Chapter 10
10
Courtney stirred the pot of pasta sauce she’d cooked on the hob and was adding extra oregano to the bubbling mixture when she heard the front door open as her cousin returned home from work.
“Oh, something smells amazing in here!” Rosie said when she appeared in the kitchen, dumping her bag on the kitchen chair. “It looks like you’ve been busy.”
As Rosie scanned the pots on the cooker, the plates waiting to be filled on the counter, and the settings laid out at the tiny two-person kitchen table, Courtney turned off the burner beneath the pan.
“I made chicken and vegetable pasta for dinner,” she said. “It’s nothing fancy, but after your long day at work, I figured you’d enjoy coming home to a nice hot meal.”
“You’re a star, Courtney.” Rosie crossed the small kitchen and hugged her cousin, before dipping a spoon into the pot of pasta sauce and sampling it. “That’s delicious. Ooh, and you’ve made garlic bread, too.”
“I might have made too much,” Courtney laughed. “We’ll be eating leftovers for days.”
“It won’t go to waste. I hope you haven’t been on your feet too long standing at the hob.”
Courtney waved away her concern. “I’m fine. It was nice to potter in your lovely kitchen and make a nice meal. After living at the bedsit for weeks and having nothing but a kettle in my room, I enjoyed the chance to cook again.”
Rosie’s smile dimmed. “Every time I think about where you were living, I get upset, and I never even saw the place. I’m glad Mum and Dad brought you back here. I know losing your job was the last thing you needed, but at least it means there’s no excuse for not staying here with me now, at least for the time being.”
“If your parents weren’t there this morning when I turned up at work and found out my job was gone, I think I might have come apart at the seams.”
Rosie gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You’ve got us to help you now. That’s what matters. We’ll help you figure it all out. In the meantime, let’s eat. I’m famished.”
Courtney served the meal while Rosie poured soft drinks. They tucked into the pasta for a few minutes while Rosie chatted about her day at work and Courtney mentioned the sunny walk she’d enjoyed to the park. When Rosie had half-emptied her plate, she gave Courtney a serious look.
“There’s something I want to talk to you about,” Rosie said. “I know that with all that’s been going on in your life over the past few months, you still have so many things to sort out before the baby comes. And so, I’d like to help you.”
Courtney paused with a forkful of pasta halfway to her mouth. “You are helping me, Rosie. You’re letting me stay here. You’ve no idea what that means to me.”
“I’m talking about helping you with things you have to buy for the baby. I’ve been thinking about something you mentioned when we first met on Friday. You said you’d been saving up for the baby coming, but when your mum passed away, most of your savings went to pay for her funeral. Since then, it doesn’t sound like you’ve had any opportunity to stash away much spare cash. So, I’d like to help.”
Courtney was already shaking her head. “That’s incredibly kind of you to offer, but I won’t let you do that. You’ve already gone above and beyond for me, Rosie.”
“Do you have a pram for the baby?” Rosie asked, her tone kind but firm. “Do you have a little cot for her to sleep in? A changing mat and supply of nappies? Enough baby clothes?”
Courtney flushed with shame. “No, it’s true that I don’t have everything I’ll need, not yet. I have some little baby onesies, but there wasn’t enough space in the bedsit room to store new purchases, and I hoped the housing officer would find somewhere new for me to stay and then I could buy the rest of the essentials I’ll need once I had enough spare cash on hand. But my due date is still six weeks away and there’s enough time to sort it all out.”
“And I want to help you sort it out,” Rosie insisted. “All that stuff costs a fortune, Courtney. And even if you only buy the basics, it’s still going to run into several hundred quid, I reckon. So, I’d like to give you some cash to help out.”
“No, I…”
“I’m giving you some cash and that’s all there is to it,” Rosie interrupted. “Look, I’ll let you into a little secret. Do you remember that bloke who was here at the party on Friday, Leo Pierce?”
Courtney nodded, remembering seeing Rosie with the guy not long after they’d arrived together at the birthday party. Rosie had later explained Leo was her ex-boyfriend, but hadn’t said much more about him.
“Well, last year, I loaned a chunk of money to Leo and, because of one thing and another, I thought I’d never see a penny of it ever again. Imagine my surprise when Leo not only turned up at the party on Friday but also paid back the loan. I didn’t expect to get that money back, and although I plan on using some of it to pay a few bills and put some of it towards a training course I’d like to take, I want to give some of that cash to you, too. My guess is you can buy a lot of nappies with five hundred quid in your purse.”
Courtney gasped and dropped her fork into the pasta bowl with a clatter. “ Five hundred quid? Are you crazy?”
Rosie laughed. “I’d only be putting the spare money back into my savings account otherwise, and I’d feel better if I knew it was actually being put to some use.”
“I can’t… it’s too much! Far too much!”
“Look at it this way, Courtney. If we’d always known we were cousins, I would’ve taken you for a blazing night out when you turned eighteen, and when you turned twenty-one, too, probably. We’d probably have done tonnes of other stuff too that would’ve cost money, one way or another. I missed out on all that. We both did. But I don’t have to miss out on helping you right now, when you really need it. I’m sure my mum and dad are planning on giving you some cash to see you through, and I want to do the same. We’re not rolling in money in this family, but we’ve got enough going spare to help one of our own.”
