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‘We were the ones who gave her the idea. She’s already signed her house over to Kate, and we’re going to do the same with you. No, we’ve made up our minds,’ her mum said, holding up her hand when Annabelle began to object. ‘We’ve got enough put by, what with your dad’s lump sum when he retired and the redundancy payment he had a few years back. Remember? I told you about it? It was quite a nice bit of money. Anyway, we’ve got enough to be able to pay for this little flat outright, so don’t go worrying that we can’t afford it, because wecan.’
Annabelle didn’t know what to say. It was so incredibly generous of her parents that it reduced her to tears, and she began to cry, great big racking sobs that shook her to her core.
When she eventually calmed down and the news had sunk in a little, Annabelle couldn’t thank her parents enough. She still wasn’t sure that they should be doing this for her, but over and over again they insisted that this was what they wanted. It would make them happy to see her happy, and her mum had said, ‘We won’t know anything about it when we’re dead and buried. At least this way we have the pleasure of seeing you enjoy it.’
Annabelle couldn’t argue with that, and neither did she want to. The thought of being able to give her children the security of having a roof over their heads for however long they needed it, was incredible, and she couldn’t wait to tell them.
‘Of course, it’s not going to happen right away,’ her mum explained. ‘We’ve got to get all the searches done, and then there’s the faff with solicitors, and you know how long that takes. I’d say it will be at least three months before contracts are signed, maybe even longer. Do you think you can bear to live with us for that long?’ May chuckled.
‘You are the best parents anyone could ever wish for,’ Annabelle declared, fresh tears threatening.
Her mum’s eyes were suspiciously wet too, and May fanned her face with her hands. ‘Oh, go on, it’s what any parent would do,’ she said.
Annabelle didn’t point out that Troy had, in fact, done the exact opposite, but the less she thought about her ex-husband the better, although she couldn’t help comparing the way Ron had been with the children, to the way Troy treated them. Ron had paid Jake and Izzie more attention in two weeks than Troy had done in the previous twelve months.
Thinking about Ron made her wish she could share her news with him. He’d be delighted for her, she knew, but it wouldn’t change anything. That last day in Rest Bay, he’d made it pretty clear that they were over.
She didn’t blame him for that – a single mother with a belligerent ex-husband was more baggage than any potential suitor should have to deal with. Although, it was ironic that she’d initially withdrawn from him when she’d realised that he had come into a substantial amount of money, and now the same thing had happened to her. Sadness mingled with the happiness she was feeling at having a place to live, and tears trickled down her cheeks.
Blinking them away and needing to share her news with someone, she decided to give Kate a call. Annabelle had been surprised and delighted to find how close she and her cousin and grown over the course of the holiday, and one thing was certain – she didn’t intend to lose touch with her. Kate was rapidly becoming her best friend, which was astonishing considering they’d had little to do with each other growing up.
Predictably, Kate was thrilled for her and the squeal she emitted over the phone made Annabelle wince.
‘I’m so pleased for you! You must be so excited!’ Kate cried.
‘I am! I can’t believe it to be honest,’ Annabelle said. She was sitting on the back step, a cup of tea in one hand and her mobile phone which she was pressing up against her ear, in the other. She was looking out over the garden, ideas about what she could do with it filling her head. There was also the rest of the house to think about, but not just yet, eh? Her parents had told her that they’d be leaving quite a bit of the furniture behind because it wouldn’t fit into the flat and they also wanted to buy some new pieces, so at least Annabelle wouldn’t have to go out and spend a fortune on furnishing the place. However, her mum’s taste was not hers, so eventually she would replace most, if not all, of the furniture. But for now, it would do. It would do very nicely, indeed.
They chatted for a while, Kate filling Annabelle in about Ellis’s departure to university in a month’s time, and how her daughter was getting more and more upset about the thought of leaving her boyfriend, who was going to a different university, and Annabelle shared her progress on job hunting and uniform buying.
‘I had lunch with Ron yesterday,’ Kate told her, after they’d shared their news. She said it almost as an afterthought, as if it was of no significance, and Annabelle’s antenna immediately went on high alert. She was surprised that Kate hadn’t led with this news, and she wondered why not.
‘Oh? How is he?’ Annabelle asked.
‘He looked good. He’d gone to Tewkesbury the evening before, to meet with Louise and Gordon. It won’t be long now before the money hits his bank account, he told me.’
‘Has he got any plans?’ Annabelle asked, attempting a mildly interested tone when she was actually consumed with curiosity.
‘I don’t think so,’ Kate said. ‘I’m fairly sure he’s going to stay with Mum for the time being.’
‘That’ll please her.’ There was silence on the other end, until Annabelle said, ‘What? Is there something you’re not telling me?’
‘Ron loves you.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘He told me so,’ Kate said.
Annabelle was astounded. ‘I don’t believe you.’
‘It’s true! Ask him yourself.’
‘I’ll do no such thing!’ Annabelle retorted.
‘Look, you might think it’s none of my business and tell me to butt out, but I think you’re being an idiot.’
‘You do, do you?’ Annabelle couldn’t believe what Kate was saying.
Kate carried on, ignoring the warning tone in Annabelle’s voice. ‘You love him and he loves you, so do yourself a favour and sort it out. Life’s too short to hang about.’
