Simon was quiet for a moment. ‘She went out with me because I had money.’
Amanda pretended to look around him and behind him. ‘And where is this fortune now?’ she teased. ‘Why are you working in this garden for next to nothing?’
Simon sipped his tea. ‘Because my ex business partner, Charlie, stole it all. Signed my side of the business to himself and claimed I knew. I didn’t but once Anika had left me for him, I didn’t care anymore. I just wanted to be away from them both.’
Amanda put her hand on his arm. ‘I’m really sorry, Simon. That’s awful and such a deep betrayal.’
He let out a huge sigh, one which felt as though he had been hanging on to it for the past few months.
‘Thank you, and thank you for listening. I think having you as a friend has saved me. Diana, too.’
Amanda leaned against his arm briefly.
‘We’re going to be okay,’ she said, and Simon looked out towards the sea. With the sun starting to warm him, while sitting next to a new friend, he actually believed it was true.
We’re going to be okay,he repeated her words to himself.
20
Amanda
The car putted into Newcastle with Amanda behind the wheel and she looked for a car park she could drive into and not one she had to parallel park. She still found it disconcerting to do from the opposite side and wasn’t confident enough to do it when she had to be at an appointment.
Amanda found a parking spot and then checked her lipstick in her phone camera.
She had dressed for the job as a receptionist at the day spa, with her hair pulled back and smothered in hairspray to keep the curls down flat, simple silver studs in her ears and a pretty pink lipstick. A white shirt and some nice linen pants finished the look with some sensible flats, the ones she had worn for her mother’s funeral. Amanda thought she looked boring but Diana told her she looked smart and offered her a brooch from her extensive collection.
Amanda had declined but had enjoyed looking at Diana’s jewellery and hearing her stories about them.
‘There was a beautiful double strand of pearls but I can’t find them anymore. Mother probably misplaced them,’ Diana had said as they looked at the collection.
Now Amanda wished she had added something fun to her outfit. She looked boring, she thought, as she stepped out of the car and walked in the direction of the spa.
The outside of the day spa looked lovely, very chic and minimalist, and suddenly Amanda was thankful she was dressed the way she was, despite her earlier misgivings.
She pushed open the door and the scent of fragrant citrus oils greeted her, along with some melodic music over rainforest sounds. It made Amanda want to lie on the sofa in the waiting area and have a nap.
A woman a little older than Amanda came through a door. She wore a white uniform with her hair slicked back. She had a poise that Amanda doubted she would achieve in this lifetime. The woman’s makeup was artfully applied and her nails were an elegant length with a soft pink polish. Amanda put her hands behind her back, aware that while they were clean, there was a chance there was the odd spot of soil under the nails.
‘You’re Amanda? Hello, I’m Maggie,’ said the woman. ‘Come through and we can have a chat.’
Her smile was reassuring and Amanda followed her through to a small office that was as simple and elegant as the rest of the establishment.
‘Have a seat,’ said the woman and Amanda did as she was asked.
‘So you’re from New York?’ Maggie asked. ‘I’ve always wanted to go. Why on earth would you want to come to…’ She paused and looked at Amanda’s CV on the desk. ‘Foxfield? Most people want to escape a village as small as that.’ She laughed but not meanly. ‘My mother-in-law was born there – hated it,’ she said.
Amanda smiled. ‘I like it, but I don’t really live in Foxfield. It’s further out, near the sea,’ she said. ‘It’s an old house called Moongate Manor.’
‘Oh really? That’s amazing. My mother-in-law used to be friends with the woman who lived in that house but apparently she became a bit of a hermit, stopped speaking to everyone.’ Maggie leaned over the desk. ‘My mother-in-law’s father was the gardener there. Said it was a very unhappy house, especially when she lost the baby.’
Amanda was confused. ‘A baby?’
‘Yes, the woman who lived there fell pregnant and stopped speaking to my mother-in-law. Other than an odd birthday card and sending a baby gift when my husband and his brothers were born, she drifted away over the years. My mother-in-law still talks about her though. I think they were very good friends before it all fell apart. It’s always sad when a friendship ends.’
Amanda nodded, trying to process what this stranger had told her about Diana.
‘How did you come to live there, if you don’t mind me asking? I know the house; I’ve driven past it. It’s a bit overgrown and wild now but wasn’t when I was younger.’
