Summer Of Love

‘Kind of a drastic change.’ Max leant back in his chair, eyes still fixed on Alex. ‘In my experience, that sort of change is usually preceded by some sort of disaster making it necessary.’

‘Not in my case. My father died. Makes a man re-evaluate things.’ Alex’s hands were clenched against his thighs as he spoke, and Lily realized she really needed to intervene if she didn’t want him to lose it with Max and blow his chance of a place at the Mill.

‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Max said, but he didn’t look abashed. In fact, he looked like he thought he’d been proven right.

Was he? Was Alex just taking action to distract himself from his father’s death? Or even because he thought it was what his dad would have wanted? Would he give up and move back to London in a few months, once the grief started to fade?

Cora was worried he would, Lily knew. But then, Cora hadn’t heard him talking about his dream on becoming a photographer. Lily had.

‘Alex has been taking photography courses for the last couple of years,’ she said, pushing herself off the windowsill and closer to the desk. Maybe if she flung herself across the desk between them…

‘Is that so?’ Max said, eyeing Alex again. ‘So, you’ve been planning this move for a while?’ Since before your dad died went unspoken, but Lily knew she’d got her point across.

Alex nodded, and Lily let out a breath as his shoulders began to relax. ‘I knew I wanted to make a change, but it wasn’t until I found photography that I knew what I wanted that change to be.’

‘So you’re here looking for a whole new life?’

Alex’s smile was self-deprecating. Lily didn’t believe it. ‘I’m thirty now. I’m ready to move out of the City, ready to settle down.’

Max’s eyes flicked to Lily for one alarming moment. She tried to take a step back before realizing she was already up against the window frame. There was nowhere else to go.

‘Sounds like you’re looking for a wife, son,’ Max said.

‘Maybe.’ Alex grinned. ‘But I’ve got a new career to build up first.’

‘Well, we’ll have to see what we can do about that.’ Max turned to Lily. ‘You think he’d be a good fit?’

‘I do.’ Lily flashed a smile at Alex. ‘Besides, he’s fun to have around.’

Pushing his chair back from the desk, Max got to his feet. ‘Get a portfolio together this week, and I’ll take it to the next co-op meeting, on Thursday.’

Alex stood and stretched a hand out across the desk. ‘I’ll have it to you before Monday.’

‘As you like. I’ll see you then.’ Max gave him another assessing look. Definitely time to get out of there.

Grabbing Alex’s arm, Lily shuffled him towards the door, calling her goodbyes over her shoulder to Max and only relaxing when the office door swung shut behind them.

Max was going to want to have another conversation very soon. One she was looking forward to even less than the last one.

* * * *

‘So, that went well, right?’ Alex asked when they reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped out into the courtyard, a safe distance from Max. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure exactly what Max had made of his career change, but it was obvious that Max trusted Lily. With her on his side, Alex reckoned he had an excellent chance of making this work.

‘I think so. Yes. Probably.’ A small frown line cut into Lily’s forehead. ‘Yes. I think so.’

Alex laughed. ‘Don’t worry. If your influence isn’t enough, hopefully my portfolio will win everyone over. Especially since it’ll feature their own stuff – including your beautiful jewellery.’

Lily blushed as if he’d called her beautiful, rather than her work. Interesting. That was the sort of fact he’d have tucked away to do something about later, back in London. But not in Felinfach.

‘I’m sure your photography skills will win them over,’ Lily said.

‘You haven’t seen them yet,’ Alex pointed out.

‘Well, then. You’d better get started, hadn’t you?’ Her eyes were bright with excitement. He supposed she was thinking about the Mill, and how having all the units filled would be good for them all. Whatever the reason, it felt good to have a companion in this, someone to share his ambition.

‘I really better had. I’m going to head home, dig out my equipment from the packing boxes. But I’ll meet you at the shop tomorrow to take some shots?’

Lily nodded. ‘Then I can introduce you to the rest of the guys here. Bet you can charm them into voting you in, anyway. Whatever Max says.’

Alex grinned. ‘Maybe I can.’ Her belief made it easier, somehow. Like, with her cheering him on, he could do anything at all. It was a good feeling. Better, in some ways, than the feeling he used to get from a new romantic conquest. Lily might not be on the market for that kind of fun, but having her as a friend seemed like it might be worth a lot more.

They said goodbye at Tiger Lily, and Alex strolled through the iron gates and back down the hill towards town, whistling.

He was almost in sight of his car when his phone rang, and he fumbled in his pocket to pull it out. Frowning, he saw his brother’s name flashing across the screen and checked the time automatically. Still working hours. Gareth never called him from work.

He pressed the answer button. ‘Hey, what’s up?’

‘Can’t a guy call his baby brother for a chat of an afternoon?’ Gareth’s tone was light, but something in his voice sounded strained.

