Meanwhile in Mount Merry-Glen: Episode Two

A serialised small-town romance novel.

Welcome to the next instalment of Meanwhile in Mount Merry-Glen. Thanks so much to everyone who has subscribed so far and also to those who’ve voted in polls and offered suggestions.

Second chance romance with a mystery subplot (with MCs 35-45) was the clear winner, so that’s what I’m giving you, but feel free to make suggestions as to how the story takes shape along the way. The characters we introduce in this book, might become stars of their own story, so let me know (as we go) who you want to see more of.

This was so fun to write that I’ve given you more than the promised 1000 words, and I’m sure that will happen in future episodes as well.

Thanks for joining me and if you want to chat with me and other subscribers about what’s happening in Merry-Glen, you can do so here.

And if you missed the first episode, you can catch up here.

Episode Two

Karina Peacock – Shire President
Want to be on TV? AND help restore our town hall!!!

Reality TV star, Henry Kessell (yes, THAT Henry), and his Hard Hatted History Buffs are coming to town to return our beloved (and slightly battered) town hall to its former glory – and they need locals to help! They’re looking for volunteers, tradespeople, storytellers, and proud residents to lend a hand (and maybe even get a spot on camera).

Click THIS LINK to apply – genuine locals only.

Let’s bring our town hall back to life. Together!

Standing at her kitchen bench, Aimee almost dropped her phone in a pile of potato peelings when she read this post on the Mount Merry-Glen Facebook page.

For once, the reaction wasn’t caused by her mother-in-law’s insistence on putting her title after her name on every social media post she made. Oh no, that wasn’t the reason her heart thumped, and her insides twisted in a way that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

It wasn’t even the mention of the town hall that did it, although that alone was usually enough to make her want the floor to open and swallow her. Just reading the name of that building usually gave her a full-body shudder, thanks to what happened on the night of her eighteenth birthday. If she hadn’t fallen as she ran, terrified, out of that damn place, injuring herself in a way that ended her hockey career before it had even begun, she would have become the laughingstock of the whole town.

She probably had been the laughingstock of some.

But no, that wasn’t what caused Aimee to loosen her grip on her phone and almost pee her pants. That was all down to two little words: Henry Kessell.

Heat flooded her body, sudden and dizzying. Was thirty-five too early for hot flashes? Pushing that thought aside, she sucked in a deep breath and scrolled the comments already piling up beneath Karina’s post. As usual, the Queen of the Grannies (although she’d be horrified if she knew people called her that) had the first word.

Judith Borrett: The last thing we need is celebrities and a film crew swanning around town acting as if they own the place. I don’t remember this possibility being raised at the last town meeting.

Sara Gardiner: Come on, Judy. He may be hot, but Henry is hardly a celebrity. Not to us anyway, he grew up here.

Judith Borrett: Sara, have you forgotten you are MARRIED? I’m not sure it’s proper for you to be commenting on Henry’s hotness.

Sara Gardiner: Don’t you worry about my relationship, Judy. Jack and I are just fine, thank you very much and we don’t need Swingers Clubs to keep things spicy in the bedroom.

Oof! Aimee snorted at her best friend’s comment. For a moment, it gave her relief from the panicky thought that her first love, the boy she almost lost her virginity to, was coming back to town (and this time for longer than a few hours to visit his mum).

She was very tempted to join the chat herself and post ‘Go Sara!’ but resisted because it might draw attention to her, and the last thing she needed was anyone suspecting she and Henry had once had a thing.

Kym Bathgate: Hotness aside (although I’m on Team Hottie and also married – sorry Judy), I think this is a great thing for our little town. Have you seen the show?

Of course everyone had seen the show! Not that Aimee or probably Judith would ever admit to it. The latter would rather choke on a lukewarm, store-bought sausage roll than confess to watching low-brow history disguised as entertainment.

Sandra Scully: JENNY’s boy? I thought he’d forgotten about this town! And now, he’s waltzing back, using us to further his career!

