Chapter 22
Beth
As soon as Beth laid eyes on Ginny’s rustic farmhouse, she fell in love. How wonderful to have such a home. A wood-burned sign at the entrance to the driveway announced Happy Farm , and that was the exact vibe it offered.
Ginny showed her inside. ‘Haven’t been here long, and I know I was supposed to have a housewarming party, or as I told everyone, more of a decorating party, but what with the tea shop and everything, I’ve had to keep putting things off.’
Beth perused the wide stairway. Even without a carpet or a polish it looked charming.
‘Good thing we’re helping today,’ said Sophie, entering the hallway, a clean paintbrush aloft.
‘I wasn’t sure what to wear,’ said Beth, glancing down at her jeans and shirt, thinking overalls could be needed.
Ginny waggled a hand around. ‘You don’t have to do much.’
Sophie scoffed. ‘You didn’t say that to me.’ She grinned at Beth. ‘Best make the most of Ginny making a fuss because you’re new.’
‘Please don’t give me any special treatment. I’m looking forward to joining in.’ Beth checked on Archie, happily gazing up at his pram mobile.
Lottie called out from the kitchen, ‘You can make the tea, Beth.’
‘Or just hang out with the chickens,’ said Ginny, leading her towards Lottie. ‘I’m sure Archie will love seeing them.’
Beth entered the country style kitchen to see Alice was also there.
‘We’re just having pastries before we start,’ she told Beth, offering a chair.
Beth questioned them making a fuss. ‘Have you all been told I’m taking things easy and getting help for my mental health?’
Sophie shook her head. ‘I haven’t been told much about you at all, and I didn’t like to ask. We all know Archie came as a surprise to Spencer, and that you’re co-parenting, but that’s about it.’
Beth glanced at Lottie before turning to Sophie. ‘I guess I assumed Lottie would have told Spencer’s friends.’
‘Not my story to tell,’ said Lottie.
‘No one’s business but your own,’ said Alice.
Beth looked at them each in turn, deciding to tell her new friends some of her story, leaving out the doorstep situation.
Lottie nodded. ‘I’m glad Jan’s helping.’
‘Ooh, you’re seeing January Riley? She’s so good,’ said Alice. ‘It’s like she’s made of magic.’
Ginny laughed. ‘Magic?’
Alice nibbled on some pastry. ‘There’s something about her that makes you feel better when you’re in her presence. She has a calming effect.’
Beth agreed, feeling grateful once again to have met such a person. If only she could have met Jan sooner. What a difference it would have made. There was no point making those wishes. Future thinking was key, not past dwelling.
‘How are you getting on now?’ Sophie asked Beth.
‘Much better. It really does make such a difference when you have a strong support team around you. For a long time, I only had my cousin, and as lovely as she is, she’s always busy with her own life. Having Jan, Spencer, Lottie, and Sam helping has been brilliant. I can’t thank them enough.’
‘Hey, we’re your family now,’ said Lottie. ‘No thanks needed.’
‘And you have us too, should you need anything,’ said Sophie, glancing at Ginny and Alice, who both nodded.
‘Thank you. That’s very kind. One thing I’ve learned lately is, it’s better for me if I reach out when in need.’
‘Definitely,’ said Sophie. ‘We all need a hand from time to time. No shame in that.’
Beth gazed at the table for a moment, not wanting to meet anyone’s eyes. ‘I did feel ashamed for a while.’
Ginny tutted. ‘That’s because there’s too much stigma still attached to mental illness.’ She lightly rubbed Beth’s shoulder. ‘You have nothing to feel ashamed of.’
Even though Beth now realised that to be true and was confident enough to speak openly about her mental health, she still felt the shame of leaving Archie on Spencer’s doorstep. It was quite possible that act would haunt her forever. She understood about her state of mind at the time, and she had made sure to keep an eye on the pram until Spencer opened the door, but it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.
‘We speak a lot about mental health at the parent and baby club,’ she told them. ‘It helps when others tell you their stories. You stop feeling so abnormal.’
Ginny scoffed. ‘There’s no such thing as normal.’
Everyone agreed.
‘So,’ said Beth. ‘Now you know a little more about me, how about we get started on this place?’ She didn’t want to sit around talking about herself, so tried for a subject change.
