Page 6

Nova

The storm had passed by the time Nova finished work that evening, leaving behind a dramatic pink-and-orange sky that cast St. Tredock in a gorgeous, sleepy glow. Beautiful sunsets always reminded Nova of her dad, who’d loved watching them wherever they were in the world, and so usually she’d stop to appreciate the sunset too. Yet tonight, Nova paid it little attention as she drove home, her attention fixed on the missing money and what it meant for her future. When she reached Craig’s parents’ house, she turned off the engine but sat in her car for a few moments longer, psyching herself up before she went inside.

“Nova, sweetie, you’re home!” Pamela Pritchard’s voice assailed Nova as she opened the front door. “How was your day? Everything good at the center?”

“Fine, thanks.” At least the news about the stolen money hadn’t reached Craig’s parents yet.

“We’re through in the kitchen. I’ve made roast chicken, Craig’s favorite.”

“Great,” Nova said, although in truth, all she wanted was to hide upstairs with Craig and a bottle of wine. Unfortunately, Pamela and David liked to eat dinner at 6:30 p.m. sharp, and always meat and two veg, despite the fact Nova was a lifelong vegetarian. She’d volunteered many times to cook some veggie meals for the family, but her future mother-in-law insisted that Craig and his dad needed meat every day.

“Hey, gorgeous!” Craig’s handsome face lit up when he saw Nova walk into the kitchen, and she slid into the seat next to him and gratefully took the glass he handed her. “Good day?”

“Mm-hmm.” She took a long swig of wine so she didn’t have to outright lie; she’d save the bad news until she was alone with Craig later. “How was yours?”

“Busy. Dad’s been working me to the bone, as per usual.”

David Pritchard let out a deep laugh. “Just training you up properly, son. If you’re going to be taking over the garage one day, then I want to know it’s in good hands.”

“Of course it’ll be in good hands with Craigy,” Pamela tutted, as she carried over a towering plate of Yorkshire puddings.

“Wow, these look amazing,” Nova said.

“My secret recipe. I’ll have to teach it to you before you move out.”

“Speaking of which, how’s the house hunting going?” David asked.

“There’s nothing out there at the moment,” Craig said. “I think it’s just the wrong time of year.”

“Did you manage to speak to the estate agent about that cottage in Mawham I sent you?” Nova asked Craig.

“I called him this morning, and it sounds like it’s a no-go, I’m afraid. The guy said it’s a “fixer-upper,” which is estate agent code for an absolute dump.”

“I don’t mind a bit of a renovation project. It could be fun to make a place our own.”

“Oh no, you don’t want to be taking on a big project; those things are a money pit,” Pamela said, putting two dry-looking vegetarian sausages on Nova’s plate. “Besides, there’s no hurry. David and I love having you both here, so you can stay with us as long as you need to.”

“Thanks, Mum,” Craig said, helping himself to three roast potatoes.

“We could go and take a look on Saturday, just in case we love it?” Nova said to Craig.

“Sure, if you—” Craig started, but Pamela interrupted.

“Not this Saturday, young lady. We’ve got the final fitting of your wedding dress, remember?”

Craig laughed and winked at Nova. “Ditsy Davies strikes again! You must be the only bride who’s ever forgotten about her own wedding dress fitting.”

“Sorry, silly me,” Nova said, forcing a smile. Her forgetfulness was the last thing she wanted to laugh about right now.

“I thought we could stop by my shop first so I can show you what I’ve got planned for the altar flowers,” Pamela said to Nova. “I know you’d said dahlias, but the chrysanthemums are looking lovely at the moment and—”

“Oh dear,” David interrupted, and when Nova looked over, he was staring at his phone, a roast chicken–laden fork suspended in front of his mouth.

“What is it?” Pamela asked.

“I’ve just seen a message in the country club WhatsApp group. Apparently, there was a break-in at the community center last night and someone stole thirty thousand pounds.”

“What?” Pamela shrieked. “Nova, is that true?”

Everyone turned to look at Nova and she took another sip of wine before she answered. “It was ten thousand, not thirty. But yes, money was stolen from the center.”

“What the hell was ￡10k doing lying around the place?” David said. “Sandy Reynolds is always going on about how cash-strapped that place is.”

“She’d taken it out of the bank to pay the builders for the emergency roof work.”

“Shit, Nova,” Craig said, reaching over and taking her hand.

“Yeah, it’s been a rough day.”

“How did the bastards break in?” David asked.

