Chapter 3
 

Angela was silent all the way back to the cottage. It was gone five when they arrived back, Tammy thanked her driver as she got out of the car, Angela reluctantly followed.

Angela used her key to open the front door, having been prodded by Tammy. Inside, in the living room, they found their parents fast sleep on one of the couches, wrapped around each-other.

Tammy pushed Angela into the kitchen and sat her at the table. She put the kettle on to boil and joined Angela at the table.

“Tammy, tell me this is a dream, right?”

“Angela, I would love to tell you that, but this is real. Nothing is going to change that.”

“I know, but I don’t want to know.”

“Right now you have to believe what is happening, fantasy doesn’t work here.”

“What?”

“I’ll make some coffee.”

“Yes, please.”

A few minutes later they had steaming mugs of coffee. Tammy made a note to buy the Smalls a decent coffee maker, and show them how to use it. She sat back down with Angela and started working through a mental check-list..

First, she checked the fridge, there was enough odds-and-ends to make a stew or something close. She put a pot on the stove and cut up what looked like lamb, before browning it in the pot. Angela was handed a knife, a chopping board and a selection of vegetables.

The remains of the boiled water went into the pot with a stock cube. The veggies followed soon afterwards.

Angela was left peeling some neeps while the pot bubbled gently. Tammy washed her hands thoroughly then picked up the phone.

“Elsie?”

“Yes, Tammy, what have you decided to do?”

Elsie McPherson seemed to know what everyone was going to do, but asked anyway.

“I think we’ll be staying here tonight, but we might need some more bedding.”

“See what’s there and let me know what you need. What else?”

“Dinner’s organised but we’ll need some more milk and a loaf. And a fax machine.”

“Consider that done.”

“You didn’t query the fax.”

“If your father is going to be comforting Joan then he’ll need to handle the solicitor and coroner paperwork, won’t he?”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Angela is excused school for a few days on compassionate grounds but you must attend tomorrow. Your first class is at ten, I have the revised schedule here. Michael will collect you at nine. Have you told your father about the governor vacancy?”

“Not yet.”

“He just needs to apply.”

“Oh.”

“Tell him to call Harry.”

“Will do, we bumped into Jill Davison at the hospital.”

“I know, Harry called to check on you.”

“I can’t do anything in this town——”

“Of course you can, Tammy, just remember that people here care about you.”

“Is that the polite way of saying ‘spying’?”

“Now, now young lady.”

“Sorry, Elsie. It’s been a mad day.”

“I know, you’ll see Michael in about fifteen minutes, I’ve sent Leanne to find you some clothes, she’ll be with Michael when he comes.”

“Thank you.”

“That’s alright, dear.”

Tammy only now turned to see Angela hunched over the table, sobbing quietly. The stew pot was about to boil over so Tammy turned the heat down and gave the pot a stir before putting the cut potatoes in. One-pot cookery was her speciality, whenever her mother had been absent.

She left Angela to her sorrows and checked on Joan and her father. They were still asleep and plainly locked together. Tammy wondered for a second but dismissed the thought.

She was back in the kitchen, finding crockery and cutlery in preparation for the meal when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hi Tammy, it’s Jill. How is everyone?”

Tammy gave her a run down on the sleeping/sobbing situation and said they would all stay at the cottage that night.

“That sounds like a good idea, I’ll pop round in the morning.”

Tammy had just put the phone down when the doorbell rang. She reached the door just ahead of her father. Leanne carried Tammy’s overnight case into the cottage, handing her a small package.

Michael struggled in with a couple of duvets and pillows, it was plainly very white outside and getting worse by the minute. Leanne wanted to check on everyone but Michael insisted they had to leave.

“Come on, everyone, let’s get through the next few days together,’ Richard said, ‘but, Joan, if you want me and Tammy out of your hair just tell us.”

“No, Richard, please stay.” Joan stood and threw her arms around Richard. “Thank you for being here.” She kissed him on the cheek but kept hold of him, long enough for a second kiss. Their eyes met briefly then they separated.

Joan took control now, feeling more confident. The two bed cottage would be cramped tonight but for one night it didn’t matter.

“Tammy, you use the guest bed in Angela’s room. Richard, your choice the sofa in here or the sofa-bed in my room. I’d have to say it does get cold down here at night.”

“If you don’t mind I’ll accept the second option.”

“I don’t. Girls, can I smell dinner?”

The rest of the evening, post-meal, was spent watching the telly. Tammy didn’t have her laptop and Angela hadn’t received hers from Amazon yet. Tammy would have to chase that, seeing as she’d placed the order. Not that it would have made a great deal of difference, there was no broadband in the cottage—a legacy of George Small.