his hand in case she fell again. A feeling of giddiness washed over her and her stomach did a ridiculous somersault.

‘Hi, Jack.’ She smiled shyly. ‘Long time no see.’