For a moment, Nova wondered if she could lie and claim not to know, but she knew the truth would get out soon enough. “It wasn’t a break-in, as such. They think that the money was stolen during the book club meeting last night.”

“ Your little book club?” Pamela said. “Well, at least that’ll make it easy to find the thief, given you hardly have any members.”

“Do they have any idea who it might have been?” Craig asked gently.

“It seems the most likely suspect is a guy called Michael, who left the meeting early.”

“I still don’t understand how he managed to steal the money,” David said. “Surely it was locked in a safe?”

Nova had been dreading this: the moment she’d have to tell them it was her fault. She took a deep breath.

“The safe has been broken for months so the money was in the petty cash tin. And then it looks like I forgot to lock the office door, so we think he must have gone in and taken the tin.”

There was a moment of stunned silence round the table.

“Oh, babe,” Craig said eventually, and she felt him squeeze her hand.

“Yeah, Ditsy Davies strikes again.” She gave a faint laugh, which fell flat.

“I hope Sandy’s not trying to blame this on you?” David said.

“My God, you’re not going to get sacked before the wedding, are you?” Pamela’s hand flew to her pearl necklace.

“I don’t know. Sandy has an emergency meeting with the council this evening and then she wants to see me first thing tomorrow, so I guess I’ll find out then.”

“If they try and sack you, we’ll get our solicitor involved and sue the council for unfair dismissal.” David skewered another roast potato and Pamela nodded in agreement.

“Absolutely! And on the upside, if you do get sacked then you can always come and work for me at the florists.”

Nova’s face must have gone pale because Craig raised his hands. “Mum, Dad, stop it! You’re freaking Nova out.”

“Sorry, let’s talk about something cheerier,” Pamela said. “I wanted to chat to you both about the wedding favors, and whether you wanted the sugared almonds in boxes or…”

Four hours later, Nova lay curled up in Craig’s arms in bed. Downstairs, she could hear the TV playing, although not loudly enough to cover David and Pamela’s muttered conversation about her.

“Don’t listen to them, Mum loves a drama,” Craig whispered into the back of her head.

“I’m so sorry I’ve brought this on us,” Nova said. “Moving down here was supposed to be a fresh start, and I’ve ruined it already.”

“Stop it, this isn’t your fault. That money should never have been left in the petty cash tin in the first place.”

“But what if we don’t manage to get it back?” Nova turned to face him, her eyes wide in the dark. “I can’t lose my job again, not after everything that happened with—”

“Shh, don’t upset yourself,” Craig said, reaching out and stroking her hair.

“If they sack me for gross negligence then I’ll never get another job,” Nova said, fighting back a sob.

“Of course you will.” Craig brushed a tear from her cheek. “And if for any reason you can’t, it wouldn’t be a total disaster. I’m earning a decent salary at the garage, so if the worst comes to the worst, I could support us both for a bit.”

“But I love being a youth worker; it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

“I know, but all I’m saying is that I don’t want you to panic if you do end up losing your job. We’d be okay, I promise. I’ll look after you.”

Craig pulled her into his chest and Nova closed her eyes, inhaling his comforting soapy scent. This was one of the many things she loved about Craig: his ability to make her feel safe. Back in the darkest days after her dad died, days when Nova thought she might never be able to get out of bed again, Craig had spent hours holding her like this while she cried. He’d been the one who’d brought her endless cups of sugary tea and made sure she ate, even when the thought of food made her sick; the one to gently wash her hair and pick out her clothes when even the simplest decision overwhelmed her. So, although the thought of what was to come at work was terrifying, at least she knew she’d always have Craig by her side.

—

The following morning, Nova spent ages choosing what to wear. One of the things she loved about clothes, and vintage ones in particular, was how they could shape her mood for the day: how she could go from feeling fun to serious to sexy by simply putting on a certain dress or the perfect pair of boots. With this in mind, she’d initially dressed in a pair of wide-legged, houndstooth trousers and a chic 1930s cropped jacket she’d found in a flea market in London. The outfit made her feel smart and self-possessed, but then she’d asked Craig his opinion and he’d gently suggested that she might want to wear something a bit more “normal” for her big meeting with Sandy—that maybe today wasn’t the day for “fashion statements”—and so Nova had changed into a pair of jeans and a simple blouse. She also toned down her makeup, although she did put on her favorite red, faux-fur coat, which she and her dad had found years ago in Camden Market.

It was usually just her and Sandy on the early shift on a Friday, but as Nova pulled into the community center car park, she saw Lauren waiting for her by the front door, holding two takeaway cups.

