Chapter 28
‘Polly, can you grab Rolo before he gets to the door, please?’ Vicki screeched as she ran across the office.
Looking down, Polly watched as Rolo sped across the threadbare carpet before dropping to her knees and cupping her hands around the small creature.
Rolo, who had grander adventures on his mind, jumped over the wall of her fingers and continued to head for the open door.
‘Not today.’ Taking two great strides, Zac reached the door before Rolo and shut it quickly before squatting down and picking the small rat up. ‘One day, but you’re still too young to be able to fend for yourself in the big wide world.’
‘Thank you, Zac! I tell you, this little one is going to turn my hair grey if he carries on like this.’ Vicki walked across and held her hands out as Zac carefully transferred the little Houdini.
‘Come on, Rolo, Uncle Zac is right. You’re still too little to go and live in the reserve. Not much longer though, I promise.’
Polly turned as her ringtone rang through the office and, seeing David’s number rolling across the screen, she snatched it up. Standing up, she walked towards the door. ‘Sorry, I just need to take this.’
‘Estate agent?’ Zac mouthed at her.
Nodding, Polly slipped outside into the foyer and held the mobile to her ear. ‘Hi David. How did it go?’
‘Ah hello, Polly. I’ve got to say I was rather impressed by the amount of work you’ve done this weekend. The decluttering and the decorating are excellent and it’s made all the difference.’
‘So what did they say? How did the viewing go?’ Polly crossed her fingers, hardly able to breathe.
‘Good, good. They’ve only gone and put an offer in on the place, haven’t they?’ David’s voice boomed down the line.
Biting down on her bottom lip, Polly grinned. ‘They want to buy it? The flat has sold?’
‘They’ve put an offer in.’
An offer, of course. Which meant they’d not wanted to buy it for the full asking price, didn’t it? Polly felt her heart sinking again. ‘How much for?’
‘Five thousand under the asking price.’
‘Right.’ Five thousand. ‘That sounds like quite a bit being as we’ve already lowered the price twice before.’
‘Would you like me to ring them back with a counter-offer?’
‘You don’t think it’ll scare them away?’ They’d been waiting so long for this viewing, she wasn’t sure if she was brave enough to go down the route of counteroffering but five thousand pounds was a heck of a lot of money and could make all the difference to her if she was ever able to buy here.
‘I think we can give it a go. They liked the space the flat offered and, as I think I mentioned, they’re building a portfolio of rental properties, so the location being so close to the town centre is a big plus for them.
’ David tapped something against the phone.
‘I think it’s a gamble worth taking. We’ll tell them we can go down two grand and see what happens. ’
‘Right, okay. I’ll go with what you think.
’ Polly took a deep breath. It was worth a go, wasn’t it?
They wouldn’t just walk away because she’d asked for more money, if they wanted the flat enough to put an offer in, they wouldn’t want to lose it even if Polly had to agree to the lower offer after all.
‘They seem quite eager to get this wrapped up, so I’ll give them a call and ring you straight back.’ Without waiting for Polly to confirm, David ended the call.
Pulling her mobile away from her ear, Polly looked at the blank screen.
How long would it take? She might be waiting hours, days even, for an answer.
Walking across to the large glass doors, she pushed them open and stepped outside.
Pulling the sleeves of her sweatshirt over her hands, she breathed in the fresh crisp air before watching as her breath turned to an icy cloud as she exhaled.
She loved autumn days like this, when the fragrance of rain and foliage hung in the air but the sun peeked between clouds promising a clear day ahead.
She should probably go back into the office. There was definitely enough work to be getting on with, but there was no chance she’d be able to concentrate. Not right now. She’d leave it for a few minutes, take a quick walk and clear her head before going back.
Turning, Polly walked across the narrow bridge and into the reserve. A couple of gulls dived and skidded across the water of the lake, causing a stir amongst the ducks who were swimming serenely towards the small island in the middle of the water.
Just as she stepped down from the bridge and joined the gravel pathway which wound its way around the reserve, her mobile rang again. She frowned. It was David. That was quick. Answering it, she lifted it to her ear. ‘They weren’t in?’
‘They were and they accepted our counter-offer. You’ve got a sale! They’ve agreed on the new price.’ David’s voice was triumphant.
‘Wow. They’re buying the flat? It’s really sold?’ The questions tumbled from her mouth.
David’s loud chuckle sounded down the phone. ‘Yes, it’s sold, Miss Burrows. And the best thing is, they’re eager for a quick sale.’
A quick sale? It was really sold. ‘Thank you, David.’
‘My pleasure. I’ll get things moving my end and be in touch shortly. Speak soon.’
‘Bye,’ Polly whispered into the quiet phone. That was it. All done.
Walking across to the bench by the side of the path, she sank onto the cold wood.
Her grandparents’ flat was sold. Shortly, it would no longer be hers.
Everything her grandparents had worked hard for, all the love they’d put into their home, it would soon belong to someone else.
Their memories, their ties with the flat, would be extinguished.
She stared at the ducks as they glided across the surface of the water, dipping their beaks below the surface every so often.
She wouldn’t be able to go back there. Well, she would, but only to clear it out.
She’d no longer have her bolthole, her sanctuary, the place she felt closest to her grandparents.
Leaning her elbows on her knees, Polly covered her eyes with the heels of her hands and pushed, waiting for the stars to appear in the blackness before her vision turned red.
This is what she’d wanted. She’d wanted to sell the flat.
That had been the end goal. It had been a stepping stone to securing her future here in Meadowfield, her new life, but now David had uttered those words she’d begun to suspect she’d never hear, now he’d told her it was sold, she wasn’t sure what to think.
She felt guilty. An immense tug growing in the pit of her stomach.
What if she’d done the wrong thing? What if she should have kept the flat?
