Chapter Eight
Ellie
Tuesday 14 January
‘What’s this?’ Scott frowned as he picked up some papers from the table in the hall. ‘Property brochures?’
‘Yes. I fancy something bigger and with a garden. It would be nice to sit out in the summer. I think it’s time to find somewhere new.’
‘But people would bite your hand off to have a flat like this, and in Stockbridge of all places.’
‘Like I said, I’ve outgrown it. I wouldn’t mind moving out of the city if I could have something bigger.’
‘Hmm.’ Scott’s eyebrows knitted. ‘If you say so. I’ll see you around twelve. I just need to pop into work for a bit.’
‘But you’re on annual leave. We’re on annual leave.’
‘I know, and I’m sorry, but I won’t be long. I promise.’ He gave her a quick peck on the forehead and the door swung closed behind him as he left the flat.
And there it was. Scott’s lack of interest, or even awareness. He couldn’t even commit to a full day off together. A pre-arranged full day off.
She was twenty-eight, her boyfriend of six years was thirty-six and they still lived in separate homes: Ellie in this one-bedroom flat in Edinburgh, and Scott in a three-bedroom house in Livingston. They’d gone on numerous long-haul holidays and got on well when in close quarters: no nagging, no fighting– it had been like a dream. Yet Scott had never once broached the subject of them moving in together, let alone anything else.
So she’d decided to force the issue. Whatever happened, her efforts wouldn’t be wasted, but she wanted to see how Scott reacted to her looking at moving.
She’d also scheduled an estate agent to visit so he’d know she was serious. She intended to make him really think, if he was capable of doing so, about their relationship and what her selling up and buying something bigger might mean for them. Surely he had to have an opinion one way or the other.
Since she’d met the girls on Thursday, and with Jess’ confirmation that she was one hundred per cent proposing to Mark, her mind had been racing with possibilities and outcomes. Should she go for the job in Manchester? It was her dream job. Could she afford, in every sense, to pass it up? And just when she’d convinced herself that she couldn’t possibly leave Scott and her family– Chloe would be seriously narked when she found out, and who could blame her?– her mind flipped to the fact she was turning down the job she’d worked so hard for, and she decided she couldn’t do it.
She’d written down all the pros and cons in the notes app in her phone, and she had driven herself to distraction sneaking a peek at the list every so often– far too many times to count– to see if anything had become clearer for her. It hadn’t.
Trish had called her into the office yesterday to tell her she was ready for Ellie to increase her shadowing of her to three days a week. The thrill she’d had working alongside Trish, being shown her boss’ job and seeing how her future work life could be, was second only to base jumping. OK, she might be stretching the truth a little there, but she’d loved it. It was as if she’d been born to do it. The thought of turning that down, and for a relationship that might not be progressing, left her sick to her stomach.
Chloe had asked her to come over last night but she hadn’t been able to face her sister when all of this was roiling around inside her. Because of her potential new job’s location, she still hadn’t told her that the interview for the promotion was coming up soon, nor that Trish had offered to mentor her, nor, well, any of it.
Ellie couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her family behind in Edinburgh– she adored them– but if she wanted her career to advance, couldn’t she move for a little while? Manchester wasn’t so far, after all. Perhaps they could come visit every month or so, or she return home. In fact, now she was in that mindset, couldn’t she just have a long-distance relationship with Scott? They barely saw each other anyway, only a couple of times a week. It’s not like they were living with each other or anything.
Ellie clasped her head in her hands. She was getting nowhere fast. This was driving her insane.
Hopefully, the estate agent she’d booked on a whim for one o’clock would make Scott sit up and take notice. It was only half a ploy after all. She wanted his attention, but if things went south with them, then she may really be renting out or, worse, selling her beloved flat.
She leant heavily against the couch and surveyed her living room. She’d had it painted only six months before. A friend of her dad’s was a painter and decorator, and he’d given her mates rates, so the flat was pretty fresh-looking. A blessing. It saved her forking out money now for her grand plan of seeing which way Scott jumped regarding her potentially selling up.
Fortunately, she’d chosen neutral colours throughout, no glaring terracotta or duck-egg blue like Scott’s house, whose décor looked like a painter had tripped and their palette had flown out of their hand. Maybe she should be grateful they didn’t live together, she thought with a wry smile.
She tried to appraise her flat as a potential viewer might, and also played with the wording the estate agent might use to sell her flat. By her reckoning: ‘Recently redecorated throughout, this incredible one-bedroom property in the heart of Stockbridge offers all the benefits of modern living whilst retaining some wonderful period features, including original fireplace, decorative cornicing and case and sash windows.’
One thing Scott probably had right– the estate agent would snap up her flat in double-quick time. Property in Stockbridge was much sought-after.
She wandered from room to room, wondering how she’d manage to give up her little flat, the only home she’d had since leaving her parental one. Her first scrap of independence. Originally, she’d been a tenant, then she’d bought it from the owner two years ago.