Ginny’s smile was filled with appreciation. ‘It would be good to get more of the house sorted. Will’s going to decorate another bedroom as soon as he’s back from camping, then we’ve got the tearoom opening. Hope you’ll all be there. Free cupcakes will be on offer.’
‘We’ll be there anyway,’ said Alice. ‘But good to know.’
‘I’m looking forward to it, Gin,’ said Sophie, placing the paintbrush on the table. ‘I’m so glad your dreams have all come true.’ She turned to Beth. ‘She’s wanted a tearoom for ages now.’
‘You do have a lot going on,’ said Beth to Ginny. ‘Perhaps you should be taking it easy as well.’
Ginny laughed. ‘I’ve always been busy, but I will slow down once this place is in more of a liveable state before the baby comes.’ She looked at Beth. ‘We won’t have a lot of time to do DIY then, so best do what we can now. We don’t mind doing things slowly over time, but if we can just fix up the basics, that’ll be good.’
Lottie pointed at the kitchen cabinet lying on the table. ‘I’m cleaning these, ready for a fresh lick of paint. What a difference to the kitchen that alone will make.’
‘And I’m painting the sides of the stairs and banisters, then some carpet can go down,’ said Sophie.
Alice motioned at the ceiling. ‘And I’m ripping off old crusty tiles. Nobody needs a gruesome bathroom.’
Ginny folded her arms, looking deep in thought for a moment. ‘We’ve done our bedroom and the living room, so we’re good there.’
‘Are you having a nursery?’ asked Beth. ‘I could help with that.’ Not that she’d created one before. Ever since Archie was born he had slept in a cot at her bedside.
‘The baby will probably be in with us for a while,’ said Ginny. ‘But it would still be nice to have a clean room for all their bits. So, yeah, Beth, that would be great. The old wallpaper needs to come down. Most of it has peeled off anyway, but the steamer should make light work of the rest. We can do that together.’
Alice slid the plate of pastries across the empty part of the large table. ‘Here, eat something first, Beth. A morning snack will give us all a boost.’
Lottie sipped some pineapple juice. ‘And you can tell us if we’re needed for anything for the festival.’ She turned to Sophie. ‘Debra has managed to get the pop-up stalls hire company to donate the stands for the day, and we’ve got a large tent for the centre’s arts and crafts display.’
‘Are you selling any of your paintings, Lott?’ asked Alice.
‘Yep, but just the one. I haven’t had much time to paint lately. Hannah’s got about three, then there are the other members’ artworks too.’
Beth nodded. ‘And the boys have organized a section for children to draw and make bead bracelets. They really want to showcase the things kids can do at the Sunshine Centre.’
‘I’m staffing a stall,’ said Alice. She smiled softly at Beth. ‘Info on how to help care for cancer patients at home who are going through treatments. My sister died of cervical cancer, so I’m used to going to universities and colleges to give talks on the importance of screening, but seeing how the festival is all about kindness, I thought I could offer some helpful handy hints and tips on care I picked up along the way.’
Beth’s heart went out to her. ‘I’m sorry about your sister. It’s great that you go into schools to raise awareness. There will be lots of information stalls at the festival. Perhaps you could add some info about screening.’
Alice nodded her agreement.
‘I’ll be on the Hub’s stall with Will and Matt,’ said Sophie.’
Lottie raised a finger. ‘And I’m helping Sam showcase what the Les Powell Trust is all about.’
‘I’ll be advertising the baby bank, mostly, and I think Spencer is going to lend a hand all over,’ said Beth, wondering if he was at the rock-climbing place yet. The grin from Sophie aimed her way didn’t go unnoticed.
‘How are things with him?’ asked Sophie, nibbling on a croissant.
Beth tried to force away the heat building in her neck. ‘He seems fine.’
Alice chuckled. ‘She meant between you and Spence.’
Oh, she knew exactly what Sophie meant. She was just trying to play it down for fear of them noticing her eyes beam with delight when saying his name.
‘They’re just friends,’ said Lottie, glancing her way as though searching for confirmation.
Beth nodded, then pretended to be interested in a cinnamon swirl.
‘So leave them alone,’ added Lottie.
Sophie shrugged. ‘Just asking.’ She smiled at Beth. ‘You always look so happy together whenever I see you out and about.’
‘Ignore her,’ said Lottie. ‘Ever since she fell in love with Matt, she sees unicorns and rainbows everywhere.’
