Down on Daffodil Lane. Rebecca Pugh
referred to the day before. When they arrived, Millie went inside and ordered their drinks at the bar before returning to the table out front. It felt nice to be sat in the late-afternoon sunshine. Maria swallowed a mouthful of the cool beer and relaxed, completely at ease in her surroundings. It was calm and beautiful and something she realised she hadn’t done for a long time.
‘This is lovely, isn’t it? I had no idea the pub was even here,’ she commented with another glance around the area. A few bees buzzed about the overflowing flower pots outside the pub, and the lake, when she looked towards it, was surrounded by ancient oak trees.
‘Yeah,’ Millie nodded. ‘It’s hidden away but I love it here too. I had my twenty-ninth birthday party here. It was a great night. Maxine and Paul, the people who own the pub, are so friendly and welcoming. I think they add to the charm of it, especially for newcomers. Anyway, I’m curious. What brings you to Loland Green, Maria?’
‘I’m on holiday,’ Maria began. ‘One of my mum’s friends owns a holiday cottage over on Daffodil Lane. She’s letting me stay there for the summer which is incredibly kind of her. It needs a lick of paint so that’s my job while I’m here too. I wasn’t too keen on the idea at first but now that I’m here, I can see why she’s planning on renting it out. It’s the perfect place to spend the summer in.’
‘And you’re on your own?’ Millie asked.
Maria nodded and swirled one of the beer mats around with her fingertip. ‘I am. I may as well be honest. I’ve just come out the other side of a divorce so I needed to get away for a while. You know, take some time out.’
‘Wow.’ Millie’s eyes widened. She clearly hadn’t expected that.
‘Yes, that’s how I feel about it all too. It came as quite a shock. Knocked me for six.’ Maria laughed lightly.
‘God, I’m sorry to hear that.’ Millie sighed sadly, her shoulders dropping. ‘What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?’
In any other instance, Maria would have hesitated in telling someone such details about her life – but with Millie, as well as Harriet, she felt like she didn’t have to hold back. They were both open, friendly, and didn’t seem the type to gossip, so there was nothing stopping Maria from telling Millie about what had happened. She decided to go for it. These women had made her feel completely welcome and she didn’t want to hide from them. Plus, without having been conscious of it, she’d somehow decided that despite her original hesitancy in making friends, it actually wasn’t a bad idea after all.
‘He couldn’t keep his hands to himself,’ she said simply. She glugged more beer. The reality of it still left a bitter taste in her mouth and the beverage did a fantastic job of washing it down.
‘Bloody hell, Maria. That’s terrible. What a bastard.’
‘I know,’ she nodded. ‘Still, the more I think about it, perhaps it’s for the best that it all happened. It’s an odd thing to say, I know, but Mike didn’t confess. I found out myself. I reckon that if I hadn’t found out, he wouldn’t have told me about it. He would have carried on behind my back while I was completely oblivious to it all, and the thought of that is terrible. Me, going about my daily business, with no idea whatsoever of what he was up to.’
‘Men!’ Millie seethed, shaking her head at the injustice of it.
Maria shrugged. ‘Anyway, that’s why I’m here. To get over my failed marriage. What about you? Have you always lived here?’
Millie peeled off her cardigan and rolled back her shoulders in the sunshine. A few newcomers were heading towards the pub, the place was beginning to liven up for the evening. Maria imagined that it would be swarming when summer really took hold. It had the most perfect views and a lovely atmosphere that made her want to kick off her shoes and partake in a little sunbathing. ‘This is where I was born and bred,’ said Millie. ‘My daughter, Susie? Her dad took off as soon as we found out I was pregnant. Another bastard. I was only young too, so I was terrified about what lay ahead. Still, we’ve managed pretty well with it being just the two of us, and Mum helps out a lot with childcare while I work my shifts at the salon. Susie’s an angel, she and my mum are like birds of a feather, they spend so much time together.’
‘So no boyfriend on the scene now?’ Maria found it hard to believe that someone as fantastic and gorgeous as Millie was single. Still, she couldn’t really blame her. Not that she’d actually say anything to Millie, she was still young with a promising future ahead of her, but Maria’s faith in good men had waned dramatically. It wasn’t a surprise really, considering what she’d been through. She hated that she felt so bitter about it. She knew it was completely unfair to tar every man with the same brush just because of her own experiences. After all, just because one had broken her heart, didn’t mean they all would. Who knew? Perhaps it was possible, in the future, that she’d think about taking a chance on love again. But then again, Ellen hadn’t remarried, and she seemed content with the single life. All these years later, she was a happy and carefree woman, and to look at her, you wouldn’t have thought the divorce had ever happened. It gave Maria hope, knowing that her mother had managed to get through and come out the other side wearing a smile and determined to carry on.
‘No,’ Millie replied with a little shrug. ‘I barely have time for myself, never mind a man. I mean, if I came across someone really special and he proved to me that he’d stick around, as well as accept Susie, then maybe there’d be a chance for romance, but it hasn’t happened yet. I’m not holding out much hope either. After what you’ve told me, it sort of makes me wonder if it’s worth it.’
‘Of course it’s worth it.’ Maria realised how much like her mother she had sounded then. ‘You’re still young and there’s plenty of time for that special someone to come into your life. Don’t worry too much. I believe any man would be lucky to have you. Don’t listen to me and feel like there’s no hope, because there is, I promise. I just happen to have had a rough time of it, that’s all. You and I are in completely different boats too. There’s nothing wrong with believing in the fairy-tale. I did myself for a long, long time. It still happens for plenty of other women around the world. I just stumbled across a bad egg, that’s all.’
They continued chatting and, thankfully, moved on from the topic of men. Instead they spoke about Millie’s experiences of pregnancy, her daughter Susie, their respective parents, and anything else that happened to crop up along the way.
‘Another drink?’ Millie asked, raising her empty glass towards Maria.
‘Yeah, go on then. Why not? One more won’t hurt.’ And she was having a wonderful time sat there with Millie as the sun continued to grace everything within its reach.
‘Great. Back in a mo.’
Millie disappeared inside the pub, leaving Maria alone. It was then she noticed how many tables had been taken up around them. An elderly couple sat together at one, enjoying dinner accompanied with a glass of wine each. To her right, she could hear low laughter from a group of men, their table was littered with beer bottles and a couple of mobile phones.
One of the men in particular caught her eye and she watched him a little more closely. Perhaps it was the unruly, dark hair, or how out of place he looked compared to the others. While they were dressed in smart jeans and shirts, his jeans had rips in the knees and his t-shirt looked muddied as if he’d been rolling around in a field all afternoon. As if aware of Maria’s gaze, he glanced in her direction. He looked mean, scary almost, with frown lines between his brows that were firm and unyielding.
Maria looked away immediately. She hoped he didn’t think she’d been checking him out. How mortifying that would be. Thankfully, Millie returned with two fresh pints and placed them down onto the wooden table, giving her something to distract herself with. After taking a quick sip, Maria reached for her bag to get her purse but Millie shook her head.
‘No way, these are on me, as a thank you for the company this evening. Cheers!’
‘Cheers,’ Maria grinned, clinking her pint glass with