Page 47 of Summer at Croftwood Cinema
‘So do I,’ said Patsy. ‘But what makes it cool is because it’s not like anywhere else in Croftwood, it’s got its own vibe. That’s what we need here, but a different vibe.’
‘Hmm, I get you.’
‘We did come up with a name for our behind-the-screen bar slash party area though. Backstage at Croftwood Cinema,’ she said, feeling more at ease with Ed again. As long as she didn’t think about that night in Birmingham, it was okay.
‘Yeah, that’s cool. Makes me think of an old Hollywood film set or something.’
‘We could theme it like that,’ Patsy said thoughtfully. ‘We’d decided to stay away from themes but that could be perfect for the backstage area. What says Hollywood glamour, you know in the thirties and forties?’
Ed looked at her with a panic-stricken expression, much like the one she’d given him earlier. ‘I’m not sure how much help I can be with that. You probably need to talk it over with Oliver. It’s a good idea,’ he said, encouragingly.
They managed to avoid any talk of their relationship until they were on the way to Patsy’s house after Ed had insisted on walking with her. It was easier to talk as they walked side by side. Less scrutiny perhaps.
‘Where are we, Patsy?’
She resisted the temptation to deflect by naming the road and instead answered as honestly as she could. ‘I’m not sure. I struggled to understand how we went from an amazing afternoon together to…’
‘To me leaving you in the cinema.’
‘Yes. It’s like you were a different person that night and I suppose it made me wonder whether I know you well enough to know that it’s out of character. I wanted it to be out of character and for you to give me some explanation that didn’t sound like a rubbish excuse and you couldn’t. So I don’t know what to think. I like you, Ed, but maybe it’s a sign.’
‘Maybe. I wanted to be able to explain but all I have are crap excuses. And I can’t tell you whether it was out of character because…it seemed like the only option at the time.’
Patsy felt like she was beginning to come to a conclusion. Ed wasn’t someone she could fully understand. She’d lived with Dan, who she also didn’t understand but in an entirely different way. With Dan she had seen everything about him, he hadn’t held anything of himself back. She didn’t understand how he could behave like he did but there was no mystery there. Ed, on the other hand, was like a fog. She thought she saw glimpses of a man she could grow to love, like the afternoon they’d spent in Birmingham, the time they’d spent together in her flat, cocooned on the roof terrace, talking about everything and anything. But there was so much she couldn’t see and didn’t know. Perhaps he would always be an enigma. The problem was that it was as difficult to live with that as it was with Dan because the one thing they had in common was unpredictability and that was something Patsy didn’t want to have in her life. She’d so carefully curated the perfect existence, with little or nothing she wasn’t in control of and that meant everything to her.
‘I think for me, I’d be happier if we could be friends?’ She looked at him for any sign of what he thought about her suggestion and saw a brief wave of relief.
‘I’d really like that. Thank you. I appreciate that you’re willing to put it behind us, Patsy. Helping with the projector means a lot to me and if we can still work together as friends, that’s great.’
And that told Patsy everything she needed to know.
The following morning it was Patsy’s turn to open up the coffee house. She was desperate to talk to Oliver about her idea of a golden age of Hollywood theme for the backstage area. Normally, he wouldn’t come in until late morning, just before the lunch rush, but now he was back in the flat upstairs while he sorted things out — or not — with Amy, Patsy was hoping he might venture down in search of coffee a lot earlier.
Not long after she’d served her first wave of customers, Matt came in. He was wearing a suit which was quite unusual for him and he was clean-shaven and had done his hair. He looked very smart.
‘Job interview or court?’ she joked, starting to make his usual latte.
‘Court.’
She laughed but then looked at his face and realised he wasn’t joking.
‘Oh, god. Sorry. Is it to do with the divorce?’
’Yes. It’s a formality to do with access to the twins. Well, I hope it’s a formality.’
Patsy didn’t know what to say. She knew he was a great dad but had seen first-hand how hard it was to manage when his work schedule wasn’t always nine to five.
‘I’d offer you a croissant but I don’t want you to get crumbs on your tie.’
He smiled. ‘That’s okay, the coffee will be fine. Is Oliver about?’
‘He’s upstairs, not due in until later.’
‘Upstairs, like living up there again?’ Matt looked a little more relaxed now there was someone else’s drama to focus on.
‘For now. I don’t think things are great with him and Amy. Whether it’s a break or the end, I’m not sure.’ In fact, she was pretty sure, but didn’t want to sound gloomy since Matt was probably already having a bad day.
‘It’s a shame she didn’t want in on the cinema project. She was pretty keen when they did this place up together. I guess a big project either draws you together or drives you apart,’ he said, looking wistful.
