I let the workmen in and offered to make them drinks while they brought in their tools. Waiting for the kettle to boil again, I stared at the photo. What was it with things miraculously turning up? Was it a sign?I made a mental note to check behind Mum and Dad’s sofa one more time in case the bracelet decided to make a re-appearance too. Then I picked up my phone and replied to Nick’s text:
?? To Nick
Could barely move this morning but it’s easing! I’m going to Auntie Kay’s for a family farewell meal on Thursday so think I will be too full of food and drink to run the next morning. Another time maybe? Thanks for asking
14
Seaside Blooms was a hive of activity all week. The wooden floor looked amazing – so much better than lino – and I’d also had a large counter and preparation table fitted.
Auntie Kay had never bothered with a computer at work, doing everything on paper or by phone. There was therefore no broadband connection and, unfortunately, no free Wi-Fi from any surrounding businesses. With The Outback cleared and organised, there was little more I could do at the shop so I left the fitters to it and worked on my laptop at home, sourcing and ordering the shop fittings and several gift ranges. It had been a really productive week and it felt like big steps had been made in getting ready to re-open.
On Thursday evening, I’d only just set off walking towards Seashell Cottage after work when a text arrived:
?? From Nick
Met a Stephen this week and thought of you. Hope you have a good time at Kay’s tonight x
?? To Nick
Thank you x
As the message sent, I felt a pang of anxiety. Should I haveadded the kiss? He’d started it. Did it mean anything or was it just one of those things you do on texts? Was it because of what happened on the beach? A little shiver of pleasure ran through me as I recalled the intensity of that brief moment before that stupid big dog leapt on him and ruined things. Would we really have kissed? I knew I’d wanted to at the time with every fibre of my being, but I also knew that, for the whole of the drive home, there was only one thought going round and round in my mind: What the hell are you playing at? He’s not called Steven; he’s not called Steven…
Nick’s texts had given me butterflies but Monday’s reaction had been down to the excitement of the almost-kiss after a year of no affection from Jason, and my reaction to his text just now was only because he’d mentioned a Stephen. That was all. It wasn’t Nick causing the butterflies. Was it?
When I arrived at Seashell Cottage ten minutes later, I knocked on the door then walked straight in, as I’d always done.
‘Hello?’ I shouted. No answer. ‘Anyone home?’ My stomach rumbled at the tantalising aroma of home-cooked chilli.
A familiar mewing sound made me look down. ‘Kat? What are you doing here?’ I bent down to give her a fuss. Her brother appeared from the dining room and rubbed round my legs. ‘I know Auntie Kay wanted to say goodbye to everyone, but I didn’t realise the invitation extended to you two. Where is everyone?’
I opened the lounge door. Nobody there. I was about to close it again when something grey and fluffy on the sofa caught my eye. Were those my cushions? I frowned and stepped into the room. My candles and photos adorned the mantelpiece. What the…?
‘Hello?’ I called again. ‘Where are you?’
The dining room was empty. The kitchen was empty. But both rooms housed more of my belongings.
Running up the stairs and into Auntie Kay’s bedroom, I found it full of my bags and boxes. Mr Pink had pride of place on top of the bed. I wandered over to touch him just to make sure I wasn’t imagining things when Mum, Dad, Ben and Auntie Kay jumped up from behind the bed and yelled, ‘Surprise!’
I clutched my heart dramatically. ‘I was beginning to think I’d boarded the Mary Celeste.’ I hugged them all.
‘Have you had enough of me already?’ I asked Mum and Dad. ‘What’s all my stuff doing here?’
‘You’re moving in,’ Auntie Kay said.
‘How come?’
‘While I’m away, I’m a little concerned that my beloved Seashell Cottage may get cold and neglected. I thought we may be able to do each other a favour.’ Auntie Kay looked at Mum and winked. ‘To save you from the insanity of my sister’s compulsive meal-making, clothes-washing, and clock-watching, I want you to move in here. Rent-free, of course. But, in return for this considerable generosity on my part, I’d ask that you keep the garden tidy, stop the junk mail from piling up, and keep the place clean. What do you think?’
I looked at Mum and Dad. ‘You wouldn’t be offended if I moved out?’
Mum smiled. ‘You need your own space. And, no offence, but your dad and I have got used to having the peace and quiet of the house to ourselves.’ Dad put his arm round her and kissed the top of her head.
I looked at my brother’s eager smile and my heart sank as I turned to Auntie Kay. ‘Thank you, but I can’t accept. You’ve given me too much already with the shop and the loan. It’s not fair on Ben if I get a free house too, even if it’s only temporary.’
‘Don’t be so daft,’ Ben said. ‘Did you never wonder how I managed to buy a house on my salary?’
‘I…’ I shrugged. I hadn’t given it much thought but, now that he mentioned it, a two-bed terrace in a fairly nice part of Leeds did seem a little out of the reach of Ben’s low-paid day job working for a missing persons charity.
