Christie Barlow - Love Heart Lane Series

‘No, he’s nipped to the teashop to see Flick. She’s all he ever talks about just lately, Flick this, Flick that,’ he said, slinging his phone on to the table and pulling out a chair.

‘I think it’s lovely that they are so in love, don’t you?’

Drew looked up and rolled his eyes, ‘Not if you have to listen to him going on about it twenty-four/seven.’

Isla felt saddened by Drew’s reaction. In the past her friends had been jealous of Drew’s romantic ways, snatching every moment he could with her, texting her from the fields at every opportunity, leaving presents and flowers on the doorstep. He made her feel like she was the only girl in the world. Isla poured him a mug of tea then began to unload the dishwasher, whilst wondering how and why things had changed so quickly between them.

‘Where’s Angus?’ asked Drew. ‘And no biscuits?’

Isla sighed and slid the biscuit barrel over in his direction. ‘Angus is taking a nap and I see your mood hasn’t improved much.’ She turned her back on him and carried on putting the clean dishes away.

‘What do you expect? A morning at market with hardly any produce sold.’

‘What do you mean, hardly any produce sold?’

‘Exactly what I said, and I noticed you did your usual trick of disappearing to the teashop to spend money, no doubt on a cooked breakfast.’ His tone was accusing. ‘When we have more eggs on the farm than we can actually sell, oh and thinking about it, you’re paying to eat our own eggs, as we supply the teashop. It’s ludicrous!’

Isla began to feel her hackles rise again. After the argument he’d instigated this morning she’d needed to let off steam to her friend. He worked alongside his best mate day in and day out, and unless she left the house she had no-one to speak to.

‘You know what Drew, I woke up in a good mood this morning until you decided to throw your toys out of the cot about … Actually, I have no idea what the argument was about.’

Unlike Isla, she was now spoiling for a fight, she could feel the hot flush rising up her neck and stood there, rooted to the spot with one hand on her hip.

Drew was staring straight at her before he snapped his ginger biscuit in half with dramatic effect and dunked it into his tea.

‘I’m just sick to the back teeth of being the cash cow. I think it’s time you thought about getting a job.’

There was that word again … job. Isla just didn’t understand where all this animosity was coming from.

‘A cash cow?’ Isla was astonished by his choice of words. ‘So, let’s just throw this out there, if I go to work who do you think is going to take Finn to school … look after Angus, wash, iron, cook, run the house? Are you going to do all that? Or are we going to use the money from this job I’m meant to be getting to pay someone else to do the job I’m already doing at home?’ She flung her arms up in the air, prompting Drew to answer, but before he had a chance she continued, ‘And where’s all the money gone from the jar? The emergency money?’

‘Having breakfast at Bonnie’s teashop is not an emergency.’ His voice was firm. ‘I’ve hidden it.’

If Isla had been a cartoon character, she would have had steam bursting from her ears with rage, ‘You’ve done what?’ she shouted angrily. Drew had well and truly overstepped the mark now.

‘If you need any cash for an emergency, just ask.’

Isla shook her head in total disbelief. ‘Are you for real, what do you think this is, the 1950s? This is ridiculous. What the hell has gotten into you?’ Isla’s eyes threatened tears, frustration building inside her. She didn’t really have the faintest clue why they were arguing like this. It was so out of character for Drew. ‘You put that money back in the jar. You couldn’t do the job you do if it wasn’t for me supporting you, looking after the house and our children. I thought this was a partnership … obviously I’m very much mistaken.’ Isla was at boiling point. ‘I don’t get it Drew, why are you hell bent on sending me back to work all of a sudden?’ Trembling with rage inside, Isla wanted to shake him.

Drew cowardly cast his eyes downwards, he knew he was pushing Isla to the limit, but he couldn’t help himself. ‘And whose is that awful-looking Union Jack Mini parked outside? I thought you had company.’

Isla swallowed, she’d been dreading this moment with the mood Drew was in, but maybe she was worrying too much. Drew had always seemed to like Martha. Maybe, just maybe her arrival would be a blessing in disguise.

Feeling apprehensive, she said, ‘This is going to make your day … you’ll never guess who’s back in town?’ Isla painted a smile on her face and crossed her fingers behind her back.

‘Huh,’ came Drew’s reply.

‘Gran … Gran’s back in Heartcross! Walked into the teashop … no-one could believe it, but she had no clue Bonnie had passed away. Isn’t that sad?’

‘No clue about her new great-grandson either,’ Drew huffed.

Isla didn’t rise to his comment. ‘She looks so well … single again. I’ve cleared some of the stuff from her room, just piled it up in our bedroom for now.’

Drew bristled, ‘What do you mean, cleared her room?’

Seeing the black thunderous look on Drew’s face, Isla tried with all her might to sound positive. ‘Gran is staying with us here … obviously,’ she said.

‘Another mouth to feed?’

‘Considering she looks like a size six, I’m sure she hasn’t got the largest of appetites, and you know what …’ Isla took a breath. ‘If it bothers you that much and we’ve got more eggs than we can sell, we’ll just feed her on eggs. Scrambled, boiled, poached …’

Drew stood up, ‘I’m going back to work.’

‘I’ll just wash your cup then, shall I? Or shall I leave it for the maid? You know what Drew, just don’t bother coming in later unless you’re in a better mood.’

He growled as he slammed the door behind him and Isla stood there bewildered, shaking her head in disbelief as she watched him once more stomp across the yard. It worried Isla, she’d never seen Drew like this before and was unsure what to do or say to him. Things were bad between them. In all the years they’d been together she could barely remember them ever having a cross word. Of course, they’d had the normal disagreements any married couple had but they’d never ever gone to bed on an argument. And this felt different, was on a different scale altogether and somehow things seemed to be escalating fast. For whatever reason, it felt like Drew couldn’t stand to be anywhere near her, but one thing Isla knew for certain was if he carried on talking to her in this manner, he was in for a rude awakening.

Isla waved Martha off to the pub to meet Rona and walked up Love Heart Lane towards Heartwood Cottage clutching a bottle of wine. The last twenty-four hours in the farmhouse had been tense, but luckily Martha seemed oblivious to the strain between Isla and Drew. Thankfully Drew hadn’t taken whatever frustrations he had out on Martha and was pleasant enough with her, even though he’d disappeared off to bed earlier than normal without kissing Isla on the top of her head like he’d done every night of their married life without fail, leaving her feeling dejected.

After a hectic teatime Isla was relieved to be escaping from the farmhouse for a couple of hours this evening. As usual Angus had screamed through the whole of the meal and the second Isla had put down her knife and fork had been the time Angus had decided to fall asleep in his bouncy chair.

Drew had been late returning to the farmhouse, and she’d left him eating his tea from a tray in front of the TV while gently rocking Angus in his chair with his foot and instructing Finn how to build his Lego house.