Coming Home to Maple Cottage: The perfect, cosy, feel-good romance

by Holly Martin

  ‘This is not anyone else, this is you,’ Leo said, softly.

  ‘When I move in with you, I want it to happen because it’s the right time for us, not because I’m being forced to.’

  He shook his head, smiling fondly at her. ‘You’re a stubborn woman. Why won’t you accept help when you need it? You don’t have to do this alone.’

  ‘I know. And you’re amazing. You’ve done so so much for me already but I want this to work between us. You have no idea how badly I want this to work, but let’s take it slow and not rush into anything.’

  He frowned, clearly not happy about this decision.

  ‘And not to add any pressure to our relationship, but Elliot wants us to hurry up and get married so you can give me a baby.’

  Leo’s eyebrows shot up. ‘No pressure at all then.’

  She laughed. ‘None whatsoever.’

  He kissed her and then eased her back against the wall. ‘I think we need some baby-making practice.’

  ‘I have work to do,’ Isla only half protested.

  ‘I can be quick,’ Leo said, undoing the buttons on her shirt.

  She laughed. ‘That’s not a selling point.’

  But what he did next with his tongue most definitely was.

  Isla was just shutting down her computer and getting ready to leave the office when Leo walked in from the warehouse.

  ‘Thomas wants to meet with us,’ Leo said, grabbing her bag and holding out her coat.

  ‘Now?’

  ‘Yes, and we’re to meet him up in Clover Woods, so no one will see us together,’ Leo said, a smile playing on his lips. It was clear Thomas was loving all this incognito stuff.

  ‘Do we need to wear a rose in our lapel so Thomas will recognise us, or take a decoy briefcase?’ Isla asked.

  He smiled. ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘Then let’s go,’ Isla said.

  ‘Let’s go in my car. I can drop you back here after to pick up yours,’ Leo said.

  She followed him outside, locked the office door and got into his car.

  ‘Did Thomas say what it was about?’ Isla asked as Leo negotiated the car down the long driveway.

  He shook his head. ‘Just that he’d had a meeting with Sadie and he wanted to discuss the results.’

  Isla sighed. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good, and she hoped she hadn’t made things worse with her interfering earlier that day. But just as long as Sadie hadn’t changed her mind about Elliot, she could cope with anything else.

  Leo placed his hand on her knee, but it wasn’t sexual this time, it was purely a comforting thing. ‘It’s going to be OK, I promise you.’

  She nodded, even though she couldn’t really find any solace in his words.

  He pulled up his car in the little car park next to the path that went through the woods. Thomas’s car was already there, which might have looked a bit suspicious if anyone had been watching them. Luckily this wasn’t a Hollywood movie and the FBI weren’t watching because Thomas wasn’t the best at this spy game stuff.

  They started walking through the woods, Leo taking her hand. It was still fairly light, although the nights were drawing in now and the muted twilight lent an eerie air to the proceedings. As the trees cleared, they saw a bench in a little glade and sitting on it was Thomas, actually in disguise, wearing a full-length trench coat, a fake moustache, a trilby hat and big black sunglasses. He was even reading a newspaper to finish the look. He looked so ridiculously out of place that if anyone was passing they wouldn’t be able to help but think Thomas was up to no good. The whole thing was such a farce that Isla wanted to laugh but the subject of the meeting prevented that.

  Leo sat down next to Thomas and Isla joined them. Thomas brought his newspaper up so if anyone was watching they wouldn’t be able to tell he was talking to them.

  ‘Thank you for meeting me. I had a meeting with my client today. I’m afraid to say she wants seventy-five thousand and then she will sign over her half of the house and give you full parental responsibility.’

  Isla’s heart sank. That was so much more money than she’d hoped. She had spent a while looking at small houses and flats near to the village today and they were a lot more expensive than she’d first thought. If she gave seventy-five thousand to Sadie, she wouldn’t have anywhere near enough left to get even the cheapest of flats. She’d have to go further inland, but then that would make taking Elliot to school every day tricky. She’d be further away from all her friends and family, too.

