‘Do you know someone who makes you feel like that?’ Charlie whispers eventually.
‘Yes…’ I whisper back, not understanding why my heart is suddenly racing. ‘Yes, I do.’
‘Then you should be with him, Gracie,’ Charlie says, turning away. He grabs his glass again, but pauses before he takes a drink. ‘Because he is the one who will make you happy.’
Dear Grace,
I’m so pleased you’ve made the decision to return permanently to your home and to those that love you. I know your choice concerns you, because you feel you’ve taken a step back. But please don’t worry; this is definitely a decision you will not regret.
I know too that your love life is something that is bothering you. You want to know whether you’ve made the right choice in matters of the heart. But that’s the thing about the heart; it’s very good at telling you what it wants you to do. You only have to listen to it, Grace, and it will guide you, just as I have tried to do over the years.
Love, Me x
Thirty-Five
‘There’s some post for you on the side, Grace,’ Mum says as Ava and I arrive at her house for tea one night. ‘Came today – redirected, by the looks of it. Come on through, Ava sweetheart, I’ve baked your favourite – jam tarts!’
Mum takes Ava through to the kitchen while I pause to pick up my post. After deciding to stay on in Sandybridge, I asked for my post to be redirected to Mum’s house. I haven’t got around to asking for it to be changed to Lighthouse Cottage yet, even though Ava and I have been living there for almost a month now.
The first few letters are the usual – a credit-card bill, a bank statement, a catalogue – none of which I want to see right now; having worked the notice period on my old job, I’ve yet to find a new one, so money’s tight. Then I come to a typewritten envelope with a real stamp on it. I turn it over to look at the back, but there’s no return address. I go ahead and open it.
‘What?’ I exclaim as I read through the letter again. ‘This can’t be!’
‘What is it, Grace dear?’ Mum asks, coming back into the hall. ‘Bad news?’
‘No – the opposite, very good news,’ I tell her. ‘Have you found out yet who the new owner of Sandybridge Hall is?’
She shakes her head. ‘All I know is that it was sold a while ago. No one knows who’s bought it. Why?’
‘Because I’ve been offered a job there, as chief curator. Well, it’s a bit more than that, actually: they want me to be in charge of restoring the whole place to its former glory – their words, not mine.’
Mum takes the letter from me and reads through it. ‘It says you were recommended to them by one of your former bosses. Who’s that?’
‘I’m not sure… Oh, it might be Hilary at the V&A; I told her I was looking for work.’ I take the letter back. ‘This is amazing, Mum, exactly the opportunity I’ve been looking for, something to get my teeth into, yet right on my doorstep.’
Mum gives me a huge hug. ‘This calls for a celebration! I wish I’d baked one of my cakes now. How about we go out to eat at the pub?’
‘It’s not definite yet. They say they’d like to talk to me first, to see if we’re on the same wavelength about how to restore the house and its gardens.’
‘Of course you’ll be on the same wavelength, you’ve known that house since you were a little girl, you’ll know exactly how to restore it to its former glory. I’m sure when my Grace is finished with it, Sandybridge Hall will look better than it’s ever looked before.’
*
‘So, what did they say?’ Danny asks me, as we sit at a table in the Sandybridge Arms.
I’m just back from a trip down to London to see a representative of the new owner of Sandybridge Hall.
We met at a rather beautiful Art Deco café, and I was asked to outline my ideas for the refurbishment of Sandybridge Hall. Luckily my ideas seemed to match those of the new owner: that the aim should be to return the house and gardens to their original Tudor glory, using original and reclaimed materials wherever possible.
There’ll be a dedicated team of staff, which I’ll be in charge of, tasked with finding as many of the original furnishings as can be traced. Any items that can’t be found, I’m to replace by sourcing the closest match available.
The owner not only wants to return the hall to its heyday, but to turn it into a place where he can live comfortably. So along with all the renovation work, I’m to convert some of the rooms into modern living quarters too.
It’s a huge job, but according to Sue – who it turns out is personal assistant to the new owner, Mr Braithwaite – money is no object. He’s determined that this must be done properly, and I’d been highly recommended to him at a party as the ideal person for the job.
