Page 3 of Match Point in Crumbleton

‘It’s so good to meet you,’ she said, relieving Ruby of the heavy bag. ‘Thanks for bringing these up!’

‘A pleasure,’ said Oli, placing the coffee table down next to the sofa. ‘Though it looks like your guys have almost finished the job!’

‘My guys?’ laughed Cath. ‘Fat chance. They cleared off the moment the van was empty. I’m almost done though.’

‘You’re kidding?’ said Ruby, staring around. ‘You brought all this up by yourself? You must be knackered! See, I told you we should have come down sooner.’ She elbowed Oli in the ribs.

‘Oi!’ he laughed, swerving to avoid a second jab. ‘I just didn’t want to crowd you the minute you arrived,’ he added, turning to Cath with an apologetic smile. ‘Crumbleton can be full-on, but if I’d have known you were doing all this on your own—’

‘It’s fine,’ said Cath, cutting him off with a smile. ‘It’s lovely to meet you both, though! I’d offer you a cup of tea, but I haven’t unearthed the kettle yet.’

‘Don’t worry about that,’ said Oli.

‘Yeah—we come bearing gifts!’ said Ruby, patting her shopping bag. ‘If you don’t mind me gate-crashing your new kitchen, I’ll have you sorted in a jiffy.’

‘Be my guest,’ said Cath in weary amusement.

‘And I’ll bring up the last few bits of your stuff,’ said Oli.

‘You don’t have to…!’ said Cath, more than aware that her protest was just for show. Her arms were throbbing, and her legs felt like lead weights. She was running on fumes by this point.

‘He definitely does have to!’ said Ruby. ‘We know how knackering it is to move house—and we only moved from here to the top of the hill. We had tons of help getting our stuff up there… and I swear I still needed to sleep for a week afterwards. We still haven’t unpacked everything, but at least that place is bigger so there’s more room to stash the boxes until we get around to it. This place is…’

‘Cosy!’ said Cath with a tired smile.

‘Yup – that’s one way of putting it.’

‘Is that why you moved out?’ asked Cath curiously, perching on one of the high stools at the kitchen island. She watched as Ruby unpacked her shopping bag, setting out a box of tea bags, a small jar of instant coffee, and several promising-looking white paper bags that looked like they might have come from the bakery.

‘Yep,’ Ruby nodded. ‘This is a lovely home for one person… two at a push. But I’m a writer and I work from home, so we needed a bit more space. I can get a little bit scary when I’m on deadline! Milly offered us her place over the flower shop when she moved onto Murray’s boat out in the marshes—and we grabbed it before anyone else could jump in. It’s perfect for us. There are more bedrooms, so I’ve turned one into an office.’

‘Perfect timing for me too!’ said Cath. ‘Sounds like it’s pretty hardcore getting your hands on anywhere to rent in the centre of Crumbleton. I swear I thought I was going to have to turn the job down at one point if I couldn’t find anywhere.’

‘It can be practically impossible,’ laughed Ruby. ‘But Caroline mentioned to Ruth that Oli was going to rent out this flat, and she grabbed it for you before Oli even had the chance to advertise it.’

‘Lucky for me,’ said Cath, reeling slightly at the mention of yet another new name. She wondered if she’d ever figure out who they all were – Milly, Murray, Caroline…

‘Now,’ said Ruby, giving her a shrewd look. ‘I’m betting you haven’t even had a drink since you arrived?’

Cath shook her head. ‘My kettle is… in one of these boxes. Somewhere. Maybe!’

‘Lucky I stashed this in here earlier, then,’ said Ruby, bending down to retrieve an electric kettle from the cupboard under the sink. ‘And there’s milk in the fridge, plus eggs, cheese, butter… and I’ve got a fresh loaf and some pastries here.’

‘Are you serious?’ said Cath.

‘Dead serious,’ said Ruby. ‘Welcome to Crumbleton.’

CHAPTER 2

ANDY

Andy came to a halt outside the bakery. Turning to face back down the hill, he took a deep breath that morphed into a yawn halfway through. Staring out across the marshes beyond Crumbleton, a broad smile appeared on his face. It was his favourite time of day.

The sun was just coming up and the little town was quiet in a way that never happened at any other time of day. The tourists were all still in bed, worn out from an overdose of sunshine and sweets the day before. Geraldine, who owned the antique shop at the top of town, would have finished her midnight delivery and re-stocking mission by now, so he’d be safe from her battered van trundling up and down the high street.

With any luck, Andy would have a couple of hours to work on this stretch of cobbles without being bothered by vehicles or flying cola cubes. He had no idea why the back of his head had recently become the target of choice for the local youngsters—maybe it was just karma from when he and his mates used to plague old Geordie Jones when they were kids! Perhaps it just came with the job. Still, it certainly made him grateful for his hard hat!

Sucking in another deep breath of fresh morning air, Andy stretched his neck this way and that, still admiring the sky over the marshes as the sun-streaked it with buttercup-gold. It was going to be a good day. He loved being outdoors—and there was nothing better than working in the ancient town where he’d lived all his life.

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