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‘Nope. Other than essays when I was at university and reports for work.’
‘Have you ever fancied writing?’
‘I guess I’ve considered it but I don’t think I’d be any good and I kind of worry that writing might ruin reading for me.’
‘Why’s that?’ Brooke glanced at him.
‘Well, I thought it might be kind of like working in a chocolate factory, you know? If you work with chocolate all the time you’d be less inclined to want to eat it.’
‘Oh right.’ She laughed. ‘That makes sense.’
‘Is it the same for you?’
‘In what way?’
‘You work with books all day so do you get bored of reading?’
She shook her head. ‘Not at all. But I can see why you’d ask that. I think it’s because the books I edit are works in progress and the books I read outside of work are polished.’
‘Do you ever see things in the published books that you’d change?’
Brooke giggled. ‘Sometimes.’ He was asking some interesting questions, and she was enjoying talking to him. He seemed to really want to know more about her and she liked that because since she’d lost Aidan, few people had asked beyond how she was and if she had plans for the day. Nolan was making her feel like a person and not simply a widow. He was reminding her, she thought, that she had been a person before she’d lost her husband and was still a person now with her own job, interests and life.
‘I think I would too,’ he said. ‘Sometimes when I see spelling and punctuation errors in colleagues’ reports, I want to correct them with a red pen.’
‘That would drive me crazy.’
‘Believe me, it does, especially when they’re mixing homophones.’
They soon reached Sunflower Street and Brooke’s home.
‘This is me,’ she said.
‘It’s a nice house.’ He appraised it.
‘Do you … want to come inside?’ She wasn’t sure if she should offer.
He smiled but shook his head. ‘No thanks. Another time, maybe? I know you’ve got to sort your daughter out and I need to get home and have an early night. I’ll be up at five and don’t want to be yawning my head off. The lads would never let me live it down. I need to be an example to them of how sport can improve your confidence and help you learn self-discipline so I’ll want to look awake and enthusiastic.’
‘Thanks for walking with me.’
‘It was a pleasure.’ He held her gaze for a moment and something in her stomach fluttered. He seemed like a genuinely nice person and she found him very easy to be around. Just like his grandmother.
‘See you soon,’ she said, then she turned and walked up the path. She unlocked the door and when she turned back, Nolan gave her a cheery wave before heading home.
As she went inside, Brooke found herself wondering if Aidan would have liked him and decided that he would have done. They’d probably have got along well, and she found that thought comforting.
Chapter 21
Clover
The following week, Clover made her way to Brooke’s home. After some encouragement, she’d persuaded Brooke to accept some help to get her home painted so she could settle in properly. Ethan had done a grand job of fitting new doors on the kitchen cupboards and a new wooden floor in the lounge, as well as restoring original features where possible, and, best of all, he’d kept the costs down. Brooke had told Clover that she was delighted with the work Ethan had done and was looking forward to feeling at home once everything was finished.
When she reached Brooke’s, she knocked on the door and waited for her friend to appear. Brooke’s front garden was already looking better after Brooke had weeded the beds and trimmed the bushes and now, either side of the path, early daffodils and snowdrops danced in the breeze, able to grow unhindered by the weeds and debris that had gathered over the years of neglect. Clover knew Brooke had been busy, and she’d encouraged plenty of physical activity as she believed it could help the mind and body to work together in harmony and this could help a broken heart to heal.
The door opened and Brooke stood there wearing denim dungarees and trainers with a long sleeved pink top underneath.Her light brown hair was held back with a paint splattered scarf, but a few tendrils had escaped and they curled around her forehead and her neck. She was a beautiful young woman, and Clover thought she looked so much better than when she’d first arrived in Wisteria Hollow. Her eyes looked different, less wary, and Clover knew that while she wasn’t fully there yet on her healing journey, she would get there and she hoped she’d be around to see that day.
‘Clover!’ Brooke smiled. ‘Come on in. But oh … whatever have you got there?’ She reached for the bags Clover was carrying.
