Page 33 of All Wrapped Up
I didn’t feel inclined to disagree. He’d certainly been horrible to me.
‘He knew most people would check the page before heading out,’ Lizzie said crossly, ‘because it’s always up to date and that meant his cunning tactic had maximum impact. The only people who made it to The Mermaid were the ones who hadn’t seen the changed post, like us, because we were already nearby or on our way.’
‘Thefewpeople who hadn’t seen it,’ I said bitterly.
‘Exactly,’ Lizzie agreed. ‘I had no idea what had gone on until someone came in to the café and asked if Jemma and I knew why the woman who was supposed to be in charge of the meeting hadn’t shown up. Once I’d set her straight, I then followed it up with the page admin and the trail led me straight to Jason and what he’d done.’
‘So, was it about me then?’ I swallowed. ‘Had he somehow found out that I was the person in charge and for some reason taken a dislike to me?’
Lizzie shook her head.
‘No,’ she said firmly. ‘No, Clemmie. Absolutely not. This is just Jason causing trouble and getting himself further agitated by the bee he keeps in his bonnet. If it had been Moses himself fronting the meeting, Jason still would have objected.’
‘What bee might that be then?’
‘The one he calls the Wynbridge gentrification project,’ Lizzie told me.
She put sarcastic air quotes around the words and disparagingly rolled her eyes as she uttered them.
‘The what?’ I frowned.
‘He’s been a thorn in some of our sides for a few years now. Ever since we opened the café, we’ve heard him grumbling. According to him, all the new businesses in town and the Christmas market and festive events, have turned Wynbridge into, what he terms, a toffs’ town.’
‘A what?’
‘The sort of place that’s all style and no substance. Somewhere where you can buy bespoke crafts and artwork, but you can’t find a post office or buy a pint of milk.’
‘But that’s ludicrous!’ I objected.
‘I know.’ Lizzie shrugged.
‘I might not know all that much about the town yet,’ I forthrightly said, ‘but I know there are plenty of places to buy groceries and I’ve seen the post office with my own eyes. Wynbridge has got the balance just right as far as I can tell.’
‘Exactly. You’ll struggle to find anywhere with a strongersense of community than Wynbridge, too,’ Lizzie said proudly. ‘There’s a genuine generosity of spirit and neighbourliness here, but because some of us have a fondness for bunting and making the town look nice, Jason thinks it’s turned into something—’
‘Twee!’ I butted in. ‘I remember him saying the autumn festival would be twee and wholesome.’
‘Oh yes.’ Lizzie nodded. ‘He did say that, didn’t he? That should have alerted me to the fact that he’d climbed on to his usual soapbox, but I didn’t twig…’
‘So, what would he rather the town looked like? Somewhere that hasn’t evolved at all or has become stagnant, with empty shops and neglected public spaces that no one cares about?’
‘Most likely.’
‘Well, I can tell you, I came across lots of those sad and dingy former market towns when I was looking to move a couple of years back and it was a blessed relief to drive through Wynbridge on my way to view Rowan Cottage and note the difference.’
‘And yet,’ Lizzie said astutely, ‘you’re only just now getting to know your way around the town and finding out how well it operates.’
‘Better late than never,’ I said, then quickly diverted the conversation away from the potentially personal deep dive I could feel it veering towards as a result of my admission. ‘So, what happened at the other venue?’
‘What other venue?’
‘The one Jason sneakily said was really hosting the festival meeting.’
Lizzie looked at me and grinned.
‘According to the person who came in here wondering whyyou hadn’t turned up to get everything going, it was packed out.’
‘Really?’ I gasped.
