and Melissa had won yet again.
‘And Melissa’s.’ Talk turned to Melissa’s own return to the Cove. Barney told Daniel all about it, even though he’d heard most of it from his mum, now and then checking behind them to see if they had company but the only folks flocking nearby were business owners Daniel recognised vaguely and, adjusting his position, he stayed out of sight of those.
‘I always liked her,’ he told Barney. ‘I’m glad they got back together.’
‘That makes two of us. Took them a while, let me tell you.’
‘Both as stubborn as each other, eh?’
‘You’re not wrong there. How about you? Are you with anyone?’
‘Just myself, Barney. I’m enough to contend with,’ he smiled.
‘And what are you up to these days?’
‘As I said, nothing illegal,’ he winked, making Barney chuckle. ‘I’m all above board these days, starting my own business.’ He recapped on the handyman jobs he’d done over the years once he’d picked himself up, hauled himself away from rock bottom and got on with his life. But he didn’t share the negative part, only the positive. ‘And then I got into cooking – took a couple of courses, worked in catering for a time – and now I’m launching my own business here in the Cove.’
‘You’re the owner of the log cabin,’ he said, piecing it together.
‘I’m surprised you haven’t been over, snooping around, Barney.’ He grinned from behind his pint. ‘Thought you’d be first in line to find out who was trying to muscle in on the Heritage Cove way of life.’
‘I did have a nosy now and then but I’ve been busy with my other half, Lois. You’ll meet her later tonight if you hang around, she’s coming to the Cove for Christmas. Her flight already landed, she’ll be in a taxi soon.’
‘You look happy.’
‘I am,’ Barney smiled contentedly.
‘I’m sorry for your loss. Mum keeps me filled in on the comings and goings in the Cove, whether I want her to or not, and she told me everything that happened.’
‘I appreciate the condolences. I’m only glad I found her again after all this time.’
They drank their drinks in a moment of contemplation, appreciation at what had gone before, what life still had on offer. This man had been through the pain of losing a child all those years ago and had faced an agony Daniel couldn’t imagine. It was bad enough putting his own mum through the stresses he had without leaving this earth completely. He lifted his new pint to Barney’s almost empty one. ‘To you and Lois, may you be very happy indeed.’
‘And to you, Daniel, may you also find happiness.’
‘Not sure Harvey would appreciate that toast.’
Barney dismissed the doubt with a wave of the hand through the air as an announcement came over the microphone that the quiz was about to start. Barney asked if he’d like to go and sit down but Daniel declined, knowing how close he’d be to Harvey, and as the quiz got under way, an awareness that his brother was somewhere in the rabble was enough for now.
With faces focused on the quiz master or pieces of paper at the tables and crowds surrounding anyone taking part, Daniel turned and enjoyed his pint while leaning back against the brass rail that ran around the bar. The beams in here spoke of a pub steeped in tradition. They ran across the ceiling, some up from the floor, others against the wall, with the same dark, almost black, timber that framed the windows on the exterior of The Copper Plough. Soft lighting typical of a pub showed off the twinkly lights interspersed with red baubles that lined the perimeter beams; some of the lower beams of the ceiling that Daniel had had to duck under so as not to bang his head on the way over to the bar had sprigs of mistletoe for hopeful punters. A dog twitched its lips during a dream as it sprawled out on the rug in front of the open fire burning away in the hearth, the maroon leather chairs positioned at the edges taken by two men laughing about something or other.
Daniel lifted his pint ready to down it and either get another or run for the door and face Harvey alone another day, when in the corner of his eye he caught a streak of golden hair – and as far as he knew, there was only one local who had hair like that.
And when Lucy turned, saw him and