Courtney was speechless. It took a long moment for her to find a response. “You can’t give me five hundred pounds , Rosie.”
“I can and I will. If it makes you feel better, you can pay some of it back once you’re on your feet again. But for now, why not just say you’ll accept the money and start thinking about all the gorgeous little baby things you can now buy, and which I can coo over and get all broody about?”
Courtney laughed, seeing the fun and light in her cousin’s eyes. “Okay, I’ll accept the money as a loan . I’ll pay you back every penny.”
Rosie only gave an easy shrug and started eating her pasta again. “What shall we buy first? A new pram? A pretty changing mat and table? What about one of those sweet little mobiles that goes above the baby’s cot? Ooh, let’s go online once we’ve finished dinner and pick out gorgeous little baby clothes and lots of other cute stuff!”
Despite the misfortunes that had led her to meet the Austin family in the first place, Courtney felt lucky, so incredibly lucky , to know them now. The love she already felt in their presence was nothing short of completely overwhelming.
And as for their generosity… it was miraculous.
Rosie must have realised how her gesture left Courtney undone, because alarm now replaced her excited grin. “Oh no! Don’t start crying! I didn’t mean to upset you!”
“I’m not upset, I’m just…” Courtney dabbed at her eyes. “You’re messing with a crazy pregnant woman’s hormones in a dangerous way when you do something as kind as this. Rosie, I don’t even have the words…”
“That’s enough of your blubbering,” Rosie said good-naturedly. “Come on, pull yourself together and finish your dinner, and then we can start browsing for baby stuff we’d like to buy.”
With a laugh and a sob, Courtney mopped up her tears, yet again, and told herself to stop falling apart all the time. She was digging into the last of her meal when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Rosie said, already jumping to her feet. “You stay here and finish your pasta.”
Rosie disappeared through to the hallway to answer the door. As Courtney speared the last piece of pasta onto her fork, she heard the murmur of conversation move from the front door and inside the house. A moment later, Rosie reappeared in the kitchen with a companion at her side.
“You’ve got a visitor,” Rosie announced.
Courtney smiled in surprise to see the older lady she’d met at the park earlier in the day, Olive Nimmo.
“Hello, dear,” Olive said, then glanced at the plates of food on the table. “Oh, I’m interrupting your dinner.”
“No you’re not,” Rosie said. “We just finished eating and I was about to wash up. Can I make you some tea, Olive?”
“Thank you, but no. This is just a flying visit. I meant to drop by earlier this afternoon, but I got waylaid when I stopped off at the Hamblehurst local history museum and was conscripted to assist with a new exhibit board they were putting together.” Olive shook her head. “I should know better by now that it’s impossible to just stop off in there to say hello to a few friends without being put to work. Anyway, enough of my rambling on. The reason I’m here is to see Courtney and let her know about an exciting opportunity that I believe might be right up her street.”
“I had no idea you two were friends,” Rosie said, giving Courtney a baffled look as she carried their plates to the sink.
“We are new friends,” Olive said. “We bumped into each other at the park today and I recognised Courtney from when I dropped by your father’s birthday party last week.”
“Ah,” Rosie said. “So, what’s this exciting opportunity all about, Olive?”
“Well, I was at an event this afternoon at the library. The book club managed to convince a rather well-known mystery author to come along and speak to us about his books. His name is Travis Stone. Have you heard of him?”
“I’m not much of a reader, I’m ashamed to admit,” Rosie said.
“I’ve heard of him,” Courtney said. “I think I remember my mum having a couple of his paperbacks around the house.”
Olive beamed at this. “Well, after the Q&A session at the end, I happened to get talking to Mr Stone and it turns out he is in desperate need of an assistant. The person he usually works with has suffered a terrible road accident and is recovering in hospital.”
“Oh, that’s awful,” Courtney said.
“Indeed, it is. Mr Stone only found out about the accident because his assistant phoned him while we were all enjoying coffee and cake after his book talk. I couldn’t help overhearing the gist of his conversation. When Mr Stone said he’d have to find someone new to take his assistant’s place while she recovered, I couldn’t help but think of you, Courtney.”
“ Me? ” Courtney blinked. “Gosh, I don’t know anything about writing or books.”
Olive laughed and waved a hand. “You don’t need to know anything about those things, not really. From what I gather, his assistant handled a lot of his social media tasks and helped sift through his email and correspondence. Considering the sorts of administrative and organisational and customer-focused tasks you told me you performed at the furniture shop where you used to work, I feel sure you could handle these tasks, too. The work is only a few hours each week, and it’s only temporary, but you said that was exactly the sort of opportunity you were looking for.”
“It sounds perfect, Courtney,” Rosie said as she rinsed plates at the sink.
“I think so, too,” Olive said. “I get the impression that Mr Stone is desperate to find someone to plug the gap so he can concentrate on his writing. He was telling us that he’s working hard to finish a new book at the moment, and that he’s come to stay here in Hamblehurst for a few weeks to get some peace and quiet and make some progress. I can’t confess to know much about all this social media business, but I imagine he won’t want to be waylaid dealing with all that sort of work, and will be very grateful to find someone to take it off his hands while he keeps writing. I promised him I’d speak to you and find out if you might be interested in the role.”
