Where Memories Are Made Read Free Page B

She left him in no doubt that she was perfectly willing to give up all she owned and live in a shed with him. This gave Artie the courage to return to his home town of Leicester. With the help of a solicitor he got Mavis and her latest man out of his house there and sold it, enabling him to buy this cottage. The merciless Mavis, though, would not agree to a divorce unless he settled a sizeable amount of money on her. She wasn’t entitled to it and Archie did not have it, but pride would not allow him to accept Drina’s offer to pay his ex-wife off, so until either he had the money or Mavis relented Artie and Drina were content just to live together, not caring that some considered it a sin.
    Drina happily sold the huge house that held so many miserable memories for her, and the money from the sale was put towards the building of an indoor swimming pool for the campers to enjoy when the weather wasn’t being kind. Providing a roof over her head, paying the bills and putting food on the table was enough to satisfy Artie’s pride. He wasn’t averse to Drina using money she earned from her job heading up Jolly’s to pay for extras for them. This enabled the two of them to live together in perfect harmony, outsiders remaining unaware of their turbulent background and assuming they’d been together several decades.
    Having made the tea, Drina put the pot and cups, milk and sugar, on the table. As she poured, she told Artie how she planned to aid his daughter.
    After she had, he looked at her askance. ‘Getting Rhonnie back in the land of the living is the most important thing to me, but can we just go swanning off on this so-called holiday like you’re proposing? After all, you’re the boss of a very busy holiday camp. Without Dan and now Rhonnie to fall back on, who will look after the business while we’re away? I’m in charge of maintenance and we’re coming up to our busiest time with the start of the summer holidays just around the corner.’
    She petted his hand. ‘We’re lucky enough to have good staff working for us. I’m sure the main day-to-day running of the business won’t suffer in the slightest while we’re away … not with the likes of Jackie in charge of the office. Nothing gets past that young girl. If she sets her mind to something, she sees it through to the bitter end. She can be impulsive at times, she can forget to keep her thoughts to herself, but I have great faith in her. As for someone to stand in as figurehead for me … well, as he’s the next in seniority, I have no choice but to put Harold Rose in temporary charge. He’s got his faults but he’s honest and reliable. At least the company’s finances will be in safe hands while we’re away.’
    Artie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Harold Rose was the very last person he would consider putting in charge of a firm like Jolly’s, but as Drina had said the man had been there a long time. Artie just hoped she didn’t live to regret her decision.
    Drina was asking him, ‘Have you any idea who you will put in charge of maintenance while we’re away, dear?’
    He thought for a moment. ‘Sid Harper is the obvious choice. He’s been on the team the longest and he has the men’s respect. This ought to make up to him for having his nose put out of joint when Dan made me his second-in-command last year. Sid always thought I was given the job out of favouritism. He thought he should have had it because he’d been employed by Jolly’s for longer.’
    Drina said with conviction, ‘Dan gave you that job because you were the best man for it. Favouritism or family connections never came into it.’
    â€˜Well, I could see why Sid might think so. Dan was married to my daughter and it was public knowledge then about my relationship with the boss,’ said Artie, winking cheekily at Drina before carrying on,