CHAPTER ONE
“I think that’s the last of them.” Ed hauled the bag into the boot of his sister’s car and stepped back as she slammed it shut. He straightened, rubbing at the ache in the base of his spine, wondering how stiff he was going to be in the morning.
“Sucks to be old, eh?” Sarah grinned at him and patted his arm. “Luckily you’ve got us two to look after you.”
“Oh, fuck off.” Thirty-eight was not old.
Sarah glanced over his shoulder at the bungalow, grin widening. “Oops. Looks like we missed one.”
He turned to see his other sister struggling through the front door, a black bin bag clutched in her arms. “Need a hand?”
Ruth glared at them over the top of the bag. “No. It’s fine, really. You two just stand there and watch while I pull a muscle or three.”
Hurrying towards her, Ed winced as she tripped over the bottom step and almost went flying. He caught her by the wrists and steadied her before relieving her of the bag. “Jesus, what the hell’s in this one?” His back protested and he grimaced. “It weighs a bloody ton.”
Eyebrow raised, Ruth regarded him with an air of smugness. “Yes, I’m aware.” She brushed dust off the front of her jeans. “And it’s all the odds and sods that were left. A couple of pairs of old shoes, a few books...” She waved her hand about. “Other stuff.”
Other really fucking heavy stuff.
Ed marched it quickly to the car and wrestled it into the boot with the others. “Are you sure that one’s for the tip?” Most of his Aunt’s clothes and furniture had been donated like she’d asked. Today was about clearing out everything else.
Ruth leant against the car next to him. “Yeah. They’re too damaged to donate.” She turned to face him. “The guys are starting work on the kitchen and bathroom next week. But Aiden said you can move in whenever.”
Glancing back at the tired-looking bungalow, Ed sighed. Even though it was only six months since his aunt had died, he found it difficult to remember it looking like a home. Elise had been so full of life, even in her later years, and her home had reflected that. Now it just looked sad and unlived in.
But that was about to change.
“I might leave it a couple of weeks.” The water wouldn’t be off for long, but the kitchen would be out of action for a while, and the thought of living off takeaways and out of a camping fridge wasn’t all that appealing. “Probably move in around the fifteenth.”
Ruth nodded. “Don’t blame you.”
“When are we putting it up for sale?” Ed asked, glancing back at it again. Elise had left the bungalow to all three of them, just as she’d always promised. Told them to do whatever they wanted with it after she was gone.
“You in that much of a hurry to leave us?” Sarah regarded him, eyes narrowed, over the top of the car.
“No, but I’ll be going at some point. Just trying to get an idea of timescales. That’s all.” Truth be told, the idea of leaving his family and moving up north didn’t hold as much appeal as it had when he’d made the decision. But he’d had a bottle of red wine to bolster his confidence that night. The wheels were set in motion though—his own house was already in the process of being sold. He just needed to wrap everything up and find a new place further up the country.
No big deal.
It was normal to have second thoughts, right? Especially with the festive season approaching. Starting out somewhere new was bound to be daunting. This was something he needed to do, though, because looking back in ten years and regretting not taking the plunge, not satisfying his urge to prove he could do it, wasn’t all that appealing either. It’d be fine once he had concrete plans in place for the new year.
“Shall we get going?” Ed prompted, gesturing to the full car. “I’ve some stuff to sort out at home.”
“Yeah, okay.” The front door of the neighbouring bungalow swung open, and both Sarah and Ruth glanced towards it, smiling. “Let’s just go say hello to Betty first. You can tell her you’re moving in next door.”
Ed sighed, wanting to get on his way, but Betty was already waving at them, so he dutifully followed his sisters up the path. She was in her late seventies or early eighties, maybe, and although she was a bit slow on her feet these days, her mind seemed as sharp as ever.
She spoke as they got close. “I guess I’ll be getting some new neighbours soon, then?” Her wistful glance at his aunt’s bungalow reminded him that they weren’t the only ones to have lost someone. He didn’t know Betty Blackwell all that well, but he was pretty sure his aunt had.
Ruth beamed at her and pointed at Ed. “Ed’ll be staying there while we spruce the place up a bit.”
Betty grinned back, eyes shining. “Oh, how wonderful.” She reached over and patted Ed’s hand. “But you’ve got your work cut out. Elise was a dear friend, but she had such terrible taste in decor.” She laughed and shook her head, a sad smile appearing. “I’ll miss her, but I’m glad she didn’t linger. She was ready to go.”
“Yeah, she was.” Ed matched her smile. His aunt had made no secret of that, and always with a satisfied smile as though her life had been just as she wanted it to be. No regrets.
And what more could you ask for?
Ed hoped he felt like that when his time came. Which was one of the reasons he was in the process of moving his entire life north, back to where he went to uni.
