The Country Escape - Jane Lovering Page 0,38

presumably so that Rory and Poppy didn’t suspect we’d been talking about them. She could have saved the effort; Poppy always assumed I was talking about her behind her back. ‘Gabriel was saying that they’re going to let her out, long as she can go back to the van. You’ll have your work cut out with that one. Have you met Granny Mary?’

I explained that Gabriel and I had been over to the hospital a couple of days ago, whilst trying to be circumspect about my reaction to Granny Mary. For all I knew Karen was a close relative – from her expression, one of the ones who’d beat Mary to death with a soup can after a week. ‘She’s a… very unconventional lady,’ I said, carefully.

‘Ah. Gabe’s a saint, that boy. Known him and his sister since I moved here from Lyme, just before Rory was born. He was a strange one back then, but he’s filled out nice enough.’ Karen looked at me thoughtfully. ‘Shame about the whole…’ She made circles around her eyes with a forefinger. ‘He’d be a right stunner otherwise.’

I was so glad someone else could see that I was a little over-effusive. ‘Yes, he’s really nice. He actually seems to like Granny Mary, and he’s said he and his sister will keep an eye on her when she has to move back. I’ve got my hands pretty full with them filming at the cottage and… stuff…’ I tailed off, realising that it sounded like the biggest excuse ever not to get involved with a poorly elderly lady. ‘And they want her van and Patrick to be part of the storyline, so we can’t move them. Apparently,’ I added.

‘Mmm. Went out with Gabe, once or twice, when Rory was a tiny lad.’ Karen looked down at the tabletop, and picked a loose bit of varnish off with a fingernail. ‘He’s a year or so younger than me, mind, but there’s not much of a dating pool round here. More of a puddle! We’ve all mostly been round the block with each other – anyone within five years is fair game.’

I tried to imagine Gabriel dating Karen and my brain made odd noises. Slightly shy, slightly awkward Gabriel and this very confident, together lady? Nope, I just couldn’t see it, even fifteen years ago.

Karen shook her head and stopped picking. ‘Wouldn’t have worked,’ she said. ‘Even if he hadn’t nearly drowned me. He’s not really my type – I just got a bit hormonal. And he’s pretty gorgeous.’

‘He nearly drowned you?’

‘It was an accident.’

Poppy came over, Rory at her elbow. ‘We’ve worked out our costumes for the Halloween party,’ she said happily. ‘I’m going to be Cersei and Rory’s going to be Jaime. It’s going to be amazing!’

‘I thought you were doing homework,’ I said, slightly weakly.

‘Mum! Dur! I’ll do my homework when I’m at home – the clue is in the name! This was more important! Rory says that he’ll talk to Sharon who does costume for Spindrift and she might help us sort costumes.’

Rory nodded furiously and silently.

‘You’re not to bother the crew,’ Karen said mildly. ‘They’ve got a show to make, not worry about kitting you two up out of Doctor Who.’

‘Mum!’ Rory looked genuinely shocked. ‘It’s Game of Thrones! We could get Summer to be our direwolf.’

We all looked over to where Summer was scratching behind an ear, with half a discarded baguette sticking out of the side of his mouth, like a nonchalant cigarette.

‘Or maybe not,’ Rory finished, pragmatically. ‘He might get in the way a bit, up the disco.’

‘Right, now you two toddle off home. Rore, you can give me a hand wiping down in here, now we’re closed.’ Karen swung her legs down off the seat and stood up. ‘Poppy, you’re welcome to come and earn a few bob here at the weekends and in the holiday, but I don’t want you compromising your education during the week.’ She gave me a sideways nod and a wink. ‘Work hard at school and we’ll pay you over the minimum for when you’re in here. If your mum says your marks are slipping or you’re not doing your homework, then you’ll have to give up in here.’

Poppy beamed her a smile. ‘I will, thanks, Karen!’

I was impressed. Admittedly Karen was a couple of years ahead of me in the ‘owning a teenager’ stakes, but she’d clearly got a firm handle on management.

Poppy and I drove back in the gathering darkness. She