Memphis Wills wants out of Whitehaven, the tiny village she's lived in her whole life. So aged sixteen she leaves for college in the city and never looks back.
Until five years later when she finally wises up and leaves her dirt bag boyfriend. Fee...
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Jack's car is still on the driveway beside ours when I get up the next morning. I jump into the shower before Presley can protest and pretend not to notice my dad almost snort his rice crispies when I ask to come to the office with him today over breakfast.
"Sure. You're always welcome," he says when he's recovered, having had to chug half of his mug of tea. "I'm leaving in ten, if that's ok?"
I nod. "I'll just braid my hair and grab a jacket. Meet you in the car?"
Joy is just as surprised to see me in the office, but she plays it off a lot better than Dad did.
"I'll save you a slice of lemon cake for lunch. It's a good job I made extra last night. I must have known you were coming by."
Her smile is so warm I feel almost guilty for not making more of an effort since I've been back.
Dad has to have a phone meeting with a councillor from Ferndale, so he leaves me at his computer to occupy myself. I start off flicking though the photos he's taken for the Folk fest but in the end I play numerous games of solitaire, snacking on the biscuits Mr Havers is passing around.
I'm helping Mr Clarke, a little meek man dressed in a suit, how to reboot his computer and pull up a new document when I hear my dad's voice from somewhere behind me.
"Thank you, Memphis," Mr Clarke says, straightening his mustard tie against his shirt. "I always forget what buttons are which."
"No problem," I say. "I can give you a quick lesson one day if you fancy?"
He smiles, the lines around his eyes deepening.
I'm still wearing my own smile, feeling like I've done something useful for the first time since being in the office, when I turn to find my dad standing beside Jack Rivers. I can feel my expression slip to convey the panic I feel rising in my chest, my heart pounding.
"I was just telling Jack how happy I am that you've decided to give the magazine another chance."
Jack's face isn't giving anything away. In fact, he's pretty expressionless. Even his hazel eyes which I could always read, have become unreadable.
"Oh." I don't know what to say. "Hi."
"Hey." Jack's reply is short before he turns to my dad, shutting me out. "I've got to head off actually. Got some more sheep to shear."
I frown. Jack's a farmer? That would explain the start of a tan he seems to have. His freckles would always pop in the summer, the blonde in his hair becoming lighter after being bleached from the sun.
"See you later, Jack. Thanks for the article. I'll make sure to email it to Andy this afternoon."
With that Jack's gone, leaving me confused and standing in a cloud of his woody scent.
