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‘Hi there.’ Clover heard her grandson’s deep voice from the doorstep.
‘Would you like to come in?’
‘That would be great, thanks,’ Nolan replied.
They came through to the kitchen and Nolan flashed his grandmother a grin. ‘Grams!’
‘Nolan.’ She winked.
‘I’ve got something here for you. Grams asked me to pick it up because it was a bit heavy for her to carry.’ He held up a large bag.
‘Oh … right.’ Brooke looked from Nolan to Clover, her eyes wide.
‘It’s a housewarming present, Brooke.’
‘Thank you.’ Brooke accepted the bag and peered inside. ‘Oh! Thank you so much.’
She set the bag on the floor, then lifted out the box and put it on the table next to the scones and muffins.
‘Is it all right?’ Clover asked.
‘It’s amazing. But I can’t accept this.’ Brooke’s eyes were shining as she gazed at the box on the table. ‘It’s too much.’
‘Nonsense!’ Clover admonished. ‘I wanted to get you a housewarming gift and this seemed like a perfect one.’
Brooke stepped forwards and embraced Clover. ‘You’re so kind, so incredibly kind.’
Clover patted Brooke’s back and felt the younger woman shaking in her arms. ‘No need to get upset, dear. You deserve all the good things.’
‘Thank you.’ Brooke said into Clover’s shoulder, then she let go of her and wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. ‘I’m very lucky. Until I moved here, I thought that … I’d never feelhappy again but being here, having you as a friend … It’s helped so much.’
Clover smiled, her eyes stinging. ‘It’s helped me too. More than you could ever know.’
Nolan cleared his throat. ‘Grams thinks the world of you,’ he said to Brooke.
‘It’s mutual,’ Brooke whispered, dabbing at her eyes with a piece of kitchen roll she’d pulled from her dungarees pocket.
‘Right then, Nolan, why don’t you set this up and I’ll see what Brooke needs me to do around here.’
‘No problem,’ Nolan said as he unpacked the coffee machine.
Clover placed a hand on Brooke’s arm. ‘Come on then, show me around.’
Clover had to admit that Brooke’s home was looking wonderful. Ethan had done a good job and there were just some finishing touches to be done before it would be a beautiful home for Brooke and Allegra.
‘It’s a fresh start for you,’ Clover said when they stood in Brooke’s bedroom. Ethan was cutting in along the coving with an impressively steady hand.
‘It is,’ Brooke replied, turning to gaze out of the window at the street. ‘I’m so sad that Aidan’s not here to enjoy it too, but at the same time, I’m grateful for the chance to start over. I needed to get away from Rochdale. There were too many memories there.’
Clover said, ‘Aidan will always be in your heart, dear, but now you can make new memories.’
‘Yes.’ Brooke said, wiping a tear away. ‘It’s time.’
Chapter 22
Brooke
Sitting at the kitchen table with Clover and Nolan, Brooke sipped her tea. They’d had a busy morning of finishing painting the woodwork and putting furniture together. Nolan had helped, telling Brooke that he’d booked the day off so he could be there with them. When Clover had gone to wash her hands, he’d told Brooke that he wanted to keep an eye on his grandmother because she tended to overdo things and so he could take over if she got tired. Brooke wasn’t sure if he was teasing her because she’d never seen someone with as much energy as Clover; the octogenarian put her to shame.
