Page 29 of New Beginnings on Railway Lane

Katy nodded. Nobody appeared to be blaming her for Bob getting hurt so perhaps Eddie was right, she thought. It really had just been an accident and she instantly felt herself relax as her concerns eased. She looked around once more. ‘This kitchen is amazing,’ she said. ‘Not like how I imagined it to look at all.’

‘That’s all down to my granddaughter,’ said Grams, with a proud look on her face before she turned around to head into the walk-in pantry.

Flora smiled. ‘I spent a summer in North Africa for my Art degree so I wanted to use similar colours in here,’ she said. ‘Picked up a few bits and pieces on my travels as well.’

‘As well as malaria,’ said Libby, with a grimace. ‘You were as thin as a rake when you got home.’

Flora rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t remind me. Good job I had Grams’s home cooking to fatten me back up.’

‘Doesn’t she have a great eye for decorating?’ said Harriet to Katy.

‘You didn’t think of it as a career?’ asked Katy.

Flora shuffled in her seat. ‘I’m needed here,’ she said quietly, flicking a look at the pantry to make sure her grandmother didn’t overhear her.

Katy nodded. She understood the pressures of giving up dreams to take care of family all too well.

Grams headed back to the skillet and began to plate up the pancakes. ‘Here you go,’ she said, placing a large plateful of fluffy-looking pancakes in front of Katy. ‘Maple syrup’s right there in front of you.’

Katy looked down at the plate in a bit of daze. ‘Thank you,’ she said. Normally, she gave breakfast a miss, grabbing a piece of fruit, but her stomach rumbled at the sight of the delicious food.

To Katy’s surprise, Grams put her arm around her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. ‘You look done in, girl. Have your pancakes. They’ll help you feel better.’

Katy felt grateful and comforted by the tender welcome she had been given. She picked up a fork from the pot in the middle of the table and began to eat. The pancakes were delicious and she couldn’t stop herself from finishing the whole plate within minutes.

‘I’ll do some more in a minute,’ Grams told her, as she came to sit next to her with her own plate, having served up everyone else.

Katy leaned back in her chair, her stomach now full and satisfied.

‘So what happens now in the station?’ asked Flora.

‘I don’t know,’ said Katy, with a sigh. ‘Ryan’s asked me to stay on for a while longer.’

Grams nodded between mouthfuls. ‘It all got so out of hand over the past five years or so. I reckon it was because Rachel was giving Bob a hard time that he took comfort in his train stuff.’

‘She gives everyone a hard time,’ said Libby, reaching across the table for the maple syrup. ‘Because she’s a miserable so-and-so.’

Grams gave her a look. ‘She’s not a touchy-feely person, I’ll grant you. But everyone deserves to be happy, I reckon.’

Katy didn’t reply, thinking of her dad and the mess that he had left behind in his own selfish pursuit of happiness.

‘Well, at least if you’re staying on, you’ll have time to explore the countryside,’ said Harriet, with an encouraging smile across the table.

Katy’s brief frown didn’t go unnoticed by those around the table.

Only Libby laughed. ‘Don’t tell me, you’re a townie through and through,’ she said.

Katy shrugged her shoulders, a little embarrassed as they all loved living in the countryside so much. ‘I’m just used to normal things like pavements, streetlamps and 5G,’ she told them. ‘The convenience of being able to order a takeaway is pretty handy too.’

‘Don’t you cook?’ asked Flora.

Katy shook her head.

‘Good job you’re living with a chef then,’ said Libby, with a knowing wink.

‘Except I’ve lived with one of them before – my dad,’ said Katy with the dull ache of pain in her heart.

‘Wasn’t it a happy time?’ asked Grams.