Page 88 of The Village Inn of Secret Dream

‘Tom said something about a burger stall?’ said Belle, looking around.

‘He’s at the other end of the lane,’ said Molly, pointing in the right direction. ‘Everyone says they’re really yummy.’

‘Then lead the way,’ said Pete to Belle. ‘Or else I’m going to faint from hunger.’

‘Do you want to come?’ asked Belle, looking at Molly.

Suddenly she didn’t want to be alone with Pete. It was all too romantic. The crackle of the fire. The pretty fairy lights causing a romantic glow everywhere.

‘I’ve got to clear away, but I’ll see you in the inn later,’ said Molly, smiling.

‘Okay, we’ll see you back there,’ said Belle, putting her hands in her coat pockets. ‘It’s freezing tonight.’

‘They were saying on the radio today that it might be a white Christmas,’ said Molly. ‘How lovely would that be?’

Belle had a fleeting memory of making snow angels with her aunt and uncle and missed them terribly in that moment.

However, crossing the international dateline and forcing them to relive the same day twice appeared to have had some effect. She had text them to make sure that they hadn’t pushed each other overboard, but to her surprise the photos she received in return from one of the tropical islands in the Pacific Ocean were full of a smiling couple in front of a waterfall.

Perhaps the cocktails were extra strong that day, she thought.

They said goodbye to Molly and began to weave their way through the bonfire which was still aflame.

Belle had always enjoyed bonfire night. It had been the very first event that the village had celebrated when she had arrived all those years ago. Bruised and battered emotionally from her traumatic childhood, she had found the convivial atmosphere of the Bonfire Night celebrations almost surreal. At first, she hadn’t been eager to talk to anyone, such was the level of distrust that she had felt. Surely they were all being so nice towards her for a reason, she had thought. Having been used as a weapon between her parents for so long, it was hard for Belle to understand that people were just being friendly and wanted to welcome her, with no hidden agenda.

Since that first time, the smoke and crackle of a bonfire always gave her a glow inside as well as out. But it had still taken until Christmastime that year for her to open up to anyone, especially the Kennedy brothers.

They had cajoled her into helping them decorate the lane with strings of fairy lights, as well as decorating the tree that their dad had set up outside the shop. In typical Todd fashion, it was almost too wide and far too close to the entrance, so for the whole month of December, everyone had had to sidle into the shop sidewards.

Not that anyone ever complained, of course. Todd did everything with such ease and charm that nobody ever wanted to put down his grand plans.

Pete had been like that at one time, thought Belle. She could still remember him persuading Josh to hold a plastic duck race down the river for charity years ago. It had gone slightly awry when the ducks had moved a lot quicker than expected, causing a rescue plan to spring into life further down the river. But everyone had just laughed and said that Pete was a chip off the old block.

But since the failure of the restaurant a few days ago, he had been quiet. Too quiet for a Kennedy, she thought.

Winter always made her feel somewhat wistful, she found. Yes, she had her family. She had her friends as well. And yet, there had always been something missing.

And as she walked along with Pete, she knew that she had been missing Pete all these years. That it had always been Pete.

And he didn’t think of her that way at all, she thought, sadly.

But perhaps it was for the best. They were friends again and maybe that would just have to be enough for her. After all, to be friends with Pete was better than not having him in her life again.

48

Pete couldn’t believe the success of the bonfire night, nor how busy it was.

Thinking about it, the inn had been packed, but he had figured that everyone had just naturally migrated towards where the alcohol was. But they were still surrounded by couples and families out on the lane and it was a happy atmosphere.

He glanced at Belle as they walked along and was pleased to see that she was also smiling and enjoying their walk.

The smell of a barbeque began to fill his senses and his stomach groaned in anticipation. Having skipped lunch, he was hungry and just hoped that the food was as good as Molly had told them it was.

When they finally arrived at the barbeque stall, Pete was shocked to find Brad standing behind the barbeque.

‘Hi,’ said Belle, also sounding surprised. ‘How are you?’

‘Not bad,’ muttered Brad, not quite meeting their eyes.