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“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m not selling it. I’ve decided to move in myself.”
Kate was sure Maddie had let out a stream of expletives, but at that moment a police car with screeching sirens drove past and she missed it.
“Where are you? Sounds like you’re in an episode ofLine of Duty.”
“I’m outside, on a bench, wrapped in a blanket. I don’t get any signal in the house.”
“Right, so the house is damp, mouldy, in a horrible townandhas no phone signal. Remind me why you want to live there again?”
“Got to go,” said Kate, unable to find any sane reason for her decision.
“So you wake me up with momentous news, a massive life decision, then say you’ve got to go?”
Kate felt the events of the day hit her like a ton of bricks and she let out a loud yawn. “Sorry, it’s been a mad day. Can we talk tomorrow? I’ll probably stay here the rest of the week then hire a van at the weekend to come and collect my stuff, not that there’s much in my flat.”
“Don’t go booking any vans yet. I’ve got the rest of the week to talk you out of this crazy plan. Speak tomorrow, love you.”
“Love you too.”
Kate hung up the phone and returned to the house. She didn’t fancy sleeping in Nanny Cornwall’s old bed which, for all she knew, the old lady had died in, so gathered up some blankets and made her way to the sofa. It was no more comfortable to sleep on than it was to sit on, and Kate spent the entire night tossing and turning. The few times she managed to sleep, she was woken by the sound of drunks singing and fighting in the street outside, sometimes at the same time.
At five, Kate gave up on sleep and went through to the kitchen to make a coffee. She’d boiled the water in the rusty old kettle before remembering she was lacking both coffee and milk. Kate slipped her boots on over her pyjamas and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. Back on her favourite bench, she googled local shops and found out there was a twenty-four-hour garage at the bottom of the hill. The coffee would be crap, but better than nothing.
Half an hour later, Kate was home with a machine Costa coffee in one hand, a bag of doughnuts in the other, and a jar of instant coffee granules in her coat pocket. Not the healthiest of breakfasts, but needs must. On her way through to the kitchen, she caught her reflection in the mirror and let out a snort. God knows what the poor garage attendant must have thought of her. Her bobbed hair stuck out in light brown tufts around her head, and her hazel eyes were framed by enormous black circles. Her coat was open, showing a fetching swatch of unicorn pyjamas that she bought for their irony, and one of the buttons had come loose, exposing half a breast.
With the kettle re-boiled and a second coffee made, Kate pulled a dining chair outside and sat in her new yard. It was cold enough to need a blanket over her shoulders, but the air filled with birdsong. After a hellish night on the sofa she’d been wavering over her decision, but the birds confirmed she was doing the right thing. At least that’s how she took it; for all she knew they could be yelling at her to bugger off out of their garden.
As the sun rose and the air warmed, Kate picked her way along the path she’d made yesterday until she reached the top of the garden. It was only September, but already the leaves were beginning to turn. Kate spotted apples on a trees and picked one from its branch. She took a bite and immediately spat it out onto the grass. She’d need to learn to cook a crumble.
Kate looked around, surveying her new kingdom. In her mind, she saw a large vegetable patch, rose bushes and a wildflower meadow. There must be courses you could take to learn about plants, and if she was careful with her inheritance, she’d have the time to do it. Life would be a far cry from her relentless work at the hotel, unsociable shifts and crap pay. Yes, she thought, this could be the life for me.
CHAPTER FOUR
THREE DAYS INTOher new life and the house was unrecognisable. Fuelled by beer and takeaways, Kate had pulled up the downstairs carpets and taken them to the dump, stripped the wallpaper in the front room, and was halfway through the bedroom walls. Hiring a van early had paid off, the alternative would have been a skip.
Kate was just settling down to a fish supper and bottle of beer when there was a knock at the door. For a moment she considered ignoring it, after all, she didn’t know anyone in town, so it was most likely Jehovah’s Witnesses or some charity collector. Curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the door. Kate smiled at the sight of Bob, dressed as before in a smart three-piece suit, but this time he’d even added braces to the ensemble.
“Good evening. I thought I’d come and see how you’re getting on. I brought a couple of papers I need you to sign if thats OK?”
“Sure, come in. Chip?”
“Better not, I’m watching my weight.”
Bob set the papers down on a coffee table and Kate went off to grab a pen from her bag. When she returned, she noticed her chip supply diminished and Bob licking salt and vinegar off his fingers. She pretended not to notice and scrawled her signature in the allotted spaces.
“That’s great, thanks. So, how are you getting on? Looks like you’ve had a busy few days.”
“Yes, I thought I may as well get stuck in. I’ve had a builder and an electrician round.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, good news…ish. I need a new boiler, but the electrics are all fine and most of the work is just cosmetic.”
“No damp?”
Kate laughed. “Oh, plenty of damp, but your bog standard, Cornish-house-sitting-empty-for-six-months kind of damp, not costs-thousands-to-fix damp.”
“That’s a relief.”
