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Chapter 17
Holly reached the entrance to Dawkins & Co. She had noticed when passing Nina’s shop that it was not yet open.Maybe she stayed over with Mitch?she thought before telling herself not to dwell on what Nina and Mitch were getting up to. After all, it was none of her business. She was better off and much stronger alone. With that thought, she pushed the solicitor’s door open with a little extra force than she had intended.
Oliver was on the phone and gave her a startled expression. ‘Morning.’ He breathed out before returning to his call. ‘Go for the leather one. Fabric’s so passé. Have to go now. Bye.’ He put the phone down. ‘Jill told me to send you straight in. Coffee, isn’t it?’ Oliver peered at Holly, over his thick-rimmed glasses. ‘Or would tea be better?’
‘It’s definitely a tea day.’
‘I’ll add some biscuits then.’
Holly smiled at Oliver and knocked on Jill’s door before entering.
Jill glanced up as Holly walked in. ‘Great, you’re early. Sit down and we’ll get started.’
Taking off her peach jacket, she placed it over the back of the chair and sat down.
After pleasantries, Jill picked up her pen. ‘I need to get an understanding of your marriage. How you met. Anything you discussed about the future. And when things went wrong.’ She looked down to her pad.
‘We met when I was at college. Tom had a job at one of the local holiday sites.’
‘So, years ago?’
‘Yes. But we went our separate ways after two years. He got offered a job on an oil rig in the North Sea and I went to art college in London.’
‘You kept in touch?’
‘We did for a year or so and met up a few times. But as long-distance relationships often do, it fizzled out.’
‘When did you start a relationship again?’
Holly’s eyes misted over. ‘My mum and dad had a car accident and died a couple of years back.’ She swallowed. It was still difficult to talk about her parents. ‘I came back to Eversley to run the nursery, being their sole heir.’
‘That must have been hard. What were you doing in London?’
‘I painted and also managed a gallery in Soho. It was great, as I was allowed to show my own work, when space permitted. I sold a few of my pieces, too.’
‘The nursery must mean a lot to you, to give up a career in London?’
‘Yes, but I’ve been making plans to build an educational arts hub on site, to include a gallery-come-café.’
‘I see.’ Jill scribbled on her note pad. ‘I take it, that this would be good for the local community?’
‘Absolutely, it will be a not-for-profit venture.’
‘Great. This is positive stuff. So, when did you and Tom get back together?’
‘A month or so after I returned to the village. He’d lost his job and was in Eversley visiting mates.’
‘Where was he living?’
‘He was staying at the pub. The Eversley Arms – working a few hours in the bar.’
‘I see.’ Jill looked down to the desk, and all Holly could hear was the sound of her pen scratching her pad.
‘So, he lost his job on the oil rig. Do you know why?’
‘Absence. He was angry and tried to sue for unfair dismissal.’
‘On what grounds?’
