‘I used to call her Ants-in-her-pants Ava when we were kids. She could never sit still.’
‘And I used to call him Mr Hardy, of Laurel and Hardy fame, because he was always fooling around.’
‘I’ve seen clips of them on TV. In black and white.’ Sara smirked at Jack. ‘But then, again, no one could mistakeyoufor Tom Hardy.’
Ava snorted, then looked at Jack with innocence.
Sara shooed him out playfully. ‘Go away before I complain to the management about harassment.’
Ava and Jack set off again.
‘I’m excited to see Eliza,’ she said. ‘When is she due back?’
‘Later this evening, in work tomorrow. I know she can’t wait to see you.’
‘It must be great to have her here, keeping it in the family, so to speak.’
‘Yes. Cara invited her to stay with her in London, find work there, but she didn’t want to leave.’
‘Can’t say I blame her. It’s so peaceful.’
‘Let’s see how you feel after a week when you’re bored of seeing the same faces and places. There’s not much to do around here.’
Already it was getting like déjà vu as they made their way back along Lake Road. Sapphire Lake was a small part of Somerley, and didn’t just consist of the lake and a main road, which was all she had seen for the most part.
Down at the side of the water, Ava turned to walk across the bridge only to find Jack staying put.
‘I wanted to show you what was around the corner from the café,’ he said.
They walked on, waving at Marian who was clearing tables of used cutlery, mugs, and teapots.
A few metres ahead, the area opened up onto a row of log cabins, with a wide block-paved pedestrianised area.
Ava gasped, her hand covering her mouth momentarily. ‘I saw this on the website, but I didn’t realise how much space it took up. I thought it was at the other end of the lake. I was going to search it out this week.’
‘Amazing, isn’t it?’
‘The photos don’t do it justice. How long has it been here?’
‘About three years now. It was a community project. We set up a committee and talked about the things we wanted to improve. More local produce for sale was one of them, as was making it less intrusive for the villagers.’ Jack pointed across the lake. ‘Behind those trees, we bought a couple of fields and created a large parking area, to stop the traffic coming through the village. It comes off the main road now. It doesn’t cost much to park for a few hours, and all the money goes to local charities. We choose three different ones each year.’
Ava could see eight cabins. She read as many names as she could. The Cupcake Cabin, Arts to Go, Beads and Things, and a sign that said Books. Even though the sky was moody grey, the place had a warm feel about it.
She shook her head in wonder. ‘It’s going to take a long time to get past these.’ She laughed, almost pressing her nose to the window of The Fudge Cabin. ‘I’m going to peep in every one.’
‘I think you should head in here first.’ He pushed on a door. ‘Hey, Ruby. Guess who I found on my travels?’
Ava flinched when the woman behind the counter squealed and came rushing towards her. Ruby wrapped her in a large hug.
‘Ava, it is you! Jack said you were arriving soon, and I couldn’t believe it, not after all this time.’ Ruby took a step away. ‘You don’t seem to have changed a bit.’
‘Neither do you. You look so well.’
Ruby slapped at Jack’s hand as it dived into a box of sweets on the counter. ‘They’re for the children.’
‘I’m a big kid at heart.’ He popped the stolen chocolate in his mouth defiantly. ‘Anyway, we can’t stop as we have work to do.’
‘But you’ve only just got here,’ Ruby protested.