‘So you’ve accepted the job then?’ Danny asks eagerly.
‘Yes. There was no way I was going to turn it down – unless the pay had been rubbish, which it isn’t; it’s surprisingly good, actually. I can’t believe it, Danny – this couldn’t be more perfect for me right now if it tried!’
Danny lifts his glass. ‘Here’s to you, Gracie, your new job, and your return to Sandybridge. I for one am very glad you’re going to be sticking around!’
‘Thank you!’ I chink my glass with his.
Since Ava and I moved into Lighthouse Cottage, I’ve been spending more time with Danny. It still isn’t anything more serious than a few dates, and I’m taking care to keep it that way.
After Charlie told me about Danny, and his possible feelings for me, I’d spent a lot of time thinking about what I should do next. But I couldn’t suddenly stop seeing Danny – for a start, what excuse would I give? And anyway, I didn’t want to. I like Danny, he’s my friend, and I want it to stay that way.
And we’re hardly lovesick teenagers any more; if we can’t just be friends without anything else happening, then we have a bit of a problem.
‘How’s Ava getting on at school?’ Danny asks. ‘Is she settling in OK?’
‘Wonderfully, I couldn’t have asked for it to go better. It’s like she’s always been there, she loves it.’
The first week of Ava’s new school coincided with working the notice period on my job in London, but I’d done some unpaid overtime so I could be the one to take her in on her first day. I’d anticipated Ava being the one who was tearful and upset to be leaving me and starting school, but far from it: my eyes had been the only ones shedding tears.
I replay the events of that morning in my mind: Ava, happily mingling with her new classmates, playing with some building bricks, while I exit the classroom and walk through the school playground, somehow managing to stay strong until I pass through the school gates. That’s when the torrent of big wet salty tears that I’d been holding back began to well up, finally escaping from my eyes and pouring down my cheeks.
Charlie had been waiting for me at the cottage that day with a fresh box of supersize tissues, and a cup of tea already brewing in the pot. He’d allowed me to sob on his shoulder until my tears dried up, and I was ready to nurse my sorrows with a cuppa.
‘She’s a little star, that one,’ Danny says, smiling. ‘I’ve become quite fond of her.’
‘Yes, she certainly knows her own mind. She’s a lot braver than I was at her age.’
‘I don’t know, you were quite feisty, if I remember rightly. That’s one of the things I liked about you. Amongst others, obviously!’ He raises his eyebrows suggestively.
I take an uncomfortable sip of my orange juice, and try to change the subject. I don’t know what it is. I like Danny, I really do, but not in that way any more.
‘Did you hear anything back from Jonathan after your meeting last week?’ I ask. ‘He sounded quite keen when I spoke to him.’ I’d put Danny in touch with a friend of mine from the art gallery who was looking for a new charity to support. From what I’d heard, it sounded as though they’d hit it off immediately.
‘Yes, I did. I meant to tell you, but with all your exciting news I almos
t forgot. Jonathan’s company is going to provide quite a substantial amount of new equipment for us in return for some heavy advertising on our website. They might be interested in helping us build a new rehabilitation centre if things go well. That was a good shout, Gracie; thanks for the tip-off.’
‘My pleasure.’ I smile at him. ‘I thought you might work well together.’
‘It seems I need you in my business life, as well as my personal one…’ Danny says, winking at me. ‘So what are you doing now?’ he asks, when I don’t respond. ‘Have you eaten yet? Fancy a meal here?’
‘Ah, that would have been lovely, but I have to get back,’ I reply, before drinking the last of my juice down. ‘Mum is giving Ava tea at her house, but she’s going out tonight – WI, I believe, so I need to collect Ava from her pretty soon and head home.’
‘I could bring takeaway to the cottage?’ Danny suggests.
‘That’s very kind, Danny, but I have to prepare for tomorrow – we’re interviewing for a new assistant in the shop and I need to go through the applicants.’
‘Then let me help you,’ Danny says, undeterred. ‘I’ll bring fish and chips and we can go through them together. I’m a pretty good judge of character – I must be, I’ve been chasing you all these years.’
It’s obvious he has no intention of giving up. ‘OK, but on one condition: we share some of our chips with Ava. She’ll never forgive me if you turn up with takeaway and she’s not involved!’