“Are you sure he’s interested in me ?” Courtney asked. “I’ve never done anything like that kind of work before.”
“I’m sure Mr Stone will explain the ins and outs of what he would need you to do. If you’re the sort of smart and resourceful young woman you struck me as being during our short chat earlier today, then I feel sure you’ll get the hang of it in no time. All these social media thingamajigs are bread-and-butter to all you youngsters, after all. And as for the email and correspondence tasks Mr Stone happened to mention, well, that’s probably not much different to the email tasks you dealt with in your last job.”
Courtney thought about what the older lady was saying, wondering about whether this might, just might , be a possibility.
“I can see you’re tempted, dear,” Olive smiled. “Perhaps you’d like to talk to Mr Stone and find out more about the job. After all, I’m just telling you what little I know, gleaned from a very brief conversation with the man. Shall I give you his phone number?”
“Yes, give her his phone number,” Rosie said, finishing at the sink and drying her hands on a tea towel. “Courtney, I think you should definitely get in touch with this guy to find out more. Even if it’s only a few hours a week, I bet it’ll make you feel better and give your confidence a boost after what happened this morning at your old job.”
Courtney couldn’t disagree with that. And there was something about the serendipity of all this that made her want to find out more. After the shock of suddenly being made redundant, she needed to find something to earn a little money before the baby arrived, even if it was only temporary. Wasn’t this exactly the sort of thing she’d been hoping for?
“Olive, I can’t thank you enough for thinking of me,” Courtney said. “I’d definitely like to chat to the author and find out more. Let me take down his phone number.”
She added his contact details to her phone as Olive recited his number. His name, Travis Stone, was vaguely familiar, and she was almost certain her late mother had enjoyed some of his mystery novels. She thought she’d probably seen his books for sale in the supermarket, too, his author name standing out in bold lettering on the front covers.
The idea of working for a successful author, even if only for a few hours, was completely bizarre.
“I suggest you contact him straight away,” Olive advised. “The poor young man sounded quite dismayed, not only at the sad news about what had happened to his assistant, but also at the prospect of being without a much-needed helping hand at this time. I feel sure he’ll want to speak to you as soon as possible.”
“I’ll drop him a message this evening,” Courtney promised.
“And you might also like to know that Mr Stone happens to be staying right here on Foxglove Street,” Olive smiled. “He’s temporarily living at number sixty-one, while the owners are away on a grand European holiday for several months. During the book talk today, Mr Stone explained that he actually lives in London, but construction work in his building was driving him up the wall and making it impossible to finish his new book. I think he said his sister is friends with the people whose house he is now staying in. So, if things work out between the two of you, it would mean little more than a couple of minutes’ walk down the street for you to get to work.”
Olive laughed, seemingly pleased with this prospect.
“Thanks again, Olive,” Courtney said as she walked her new friend to the door.
“It’s my pleasure, dear. I hope it works out for you. Be sure to let me know what happens.”
Olive told her which house number she lived at and insisted Courtney knock on her door with an update once she’d spoken to Travis Stone. After waving the older lady off, Courtney returned to the kitchen.
“Well, how about that?” Rosie said. “What a stroke of luck! You want to find a few hours of work to keep you busy before the baby comes, and it just so happens there’s a desperate writer living right here on the street and in need of urgent help. It’s amazing!”
“I know,” Courtney laughed. “It’s a little hard to believe.”
“No, it’s not hard to believe at all! It’s just good luck.” Rosie seemed to think about this for a moment. “Well, obviously it’s not good luck for the poor person who was in a car accident in the first place and can no longer do her job. That’s terrible.”
“It’s absolutely awful!”
“But we can feel bad for her and still feel happy about what it might mean for you, Courtney. Are you going to call this guy and find out more about the job?”
“I want to. What if I don’t know how to do the jobs he needs done?”
Rosie shrugged. “Then you don’t take the job, or he doesn’t offer it to you. But you won’t know until you speak to him. To be honest, though, from what Olive said, it didn’t sound too hard. I bet you’ll get the swing of it quickly enough.”
“Maybe. I’ll call him and chat and find out more.”
“Good.” Rosie gave her an expectant smile, then nodded at the phone Courtney still held in her hand. “Do it now! Strike while the iron’s hot! I’ll make myself scarce.”
After giving her a quick hug, Rosie took herself off upstairs. Courtney finished wiping the kitchen counters while she prepared what she planned to say to this big shot author she was about to phone out of the blue and ask for a job. Grabbing her phone, she looked him up on social media and spent some time looking at what he posted there. It was obvious from the extensive fan interaction with his posts that his readers were enthusiastic and loyal.
Once she had some reasonably coherent words lined up inside her head, she sucked in a calming breath and dialled his number.
The baby gave her a kick as she waited for the call to be answered at the other end. She laid a hand across her belly and smiled.
“Here goes nothing, little one,” she murmured as the phone rang.