She took in the huge bedroom; the dining area tucked at the back of the living room; the dual aspect windows which satisfied her people-watching hobby; the galley kitchen with its sloping ceiling– the bane of Scott’s life. It didn’t bother Ellie. She never hit her head off it, but it had made Scott scowl on occasion when he moved back too quickly and hit his head on the lower part of the ceiling. She loved her flat. It was quirky, just like her. She hoped if she did have to sell, that whoever bought it, treated it with the respect and love it deserved. Oh, she was being silly, she knew, thinking about a flat as if it were an actual person, but it had become very dear to her over the years, and she definitely considered it a part of her, which was why the thought of leaving it was such a wrench, but times moved on. Life had to move on, and she with it.
But now she felt life was moving too fast. She hadn’t discussed the potential promotion with Scott, she hadn’t discussed it with her sister or the rest of her family, and she hated herself for her duplicity. Sure, the promotion wasn’t in the bag yet, but the fact she was actively avoiding her sister spoke volumes. She knew she’d be gutted. It wasn’t as if Ellie wouldn’t be, too, but she had to spread her wings. Chloe had her little family unit, which she’d always been wonderful at including Ellie in, but Ellie wanted the job of her dreams, eventually her own happy ever after, with a family of her own, a baby of her own, just not yet. She did, however, want to take steps to facilitate her getting there eventually.
She massaged her temples to help rid herself of the beginnings of a tension headache. She knew she’d have to tell everyone sometime, soon, actually, but her heart ached at the thought of doing so, and she still didn’t know if she needed to. Oh, why was life so complicated? Why couldn’t she just get her dream job in her own city, buy a house with the man she loved and live happily ever after? Because life isn’t like that. Stop sugar-coating things .
The only people who knew about the promotion were two virtual strangers who were fast becoming friends.
Ellie whipped her phone out of her back pocket and texted:
Morning, girls. I have an estate agent coming out to value my flat later. I left property brochures lying around and Scott was dismissive of me selling up. I’ve been shadowing my boss in case I get the promotion once it goes to interview. I haven’t told my family I may end up moving to Manchester. I’m avoiding my sister as I can’t look her in the eye. Help!
As she waited for someone to reply, she fluffed some cushions and tidied the remainder of the already tidy flat. The one good thing about having a one-bedroom flat was it didn’t take long to clean or tidy.
Ping!
Jess: Go see your sister x
Anouska: Go and visit Chloe and explain everything to her. She’s your sister and she loves you. She’ll understand x
That seemed pretty definitive.
Ellie: I’ll call her now. Thanks, girls. Will keep you posted on everything else x
‘I’d think, having seen it now, that you’d be looking at a price in the region of three hundred and thirty thousand pounds,’ the estate agent told Ellie.
Scott, who’d come in just as the estate agent arrived, and for some bizarre reason seemed to be following him around like a puppy, repeated the number back to him, his voice a decibel higher than usual.
‘Yes. Or rather, I’d suggest you put the property on at offers over that price. You may well get around ten per cent more than that. At the moment, buyers are being recommended to offer between eight and ten per cent above the home report price.’
‘Really’ Scott gawped, incredulity written all over his face.
Ellie felt it was time to intervene. It was, after all, she who was selling the flat, not him. She, however, preferred to play it cool with the estate agent, not let him see that she too was stunned by the number. Until now she hadn’t followed the property market, at all. Since she’d bought her flat from the landlord two years ago, she’d never needed to deal with estate agents. Yet the fact she’d paid three hundred and ten thousand pounds for it two years ago also made her head spin. She could have potentially a fifty grand profit in two years. That was mind-boggling.
She knew she was lucky to be able to buy a flat in Stockbridge in the first place, but her mum had bought Premium Bonds for both her children from birth until their eighteenth birthdays. Ellie’s had come up, and although her mum had split the money between her and Chloe, it had left her a sizeable sum as a deposit for this flat.
‘Thank you,’ said Ellie with a smile, without revealing too much of her inner thoughts. She may well want to get another valuation if she did go ahead and sell, and it didn’t do to look too keen, although Scott’s reaction may have scuppered any chance she had of playing it cool with the estate agent.
Once she’d dispatched the estate agent, Scott dragged her into a kiss. ‘Let’s go out for brunch. My treat.’
Crikey, wonders never cease.
‘Let me just go change.’ Ellie began to pull away from him.
‘Don’t be daft. You look perfect just as you are.’ He pulled her in for another kiss.
It was over a lovely romantic lunch at Howie’s in Victoria Street, one of Ellie’s favourite restaurants, that Scott leant across the table and took Ellie’s hand. ‘I’ve been thinking.’
‘Don’t do that, it’s dangerous,’ Ellie said.
‘Ha, ha. No, seriously, what with you saying you’d like to move somewhere bigger, and that you’ve outgrown the flat, it seems silly for you to do it on your own.’
Ellie raised her eyebrows. ‘Oh?’
‘Yeah. Surely it’s only a matter of time before we move in together, so it makes no sense for you to buy somewhere else, only to sell it again in a year or so.’
‘What do you suggest then?’ She tried to keep the excitement out of her voice, but she wanted, no, needed, to hear him say the words.
Scott’s chestnut eyes glinted with merriment. ‘Ellie, would you like to move in together? Will you buy a house with me?’
‘Oh, Scott, yes, yes, of course I will.’ Then she leant forward until her lips met his as her entire being zinged with happiness.