Sophie burst out laughing. ‘You can talk. I’ve seen the way you look at Sam.’
Lottie frowned, showing amusement. ‘And how exactly is that?’
Sophie mocked a swoon. ‘All fluttering eyelashes and soppy grin.’
Lottie gestured at Ginny. ‘Sounds more like Will.’
Ginny laughed. ‘Ah, it does. Big goof.’
It was nice seeing the women come alive while talking about their partners, and Beth wished she had that kind of love in her life. It wasn’t something she’d considered much after falling pregnant, then when her mind started messing with her, she gave up all hope of ever being her old self, let alone having a decent relationship. Would anyone even want her?
‘Spencer,’ said Alice, pulling Beth from her thoughts.
‘Hmm?’ she asked, sure she’d missed some of the sentence.
‘Even if you are just mates, at least you can rest easy knowing your son has a good dad.’ Alice smiled. ‘Makes a difference.’
Beth nodded. ‘Spencer’s brilliant with Archie.’
‘Did you go to any parenting classes?’ asked Ginny. ‘My clinic is offering them, but I’m not sure yet.’
‘No. I didn’t feel it was for me.’
‘I read one book on parenting when I took over guardianship of Benny,’ said Alice. ‘I found it too technical. Mum said I was being daft, and just to get on with it. I guess it was easier for me because I was living with Mum and Nan. They weren’t worried about how to raise him. I just didn’t want to mess him up by getting things wrong.’
Sophie moved to Alice, swinging an arm around her shoulder. ‘You’ve done a brilliant job with Benny. He’s a great kid.’
Beth glanced at Archie’s pram, wondering if he would grow up being a problem child because of her mistakes. ‘It is a worry,’ she mumbled, not meaning to speak aloud.
‘Don’t worry about him,’ said Lottie. ‘He’s got all the love in the world around him, and my aunt used to say that’s all kids need.’ She manoeuvred her electric wheelchair over to Archie. ‘Maybe we should put him in the living room, out of the way while we decorate,’ she whispered. ‘He’s asleep.’
‘I’ll do it,’ said Alice, looking at Beth for approval.
Beth nodded, and Alice wheeled the pram off to the cosy living room, leaving the door ajar.
Everyone made a start on their tasks, but Ginny took Beth’s arm and guided her to the back door. ‘Here, let me show you the chicken coop first. I’m going to get more rescue animals once the baby’s here. It was always the plan.’
Beth inhaled the fresh day as she headed over to the pen. ‘It’s beautiful here.’ The green fields stretched far and wide, drawing her in even more. Oh, how she would love to flick off her shoes and run through the grass, spin in circles, and jump for joy. ‘It makes me feel free.’ She frowned at herself, then glanced at Ginny. ‘Does that even make sense?’
Ginny smiled, gazing out at the view. ‘Yep. Gets me every time, and I used to have a sea view. Wouldn’t get me moving from here. Not now. I’m looking forward to it being more of a rescue farm.’ She pointed to one side. ‘Got a large outhouse over there, and a smaller one just behind. We’ve not figured out what to do with those yet, but whatever comes of this place, it will be farm vibes only.’
‘It’s relaxing just standing here.’
‘Will says that. He loves our home just as much as me.’
Beth turned to smile. ‘I’m glad you’re happy.’
Ginny nudged her elbow. ‘Wasn’t always that way, so don’t feel too bad if you find yourself treading water for a while. We’ve all been there at some point.’
Apart from the pregnancy problem, Beth realized she hadn’t had much in the way of treading water during her life. Perhaps Ginny was right, and everyone had to have a turn of doom and gloom. She gazed once more at the acres before her. Jan did tell her to simply look at the bad times as chapters, rather than the whole story.
‘It’s not always easy turning the page, is it?’ she found herself saying out loud.
Ginny smiled warmly. ‘No, but look what can happen if you do.’ Her arms splayed to the scene before them. ‘I never thought I’d find such peace in my life, Beth, but I did. You have to look at people who go from doom and gloom to their own happy farm and know it’s doable. The ones that walk before you, show you the way.’
Beth raised her chin. It was time she started building a life she wanted. Happy Farm had inspired her no end. ‘Thanks, Gin.’
‘That’s what friends are for, chick.’
A wave of warmth filled Beth. She hadn’t just found Spencer, she’d discovered a whole village of friendship, and for that she was grateful.