Chapter 3
Three
Kate had a restless night. She had gone to bed around ten but had tossed and turned until midnight when she finally got up and went downstairs to make a hot drink.
Rufus had been fast asleep in his bed, which Kate had placed next to her own, yet he came down and joined her a few minutes later.
He had obviously woken up, seen she wasn’t there, and come downstairs in search of her.
Poor thing. He must be missing Frank and wondering what was happening.
Although he seemed to feel at home at Granny Viv’s, having spent two weeks there over the festive season.
Kate took her mug into the sitting room where the fire had been slowly dying since she and Granny Viv had gone to bed.
There were just a few embers left now but the house was still warm.
The central heating thermostat was set for the heating to kick in if the temperature dropped below a certain level, which varied depending on the weather and the time of year.
Being February, it was no doubt set to around seventeen degrees at night.
Granny Viv liked a warm home even when she was in bed.
Kate sat in the chair her gran had occupied earlier and placed her mug on the side table next to her.
She tugged at the scrunchie that had been holding her wayward locks in a ponytail and retied it.
Her brownish-gold, shoulder-length hair always curled in any direction it wanted and she had long since given up trying to control it.
She tied it in a bun for work, or sometimes, swept it back with a headband.
One day she might have it cropped short and styled into a pixie cut.
Except it wouldn’t stay that shape. Her curls would still do whatever they wanted, no matter how short her hair might be and, unlike her mum and her gran, Kate had never been one to spend an inordinate amount of time sitting at her dressing table fiddling with things like hair and make-up.
Kate – and Beth – took after Kate’s dad who firmly believed that if people didn’t like you for who you really were, they weren’t worth your time or concern.
It should be what is inside that matters, not trying to live up to someone else’s idea of a perfect persona on the outside.
That didn’t mean Kate and Beth didn’t make an effort to look their best. It simply meant they didn’t spend too much time worrying about it.
Rufus curled up at her feet but kept his gaze fixed on her face as if to say she wouldn’t walk off without him knowing about it next time.
Kate wasn’t sure how long she spent staring into the embers in the grate and drinking the hot chocolate she had made, all the while mulling over what her gran had said that evening about Beth moving away, but by the time she decided to return to her bed, Rufus was snoring.
Nevertheless, the moment she moved her foot, his head shot up.
‘I’m so sorry, Rufus. I didn’t mean to disturb you. Let’s go back to bed.’
He immediately got up as if he understood every word.
Kate was now so sleepy that, having rinsed out her mug and placed it in the dishwasher, she tripped as she headed back upstairs, but she managed to stop herself from falling and it wasn’t long before she had tumbled back beneath the duvet and fallen fast asleep.
The next time Kate awoke, the garden birds were singing, the seagulls were squawking, music was wafting its way up the stairs, but more importantly, so was the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Granny Viv was calling her name, and Rufus was nuzzling her with his wet nose.
Still half asleep she reached out for her phone and glanced at the time displayed on the screen.
‘Oh no!’
She threw back the duvet and leapt out of bed. It was almost eight o’clock. How could she have overslept? Rufus needed to be walked. She hoped he didn’t need to pee as badly as she did. She could let him out into the garden the minute they got downstairs.
She dashed into her en suite and after washing her hands, she threw on her dressing gown and hurried down to the kitchen where Granny Viv stood, showered and dressed, pouring heavenly smelling coffee into two large mugs.
‘Morning!’ Kate said, racing towards the kitchen door that led into the garden. ‘I need to let Rufus out. Sorry I overslept. I had a restless night.’
‘It’s not a problem, darling. Well, not for me. Rufus, on the other hand, might feel differently.’
Having opened the door and watched Rufus for a second or two, Kate joined her gran who now sat at the kitchen table, and pulled out a chair. Dropping onto the seat she encircled the mug of coffee with both hands and raised it to her lips taking several large gulps and then sighing loudly.
‘I needed this. Thanks, Gran.’
‘You’re welcome. Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day.’
Kate grinned over the rim of her mug. ‘Happy Valentine’s Day to you too.’
‘What are your plans for the day?’
‘Shower first and then take Rufus for a walk. After that, I don’t have any. What about you?’