What if she should have lived in it, been happy with her old life?
What had she been thinking coming here, taking such a gamble, and at the expense of losing her grandparents’ beloved home too?
She felt someone sit down next to her and pulled her hands from her eyes, straightening her back. ‘Zac.’
‘Hey, are you okay?’ Draping her coat around her shoulders, he shuffled closer to her. ‘Don’t worry. There’ll be more people looking for a flat in that area. You never know, someone else might come along tomorrow and put an offer in.’
She smiled weakly at him. ‘It’s sold. The people who viewed today put an offer in, we countered it and they accepted.’
‘Oh wow. Congratulations!’ Zac frowned. ‘Or not?’
‘I don’t know.’ Slumping back against the hard wood of the bench, Polly gripped the edges of her coat around her. ‘I should be celebrating, shouldn’t I? Shouting from the rooftops or something, but all I feel like doing is crying.’
‘That’s understandable.’
‘It’s not. It’s pathetic. I’m the one who put it on the market. I knew what I was doing, so why do I feel like this?’ She shrugged. She didn’t even understand herself anymore.
Placing his arm around her shoulder, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. ‘It is understandable. It’s a big deal. A really big deal. You grew up there, didn’t you?’
Leaning against his arm, Polly nodded. ‘I did. And I keep reminding myself that my grandma literally told me to sell it and use the money towards a new place. She made me promise to go for my new start, but I still just feel… guilty. I feel as though I shouldn’t be doing it. That doesn’t make sense, does it?’
‘It does. But it’s what she wanted. That’s worth remembering.’
Dragging the back of her hand across her face, she dried the tears. ‘I know. I know I need to remember that. It’s just…’
‘You feel as though you’re closing the door on that part of your life? On the memories of them?’ Zac pulled her closer.
Polly nodded. That was just it. That’s exactly how she felt.
She so desperately wanted this fresh start, the chance to follow her own dreams and make the changes in her life she’d longed for, but now it was about to become a reality.
She wasn’t quite sure she was ready to let go. ‘Yes, exactly that.’
‘Growing up, I used to spend a lot of my time at my grandparents’ house.
My parents were often away for weeks at a stretch, on business or going to this charity event or that, so I’d go to my grandparents’.
I had my own room there and, to be quite honest, I often felt more wanted, more nurtured by them than my own parents.
When my grandpa passed away, their house was sold, and my gran moved into an annexe at my parents’ place. ’
Twisting in his embrace, she looked at him. There was so much she hadn’t known about him. ‘So you understand then?’
‘Yep, I do. To a point, anyway. Even though it was me dealing with it all – the estate agents, the solicitors and then the builders at my parents’ place – the driving force behind the sale of my grandparents’ home was my dad.
’ Settling back against the bench, he took her hand in his free one.
‘So, I understand, to a degree. It was just after I’d quit my job in the city, but if I’d had the money, I’d have snapped up their house. ’
‘So, you think I should pull out of the sale?’ Polly watched as another duck swam furtively towards the small group she’d been watching.
‘Nope. That’s not what I think. If I’d had the money, I would have brought my grandparents’ house, and I’d have lived in it, quite happy surrounded by the memories of my childhood and the time I had with my grandparents.’ He smiled at the memories.
‘But you said you think I should sell?’ Polly frowned. What did he mean?
‘Yes, if I’d bought the house, then I’d have been surrounded my grandparents’ things, but I’d also have been…
’ He shifted a little on the bench. ‘Stuck, I guess the word is. I’d never have wanted to get rid of it, to sell it on and I think that would have ended up limiting what I felt I could do and that’s not what my grandparents would have wanted. ’
‘I see.’ She nodded. She thought she understood. ‘So, you’re glad you weren’t in a position to buy it?’
‘Yes, I think so. It took me a while to come to that realisation though. To begin with I just felt anger towards my dad for forcing the sale. Of course, I wasn’t aware of just how much trouble his business was in at the time, which is why I couldn’t understand why he just didn’t keep it, rent it out to me, maybe. ’
Polly felt his shoulder shrug beneath her cheek and waited until he continued.
‘I have all the memories I could ever need up here.’ He lifted the hand he was holding hers with, drawing both their hands to his head before lowering them again.
‘I’ve come to realise I don’t need the physical stuff to remember them by and to remember the times we shared whilst I was growing up. No one can take those away from me.’
‘That makes sense.’ Polly sighed heavily. ‘Deep down, I know it’s the right thing to do and so I guess I’ve just got to get through it.’
‘Unfortunately, yes. Any change is difficult, even more so than when a loved one has passed and you’re faced with making decisions like this, but your grandparents’ hard work and the hours they spent decorating and making their flat a home, they did that for you.
And this, selling it, it’s not getting rid of all of their efforts, they wanted their life’s work to do good for you, they wanted to make a difference to your life, and this is what the money you’ll get from the sale will do. ’
Polly laced her fingers through his. ‘So, I just need to remember that their work still goes on. It’s still making a difference to me?’
‘Exactly. Try not to feel guilty for selling the flat, because ultimately that’s what they wanted. They wanted you to go on and live your life.’
Polly smiled. Her grandma had said those exact words. She’d made her promise to sell. ‘Thank you. I needed to be reminded of that.’
‘So, how do you fancy going out for dinner to celebrate? The sale of your flat and the success of your leaflet idea.’
‘I’d like that.’ Polly slapped her forehead. ‘Although I need to go and buy those raffle prizes.’
Zac chuckled. ‘Right, shopping first, dinner after?’
‘Sounds perfect.’ Leaning back into his arm, Polly closed her eyes. She listened to the clucking of the ducks on the water and the crunch of fallen leaves as someone ambled past. The flat was sold, and that was a good thing. It really was.