‘Historically? No.’ Reaching the car, Alex leant against the door, the metal warm from the sun. ‘So, I’ll ask again, what’s up?’

Gareth sighed. ‘So suspicious, so young. Nothing’s up. Just wondered if you fancied meeting up for a drink sometime.’

Also unprecedented. Nights out for them were impromptu things, when one had forgotten the other’s birthday, or when Gareth was sent to London on work. Not the sort of planned outing that would make it onto the calendar that Gareth’s wife, Della, kept hanging by the kitchen sink.

‘Sure,’ Alex said. ‘When were you thinking?’

‘Why? You got a frantically busy social life up there in Felinfach already?’

‘You live four towns over,’ Alex pointed out. ‘You’re hardly in the metropolis yourself.’

‘And I think we should take advantage of us both being stuck out in the sticks by going to the pub. You free tonight?’

That was more like Gareth. Bored at work and remembering that Alex was now close enough to grab a pint. Alex relaxed a little and let himself enjoy the sun, and the fact he was home again.

On the other hand… ‘Can’t do tonight. Sorry, mate. I’ve got some… work on tomorrow. Important job. Need to prep this evening.’ He’d have to get used to describing his photography as work. It still felt like too much of an indulgence, at the moment.

The other end of the line went quiet for a moment. Then Gareth was back, all bluster. ‘Sure, sure. You can take the boy out of the City, but you can’t take the City, and all that. I get it. Maybe another time, yeah?’

‘You sure you’re all right?’ Alex asked again, that uncertain concern pricking once more. ‘I mean, I can try and reschedule, if you need –’

‘No, no. Just a passing thought. We’ll do it another day. Gotta go now, mate. Still at work myself.’

‘Sure. Maybe we can –’ But Gareth had already hung up.

Unlocking the car door, Alex felt his earlier happy ease fading away. Whatever he said, there was something going on with Gareth. And even if he didn’t want to talk about it today, Alex got the feeling it wouldn’t be going away any time soon.

He started the engine and let his head press against the headrest for a moment. No point worrying right now. Whatever was going on would surely blow up on him soon enough.

In the meantime, he had photos to take.

Chapter Four

Lily grabbed the glass of wine from the counter the moment Cora had finished pouring it, and took a long gulp, cold and sweet on her tongue.

‘Long day at work?’ Cora asked, eyebrows raised. Lily really should be thinking about the calories. She had a wedding dress to fit into, after all. If Cora could ever persuade her to go dress hunting with her.

Lily shook her head. ‘Good day, actually.’ Another sip of wine. ‘But I stopped by my mother’s on my way here.’

‘Oh. In that case…’ Never mind the calories. Any interaction with Evelyn Thomas required wine. Cora topped up Lily’s already full glass. ‘Come on through to the lounge. Rhys will be home in a minute, and dinner’s already simmering away in the oven.’

Edward should be there, too. But once again, it was just the three of them for dinner. She didn’t like to ask Lily how she felt about her fiancé working too much, any more. Last time, Lily had just shrugged and said, “Gives me time to catch up on other stuff.”

Things would change once they were married, Cora told herself. And especially once they had kids. Edward and Lily were perfect together. Just like her and Rhys.

‘So, what gems did Evelyn have for us today?’ Cora settled into the sofa across from Lily and placed her glass on a coaster on the coffee table. ‘Another comment on why wearing jeans is unladylike, perhaps? Or a complaint about tinted lip gloss?’

‘Apparently trashy,’ Lily confirmed. ‘In Evelyn’s little world, anyway. But actually, she was in too much of a rush to criticise fully this evening. Barely got in an eye roll at my shoes.’ Lily waved a hand in the direction of her sparkly purple trainers, abandoned by the corner of the coffee table. Cora tried not to wince at them. Lily had mostly outgrown her eclectic style in the last ten years, but every now and then a hint of it came back to haunt them.

Edward, she knew, hated those trainers. He’d asked Cora for help accidentally losing them in a charity shop bag once. But friendship trumped style, so Cora had declined.

‘Where was she rushing off to?’ Cora asked, folding her legs up under her on the sofa.

Lily shrugged. ‘No idea. I only stopped by to pick up some of my old stuff. Mum barely managed a hello before she shoved me back out of the door. Said she didn’t have time tonight.’

‘Weird.’

‘Very,’ Lily agreed.

What on earth could Evelyn be up to that she didn’t want her daughter to find out about? Cora loved a good mystery, and the idea of Evelyn Thomas having a secret was a particularly juicy one.

‘Maybe she had a hot date,’ Cora said, making Lily laugh.

‘Can you imagine?’ She shook her head. ‘I’m more worried that she’s suddenly developed an addiction to an online psychic or something.’

