Page 106 of Snow Falls Over Starry Cove
*
‘The cad!’ Nina huffs as she stirs her hot chocolate across the table from me.
Faith and Rosie are shaking their heads in sympathy.
‘Who does he think he is, stopping you from using the barge? It’s yours, too!’ she adds.
‘Well, you’ve got to admit that Martin’s right – Jago is an authority in manners of the harbour,’ Faith says.
‘Who does he think he is!’ I seethe.
‘He does have the authority to stop you,’ Rosie says. ‘He’s the town councillor for all things sea and safety.’
‘Well, then I’ll find another way,’ I assure as I take a sip of my coffee.
I need to be vigilant and ready to bounce back at a moment’s notice. I can’t be lulled into the festive season too much. After all, I’ve got a job to do, a life to make.
‘Emmie,’ Nat intervenes. ‘There’s a lot about Jago Moon that you don’t know. We think it’s best if you stay away from him. For your own sake. It’s bad enough you’re partners. I’d run a mile.’
‘But why?’
‘We can’t tell you why,’ Faith regrets. ‘We promised never to talk about it again. The entire village did. But please believe us when we say that Jago isn’t the same person he used to be. He’ll pull you down with him and destroy you.’
‘Oh, this is all so sad,’ Rosie sniffs. ‘I don’t believe he’s all bad, you know?’
Nina rolls her eyes. ‘There goes old waterworks again. In fairness, Rosie, you’re too soft-hearted for your own good.’
‘You need someone who will take care of you. Jago can’t even take care of himself right now,’ Nat says.
I’m getting tired of hearing the same thing over and over. And repeating the same thing.
‘There’s nothing between Jago and me. He already has a hundred girlfriends and whatnots. He’sjustmy business partner.’
‘OK,’ Faith soothes. ‘You know, I was in love with a bad boy. And in the end, I paid for it. We don’t want you to have to go through the same.’
‘Is there nothing you can do to get rid of him?’ Rosie suggests. ‘Like maybe buy him out?’
I huff. I don’t want to get rid of him. I want to run this business with him and make a success out of it.
‘He’s got what it takes. I need his knowledge,’ I say.
‘Maybe you should take a few days off, Emmie,’ Nina suggests. ‘Clear your head.’
I laugh bitterly. ‘From the pan to the fire. I left London because I couldn’t stand another single day there. And now, what do I do? I go and put myself into yet another mess. Brilliant. Stonking brilliant…’
‘Hey…’ Rosie says, patting my back. ‘Chin up. You’ve made huge progress since then. When I met you, you were miserable and didn’t have any idea what you wanted to do. At least now you’ve found your real family and have a business.’
‘Well, that’s one way of looking at it.’
‘Come on – I mean it. You’re your own boss,’ Rosie says. ‘I can’t tell you how horrible my supervisor was. Susan the Sacker, we used to call her. Ugh, just the thought of her…’
‘Rosie’s right, you know,’ Faith says. ‘The freedom of working for yourself is priceless.’
Priceless. Like my own freedom. The option to choose what I want to do, where I want to live. I need to find a way to support myself, and it’s true that occupation rates in Cornwall outside the summer season aren’t exactly the highest in the country. I could apply to the local school, Northwood Academy in Little Kettering, which services all the villages and is apparently one of the best in the country. I could actually do that.
But I won’t. I don’t want to move to Cornwall just to find another teaching job. There’s no way I’m returning to teaching, what with all its stress and hierarchies of every kind you could possibly think of. Head of Year, Head of Department, Head Ache. What’s the point of leaving a lifestyle I hate just to start all over again elsewhere in exactly the same job?
No, I need a fresh start. Something that will inspire me. Like, perhaps, something that will put me in contact with the locals rather than smart working. Like this boat licence thing. I haven’t really thought it over so much as desired it with all of my heart. In the end, if I can’t get a nautical licence for whatever reason, be it Jago or the town hall’s opposition, there’s absolutely nothing stopping me from living in it, just like Jago is.
As I turn the corner into Blackberry Lane, I spot my grandmother leaving Bend or Bump and getting into her limousine, her face fierce. What’s she doing there? She hates Jago. What more could she possibly have to say to him?
By the time I’ve picked up the few things I need at the stationer’s, Jago has locked up and left without so much as leaving me a note. He doesn’t have a mobile phone, so I can’t call him. As I’m unlocking the shop for any possible last-minute Christmas shoppers and debating how to contact him, it becomes a moot point as a sudden barrage of Christmas shoppers pour in, flooding the shop, asking me questions of all sorts. Have I got this item in blue. When will it be in. Can they get a discount.
As I work my way into the afternoon, my eyes dart to the door every time the bell goes. But it’s never Jago. Where the hell has he gone?
*
Later that evening after work, as I’m walking back to my grandmother’s in a downpour – without my umbrella – I spot a couple of kids hunched over something in the street. There’s also the sound of a dog barking.
At a closer look, I see that it’s a man, looking very much like he’s been knocked down by a hit-and-run. I quicken my step, ready to call someone for help, only to see that it’s Jago Moon, arm twisted under him, dead pale and eyes closed.