Aimee winced and rolled her eyes. Her mother honestly believed that because she ran the local ‘paper’, and her maiden name was Thompson, she could say whatever she wanted without thinking about other people’s feelings.

Poor Jenny was probably reading this. Hell, even Henry might be reading it.

Deb Johnman: At least their calling out for locals. @Merry-Glen-Sparkies

Corrine Pashley: @Deb Johnman – THEY’RE not THEIR.

Elaine Wrath: I’m with Judith. Do we really want tourism? This is a farming community – we’re not Byron Bay.

Megan Heiser: More’s the pity. But maybe Henry’s show will drop that embarrassing incident with the Scandinavian tourists and our so-called ‘mountain’ further down the Google search.

Aimee chuckled at the memory from last year when Mount Merry-Glen made the global news after two pissed-off influencers came to ‘conquer’ their mountain, only to go on a viral rant about false advertising, a seagull stealing their lunch, and emotional betrayal. Somehow the world had turned on the town rather than on the tantrum-throwing Gen-Z’s with an American YouTuber calling Merry-Glen’s mount the least majestic summit in the southern hemisphere, and including a photo of a heap of dirt with bike tracks.

Steph Oppio: @Karina Peacock – Shire President – what do they mean by ‘genuine locals’?

Gibson Ventris: Bit of a nerve. Henry is hardly a local.

Kym Bathgate: It means people that live and work in MMG. The show is all about helping towns preserve their historic buildings and also thrive today, so they always give the contracting work to locals if possible.

Gibson Ventris: yeah, probably cuz it’s cheaper than bringing in teams and having to put them up LOCALLY.

Sandra Scully: I wonder if Jenny knows?

Judith Borrett: We don’t just have to roll over and accept this, you know? I’m starting a petition.

Cath Guerds: I’ll roll over and accept Henry any day.

The LOLs and love hearts started piling up for the new cop’s comment.

Aimee hadn’t had much to do with Constable Cath so far, but she seemed like a hoot.

Jenny Kessell: Of course I know. I’m thrilled that Henry will be home for a couple of months. Anyone who truly knows him knows his heart is in the right place and that he’s doing this for all the right reasons. I’m sure he’ll be touched by all the support – though he’s far too busy to check Facebook himself. PS: If anyone needs hi-vis with flair for auditions, remember the shop is open Tuesday to Saturday. I’ve ordered in some hard hats in different colours and even some glittery ones. Why settle for safety when you can look fabulous as well?

‘What are you doing?’

James’s gruff voiced startled Aimee – she’d been so engrossed in the community gossip, she hadn’t even heard him come in. As her heart jolted, she fumbled to close Facebook on her phone, her cheeks flaring as if she’d been caught in the act of committing a crime.

‘I was just checking the time,’ she said, setting her phone aside and picking up the peeler again. James wasn’t on Facebook – he thought it beneath him – so he might not have heard the news yet, and she certainly wasn’t going to be the one to tell him.

He raised his eyebrows but thankfully didn’t challenge her, instead glancing at the thick gold watch on his wrist that looked out of place on a farmer but had been handed down through generations of the Peacock family. He was still wearing his dirt-covered boots, which meant she’d have to run the vacuum over the house before their guests arrived.

Sometimes she thought he did this on purpose, just to irk her.

‘The boys will be here in an hour,’ he said. ‘Will you be ready in time?’

Aimee managed not to roll her eyes at the way he called his mates ‘boys’, not to mention the fact that it wasn’t just ‘the boys’ coming round but their wives, girlfriends and kids too. ‘Yes, of course.’

‘Good.’ James leaned in and kissed her.

It was gentle enough to seem like a habit, nothing more, but the slight pressure of his hand lingered on her arm – almost like a message.

• I’m thinking the town will need a fundraiser… any ideas for one that will bring everyone together?

• What hobby or talent do you think Aimee should have?