Chapter 9

9

Placing her mug of steaming coffee on the kitchen table, Laura sank onto the wooden bench. After spending the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon gardening, muscles she didn’t even realise she possessed ached. She rolled her shoulders back before picking up her mug and wrapping her hands around the hot ceramic. Thanks to Jackson fixing the washing machine last night, she’d managed to get the throws and cushion covers from the sitting room washed today too. It actually felt as though she was getting things organised, taking a step closer to being able to open.

Just as she savoured the last sip of coffee, the doorbell rang, letting out its feeble tune. That’s one thing she’d forgotten to do today – buy batteries. She’d have to remember to write it on the list.

Standing up, she made her way to the door, raking her fingers through her hair before she pulled it open.

‘Surprise, sis! I hope you don’t mind, but we were heading down to Rob’s parents and the twins were desperate to see you, so we thought we’d pop by.’ Without waiting for an invitation, Jenny bustled into the hallway and drew her in for a hug.

‘Hi.’ Laura spoke into Jenny’s pale pink cashmere jumper as she watched the twins, Tammy and Toby, run up the garden path, slowly followed by Rob. She was sure Rob’s parents lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, at least an hour away from Meadowfield by any route they could have taken to reach there.

Jenny unwrapped her arms and stepped away from the embrace before turning slowly on the spot and looking around. ‘This is the famous Pennycress Inn, then?’

‘This is Pennycress.’ Laura jumped out of the way as Tammy and Toby barged past her, their eyes on each other and seemingly in the middle of a very serious game of tag.

‘Hello, Laura. Lovely to see you and your new place.’ Rob hugged her quickly around the shoulders. ‘We won’t stay long because my parents are expecting us for dinner, but Jenny was desperate to come and see how you were getting along.’

Ha, she’d known they must have taken a special detour.

Laura nodded. ‘No worries. Are you staying at your parents’ for the weekend?’

‘No, we’re not.’ Jenny grinned as Laura closed the door behind them. ‘The twins are. Rob’s booked us a nice weekend away, haven’t you, Rob? Down in Bourton-on-the-Water. I can’t wait.’

‘Oh, that’ll be lovely then.’ Laura smiled. Her sister worked so hard on her business and looking after the kids and house – not that she ever made it look hard. No, she was like a swan gliding across the surface of the water, she made everything look easy. Anyway, however hard she worked or didn’t, she deserved a night away.

‘It’s an anniversary treat. Our big one, ten years.’ She looked down at her shoes. ‘Are we doing shoes on or off?’

Laura looked across to where the twins were sliding down the banister, their trainers firmly attached to their feet. ‘Shoes on is fine. I’m so sorry, I completely forgot about your anniversary. I’ve not even got you a card. Or anything.’ How could it have slipped her mind? She’d been so focused on the inn, on her problems, that she’d completely forgotten about what was going on in her sister’s life, her family’s lives. How was she supposed to juggle it all? Business and family? Jenny could. She had her business and two kids and still managed to keep up with what everyone else was doing. Laura though, she just couldn’t do anything right at the moment.

‘Don’t worry about it, sis.’ Jenny walked further inside. ‘Shall we get the kettle on? I’m parched.’

‘Yes, of course. We can have a coffee before I show you around. Come on through to the kitchen.’ Holding her hand out, Laura indicated the way. ‘I still can’t believe I forgot to even text to congratulate you.’

‘I’m sure it’s a date in your diary you’d rather forget at the moment.’ Rob looked at her sympathetically before doubling over as Jenny elbowed him in the ribs. ‘Ouch!’

‘Ouch yourself! I told you not to bring it up.’ Jenny scolded Rob before laying her hand on Laura’s forearm. ‘Men, they have no tact whatsoever.’

Laura took a deep breath as it dawned on her what Rob was referring to. Break-up day. The day she and Harry had gone their separate ways, the day everything had come to a head and she’d told him it was over. In retrospect, she probably shouldn’t have broken up with him on Jenny and Rob’s anniversary, but at the time she hadn’t realised, she’d had so much going on, so much to think about that the date of their special day had completely slipped her mind. And now, it seemed, she’d forever be reminded of the day she’d called off her marriage.

‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned anything,’ Rob spluttered as he sat down at the table. ‘I was warned not to.’

‘Yes, you were.’ Jenny, sitting opposite him, glared at him.

‘Honestly, don’t worry about it.’ Laura filled up the kettle before flicking the switch and busying herself with getting the mugs. ‘In truth, it had completely slipped my mind. I hadn’t realised what the date was. Every day has just merged into another since I moved in.’

‘I’m glad this place is doing what you’d hoped then. Giving you a new start and something to focus on.’ Standing up, Jenny took the milk from the fridge and handed it to her sister before sitting back down.