  ‘That’s ridiculous,’ Leo said. ‘Tell her to go to hell.’

  Thomas lowered the newspaper, giving up all pretence. ‘I told her if it was to go to court she would be unlikely to get half of that amount but she’s obviously done her homework on what the houses round here are worth. She knows seventy-five thousand isn’t half the value of the house so she believes this to be a fair deal. She also knows how much you want to keep Elliot so she’s holding that over your heads too.’

  Isla groaned. She’d laid her cards on the table with Sadie earlier that day, about how much she wanted Elliot, and Sadie had used that against her.

  ‘I say we call her bluff, take her to court, let’s see how much the judge gives her,’ Leo said.

  ‘I don’t want to do that, I want her gone. It will take months to sort out if we go to court,’ Isla said.

  ‘She won’t want to do that either, it would mean hanging around here for months, living out of a hotel when she probably wants to go back to Goa or wherever,’ Leo said. ‘She’s playing us, she knows we want this resolved quickly and we don’t want to go to court either. She’s banking on us wanting this done with as soon as possible.’

  ‘But if she thinks she’s going to get seventy-five thousand pounds or more out of it, waiting around for a few months is no great hardship for her,’ Isla said.

  ‘Maybe you come back with a counter-offer,’ Thomas suggested. ‘Through your solicitor obviously.’

  ‘Five thousand pounds and the promise we won’t go to the police because she’s trying to sell her child,’ Leo said.

  Thomas tilted his head as if he agreed with that sentiment. ‘You could certainly try that. I mean, I think you’ll have to up your offer significantly but you’re right, her offer to sign over parental responsibility of her child in return for monetary gains is actually illegal. I did tell her that it makes it far more complicated if she wants to include Elliot in her offer. If it goes to court the judge would throw that part of the agreement out completely but that would have a negative impact on your side of things. She’d get the money that the judge awards her and she would still have parental responsibility over Elliot with no need to sign it over to you.’

  Isla groaned. It was all so complicated. ‘What do you suggest, Thomas?’

  ‘I think you need to go away and work out what you could reasonably afford to pay, come back with a counter-offer. I’d suggest something like twenty-five thousand as a starting point and then hopefully she can be negotiated down to forty or fifty thousand. Legally, Elliot won’t be part of the formal agreement but I’m going to make damned sure she signs that parental responsibility form before she gets a single penny. I’ve also pointed out that if she refuses to sign him over to you, you could reasonably sue for four years’ child maintenance costs, which would be expensive for her.’

  ‘OK, and if she refuses to budge from seventy-five?’ Isla asked.

  ‘Then I agree with Leo. Take her to court and let the judge decide. I certainly wouldn’t give her seventy-five thousand pounds. And at the very least calling her bluff may make her reconsider. But she’s in this for the most money she can possibly get so court may be the only option at the end of the day.’

  Isla sighed.

  Thomas stood up and folded his newspaper. ‘And of course, you didn’t hear any of this from me. I’ll speak to Kim tomorrow and let her know the results from my meeting, so act surprised when Kim tells you. I’ll be in touch if I hear any more.’

&n
bsp; He moved to leave and then placed a hand on Isla’s shoulder. ‘We’ll sort this out, love.’

  She smiled weakly and nodded and he left them alone in the darkening woods.

  Isla sat back and stared up at the stars starting to pepper the sky above them.

  ‘Matthew, you’ve left a right mess behind, I don’t mind telling you. If there’s any divine intervention you can offer, I’d be eternally grateful.’

  Leo put his arm round her and she leaned into his shoulder. She looked up at him and he kissed her briefly on the lips. She smiled and gazed back up at the stars again as she snuggled into Leo’s side.

  ‘Though I am very grateful for this gift you sent me,’ Isla said, placing a hand over Leo’s heart.

  He smiled and kissed her forehead. ‘Come on, let’s go home.’

  Leo pulled into his driveway knowing that Isla wouldn’t be far behind. He’d dropped her off at her car and she’d gone off to pick up Elliot, while he’d stayed behind for a while at the office.