“I thought you could do with a bit of moral support,” she said, handing Nova one of the cups as she got out of the car. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty nauseous. I’ve been up since five a.m., panicking.”

“How did the Pritchards take the news?”

“Pamela and David freaked out, but thankfully Craig was super supportive.”

“As he should be, otherwise I’d have kicked that boy’s arse! Now, shall we go inside and find out what’s going on?”

Nova took a deep breath and nodded, and together the two women headed into the center. The office door was open and the light on inside, and as they walked in, they found Sandy behind her computer. From the toast crumbs and empty mugs on her desk, it looked as if she’d been there for a while.

“Morning, Sandy,” Lauren said.

“Morning.” She was scribbling on a piece of paper and didn’t look up as they walked in. “You two had better sit down.”

Nova glanced at Lauren and grimaced. They both sat in their chairs and waited for her to finish what she was doing.

“So, I met with Tina and the team at the council last night,” Sandy said, and when she looked up, Nova saw that her eyes were red-rimmed behind her glasses. “As you can imagine, it wasn’t a particularly pleasant meeting. They’re furious about the missing money and—”

“They’re going to sack me, aren’t they?” Nova interrupted.

“I’m afraid it’s more complicated than that,” Sandy said, thrusting a pen into her thick curls. “I knew it was trouble the moment I walked into the room. The head of finance was there, awful man, and he gave a long, waffling speech about reduced central government funding and budgetary constraints. And then he told me the community center was a poor return on the council’s investment and they’d been considering ‘alternative arrangements that might help alleviate the council’s current funding deficit.’?”

“Which means?” Lauren said.

“Which means they want to end our lease on this place and sell the building off. And this stolen money has given them the perfect excuse to do it.”

“What?” Lauren spat. “Those bastards!”

“They can’t do that, can they?” Nova’s voice was high-pitched, and she cleared her throat. “Where would everyone go if it closed down? The center is always so busy.”

“You don’t have to tell me that, I’ve worked here for twenty-four years!” Sandy breathed in through her nose before exhaling loudly. “I know how much the community needs this place. But the council is short of money, and we’re sitting on a piece of prime Cornish real estate.”

“Surely they must realize how unpopular it would be to close us down?” Lauren said. “If nothing else, it would piss off a load of voters.”

“They know that, which is why they’re being so conniving about the whole thing. Rather than simply saying they’re going to end our lease, they’ve given me ten days to show how I can recoup the stolen money from our existing budget.”

“But that’s impossible. We can barely afford toilet roll; how the hell are you meant to find ten thousand pounds?”

“Of course it’s impossible, that’s the point. And when I say I can’t do it, that’ll mean the roof repair work can’t be done, and they’ll have the perfect excuse to close us down on health and safety grounds.”

“I take it the insurers won’t pay out?” Nova said.

“No. As I feared, the unlocked door invalidates our policy.” Sandy’s eyes flicked to her as she said this, and Nova felt her cheeks burn.

“What if we tried to find the money another way? Could we delay the roof repairs and fund-raise again?”

“That’s not an option. The inspector made it very clear that this roof won’t last another winter, and we’re already in mid-October. Besides, it’s taken us more than a year to raise this money, and we’re still well short of the full amount we need.”

“This is absolutely ridiculous,” Lauren said. “How are you supposed to magic ten thousand pounds out of thin air in ten days?”

“I have no idea,” Sandy said. “ I’m going through the budget with a fine-tooth comb, but there’s no reserves in here, thanks to the bloody Tories and fourteen years of their cuts.”

“Have the police had any luck tracing Michael?” Nova asked.

Sandy shrugged. “I’ve not heard back from Yusaf yet, but that’s the kind of miracle we need.”

The room fell into silence, and Nova felt her stomach twist. She’d been worrying about losing her job, but this was so much worse. Where on earth would everyone go if the center closed? The parents who relied on the play group, the young people who used the center as a safe space, the older people who came for somewhere warm to socialize, not to mention the dozens of different community groups from all around the area who hired their rooms each week. All that could be lost, and it would be her fault.

“What are we going to do?”

Sandy let out a long, exhausted sigh. “Give me a couple of days to keep working on this budget, just in case there’s a way of recouping the money somehow.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Find the missing money?” Sandy gave a humorless laugh. “In all seriousness, just keep your head down and try not to cause any more trouble. The council are going to be watching us like hawks, and I don’t want to give them any more ammunition.”

Nova nodded, the word trouble ringing in her ears.