Raf’s offer, about spending time at his new house in Hartfell, fell into her mind. Could she ask him? Dare she? Cassie had been the one, after all, who’d said it wasn’t a good idea, and Isla and Rory couldn’t come and go in case they got used to it. But that was before another chasm had opened up in her life. If he did say yes, they’d be able to spend time with Fiona and Gordon too, help get their new home straight. She was sure Raf would ride with Rory, and Isla would adore helping out with the ponies at Home Farm, and maybe even Dorothy’s cob. Cassie would be free from work for a while, and it might give her the space to consider what would come next.
She was reminded of Raf’s words on the beach in Galloway, when he’d spoken of the three children he loved, his promise not to stand by and let anything happen to them. And Isla and Rory knew they’d have to return to London as usual once the summer was over. She understood Raf better now and she shouldn’t be afraid of what she felt for him. They had restored their friendship, deepened it to a point where it was too precious to risk for another moment of madness. He wanted to forget what had happened in Queensland and so did she.
So maybe a summer in Hartfell could just work. And why wouldn’t she try and indulge the pleasure it would bring her children for those few weeks? She had learnt the hard way that life was often short, and she’d told Pippa last year she ought to grab at happiness when it came around.
‘I’ll have a look at camping holidays in France again.’ Cassie wanted a backup just in case. ‘It would be fun, and we could pretty much guarantee the sun for a change.’
‘Yeah, sounds great, Mum.’ Rory stood up too, phone in hand. ‘We love you millions and millions, always and forever.’
‘Love you millions more,’ she replied softly. It was their family mantra, one she’d instilled in her children from the beginning. September would come soon enough, but in a few weeks she would be free, to be a mum and a friend, a useful daughter-in-law. For the first time in years, she felt as though she’d slipped back behind the wheel of her own life.
Once the announcement of the sale of the hotels was made public the following day, Cassie rang Pippa and Fiona, hoping to sound them out about a possible summer in Hartfell. Both women offered wise counsel and assured Cassie she had made the right decision. Later, she took a deep breath and called Raf, her pulse hurrying as she waited for him to pick up.
‘Hey, Cass. How are you?’
‘Hi, Raf.’ Her stomach flipped as she heard his familiar voice, the low, husky note in it, sensing his smile without needing to see it. Why did her own voice always rise when she spoke to him, even at a distance of nearly three hundred miles? She cleared her throat. ‘I’m fine. How are you?’ She wanted to tell him she’d missed him, even though it had only been a few days, and they were just friends.
‘Yeah, good. Let me put you on speaker.’
‘Are you alone?’ A ripple of alarm followed, she hadn’t considered that. Allegra and her cool blonde beauty flashed into Cassie’s mind.
‘Yep, at Pippa’s. They’ve gone out for dinner and Harriet’s off somewhere with Alfie. I had some things to sort with the distillery, so I stayed on.’
‘Okay.’ Cassie breathed out again. ‘So is that Maud I can hear barking?’
‘Sure is. I’m dog-sitting too, and working my way through the first stage of my course on distilling. I’ve even got to sit an exam.’
‘Aren’t you the professional now? I’m impressed.’
‘So you should be. I’ll be buying ties next, and chinos.’
‘That I would like to see.’
Raf chuckled, and Cassie hugged the sound to her. They didn’t often speak on the phone and there was an intimacy to their conversation she hadn’t expected.
‘Hold on, I think the dogs want out. On my way to the kitchen.’
She heard him open the door and she pictured the scene: Lola and Maud rushing across the terrace to the garden, the hens tucked up in the shed for the night.
‘So what can I do for you?’
‘I wondered if you were serious, about inviting us up to stay in the summer?’
‘Totally. Why would you think I wasn’t?’
‘I didn’t, I just wasn’t sure how it might work.’ She was smiling again, the load already lighter. ‘I’m leaving my job in four weeks and that means I have the whole summer to make plans for something else.’
He gave a low whistle. ‘Seriously? Wow, Cass, what’s changed?’
‘I was offered a promotion to global head of public relations. It would involve travelling, so I turned it down.’
‘And you’re happy with that? No regrets? This is huge.’ There was a softness to his reply she loved, and she was imagining him propped against the door frame, waiting for Lola and Maud to return.
‘No regrets,’ she said firmly. She only had to recall Rory’s relief to be certain. ‘So what do you think?’
‘I think you should pack and get in the car as soon as. I’m getting the keys to the house on Monday.’
‘If only.’ She had to laugh. ‘There are still six weeks of term left, and Isla has exams.’
