AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His smile faded. “Too long.”
She didn’t want to talk about the conflict between them. Not now. There was enough going on in her life without Bradford making things more complicated. “But here you are, and we’re about to have bacon and eggs with Dad’s famous sourdough, by the looks of it.”
Their father dished the food up onto plates. “Grab a plate while it’s hot.”
At thirty-eight years old, Bradford was seven years younger than Bea. She’d loved him intensely as a teenager, when he was still a little child. She’d helped him learn to tie his shoes, read to him at bedtime—did a lot of the things their mother would’ve done if she’d been well. But he’d changed in adulthood, and she wasn’t certain how to communicate with him. He was hardheaded, and that stubbornness had caused her to walk away from yet another conflict.
When they were teens, she didn’t want to be responsible for picking Bradford up from parties when he’d drunk too much to drive home. Hated seeing him throwing his life away and left it for her father to deal with. Bradford had pulled himself together and had become a success in his thirties. However, the two of them still didn’t know how to talk about the hard things they’d been through or how to navigate the pain of the past.
They sat around the table and ate, talking about things that wouldn’t cause a fight. Bradford spoke about his business and how well it was going. Dani updated him on her indecision over university, and he listened intently, nodding every now and then. He asked Bea about their house and her work, but didn’t mention the divorce. She wasn’t sure if Dad had told him, so she decided to raise the subject herself.
“I’m not sure if you know this, but I’m getting divorced.”
His eyes widened. “Dad didn’t say. I’m sorry to hear that.”
They spoke about it in a bit more detail. Bea noticed that the pain had dulled a little over the past few months. Perhaps in time, she could remember what her husband had done without feeling as though someone was stabbing her in the heart.
“Sounds like it was a good idea to come home for a while.” He reached out to squeeze her shoulder.
“Thanks. I think so too. Dani and I are headed down to the cottage to meet a contractor recommended by a friend of mine. You’re welcome to come if you’d like.”
“That sounds good. I’d like to see the old place. Who is this friend of yours?” His eyes twinkled. “Anyone I know? He wouldn’t happen to have a football jersey hanging in the cupboard, would he?”
Bea felt herself blush. She wasn’t a school girl any longer. “Yes, it’s Aidan Whitlock, if you must know.”
“How is he these days?”
“He’s good.”
“Looking good, or just good?” He winked.
She couldn’t help laughing. “Both.”
“Well, look at you…”
“I’m not even divorced yet, so don’t you dare suggest anything untoward. Especially in front of Dani. We’re old friends, nothing more than that.”
“I’m only joking,” Bradford replied. “Let’s take a look at that cottage, and while we’re at it, you can tell me all about Harry and how he’s going.”
They met Aidan and the contractor at the cottage two hours later. Aidan had worked with Brett O’Hanley on his house at Point Prospect and highly recommended him. Brett didn’t usually do such small jobs as the cottage but was willing to do a favour for Aidan, for which Bea was grateful. She and Dani had a conversation with Dad after breakfast about budget and timing for the renovation work, and he seemed happy with all their suggestions and was confident the cottage rebuild would be worth it.
“So, what do you think?” Bea asked Brett after they’d shown him around and walked him through all the things they wanted to do.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of work, but nothing we can’t manage. I’ll send you a quote in the morning, and you let me know if you want to go ahead. I have a few weeks available starting next week before I’ll be busy with another larger project, so you’ll have to move quickly if you want me to do it.”
Bea thanked him and agreed to call him the next day with their answer. Once he’d driven away from the cottage, she shoved her hands deep into her jeans pockets and walked back to join the rest of the group.
Aidan was walking the property perimeter to help her figure out a fencing option. Dad and Brad were arguing over the best roof types, and Dani stood to one side staring at the cottage with an overwhelmed look on her face.
Bea sidled up next to her and peered at the cottage too. “You ready to do this?”
“What if we make the wrong decisions about roofing or kitchen bench tops? It’s a big expense for Pa.” Dani’s face was pale, her eyes wide.
“If we make the wrong decisions, we’ll figure it out. We can’t go into this fearful about making a bad choice. Life is a series of risks, and if you never take those risks, you won’t get anything done. Look at this cottage, for example. If we don’t take the risk of making bad decisions fixing it up, it’ll stay rundown like this forever and no one will get to enjoy living in it. But if we take a chance, dive in and make the best decisions we can, then at the end of the day, no matter how perfect it is, it will be a beautiful little cottage that someone can spend years enjoying.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“Perfect isn’t the goal. Liveable is.”