  He’d gone through all his bank accounts to see how much money he could reasonably take out and give to Isla. The problem being that since he had started taking a step back at work so he could be there more for Isla and Elliot over the last year, he’d taken on more staff to pick up his shortfall. He had three teams now who took care of all the displays, four pyrotechnicians in each team. They all needed paying as did Annie, his office manager, which was now Isla’s job and his own wages. The company made good money from firework displays, but once fourteen people’s wages had been factored in, plus the ongoing outlay for new fireworks and equipment, there wasn’t a great deal left over.

  He had recently managed to pay off his mortgage in full so had been putting quite a bit into his savings each month. He now had ten thousand put aside which he would give to Isla in a heartbeat but it wasn’t enough. Knowing Sadie as he did, she wasn’t going to back down from her offer. And if Isla thought she would have enough left over after selling the cottage to buy somewhere small in Sandcastle Bay, she was sorely mistaken. He didn’t know what the answer was. The obvious answer was for her to move in with him but he did understand why she didn’t want to do that yet.

  The drive looped round itself in a steep circle and he was surprised to see all the cars that were at the top when he pulled up outside his house.

  He smiled to himself when he realised it was Jamie, Melody, Aidan, Tori, Emily and Marigold. In times of crisis his family were always there and this was a time of crisis. They would no doubt have heard by now what was happening with Sadie and were here to offer emotional support if nothing else.

  He got out of his car and Marigold came running to greet him. He scooped her up and she gave him a big hug.

  ‘What a lovely welcome,’ Leo said, hugging her and then tickling her ribs, which sent her into peals of giggles.

  ‘We’re here to stage an invention,’ Marigold said.

  Leo suppressed a smile. ‘An invention? That sounds wonderful. What are we inventing?’

  ‘Something that gets rid of witches,’ Emily said, coming over and giving him a hug.

  ‘Well I definitely need one of those,’ Leo said.

  ‘Do you have a witch here?’ Marigold’s eyes glittered with excitement at the possibility of a real-life witch. This was a girl who wasn’t scared of anything.

  ‘Apparently there’s one nearby,’ Leo said theatrically. ‘She has a green face and warts on her nose.’

  ‘And she’s called Sadie,’ Emily said.

  Leo smiled. ‘Why don’t we go inside and get warm and, when Elliot gets here, you two can make a magic potion for getting rid of witches.’

  ‘Yay!’ Marigold cheered.

  He popped her down and went to open the front door. Luke greeted them all with a bark and Marigold scooped him up and carried him off to the kitchen, telling him he was going to be her assistant.

  ‘So, good night last night?’ Aidan said, clapping Leo on the back.

  ‘Yes, thank you for interfering with my life so spectacularly,’ Leo said, dryly.

  ‘By all accounts, our interfering worked out pretty damned fine,’ Melody said.

  ‘We were just cuddling in bed, nothing more,’ Leo said, truthfully, because at the moment that Emily had seen them, that’s exactly what they had been doing.

  ‘Sure you were, that’s why you were stark naked and Elliot found a condom on your bedside drawers,’ Emily said, following them into the house and clapping her hands together to keep them warm.

  There was nothing he could say to that. Everyone here knew what he’d been doing with Isla the night before and, almost certainly by now, Agatha and therefore the rest of the village knew too.

  ‘Well, as our last lot of interfering worked so well, you won’t mind us interfering again,’ Tori said, taking off her coat and scarf.

  ‘I’m sure Isla might mind,’ Leo said, indicating the headlights pulling into the drive.

  A few seconds later, Elliot burst into the house and ran straight into the kitchen to play with Marigold.

  Isla appeared in the doorway and looked around at all the faces waiting for her. ‘Are we having a party?’

  ‘Apparently so,’ Leo said.

  ‘That explains why Mum wanted to come back with me.’ Isla nodded her head outside and a few seconds later Carolyn walked in stamping her feet from the cold.

  ‘We want to know what’s going on with Sadie and Elliot,’ Emily said.

  ‘And most importantly what we can do to help,’ Melody said.

  Isla let out a hollow laugh. ‘Do you have a spare seventy-five thousand pounds?’