‘Millie is popping in for coffee and cake at eleven. Other than that, my social calendar is clear.’ Granny Viv winked at her. ‘We could go out for lunch. Or go shopping. Fun shopping not grocery shopping, obviously.’
‘Obviously,’ Kate repeated grinning.
Granny Viv had her grocery shopping delivered, along with many of the other things she needed.
She only liked to shop for things she wanted, not necessities – apart from items like underwear and such.
She believed that life was too short to be spent on mundane matters like shopping, cooking and cleaning and if a person could afford to pay someone else to do those things, they should.
Although she had always enjoyed cooking, so that she mostly did herself.
She knew she was lucky, and she never took it for granted. Neither did she ever ‘Lord it’ over anyone. At least she always tried not to. Kate’s mum, Rose believed the same. Kate did too, to some extent, but on her budget, she couldn’t afford to pay other people to help with her domestic chores.
Granny Viv also had cleaners. Ula and Greg were excellent and had been with her for years.
They weren’t simply cleaners, either. They did other tasks for her, like the laundry, making the occasional meal when Granny Viv didn’t feel up to cooking, and a few odd jobs around the house.
She had a gardener too, a window cleaner, and a handyman who undertook jobs that Greg felt he couldn’t handle.
Granny Viv did little for herself these days. But then again she was one hundred and although she was still reasonably fit and healthy for her age, she was much slower now. She still went out, but not as frequently, and she now used a walking stick more often than not.
‘Let’s see what the weather is like when you return from your walk with Rufus, and make a decision once Millie has left,’ suggested Granny Viv.
‘That’s a good idea,’ said Kate, opening the kitchen door to let Rufus back in. ‘Will you look after this lovely lad while I have a shower?’
‘With pleasure. Shall I make breakfast?’
‘Not for me, thanks. I need to walk Rufus first and then wait at least half an hour before feeding him. I’ll have something when I get back. I will take a top up of coffee though, please.’
Kate took her refilled mug of coffee with her, and Rufus and Granny Viv waited for her in the sitting room.
She didn’t take long to shower and dress, feeling guilty that Rufus would be having his breakfast a little later than usual. Thank goodness he couldn’t tell Frank.
Wearing black jeans that she’d had for years, a faded black T-shirt which was closer to grey, black socks, and a purple and lime green jumper one of her colleagues from work had knitted, Kate hurried down the stairs.
Granny Viv’s eyes opened wide, as did her mouth, when Kate re-entered the sitting room.
‘What a … bright jumper, darling,’ she said after a moment or two.
‘Thanks. I like it.’
‘You do? Well, that’s all that matters. We should all wear what makes us happy.’
Kate beamed at her, knowing full well how much Granny Viv obviously hated that jumper.
‘Come, Rufus,’ Kate said. ‘We’re going for a walk.’
Rufus was at the front door long before Kate and he waited patiently while she slid her feet into her black ankle boots.
It was another cold morning and Kate shivered as she and Rufus stepped outside. At least the sun was shining, but she buttoned up her black, white and purple checked coat, pulled her black leather gloves from her coat pocket, and tied her purple scarf tighter around her neck.
They walked towards the beach, just a few minutes from Granny Viv’s, exchanging pleasantries with other dog walkers they met on the way.
The tide was out and a vast expanse of dark golden sand stretched out before them like a sheet of hammered copper. The sea was a shimmering, steely blue and the sky was as clear as a summer’s day.
Kate let Rufus off the lead and threw his ball for him to chase. It was a rather chewed up tennis ball but he seemed to love it. Unfortunately, on one of her throws the ball landed in the sea. Rufus darted to the water’s edge, stopping short of the gently lapping waves.
‘That water will be freezing,’ she said. ‘I’m so sorry Rufus but I’m not going in. I’ll get you another ball.’
Rufus looked from his ball to Kate and back again and then let out a few short barks.
‘I think he wants that one.’
The male voice, close behind her, made Kate jump and she spun around coming face to face with a strikingly handsome man.
He was about her age, she guessed, tall, agile-looking, clean shaven and well-groomed.
He wore glasses that really suited him and behind the lenses, his eyes were the deepest blue she had ever seen.
His hair was more peppery black than salty grey or white, cut short at the sides with a slightly longer, textured look on top.
And when his mouth curved into a warm and friendly smile, Kate experienced a frisson of excitement unlike anything she could remember.