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‘Oh…’ Clover’s eyes filled with compassion.
‘I asked him not to get one. Asked him to choose a car instead but he was insistent that he’d be fine. Rationally, I know that many people ride motorbikes, and they are perfectly safe, just like I also know that lots of people have accidents in cars. The problem was that Aidan was a daredevil and the thought of him on a bike just made my stomach roll.’
‘Was he hurt on the bike?’
Brooke inclined her head. ‘He was. I hoped he would lose interest after passing his test the way he’d lost interest in other things. My old house could attest to his changing interests with the weights he bought and never used, the tools in the cellar that remained in their packaging, and the expensive exercise bike he used about five times before it became a clothes hanger in our bedroom.’
Clover nodded her understanding. ‘I’ve been there. My husband tended to buy things and rarely use them. In fact, I’mpretty sure he had some free weights that I ended up using as doorstops.’
Brooke smiled. ‘Did you ever bump your toe on one?’
‘Oh yes.’ Clover winced.
‘Hurts, right?’
‘Like hell!’
They both laughed and Brooke felt herself relaxing in the warm shop with this empathetic older woman who cared enough to listen. Sharing what she’d held inside for months was incredibly cathartic.
‘One day though, we had a terrible storm. Aidan said he was going out on the bike and I begged him not to. Allegra was at school, and I had work to do at home but he said he needed to get out to clear his head.’
‘And so he went?’ Clover asked.
‘He went.’ Brooke hung her head and stared at where Clover was still holding her hand. ‘He went,’ she repeated. ‘On the motorway, he tried to overtake a truck, but the driver didn’t see him because of the surface spray and… he pulled out too. Aidan swerved and lost control of the bike. It hit the central reservation then bounced back across the road and… and that was it. The paramedics who were first at the scene wrote in their report that when they arrived, he was already gone. The police officer who came to our home told me that it was over quickly and that he wouldn’t have suffered.’ Saying the words felt surreal, like she was rehearsing a script that someone had written for her. She realised that she’d said these words before in her head, but not out loud because she hadn’t been able to say them to anyone. But somehow, Clover had helped her to get them out into the air.
‘Does it help to say that out loud?’ Clover asked as if reading her thoughts.
‘Enormously.’ Brooke nodded vigorously. ‘It’s like… I thought I wouldn’t be able to tell you, that the words wouldchoke me before they left my mouth, but now that I’ve told you it’s like they’ve lost some of their power.’
‘Talking helps.’ Clover squeezed her hand, then picked up her mug again. ‘But the timing has to be right. It might have been too early for you to speak about it before but you’ve had some time to digest it and now you feel ready to share. I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason and at the right time.’
‘I moved here and met you and now … I barely know you but I’m telling you all about it.’ Brooke felt in awe of the fact that she’d been able to tell Clover about Aidan.
‘So what made you up sticks and move to Surrey?’ Clover asked.
‘We’d already bought the house here. Aidan said he wanted a renovation project and so we looked for one and liked the look of Wisteria Hollow and decided to move. You know how these things can go though… Buying and selling houses can take ages, but that was a good thing in this case because when Aidan… passed away… I had some time to try to sort my head out before moving. And then, although I didn’t feel like it, I thought I’d just as well move. It seemed like a plan to have a fresh start even though it was also terrifying.’
‘They say that moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do.’
‘I know, right!’ Brooke snorted. ‘So I went through one trauma and then another. But it’s done now and all I need to do next is to find someone to help with the renovations. I suspect that even though Aidan had it in his head that he’d do them, he’d have got bored and employed someone.’
‘There is a local handyperson called Ethan Morris. He lives on Sunflower Street actually and I’m sure he’d be able to help you or to direct you towards someone who can.’
‘That would be amazing. I need someone I can trust.’
‘Of course you do. Don’t want any of those cowboy builders you see on the TV documentaries, do you?’
‘Absolutely not! That’s the last thing I need right now.’
‘I’ll check if I have a card here somewhere for Ethan and you can give him a ring.’
‘That would be amazing, thanks.’
Clover peered into her mug. ‘Fancy another cuppa?’
‘I’d love one.’
‘And then I’m going to introduce you to some clay.’