Cora giggled. ‘Maybe she is an online psychic. Something to bring in a little extra cash…’

The mental image of the immaculately dressed Evelyn Thomas wrapping a tie-dye scarf over her perfectly styled hair, and wrapping a skirt with bells over her suit had Lily spluttering wine over Cora’s sofa.

‘Why do you still have stuff at your mum’s anyway?’ Cora asked when Lily had regained some measure of composure.

Lily shrugged. ‘Just do. Edward doesn’t like a lot of clutter around the cottage. And I have –’

‘A lot of clutter,’ Cora finished. ‘I remember. Your room there was an absolute tip.’ Cora had taken to tidying it up a bit when Lily wasn’t looking. She still had no idea how Lily had ever found anything in there.

‘My studio still is, when I’m deep into a new project,’

Cora grinned. ‘Doesn’t surprise me.’

The front door crashed open, as Rhys forgot about the umbrella stand behind the door again. Cora jumped to her feet to welcome him home and instruct him to lay the table.

‘Let me just get changed first,’ he said, and Cora bit down a feeling of irritation. Why couldn’t he stay in his suit for dinner? So much more appropriate when they had guests than jeans and a T-shirt. Even if the guest was only Lily.

‘So, how were your days?’ Rhys asked later, spearing a mouthful of salmon and asparagus.

‘Busy,’ Cora said. ‘I finalised the timings with the car company, proofread the orders of service – eight errors, by the way – and spoke with the seamstress about adding some little satin flowers to the younger bridesmaid’s shoes. Oh, and I’ve spoken with the florist about the table centrepieces, but I’m still not a hundred percent sure about the foliage. I might get her to make up some more samples before I commit.’

‘Is it that important?’ Rhys barely looked up as he spoke. ‘I mean, they’re just flowers.’

‘They’re what our guests will be looking at for the entire meal,’ Cora said. ‘They’re important.’

Rhys gave her a grin. ‘Well, I know I’ll only have eyes for you.’

Cora couldn’t help but smile back. He might not have much interest in the details of their wedding, but at least he could be counted on to say the right thing, now and then.

‘What about you, Lily?’ Rhys turned to their guest, topping up her wine glass again.

Lily shrugged. ‘Same old. Oh, but I did have lunch with Alex.’

‘My Alex?’ Cora frowned. ‘What was he doing up at the Mill?’

Lily’s gaze darted away, the way it always did when she was about to lie. But about what? ‘Just revisiting old haunts, I guess,’ she said. Which would have been a perfectly reasonable reason, if Cora hadn’t known she was lying.

‘How’s he settling in?’ Rhys asked.

Lily grinned. ‘Really well, I think. Seems to have his whole life planned out here.’

Well, if he had, he hadn’t told his own cousin much about it. Although he seemed perfectly happy spilling to her best friend.

‘And how’s Edward?’ Cora asked. Maybe Lily needed the reminder of the most important man in her life.

But Lily just shrugged. ‘Okay, I guess. To be honest, he’s been working so much I haven’t seen much of him, really.’

She was frowning. Frowning and looking away again. Cora felt something cold settle in her chest. ‘Any further along with the wedding planning?’

Lily reached for her wine. ‘Not really. Edward’s talking about the golf club for the reception.’

Well, it wouldn’t be Cora’s choice, but it was a perfectly serviceable venue. ‘I suppose it’s pretty short notice now. For you to get married this summer, I mean.’ Because that was what they’d agreed. That was the plan. The two of them, both marrying the loves of their lives, starting their futures together, this summer.

‘I guess.’

‘You really should get a date confirmed, you know,’ Cora went on. ‘Even for a small wedding, you’re going to need the time to get it all sorted out. Maybe you could look at early autumn.’ That wouldn’t be so bad. She and Rhys would be back from their honeymoon, then, ready to pitch in and help get everything ready. Early autumn could work.

Lily gave her a very small, very tired smile. ‘You’re starting to sound like Edward. Or my mother.’

Lily had just compared her to Evelyn Thomas. Something was very, very wrong here.

But before Cora could find a response, Rhys clapped his hands together, grabbed the wine and said, ‘That’s it. No more wedding talk tonight. Let’s try and remember what we used to talk about before we got engaged.’

As Lily and Rhys started chatting about some new TV programme, Cora prodded at the remains of her salmon and thought about the only other time she and Lily hadn’t done things together, and how wrong that had gone.

She had to get Lily to set a date.

* * * *

Alex didn’t believe in wasting time. He’d promised Max a proper portfolio in less than a week’s time, so he’d better get on with compiling one. Pushing Gareth’s weirdness out of his mind, he headed home to his ramshackle cottage to dig out his equipment and student shots. And, two hours later, felt rather less enthusiastic about the whole endeavour.

No, he told himself, even as he opened a cold beer from his otherwise empty fridge. He’d come home to Felinfach to start a new life, and the photography was a big part of that. So he would bloody well make it work, one way or another.