‘Deal!’ Danny says, looking pleased with himself. ‘Shall I come round at say… seven?’
‘Seven is fine. That’ll give me time to get Ava bathed and in her pyjamas. She can spend a while with us, then I’ll put her to bed.’
‘Great…’ Danny hesitates. ‘It’s only the three of us I need to buy chips for? Charlie’s not around at the moment?’
‘No, he’s away in Belgium. He said he’ll be back at the weekend though for a couple of days.’
‘Good. I mean, it will be nice just the two of us.’
‘Yes. Well, us and Ava.’
‘Of course,’ Danny says, nodding hurriedly. ‘I mean when Ava goes to bed.’
That’s exactly the bit I’m worried about…
Thirty-Six
‘You look like you’re enjoying those chips,’ Danny says as he watches Ava wolf down the small plate of chips we’ve shared with her. ‘You have an appetite like your mum’s.’
‘Hey, I’m not so bad these days,’ I protest, just as I’m about to enjoy another forkful of chips. ‘Well, not as bad as I used to be, anyway.’
‘Mummy likes food,’ Ava says, smiling. ‘We bake cakes at Grandma’s and eat them all up.’
‘Ha, I bet you do!’ Danny says, grinning with delight at Ava. ‘And rightly so. I bet they’re delicious. Your grandma always did make good cakes.’
Danny glances across at me, and I know he’s referring to the time we dated and Mum would insist on feeding him huge helpings of cake, sandwiches or whatever else she could find every time he came around.
‘It was her way of showing she liked you,’ I tell him.
‘Would you make me some cakes sometime?’ Danny asks Ava. ‘I bet you make the best cupcakes.’
Ava nods. ‘With sprinkles on top?’
‘Oh yes, definitely sprinkles!’
‘Is that OK, Mummy?’ she asks, looking across the little table we’re sitting at in the kitchen. ‘Can I make Danny cakes?’
‘Yes, I don’t see why not.’
‘They won’t be as good as my Uncle Charlie’s cakes,’ Ava says matter-of-factly. ‘His lighthouse cakes are the best.’
Danny flinches slightly at the mention of Charlie’s name. ‘Yes, his bakery do make lovely cakes, but I bet yours will be even nicer!’
Ava shrugs. ‘Maybe. Are you my mummy’s boyfriend now?’ she asks suddenly, as if it’s the most natural question in the world to want an answer to.
‘Ava!’ I cry, my cheeks glowing as red as the ketchup bottle that sits on the table. ‘That’s very rude.’
‘No, it’s fine,’ Danny says, grinning. ‘Don’t worry about it. No, I’m not,’ he says, to my immediate relief. ‘But I was once, a long time ago.’
‘Oh,’ Ava says, picking up one of her last remaining chips and dipping it into her ketchup. ‘But you don’t want to be now?’
Oh Lord!
Danny glances at me. ‘That is for your mummy to decide,’ he says. ‘I think it’s up to her who she has as a boyfriend, don’t you?’
‘I think it’s about time you went to bed, Ava. It’s way past your bedtime and you have school tomorrow.’
Ava looks at me and is about to argue when she sees the stern expression on my face. She considers the matter for a split second longer, then decides this isn’t going to be a battle she has a chance of winning.
‘OK…’ she says, climbing down from the table. ‘Can I have some milk to take up to bed though?’
‘A small glass only, or you’ll be up all night at the toilet. I’ll pour you one and bring it up, now say goodnight to Danny.’
‘Goodnight, Danny,’ she says, coming around the table to hug him.
Danny leans down a little and gives Ava a hug. ‘Goodnight, Ava.’
‘Uncle Charlie said you weren’t Mummy’s boyfriend,’ she whispers, looking innocently up at Danny. ‘He said you were only friends.’
Danny nods. ‘And he’s right, we are. Now, do girls of your age still like stories before they go to bed?’
‘Ooh yes, please!’ Ava jumps up and down excitedly.
‘Is it OK if I read Ava a story?’ he asks, looking at me.
‘I don’t see why not. Go choose a story, Ava, then Danny can read it for you before you go to your bedroom.’