  ‘Is that what she wants?’ Jamie asked.

  Isla shut the door behind her and gestured for them to go in the lounge so they couldn’t be overheard from the kitchen.

  ‘I’ll just go and check on the kids,’ Emily said. ‘Don’t say anything until I get back.’

  Everyone settled themselves on chairs and sofas. Leo sat down and pulled Isla down on his lap just as Emily came waddling back into the room.

  ‘They’re busy making a magic potion out of water, flour and glitter. I think they’ll be busy for a while, though I don’t think your kitchen will be clean and tidy afterwards,’ Emily said, lowering herself into a chair. ‘So, tell us everything.’

  Isla took a deep breath and explained what had happened so far: Sadie turning up on her doorstep, hiding out at Leo’s so Sadie wouldn’t see Elliot, the fact that Sadie had no interest in Elliot at all, and now this ridiculous request for seventy-five thousand pounds in return for signing over Elliot and Sadie’s half of the house.

  ‘I can’t believe she has no interest in her own son,’ Tori said, rubbing her belly protectively, as if the thought of abandoning her child was not one she could possibly comprehend. Thankfully most mothers felt the same.

  ‘I know, it makes my heart ache just thinking about it, and also how Elliot will react to that when he’s older and able to understand all this,’ Isla said. ‘I love this little man with my whole heart, I just can’t see how she could walk away from him. But in many ways, I’m glad she doesn’t want him. I can deal with losing money, I can’t deal with losing him.’

  ‘So what are you going to do?’ Melody asked.

  ‘I can’t remortgage – not having a job for the last year is not looked on favourably by the bank. I’m going to have to sell Hot Chocolate Cottage but I don’t think there’ll be enough left over for me to get anywhere in Sandcastle Bay. I may have to buy a place further inland, away from the beach. Elliot will be gutted.’

  Six confused faces stared back at them.

  ‘But, why wouldn’t you just move in here?’ Melody asked as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

  Isla let out a little sigh. ‘Because… it’s not fair on Leo.’

  They still looked confused. Leo tried to find the words to defend her decision but he didn’t like it either. She belonged here at Maple Cottage.

  ‘We’ve had one date. Would any o
f you move in with someone after one date?’ Isla tried again.

  ‘But you’ve known each other for years,’ Melody said.

  ‘To be fair, we’ve known each other for years,’ Jamie said to Melody. ‘We’ve been going out for three months and we haven’t moved in together yet.’

  ‘Well, no,’ Melody conceded.

  ‘It took me two years to move in with Stanley,’ Emily said. ‘I’d have run a mile if he’d asked me to move in with him after one date.’

  ‘I just don’t want to move in with Leo because I have to. I want to move in with him when the time is right for us, because we love each other and we see a future together. Not because I’m going to be homeless.’

  Was that what this was? Was she just waiting for him to tell her he loved her? Was that all it would take? Hell, he’d tell her he loved her now if she’d agree to forget this nonsense and move in with him.

  ‘You won’t be homeless, you can move in with me,’ Melody said.

  ‘Or me,’ Carolyn said.

  ‘I have Elliot and he comes with a ton of toys and you both only have one bedroom. But thank you and, no, I won’t be homeless, but I will have to make some sacrifices and leaving Sandcastle Bay will probably be one of them.’

  ‘Would you move schools? Marigold will be distraught if she can’t see Elliot every day,’ Emily said.

  ‘I don’t want you to leave,’ Melody said.

  ‘I don’t want to leave either but I have to be practical. And I wouldn’t be too far away, maybe only half an hour in the car. We’d still see each other,’ Isla said.

  ‘There has to be another option,’ Tori said, looking at Aidan for help.

  ‘Look, we need to go back with a counter-offer first,’ Leo said. ‘We’ll offer her twenty-five thousand and see if she’ll take that. I have ten thousand in my savings, you can have that, and I’m sure we could find another fifteen from somewhere and you wouldn’t have to sell your home at all.’

  ‘I have three thousand in my savings,’ Melody said, immediately. ‘You can have that.’