Slumping back onto his sofa, he flicked through the photos again. Not good enough. Oh, they were fine for student work, and his teacher had loved them, but they weren’t going to cut it in the professional arena. He needed proper shots he could sell as demonstrations of his talent. He’d better hope the inhabitants of the Mill were willing to take him up on his offer of free publicity shots.

He slumped back against the cushions, wondering what had possessed him to buy such a huge sofa. It was practically the only piece of furniture he had bought since he arrived, mostly making do with his parents’ old stuff, and it dominated the lounge. He’d ordered it to be delivered the day he moved in, and it was a million miles away from the smart leather armchairs he’d left behind in his flat in London. Maybe he’d been imagining snuggling up with his prospective bride-to-be, or at least bringing someone home. So far, the only girl he’d spent any time at all with was Lily.

Which brought him back to tomorrow again.

Why was he resisting thinking about it? She was an old family friend, and a business opportunity. And if she’d glowed across the table at lunch, talking about her dreams and everything she and Max had achieved with the Mill, and how much more they wanted to do… Well, it didn’t matter. Because she was engaged to another man, and Alex took that sort of thing seriously. Very seriously.

No, this was a purely professional arrangement, he told himself, draining the last of his beer. And he was still telling himself that the following morning when he entered the wrought iron gates of the Mill. Right up until he walked into Tiger Lily and saw Lily’s eyes as she looked up to greet him. Red-rimmed and heavy-lidded, she obviously hadn’t slept. And, from his limited experience with such things, he was pretty sure she’d been crying.

All thoughts of portfolios and photography went out of his head. Alex dropped his bag by the door, crossed swiftly to the desk, and placed a hand on her shoulder, the most comfort he could manage with the desk between them. ‘What did he do?’

Lily shook her head, blonde strands of hair fluttering in front of her face. ‘He didn’t… It’s not him. It’s me.’

‘If he told you that you should have slapped him.’

That got him a smile, at least. ‘No, really. He wanted to talk about the wedding when I got back from Cora’s last night, and I… didn’t.’

A sense of unease rose in Alex’s chest. ‘Why not?’

‘Because… Oh I don’t know. Because I’m not sure he wants to marry me for the right reasons, I suppose.’

‘The right reasons?’ That wasn’t what he’d expected to hear. He’d expected because I don’t love him. Or because I’m not ready to get married. Not the right reasons. What were the right reasons, anyway?

Lily sighed, her whole body slumping forward a little as she brushed her hair out of her eyes. ‘I don’t know. It just seems… I think he only proposed to me because getting married is what we’re supposed to do now. We’re at the right age, our friends are all getting married. Maybe he even thinks it’ll help him with his job. But it’s not…’

‘Because he loves you,’ Alex finished for her, his heart like lead in his chest. Wasn’t that just what he was doing? Deciding he was ready to settle down, and seeking the perfect person to settle down with him? Hell, he’d even bought a settling-down sofa.

But he’d forgotten about love in there, somewhere.

Leaning heavily against the desk, he lifted his hand to run it across Lily’s pale hair, silky soft under his fingers. ‘Did you tell him what’s worrying you?’

‘I tried.’ His fingers caught in a knot, and she smiled up at him as he untangled first himself, and then her hair. It was a watery smile, but still better than anything he’d seen so far that morning. ‘He didn’t seem to understand.’

Because the man was an idiot. Clearly. How could you forget the importance of loving Lily Thomas?

‘What did he say?’

Lily sighed. ‘He was frustrated, I guess. He just said that if we love each other, and we do, then this is what happens next. Like it’s a compulsory step or something. Something to get through, rather than a celebration of, well, anything.’

She looked so uncomfortable at the idea, Alex didn’t want to push – even though part of him wanted to tell her to run, far and fast and now. If she was so uncertain and unhappy now, how would she feel in a year’s time? Or five years, or ten?

But it wasn’t his place. So all he asked was, ‘How did you leave it?’

‘He had to rush off for work. Said we’d go look at venues next weekend, if I was so set against having it at the golf club.’ Her laugh was bitter. ‘I’m pretty sure the message didn’t get through.’

Resisting the urge to find and punch Edward was, Alex thought, a true sign he’d grown as a person. But it was still bloody tempting.

‘So, I guess you’re not in the mood to take some photos today, then?’ he said, thinking that changing the subject might be the only thing to break Lily out of her funk.

It seemed to work. Scrubbing her hands across her face, Lily scraped her hair back into the bobble she had round her wrist and smiled up at him again, surer this time. ‘No. We should do it. As long as you don’t want to take any photos of me.’ She gave a light laugh, but as she spoke the words, Alex realized that was all he wanted to do. He wanted to capture Lily as she was at this moment – vulnerable, open, not hiding behind bravado or jokes. He wanted to remember her right now, treating him as a friend.

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