to.’
‘Men!’ Millie seethed, shaking her head at the injustice of it.
Maria shrugged. ‘Anyway, that’s why I’m here. To get over my failed marriage. What about you? Have you always lived here?’
Millie peeled off her cardigan and rolled back her shoulders in the sunshine. A few newcomers were heading towards the pub, the place was beginning to liven up for the evening. Maria imagined that it would be swarming when summer really took hold. It had the most perfect views and a lovely atmosphere that made her want to kick off her shoes and partake in a little sunbathing. ‘This is where I was born and bred,’ said Millie. ‘My daughter, Susie? Her dad took off as soon as we found out I was pregnant. Another bastard. I was only young too, so I was terrified about what lay ahead. Still, we’ve managed pretty well with it being just the two of us, and Mum helps out a lot with childcare while I work my shifts at the salon. Susie’s an angel, she and my mum are like birds of a feather, they spend so much time together.’
‘So no boyfriend on the scene now?’ Maria found it hard to believe that someone as fantastic and gorgeous as Millie was single. Still, she couldn’t really blame her. Not that she’d actually say anything to Millie, she was still young with a promising future ahead of her, but Maria’s faith in good men had waned dramatically. It wasn’t a surprise really, considering what she’d been through. She hated that she felt so bitter about it. She knew it was completely unfair to tar every man with the same brush just because of her own experiences. After all, just because one had broken her heart, didn’t mean they all would. Who knew? Perhaps it was possible, in the future, that she’d think about taking a chance on love again. But then again, Ellen hadn’t remarried, and she seemed content with the single life. All these years later, she was a happy and carefree woman, and to look at her, you wouldn’t have thought the divorce had ever happened. It gave Maria hope, knowing that her mother had managed to get through and come out the other side wearing a smile and determined to carry on.
‘No,’ Millie replied with a little shrug. ‘I barely have time for myself, never mind a man. I mean, if I came across someone really special and he proved to me that he’d stick around, as well as accept Susie, then maybe there’d be a chance for romance, but it hasn’t happened yet. I’m not holding out much hope either. After what you’ve told me, it sort of makes me wonder if it’s worth it.’
‘Of course it’s worth it.’ Maria realised how much like her mother she had sounded then. ‘You’re still young and there’s plenty of time for that special someone to come into your life. Don’t worry too much. I believe any man would be lucky to have you. Don’t listen to me and feel like there’s no hope, because there is, I promise. I just happen to have had a rough time of it, that’s all. You and I are in completely different boats too. There’s nothing wrong with believing in the fairy-tale. I did myself for a long, long time. It still happens for plenty of other women around the world. I just stumbled across a bad egg, that’s all.’
They continued chatting and, thankfully, moved on from the topic of men. Instead they spoke about Millie’s experiences of pregnancy, her daughter Susie, their respective parents, and anything else that happened to crop up along the way.
‘Another drink?’ Millie asked, raising her empty glass towards Maria.
‘Yeah, go on then. Why not? One more won’t hurt.’ And she was having a wonderful time sat there with Millie as the sun continued to grace everything within its reach.
‘Great. Back in a mo.’
Millie disappeared inside the pub, leaving Maria alone. It was then she noticed how many tables had been taken up around them. An elderly couple sat together at one, enjoying dinner accompanied with a glass of wine each. To her right, she could hear low laughter from a group of men, their table was littered with beer bottles and a couple of mobile phones.
One of the men in particular caught her eye and she watched him a little more closely. Perhaps it was the unruly, dark hair, or how out of place he looked compared to the others. While they were dressed in smart jeans and shirts, his jeans had rips in the knees and his t-shirt looked muddied as if he’d been rolling around in a field all afternoon. As if aware of Maria’s gaze, he glanced in her direction. He looked mean, scary almost, with frown lines between his brows that were firm and unyielding.
Maria looked away immediately. She hoped he didn’t think she’d been checking him out. How mortifying that would be. Thankfully, Millie returned with two fresh pints and placed them down onto the wooden table, giving her something to distract herself with. After taking a quick sip, Maria reached for her bag to get her purse but Millie shook her head.
‘No way, these are on me, as a thank you for the company this evening. Cheers!’
‘Cheers,’ Maria grinned, clinking her pint glass with Millie’s. She took a long sip, her senses already blurring from the beer and then, secretly, she glanced in the man’s direction again with the cold glass still raised to her lips. It was an effective object to hide behind. He was chatting to the blond-haired man sat beside him. His jaw was sharp and angular, she noticed, as he ran a hand along the side of it. He could cut ice with a jaw like that, although she doubted the need to do so would ever arise.
‘Who are you looking at?’ Mille leant to the side to see if she could locate Maria’s point of interest. ‘Oh, I see,’ she said slowly, her voice light with amusement.
‘No one!’ Maria shook her head quickly. ‘I’m just taking a look about the place. That’s all. It’s a completely new area to me. It’s only normal that I’m interested to see what’s what.’
Millie smirked. ‘It was Brad you were eyeing up, wasn’t it?’ She wore an all-knowing expression as she spoke.
‘Of course it wasn’t! I don’t even know who Brad is.’ Maria did her best to appear confused. So, his name was Brad, was it? She mentally filed away the information, although for what use she wasn’t entirely sure.
‘Yes, you do,’ giggled Millie. ‘Broad shoulders, messy hair, tattoo peeking out from under his t-shirt. You know exactly who Brad is. He’s the one who looks like he’s been rolling around in the mud and had a blast doing it. The one most women wouldn’t mind rolling around in the mud with.’ Millie said all of this without a hint of surprise evident. Her blue eyes glittered naughtily at her last comment and she smiled. ‘It’s true. A lot of the women around here can be found swooning over him. He doesn’t have any of it though, doesn’t even acknowledge it. I love a man like that, don’t you? Hard to reach. The shell around him impossible to crack.’
‘You know him then?’ Maria tried not to appear too interested in Millie’s answer. She had to admit though, he did look a little untidy but not in an unpleasant way. In quite an appealing way, actually. She wanted to look in his direction again but also didn’t want to risk being caught. The look he’d thrown in her direction minutes ago hadn’t been an inviting one.
‘Vaguely,’ Millie shrugged in reply. ‘He works at Meadow Farm. It’s right up the lane beside the café. He’s not around much, I guess he likes to keep to himself. It looks like he’s had a change of heart this evening though. You don’t see him out and about that often. I wouldn’t blame you if you were admiring him, by the way. Don’t worry, I won’t judge. He’s quite yummy to look at. He’s definitely got that whole rough-and-rugged look going on, hasn’t he?’
Maria took the information in quickly, then rolled her eyes. ‘I was not admiring him. I was merely curious as to who was sat at the table, that’s all. After what I’ve been through, I should be sworn off men for life. How old is he anyway? He looks about your age.’
