Page 82 of The Village Inn of Secret Dream

Pete realised that there was no malice in his brother. He was just looking out for him as he had always done. ‘Bit weary but okay,’ said Pete. He paused before saying, ‘I’ve got a lot of bridges to build.’

Josh nodded. ‘Maybe, but the foundations are already there.’

Pete blew out a long sigh. ‘I’m sure it’ll be just fine,’ he said. ‘If I ignore the overriding sense of shame and regret, plus the frustration about a total lack of plan going forward.’

‘So it’s a mess,’ said Josh, nodding. ‘Well, it was about time you joined me and Dad, to be honest.’

Pete turned to look at his brother. ‘What are you talking about?’ he asked. ‘Look at what you’ve achieved here. Look at what Dad achieved throughout his life.’

‘Yeah!’ laughed Josh. ‘Just look! You think all this,’ he gestured at the shop behind them, ‘was easy? You think we didn’t make mistakes along the way? I nearly lost the shop and Amber before we finally got straight.’

Pete watched as Josh’s face became more serious.

‘And it was Dad that left both the shop and the family finances in near ruin,’ said Josh. ‘I mean, I loved him. We all did. But he sure as hell wasn’t perfect. Come on, I mean, the unexpected trips out that ended who knows where. Don’t you remember how stressed it would make Mum worrying where we would all sleep if we went too far? Let alone all the crazy stuff that he bought for the shop when we first moved in before getting bored with it and playing the guitar on the veranda instead.’

There was a long silence whilst they both went back in time. Pete then wondered whether he should tell Josh about the letter but in the end decided against it. Everything was already hard that day and he couldn’t face any more heartbreak, let alone upsetting his brother.

‘He’s a tough act to follow though,’ Pete eventually said.

Josh nodded. ‘Yeah. He is,’ he said, in a softer tone. He turned to look at his younger brother. ‘Have you played the guitar recently?’

Pete shook his head. ‘Not sure I ever will without him,’ he confessed.

‘Well, you’ll get no pressure from me if you can’t face it,’ said Josh. ‘But I think it would be a sad thing not to hear you play again. You were pretty good.’

‘Is that a compliment?’ asked Pete.

‘Only one you’re going to get from me today,’ said Josh, smiling. ‘But I do have a question for you, now I come to think about it.’

Pete looked at him, his eyebrows raised in query.

‘Will you be my best man?’ asked Josh.

Pete was touched but troubled by the question. ‘I’m not sure I’m a best anything at the moment,’ said Pete. ‘I don’t want to mess up again.’

‘You won’t,’ said Josh. ‘But you’re my brother and I want you up there with me when I get married.’

Pete nodded. ‘Then, of course I’ll be your best man,’ he said, his voice thick with emotion.

Josh gave him a brief hug before slapping him on the back.

They both leaned back in the seat and concentrated on the lane and river once more.

Pete’s eyes strayed towards the inn.

‘It’ll be all right,’ said Josh, who had turned to look at him. ‘The inn, I mean.’

‘How?’ asked Pete.

Josh gave a shrug of his shoulders. ‘I have no idea, bro,’ he replied. ‘But you’ve got Belle and she’s pretty special. You’ll both think of something, I’m sure. Have you got any kind of plan going forward?’

Pete shook his head. ‘Not yet.’

‘You’ll think of something,’ said Josh before laughing as he stood up. ‘You always do.’

‘Maybe this time I’m out of my depth,’ Pete told him.

Josh shook his head. ‘Then take some time to work it out,’ he said. ‘We didn’t fix the shop overnight. And we didn’t get the right mix of stuff at the beginning. It takes time. So spend the winter here and enjoy it.’ He hesitated before adding, ‘I’d enjoy having you around too, to be honest.’