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‘Absolutely not,’ said Pat. ‘Now what are we going to watch?’
Twelve
‘Iknowthisisall supposed to make me stronger,’ Grace said, next morning at the usual breakfast-come-catch-up in the kitchen. ‘But I honestly don’t think I’m up to spending the day at Betancourt. Please let me switch with one of you.’
‘You’re the one with the vision for this event though, Grace,’ Pat said. ‘But we understand and yes, of course. You’ll need to tell us exactly what you want and where you want it and maybe a diagram or two might help.’
‘I was going to be taking up the decorations and lights today so it’s mainly lifting, carrying, sorting and then hanging. I’ve done a couple of drawings though to show you where I think things should go. They’re in our shared Betancourt folder. Hanna will be there working on the backdrop for the trees. Which reminds me. Have we heard when they’ll arrive?’
‘No. They said later this week, I think,’ said Hope. ‘I’ll check again. I know the sizes you requested are few and far between so maybe there’s a problem.’
‘Perfect! This thing is turning into a nightmare.’ Grace shook her head. ‘I’ll go and see if I can get the mistletoe I ordered from that farm the other side of Maidstone.’
‘You take care, Grace,’ said Granny Joy who had joined them at the kitchen table this morning. ‘It’s going to snow. I can feel it in my water.’
‘Snow?’ Hope laughed. ‘No chance. Those are rain clouds.’
‘Snow. Mark my words. And not just snow. A blizzard.’
‘Google?’ Grace asked the Home Hub. ‘What’s the weather for today in and around Betancourt Bay?’
‘The weather today in and around Betancourt Bay is 1 degree and cloudy with possible wintry showers, some heavy, along with strong winds.’
‘There, you see. Snow blizzards.’ Granny Joy stuck out her chin. ‘I’m staying in the warm.’
‘Sleet at the worst,’ said Hope.
‘I’ll see if your neighbour, Ronald would like to come round for coffee this morning, Mum,’ said Pat. ‘Then I can help at Betancourt.’
‘I don’t need a babysitter,’ Granny Joy stuck out her tongue.
‘Clearly,’ said Hope, as Pat left the room to make the call. ‘What do we say if you-know-who asks where you are, Grace?’
Grace swallowed her mouthful of coffee and shook her head. ‘Just say I’m busy with another client. I don’t think he’ll ask. If he wanted to know, or if he cared how I felt, he would’ve called or texted yesterday. I’m sure he’s having too much fun to worry about me.’
‘All sorted,’ said Pat, returning to the kitchen. Ronald will be here just after nine. He’s happy to stay until after lunch so that means we’ll have the entire morning at Betancourt.’
Grace couldn’t stop the twinge of envy twisting in her stomach. ‘I’ll make a move then so I should be back in time for lunch. Then we can have a catch-up and see where we are and what needs doing next.’
‘That sounds good to me,’ said Simon. ‘I hope we don’t see Griff today, because I might have to give him a piece of my mind.’
‘Please don’t, Dad.’ Grace gave him a wan smile. ‘I’d rather we just all behaved as though none of us could care about him and his bloody girlfriend.’
‘Grace is right,’ said Hope. ‘Best to ignore him as much as possible.’
Grace got up and placed her plate and mug in the dishwasher. ‘I’ll see you all back here around one then. Have a good day.’
‘You too, darling,’ Pat said. ‘Drive safely. I’m certain it won’t snow, but make sure you’ve got a blanket in the car, just in case. And a shovel. And watch out for black ice. I know it’s 1 degree but there was a frost last night, so there may be ice patches on the roads.’
‘I’ll take care. Bye all.’
Grace put on her long, leather boots and then grabbed her coat, scarf, hat and gloves and wrapped up warmly before heading out.
She stopped for a second and looked at the sky. Granny Joy had often been right before, in spite of what the forecast said, but it didn’t look like snow was coming and there wasn’t as much as a breeze, so a blizzard was unlikely.
She forgot about the blanket and hurried to the door to get out of the cold. Once inside, she waited for the heater to kick in before pressing the starter and driving off in the direction of London Road.
It meant she had to drive past the ornate iron gates of Betancourt and try as she might, she couldn’t stop her eyes from drifting along the drive to the front door. But just like last time, the drive was empty and the door was closed.
