The Country Village Summer Fete by Cathy Lake

Author:Cathy Lake
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Fiction

Chapter 15

Emma got up extra early the next day to make the strawberry jam then showered and made her way to the train station. It had been nearly three weeks since she’d arrived at Little Bramble Station herself, but it felt like months. There had certainly been some ups and downs and she knew that she wasn’t the same person she’d been when she’d arrived, but in spite of it all, she was glad to be home. It wasn’t the first time Lucie had been to Little Bramble, so she knew what to expect of the small country village, and Emma was looking forward to her friend joining them and having her moral support.

As Lucie stepped off the train, it was like a scene from a movie that played out in slow motion: a gentle breeze caught the skirt of her scarlet midi dress and swirled it around her legs, her red toenails were framed by gold gladiator sandals and her blue-black hair shone in the sunlight. People turned to stare at her, mouths open, clearly wondering if she was a model or celebrity.

For as long as Emma had known her, Lucie had been showered with male attention, but shrugged it off like a silk shawl that she let float to the ground untended. She did that now, seemingly oblivious to the admiring glances, as she donned large sunglasses and walked straight towards Emma, one arm thrown wide for a hug as the other dragged her Louis Vuitton suitcase behind.

‘Emma, darling, so good to see you!’

They hugged, double-cheek kissed, then Lucie stepped back and peered at Emma over the top of her glasses.

‘How are things?’

‘Things are OK. Not perfect, but OK.’

Even if Emma was worried about her dad and sad that Connor had been angry yesterday, she was still glad to see Lucie. In fact, it was as if a refreshing sea breeze had come to Little Bramble with the train and she felt a touch of her London life washing over her, reminding her that she was an adult, in control and capable of running her own life. It was so easy to drift back towards the girl she had been years ago and to forget that she had forged a whole life since then.

She held out her hand. ‘Let me pull your case for you.’

Lucie cocked an eyebrow. ‘What, and let me waste the chance to weight bear while we walk back to yours? Not a chance, doll! I have guns to tone.’

She hooked her free arm through Emma’s and they strolled back to the cottage together. Something about having Lucie with her made Emma feel more confident, more self-assured. Lucie knew the adult version of her, had been her friend for over twenty years. She hadn’t been there when Emma had done what she had to Connor, hadn’t seen the devastation she left in her wake when she first moved to London – and even when Emma had told her, Lucie hadn’t judged her for it. Lucie was Emma’s support network, just as Emma was for Lucie.

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