Page 22 of A Sky Full of Stars
‘Certainly is.’ Tristan spoke for the first time since Charlotte had joined the group. ‘And speaking of which, did you manage to do those forms I gave you? I popped in to see Gran earlier, but she wasn’t sure where you’d left them.’
Charlotte furrowed her brow. ‘I left them for you on the table in her kitchen. I was sure I told Lorelai that’s where they were.’ She saw a look of concern passing over Tristan’s face as she replied. ‘But then again, perhaps I just forgot to mention it to her,’ she added hastily. ‘Sometimes I think I’ve done something and then it turns out I’ve completely forgotten.’
Tristan nodded, and then gave what she hoped was a reassured smile. ‘Well, I’ll pop back in before I head home and see if I can find them,’ he said.
Conversation flowed easily between the group, more drinks were ordered, and before she knew it, Charlotte was giggling helplessly at yet another of Nick’s stories about their escapades as kids. In spite of the tragedy that had engulfed Tristan and Thea’s family, it seemed that there was still plenty of history between the Ashcombes and the Saints of an idyllic rural childhood. Lower Brambleton, with its extensive woodlands, sleepy lanes and endless fields was perfection for adventurous, growing kids.
Charlotte found herself wondering what Tristan would have been like as a child, and then a teenager, and whether or not they’d have been friends. As Nick and Annabelle assailed her with one anecdote after another, and Jamie looked indulgently on and enjoyed the stories that he’d doubtless heard a hundred times, Charlotte felt as though she was gaining admission to a rather exclusive, endearing club. She’d realised from the moment she’d sat down that Annabelle and Nick were the kind of people who extended a warm hand of welcome to all those whom they encountered, whether they were customers in the shop or friends of friends, and she was grateful for the inclusion.
‘And then, if you can believe it, Tristan here had to shinny down the drainpipe and hotfoot it all the way back home before my parents found out he and Nick had drunk our dad’s best, oldest bottle of whisky that he’d been keeping for his seventieth birthday. It was minus three outside, there was frost on the ground and Tristan ran all the way home in just his Ninja Turtle boxer shorts and T-shirt!’ Annabelle spluttered with laughter and nearly spat the remnants of her pint on the table.
Tristan, who’d known, of course, where this story was going, turned to Charlotte with an amused glint in his eyes. ‘What Annabelle isn’t telling you is that I was merely a distraction tactic, because she had to make sure Jamie here escaped out of her bedroom window before her mum and dad realised he’d spent the night.’
‘True, true,’ Annabelle replied, ‘but at least Jamie had the decency to marry me so it worked out in the end. I don’t think Dad ever forgave you and Nick for drinking that bottle of whisky, though.’
‘If I hadn’t had it as insulation, I’d have frozen my bollocks off running all the way home,’ Tristan replied. ‘So, it was good for something, at least.’
Charlotte sat back in her chair and realised how relaxed she felt. She was still drinking Coke but with the addition of a shot of Jack Daniel’s now, and the alcohol and the warm welcome from the friends had really put her at ease. Glancing at the clock, she realised it was getting on for 10p.m. She wasn’t bothered by the time – she was used to keeping far later hours in the course of her research, but she was aware that, if she didn’t make a move soon, she’d be walking down dangerous country lanes in the pitch dark.
Comet, who’d been lying calmly under the table all night, poked up his nose when Annabelle opened a couple of packets of cheese and onion crisps and stuck them in the middle of the table for the group to share. ‘Is he allowed one?’ she asked as she reached down to stroke his ears.
Charlotte nodded. ‘Cheese and onion is his favourite flavour, so feel free to slip him a couple if you want.’ She smiled at her dog as he took the proffered crisps from Annabelle’s fingers. He had a lovely, soft mouth and was the gentlest of creatures, even when food was involved.
Taking a last gulp of her drink, she shook her head when Jamie offered her another one. ‘I really should get back before it gets too dark to find my way home.’
‘Oh, I’m sure Tristan’ll drop you off.’ Annabelle’s eyes twinkled mischievously and turned to Tristan. ‘You said you’d got to pick up those forms, anyway, didn’t you?’
‘Yeah, sure.’ Tristan’s pause before he answered wasn’t lost on Charlotte. She wondered if he was worrying about his upholstery. There weren’t many cars parked outside the pub that evening, but she’d taken a fair guess that the swanky Audi Q8 4x4 was Tristan’s. And she’d take another guess that he wouldn’t be too keen to have a spaniel flatfooting all over his leather seats. A spaniel that now smelled of cheese and onion crisps…
‘Honestly, it’s fine,’ Charlotte replied quickly. ‘I wouldn’t want to put you out.’
‘It’s no trouble, is it, Tristan?’ Annabelle replied before the man himself could. ‘I mean, two birds with one stone and all that?’
‘No trouble at all,’ Tristan said quickly. ‘I’m, er, ready when you are, Charlotte.’
‘I’ll just nip to the loo,’ Charlotte said, and Annabelle got up to go with her. ‘Would you mind keeping an eye on Comet for me?’
‘Sure,’ Tristan replied, taking the dog’s lead. Comet glanced at him, sighed and then put his head between his paws once more.
‘It’s nice to see you out and about in the village,’ Annabelle said as they met at the sinks. ‘A lot of incomers tend to keep themselves to themselves.’
‘It’s lovely to be made so welcome,’ Charlotte replied. ‘Makes me sad that I’m only going to be here for a few weeks.’
‘Yeah.’ Annabelle looked at her speculatively. ‘Well, I hope you’ve settled in OK to Lorelai’s. She’s had some real waifs and strays in that annexe over the years, until Tristan and Thea put their feet down and made her go to a company and get proper references. Tris still worries about her renting the annexe out, but he seems to have taken a shine to you.’
Charlotte snorted. ‘I don’t think so! The first time he met me, he gave me a right bollocking.’
‘He can be a bit abrupt at times, especially when he thinks something he loves is being threatened, and he absolutely adores Lorelai. She pretty much brought him and Thea up, after… well, you know.’
Charlotte noticed that, even decades on from the tragedy, the even the ebullient Annabelle didn’t want to refer to it in detail. She wondered if there was still something she didn’t know, but realised now wasn’t the time to push for more information.
‘Tristan’s a good egg,’ Annabelle continued. ‘But he’s used to his own company, and rather set in his ways. Don’t take his abruptness to heart.’
‘Is he, er, seeing anyone?’ The Jack Daniel’s had made Charlotte more relaxed, and the question was out of her mouth before she could stop it.
Annabelle raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, he’s got an on-off thing with a colleague of his at work, Martha, I think she’s called. We met her once, but Tristan keeps his private life private. I don’t think it’s serious, though. I tend to know when he fancies someone, no matter how much he tries to hide it.’
‘How so?’ Charlotte couldn’t help asking.