‘I’ll read it to you in bed, if you like?’ Danny says. ‘After all, that’s what a bedtime story is for, is it not?’
I hesitate, not knowing what to say – Ava’s bedroom is upstairs.
‘Is your chair magical?’ Ava asks innocently. ‘Will it fly up the stairs? That’s clever, I’d like to see that.’
‘Ah…’ Danny says, looking uncomfortable. ‘I hadn’t thought of that. Slightly awkward.’
‘No, Ava, Danny can’t go up the stairs,’ I explain quickly. ‘You go and choose a story and bring it down. It’s OK – I’ll let you stay up a little while longer for that.’
Ava dashes out of the kitchen and we hear her climbing the wooden staircase that’s tucked away behind a curtain in the hall.
‘Sorry,’ I apologise. ‘She didn’t realise.’
‘No, totally my fault. Strange as it may seem, sometimes even I forget I’m in this thing.’ Danny taps the side of the chair.
‘Why don’t you go through to the lounge?’ I suggest. ‘Then you can read to Ava in peace while I clear up. Winston is through there, asleep in his bed, but he won’t mind having company.’
‘Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you with all the tidying up.’
‘We’ve only had chips, I’m sure I can manage! You go, Ava loves someone different to read to her.’
‘All right then, if you’re sure?’
‘Danny! I have a story!’ Ava cries as she thunders back down the stairs clutching a book in her hand. ‘Hurry up!’
‘There’s your answer!’ I smile.
Danny follows Ava through to the sitting room, which is not an easy task for him. The narrow hall of this 150-year-old cottage wasn’t built for wheelchairs, but Danny is very agile in his, and manages it without making a fuss.
I quickly clear up what little mess there is in the kitchen, and I’m about to go through to the sitting room to join Ava and Danny, when I pause for a moment in the hall to listen.
Danny is reading Ava one of her favourite stories about a bear and his family. I’ve read this particular book to Ava what feels like a hundred times, but Danny is managing to make it sound different, giving each character in the book a funny voice. By the sound of Ava’s giggles and squeals of delight, she
’s loving it.
I’m about to go in and join them when I hear a key rattle in the back door behind me. Winston barks and rushes through into the hall, and as I turn to see what’s going on, to my astonishment I see the door open and Charlie walk through it carrying his overnight bag over his shoulder.
‘Charlie, what are you doing here? I didn’t think you’d be here until the weekend.’
‘I wasn’t supposed to be,’ Charlie says, leaning down to pat Winston, ‘but my meetings were cancelled. One of the guys has got chicken pox, and the other’s son was rushed to hospital suddenly, so I thought I might as well come home.’
He dumps his bag down in the hall, and kneels to fuss Winston properly.
‘Is it OK for me to stay a few days longer?’ he asks, looking up at me while he rubs Winston’s ears.
‘Don’t be silly, this is your home, of course it is!’
‘I know, but I like to let you know when I’m going to be back. Give you some notice.’
An excited giggle escapes from the sitting room.
‘It’s a bit late for Ava to be up, isn’t it?’ Charlie asks. ‘On a school night, too.’
‘We have a visitor,’ I tell him, suddenly feeling very awkward that Danny is here. After all, this is still Charlie’s house, however much he insists it’s my home now.
‘Oh, who?’ Charlie stands up, looking interested.
But Ava comes bursting through the door before I can tell him. ‘Mummy, can Danny read me another story please? He’s ever so good.’
She sees Charlie standing in the hall.
‘Uncle Charlie!’ she cries, running over to him. ‘I wondered who Winston was barking at!’
Charlie scoops her up in his arms and twizzles her around. He looks over at me questioningly while he hugs Ava.
Danny? he mouths, raising an eyebrow.
Danny has wheeled himself to the sitting room door. ‘Evening, Charlie,’ he says, smiling at him. ‘We didn’t expect to see you this evening.’
‘I bet,’ Charlie murmurs. ‘I came back early, Danny. Thought I’d spend a few extra days here in Sandybridge. There’s no place like home, is there?’ He stresses the word. ‘And this is still my house.’
Letters from Lighthouse Cottage Page 24
