Babs needed more attention, and he could take his time with the tearoom, as he wasn’t expecting to open until springtime anyway. His focus needed to be on finding a permanent home.
Alice whipped the door open, waving him inside. ‘What you standing out there for? It’s blimming cold.’
‘I was daydreaming.’
‘I’m always daydreaming, even when I’m busy. I’m thinking, when I finally reach my goal, I might just stop.’
Will laughed, heading for the kettle. ‘You mind?’
Alice shook her head. ‘No, go for it. Just make me one while you’re at it.’
‘So tell me, what’s your dream, Alice?’
‘I want my own B&B, preferably like Mabel’s.’
Will plopped teabags into two mugs. ‘Yeah, I’ve seen you over there. You eyeing up the competition?’
Alice laughed. ‘No. I’ve been helping Mabel for years, doing bits and bobs in my spare time. I’ve always loved it over there. She knows I’m saving for my own B&B, so she’s teaching me the ropes now, bookkeeping and that. Robson says I should just go to the bank and get a loan. With my savings, business plan, and knowhow, I should get the funds needed, but I don’t know if I’m ready yet.’
‘Basically, the only thing you’re lacking is confidence, right?’
‘Sums that up.’
‘I didn’t have much confidence until I joined the navy. That life definitely changed me.’
Alice slumped into a chair. ‘I feel like I’ve had a few lives. Does that make sense?’
‘If you’re a cat.’
She chuckled as he brought the tea over. ‘Sometimes I don’t know who I am.’
A teenage lad opened the front door and leaned in. ‘Alice, I’m going over to Anchorage Park. We’re building a snowman.’
Alice frowned at the dark-haired boy. ‘Isn’t fourteen a bit old to make a snowman?’
‘You’re never too old to build a snowman. I’ll be back for dinner. Stay warm.’ He closed the door and sprinted off.
‘Who was that?’ asked Will.
‘My nephew, Benny. I adopted him after my sister died. He doesn’t have a dad.’
Will leaned closer to the table between them. ‘I’m sorry, Alice. I didn’t know.’
‘Thanks, that’s okay.’
‘What happened to your sister?’ He shook his head at himself. ‘I just blurted that out without thinking. Never mind me being nosey. I’ll—’
‘It’s fine. It’s no secret. The long and short of it is, she had cervical cancer.’ Alice’s gaze drifted to the window. ‘She’d be thirty-four now.’ She met his eyes. ‘She was only twenty-seven when she left us. Benny just seven. It never feels right.’
‘Life can be pretty shit at times.’
‘Do you have any siblings?’
Will shook his head. ‘None that I know of.’ What could he say? Maybe if he knew who his dad was, he might find a whole other family out there, not that he wanted anything to do with the man who used his mother. ‘I was raised in care,’ he added.
‘Oh, I didn’t know that about you.’ Alice smiled softly. ‘I guess we don’t know much about each other, but that will all change now you’re settling down here.’
‘We could go outside and bond over building our own snowman,’ he joked.
