'That's not what I think. I think I made a mistake and I'm trying to make it right.'
Darby felt a really strange feeling come out of nowhere. A sudden flash that he and she would be good and it would all be okay. However, she was done with hope. It had got her into trouble before. She'dhopedthat her marriage would work,hopedthat moving would solve her problems,hopedthat Archie might actually be different from all the other men who had disappointed her. Hope was dangerous. 'You were pretty clear the other day about what you thought.'
'I was angry.'
'About what? What exactly were you angry about?'
Archie shifted his weight from one foot to the other and looked genuinely uncomfortable. 'I was angry about the video.'
'You're angry because you were in a video? Boo hoo. Poor you. I am so sorry for you.’
'It sounds petty when you say it like that.'
'It sounds petty because itispetty! You were horrible to me because you’re blurry on a video. Get over yourself.'
'It's about?—'
'It's about what exactly? Your ego?' Darby could feel her face burning.
‘Below the belt.’
‘From where I'm standing, it looks like you showed me your true colours the moment you didn't get what you wanted.'
Archie's face hardened. 'You know what your problem is, Darby? You think you're better than everyone else. You move down here with your fancy ideas. You're just another entitled blow-in who thinks the coast exists for your entertainment.'
The words hit her like cold water.Blow-in.'Right. Well, thank you for making that crystal clear.'
'I didn't mean?—'
'No, you did mean it. And you know what? You're probably right. I am a blow-in. I did tell you that at the lighthouse.'
She picked up the tiramisu box and held it out to him. 'Thanks for this, but I don’t need a tiramisu that costs forty pounds. I think you should take it back. Give it to someone who deserves it. Someone local.'
Archie didn't take the box. He just stood there staring at her, then his jaw tightened and he took a step back. 'Fine. Have it your way.'
'I will.'
42
By the end of the afternoon, Darby was not sure what to think about the tiramisu incident. There was one good thing that had happened, though: the courtyard looked completely different. She’d finished the jet washing and struggled to move terracotta pots around until she’d grouped them beautifully and now, instead of a weed-covered courtyard area, she had bay tree-filled pots and clean bricks. She’d planted some lavender in other pots and after jet washing the white cast iron table and chairs, everything looked a trillion times better. Sitting on top of the table, a small clustering of white pots held hyacinths, and she had even strung bunting she had found in the hospice shop from the porch to the tree in the corner. Overall, her effort had resulted in a job well done. As she finished pushing and moving the pots around, she continued to think about Archie and the tiramisu and had wondered whether or not she had done the wrong thing. It was too late now, though, so rather than dwell on it, she’d put her head down and carried on with the job in hand.
After the courtyard was finished and Darby was exhausted by the day’s work, she decided she would stroll along to the pub. Not able to face cooking anything, she opted to throw caution to the wind and go out. Whatever their Locals Only dish was,she would have it. A meal for one and a nice glass of wine or gin would do her well. She’d also decided, after videoing her progress in the courtyard garden, that the footage of her strolling along to the pub after her day’s work would be a good ending to the storytelling of her video.
One of the things she hadn’t realised about videos was that actually making them was quite creative, and she was enjoying more and more the storytelling side of it. As her videos had increased and she’d learnt a bit more about what she was doing, she’d relished being artistic, adding audio clips here and there and watching the story unfold in front of her. Therefore, she’d decided that a stroll to the pub would kill two birds with one stone. She’d be fed and watered and she’d be able to finish her story.
After putting the jetwash away and not even bothering to get changed, she had a quick wash and was soon strolling along the lane, videoing for a couple of minutes on her way to the pub. Once inside, she took a seat at the bar, scanned the menu for the Locals Only dish, ordered it and a large gin and tonic. It had been the best decision and as she watched the video back and then took some more footage of the pub, she was actually quite enjoying herself. Musing on what had happened with Archie, she nodded. Actually, she was pleased with her reaction. There was no way she was just going to say yes to a man who thought he could click his fingers and do whatever he wanted with her by way of tiramisu. She simply had way too much self-respect for that. At least, that’s what she told herself.
After drinking her gin, ordering another one and then thoroughly enjoying her fish and chips, she took an intake of breath as the door opened. In walked Archie. Of course he did. On the far side of the bar, she turned, hoping he wouldn’t see her. Her hopes were dashed. He ordered a pint and came to stand beside her.
‘How’s the tiramisu?’
‘Funny.’
‘You’re not going to forgive me?’
‘I am not.’
‘Come on. I’m worth it.’ Archie joked.
