‘Maybe you’re right.’
‘I am,’ she insists. ‘You need to clear your head. Luckily, you picked a good time to visit. The boys don’t break for the summer holidays until Friday when the chaos will begin. Perhaps I’ll come and hide out at your flat in London for six weeks. They won’t even notice I’m gone. I’ll bring biscuits.’
Half an hour later, I’m in the spare room, patchwork covers around me, determined to get Ellis out of my head.
Chapter 53
Naomi’s offer of a Sunday morning lie-in forgot to include one small problem, or should I say two furry problems named Sid, an Irish Setter, and Nancy, a Golden Retriever.
‘Naomi, why is Sid sitting on me?’
I hear her downstairs, laughing. ‘Because he loves you,’ she replies. ‘Or he wants to play. Is his tail wagging?’
‘Yes.’
‘Play,’ she confirms. She calls him downstairs. He’s off like a shot when he hears the word ‘ball’.
Esk Farmhouse sits on an acre of land, which is just enough to maintain and plenty of space for the dogs to run themselves ragged. Originally two acres, Naomi sold one to a developer shortly after she moved in. With the money she was able to do repairs on the cottage, while they opened an extremely expensive glamping site.
‘I had a wander down last month. It’s look good and there’s hardly any noise. Well, except that one weekend when they had a wedding, and I could hear them singing “Mr Brightside” at ten p.m., before someone started yelling something about a quiche. Always wondered what that was about.’
Unable to get back to sleep, I drag myself into the shower. The water pressure is fantastic, and nothing smells like air freshener. Not even the air freshener. There’s a room spray which smells like heaven. Naomi’s always had good taste. Philip has taken the boys to school before work, so it’s just Naomi and me. I step out into the garden.
‘You hungry?’ she yells. ‘Help yourself to whatever.’
Coffee is first on my list, followed by some toast and honey. I stand at the door and watch her play with the dogs.
It’s so peaceful. I understand why Naomi chose to bring up her boys here. The quietude is—
‘Buck-buck-buuuuck.’
I look to my left and see the massive chicken enclosure, stretching all the way to the bottom of the garden.
The bucking and clucking continue. I wander over.
There are six noisy hens roaming around in the enclosure. It’s adorable. A well-built fence around it, complete with a large chicken coop that looks bigger than my flat. Ladders, peck toys, branches, hanging toys and even a chicken swing are spread throughout.
Naomi joins me with the dogs. ‘Nice, huh?’
‘Your chickens have toys?’
‘Of course. They spend most of their day out here. Don’t want them to be bored. That’s Rihanna at the back. We got him to replace Mavis.’
‘What happened to Mavis?’
‘We ate her.’
She laughs at the look on my face. ‘I’m joking. Old age. She was almost ten.’
I watch the dogs sniffing around. Nancy is especially interested.
‘They don’t attack them?’ I ask. ‘Chase them? Stare at them menacingly?’
‘Not at all,’ she replies. ‘But the chickens never leave their enclosure. They have tons of space.’
Naomi is sweet to her animals. It’s just people who annoy the hell out of her, occasionally me included. I don’t take it personally.
At 5 p.m., Philip brings the kids home. I hear them before they even get inside the house.