‘Yes, yes, it is.’ After taking the mugs of coffee to the table, she sat down next to Jenny. ‘There’s more to do than I’d first thought, and although I researched loads, I still need to get my head around the advertising side of things before I open up, so it’s definitely keeping me busy.’ Not to mention the hallway wall she needed to repair, the roof tile and anything else she hadn’t yet discovered. But she wasn’t about to point them out.

‘That’s good then. Less time to mull over your divorce.’ Rob lifted his mug.

Raising her eyebrows, Jenny pursed her lips before turning to Laura. ‘Tell me all about what?—’

The twins flew into the kitchen, pulling the cupboard doors open. ‘We’re hungry,’ they said in unison.

‘Stop, stop, I have food here.’ Rummaging in her oversized handbag, Jenny pulled out two Tupperware tubs of cucumber and carrot sticks.

‘Yuck, hasn’t Auntie Laura got any real food?’ Tammy let the cupboard door swing shut with a bang and walked across to the table.

‘I don’t suppose she’s had time to get much in.’

Laura shook her head. ‘I might have something. I’ll have a look.’ Standing up, she began searching through the snacks she’d bought on her way down to the Cotswolds and pulled out two chocolate bars. Her favourite, but after being saved from an awkward conversation about her and Harry’s break-up, the twins could have what they wanted.

‘Thank you, Auntie Laura.’ Tammy took the treats before passing one to her brother.

Taking the chocolate bar, Toby glanced at it before looking across at his mum. ‘I thought these were Uncle Harry’s favourite? He was eating one the other day.’

The other day? Had they met up with Harry and not told her? Why wouldn’t Jenny have mentioned it? Laura frowned as she sat back down at the table.

‘Mummy said we’re not allowed to call him Uncle Harry anymore.’ Tammy punched Toby’s arm.

‘That chocolate is Auntie Laura’s favourite, Toby. Harry just likes them too.’ Laura shifted on the bench. ‘Why don’t you two go and explore? Take a look around.’

‘Okay.’ Taking Toby’s hand, Tammy began leading him back out of the kitchen before turning and throwing something in the direction of the table. ‘We found this too. I think it’s a money card and I wanted to buy that unicorn teddy I’ve been wanting, but Toby said we couldn’t take it with us.’

‘Okay, thanks.’ Leaning down, Laura picked up the card. Tammy had been right, it was a credit card, but not one she recognised. She turned it over in her hand. It was Jackson’s. It must have fallen from his pocket last night.

‘Sorry. I did tell them he’s not their uncle anymore,’ Jenny offered as way of explanation.

Laura waved the apology away. If she was honest, it hadn’t even occurred to her that her niece and nephew had lost an uncle because of her actions. Had they been upset? ‘Don’t worry. You met up with him though? With Harry?’

‘We didn’t meet up with him, no. We ran into him at the supermarket and, well, you know how difficult he is to get away from.’ Jenny grimaced.

‘And the way you chat, too.’ Rob took another sip of his coffee.

‘Well, okay, yes, but I didn’t feel as though I could just blank him, either.’ Jenny focused on Laura again. ‘You two were together for what, ten years? Besides, I had the twins with me. It would have confused them even more if I’d just walked right past him.’

‘Still, you didn’t need to chat with him for quite as long as you did. I think the twins were more upset about the fact their ice lollies had melted by the time we got to the checkouts.’ Rob shook his head softly.

‘Yes, well, you swapped them for new ones, didn’t you? So no harm done.’ Jenny twisted, so she was facing Laura again. ‘You don’t mind me talking to Harry, do you? I just wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do and then he got talking in the rambling way he does, and I just couldn’t see a way out of the conversation without appearing super rude.’

‘No, of course not.’ That was one of the main reasons she’d wanted to move away, so that she didn’t keep running into him too. He’d been a huge part of their lives, part of the family. She couldn’t blame them for not completely cutting all ties. And Jenny was right. It would have seemed really odd to the twins if her parents hadn’t spoken to their former uncle. She held her mug up to her lips and mumbled behind the rim. ‘Did he say what he’s up to?’

‘Same old stuff as far as I could tell. Work, snooker, drinking down the pub with his mates. It didn’t sound as though anything’s changed.’ Jenny shrugged.

‘And he’s still with Dina?’ She shouldn’t have asked. She didn’t want to know. She took a gulp of her coffee, immediately wishing she’d remembered to buy some sugar as the bitter taste hit the back of her throat.

