Page 49 of A Summer of New Beginnings
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Zara had slipped out of Lachy’s bed in the early hours of the morning and gone back to the spare room. And the next morning she had showered and dressed in her cycling gear in preparation for the day ahead. When she stopped to make coffee she became acutely aware that she had been busying herself to stop her thoughts from deafening her. She didn’t want to think about the night before; yet,simultaneously, it wasallshe wanted to think about.
Lachy hadn’t appeared yet and she hoped he wasn’t avoiding her. Bess was following her around as if she knew something was amiss. But then again she guessed that Bess was a particularly sensitive creature. Leaving her behind was going to be tough; that was one thing she had let herself admit to. She seemed to have an affinity with the beautifulblack and white dog.
At around nine o’clock there was a knock at the door and, in the absence of Lachy, she went to answer it.
A guy in the uniform from the bike shop stood there with a big smile on his face, holding a clipboard. ‘Miss Bailey?’
She nodded. ‘Yes, that’s me.’
‘It’s good to see you up and about after what happened. That must have been awful.’
She felt that familiar heat enterher cheeks and she cringed. ‘I’m just so very sorry about the bike.’
‘Hey, don’t worry. Bikes can be replaced. People can’t. Could you sign here for the replacement and point me in the direction of the invalid and I’ll take it away?’
She signed the form on the clipboard and gestured towards the barn adjoining the house. ‘Silver D… erm the wrecked bike is in there. Just inside the doorway. Doyou need any help?’
He waved a hand dismissively. ‘Nope, you’re fine. I’ll go get it and I’ll be on my way. Take it easy, okay? And enjoy the rest of your route.’ He jogged back to the van and wheeled the replacement bike over to the door, propping it up against the wall. ‘It’s virtually the same as before but a different colour so the transition should be straightforward.’ Then he waved goodbyeand collected the damaged one from the barn. He had to carry it because of the buckled wheels and twisted frame and Zara almost whimpered at the pitiful sight of it. Then the man loaded SD into his van and drove away.
And that was it. No complication, no hassle, no stress. Just a replacement bike and no questions. She was relieved to say the least.
Once she’d closed the door she walked overto make more coffee and Lachy appeared. He slipped his arms round her waist and kissed her neck. A shiver of desire travelled her spine and she closed her eyes before pulling away.
‘Coffee?’ she asked without looking at him.
‘Sure. You’re dressed to go already?’ Disappointment was evident in his voice.
‘The guy has just been and delivered the replacement bike. I should probably make an earlystart.’
‘Right. Of course.’
‘I’m all packed and ready to go. I hope you don’t mind but I pinched a bit of flapjack and some bread and butter for the road. I’m going to miss your home-made bread.’
‘And I’m going to miss you,’ he whispered.
She turned to face him. He stood there in jeans and a grey T-shirt. His hands were in his pockets and his sad smile made her heart lurch. ‘Lachy…’
‘I know.I’m not allowed to say things like that. Blah, blah. But it’s true, Zara, so now you know.’
She sighed. ‘You’ve been so good to me. I really appreciate everything,’ she said in an effort to change the subject.
He nodded. ‘Yeah. I know you do. And you’re welcome. I… erm I got you a gift.’
‘Oh, Lachy—’
‘Don’t go getting annoyed. It’s nothing major. I have a friend who makes things. And afterall that talk about your passion for writing I just… Well, I think you should definitely pursue it. You should be free to do the thing that makes you happy. And anyway, I just thought I’d get you a gift to remind you of this place. But do me a favour; don’t open it until you get to wherever you’re going next. I’ll just get embarrassed and you’ll just get annoyed at me for being sentimental.’ He shruggedas he opened a drawer in the old dresser and took out a small gift bag. He handed it over to her and she took it.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
He nodded. ‘Look, I’m going to go check on… erm… stuff in the yard.’ He cleared his throat and could no longer appear to make eye contact. ‘I’ll see you before you leave.’ He turned and rushed out of the door before Zara could say anything further.
Shewent upstairs and made sure she had collected everything she had brought, including her memory stick, and had one final glance round the pretty room. Another twinge of sadness tugged at her stomach as she closed the door. As she passed Lachy’s room she noticed that the door was ajar. She stepped inside and gazed at the bed. It was neatly made now and the pale blue duvet cover showed no evidenceof what had happened but she could still feel the way Lachy’s limbs had tangled with hers as she’d lain in his arms only hours before.
The bedside clock said it was almost ten and she knew she’d need to leave soon so she made her way down the stairs once more. Lachy was back and sitting at the kitchen table. Bess sat at his feet with her head resting on his knee. The dog gave one brief wag ofher tail as Zara entered the room.
‘Well, that’s me all ready to go.’ Her throat tightened as she spoke and she mentally chastised herself for feeling anything other than relief that the trip was soon to be over and she’d soon be home in London ready to get back to normal life.