She’d been pleased to hear he’d found someone else. Even if it had only taken a month after the marital home had sold and they’d finally been able to go their separate ways, but she still couldn’t get over the fact Dina was his ex from before Laura had met him. She was happy for him as she’d felt awful being the one to make the decision to end their marriage, but she couldn’t help wondering if he’d always felt something for his ex. Had he always harboured feelings for her? Throughout their marriage? If so, had their marriage been doomed from the start? Had Laura been second choice all along? She shuddered as she thought of the possibility that Harry may have been seeing Dina for longer, seeing her whilst they’d still been living together, maybe even before they’d separated. After all, she knew Dina had frequented the same pub as Harry; anything could have happened. She gripped her mug tighter, her knuckles turning white.

‘No, he’s not actually. That was one thing he did say. They split up a few months back.’ Jenny turned to her husband. ‘Can you remember how long he said it’s been since their break-up? Four, five months?’

Rob shrugged. ‘I must admit I was more focused on trying to stop the twins from filling up the trolley with junk food than listening to him.’

Laura stifled a laugh. That sounded like Rob. He’d never been one for small talk.

‘Well, four or five months, something like that, anyway, so it didn’t last long.’

‘No, it didn’t, did it?’ Laura braced herself for the bitter taste as she took another sip of her drink. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt after hearing the news that her ex-husband was single again. Part of her felt upset for him, another relieved. But why? It wasn’t as though she wanted him back. She was still sure that walking away had been the right decision but the fact he’d moved on so easily to another serious relationship had made her feel as though their marriage had meant absolutely nothing, that she was so easily replaceable. So, hearing he and Dina hadn’t worked out after all suggested that maybe, just maybe, she’d jumped to the wrong conclusion and he wasn’t finding their separation quite the walk in the park she’d thought he was.

‘You’re just not that easy to replace.’ Jenny grinned as though she’d read her mind.

‘Mummy, Daddy, quick!’ Tammy ran full pelt into the kitchen, skidding across the floor and narrowly missing running headlong into the cupboards as she slipped on the tiles.

‘What is it?’ Jumping up, Jenny and Rob followed her out into the hallway, Laura shortly behind.

‘Toby!’ Jenny’s scream filled the hallway before Laura had even stepped out of the kitchen.

Rob sprinted the few short steps to where Toby lay in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, crying and holding his ankle, pieces of the wooden banister scattered around him. ‘Toby, are you all right? Are you hurt?’

Standing and watching as Jenny and Rob fussed over him, Laura opened and closed her lips silently, struggling for words. A large chunk of the beautifully engraved oak banister had splintered off, lying in pieces across the floor. ‘Is he okay?’

‘My ankle! My ankle hurts. It hurts, Mummy. It hurts.’ Holding his ankle, Toby rocked back and forth as Jenny tried to look at it.

‘Can you wriggle your toes?’

Looking down at his foot, Toby tried to move his toes before screaming again. ‘It hurts.’

‘I think we need to get him checked out at a hospital.’ Rob picked him up in his arms before looking down at his daughter. ‘Tammy, go and fetch yours and Toby’s coats. There’s a good girl.’

Standing up, Jenny stroked Toby’s hair as he buried his face in his dad’s shoulder. ‘It’s okay, sweetheart. You’ll be okay.’

‘I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say.’ Laura held her arms out. If Toby had broken his ankle or something, she’d never forgive herself. ‘I didn’t realise there was anything wrong with the staircase.’

‘It’s not your fault. We’ve both told them time and time again not to slide down the banister.’ Jenny drew Laura in for a quick hug before holding the front door open.

Stepping outside, his son still in his arms, Rob glanced back. ‘It looks like woodworm. I’d get that checked out before you get it replaced.’

‘Right. Okay, thanks.’ Laura nodded as she closed the door behind them. Woodworm. Great, now that sounded expensive.

Turning, she looked at the aftermath of Toby’s accident. In the short time since she’d moved in, the hallway had gone from looking mostly okay, maybe needing a little spruce-up, to crumbling plaster from the walls and now a broken banister and a possible case of woodworm. But that wasn’t what was important, as long as Toby was okay she’d be able to deal with the rest.

Sighing, she returned to the kitchen and sank onto the bench before pulling her coffee towards her. Staring into the cold drink, she just couldn’t get the image of poor Toby lying in pain and crying out of her head. What if he really was hurt? What if he had broken his ankle? Blinking, she picked up her phone. There was nothing she could do for Toby but wait for news, but she could try to distract herself from her worries by focusing on what she could control, trying to get the banister repaired. There must be a woodworm specialist near here. What would a woodworm specialist even be called? Did she need a carpenter? What did she need to look up? Pest control?

She took a long glug of the disgusting coffee. What if the whole building was infected? Was that even the right word, infected? Overrun? Or infested maybe? Is that what happened? Did it spread? Did she even have enough savings to cover something like this?