Epilogue
A lli surveyed the hole in the wall with her hands on her hips. “It’s just not good enough,” she said.
Sid the builder sniffed and scratched his head. “Dunno how it happened, to be honest.”
“It looks an awful lot to me like one of your lads swung a ladder around and punched a hole with it,” said Alli, pointing at the ladder that was propped up next to the hole.
“Yeah, well.” Sid sniffed again. “Gonna take a few days to fix that. Let’s say by the end of the week, just to be safe.”
Alli took a deep, cleansing breath that tasted slightly more of fresh paint than she might have liked. “No,” she said patiently. “We’re opening tonight and this wall will be perfect by then.”
Sid wrinkled his nose. “Dunno about that.”
Another deep breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth. She could feel the heat in her stomach, could feel the tantalizing creep of it as it tried to rise up. “No,” she said quite calmly. “We’re having an opening party tonight. You will need to stay for the rest of the day and get the hole patched up.”
“I’ve got other jobs to go to,” Sid moaned.
“You have this job to finish first,” Alli said. “And, just as a reminder, there is a no-finish clause in your contract and you will be fined per day until this job is done.”
Sid glared at her. “Fine. I can try. But—”
“No buts. Get it done,” said Alli, turning on her heel and walking out.
Only when she was out in the little reception area did Alli let out her breath. Eighteen months of anger management training and she was sure that Sid had been sent as some kind of final test. There was something about him that just got on her last nerve.
But her anger drained away as the sunlight shone through the high windows of reception. Those eighteen months hadn’t been wasted. She never had gone back to work. Not the kind of work that she’d left.
Bea had. She’d continued to teach during the days as they worked on their plans at night, and hadn’t given up until just last week. She didn’t have a choice now. If she was going to be running the relaxation and meditation side of the business, she had to be working full time at Moonshine Retreat.
Alli grinned. The name had been Bea’s idea, and it was tacky and she loved it. Even more though, she loved being her own boss. She loved that together they’d created something, a high end relaxation retreat with full psychological services too. Just what the busy businessman and woman needed. Just what she had needed a year and a half ago.
“Al, you know that Sid is still here?” Lex said, coming in from the therapy rooms.
“Did you see that huge hole in the wall by the massage rooms?”
“No.” Lex pulled a face. “Is it going to be fixed in time?”
Alli shrugged. “It’s out of my control. All I know is that at six o’clock tonight, a hundred people are going to descend on us for champagne and canapés. Including all our investors.”
Lex grinned. “We can put a poster over it if we have to. Where’s Bea?”
“Picking up the new towels, she should be here any second.”
Alli breathed in the smell of fresh paint again. They’d come a long way in such a little time. But there was one thing that hadn’t changed. Just the thought of Bea walking through the door made her heart beat harder.
?? ?
“No, no,” wailed Bea, stomping on the accelerator.
But Benny didn’t respond. He gave a grumble and then shuddered to a stop.
“Not now, Ben, come on, please.”
No answer.
She turned the key then turned it again. Absolutely nothing. Why her? Why now? Why today of all days?
She pulled out her phone and called AA, trying not to think about the load of linens in Benny’s boot.
Then she could do nothing but wait.
She laid her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes. She was tired. The last few weeks had been exhausting. But every time she tried to go to sleep, she had an idea, or thought of a new paint color, or just got overcome with the scale of everything that they were doing.
She couldn’t have done it without Alli, she knew that. Alli had planned and met investors and had overseen everything. Alli would be the one technically running the business side of things. But it was their place, a place they’d dreamed up together, and just the idea of it made Bea smile.
There was one small issue though. She loved Alli to death and trusted her whole-heartedly. But the closer they got to opening night, the more stress that there was, the more worried she got that Alli was going to lose her cool.
And this wasn’t going to help.
She contemplated calling her, but decided that it was better to present her with a fait accompli. She’d wait for the tow truck, then she’d call a taxi to carry her and the towels back to base. That was the best plan.
?? ?
“Where is she?” wailed Alli. “Do you think she’s been in some kind of accident?”
“No, of course not,” Lex said. “Be sensible. She’s not even been gone that long. If you’re worried, then call her.”
“I don’t want her to think that I’m checking up on her.”
They were standing behind the reception desk so they had a good view of something coming toward the glass front door.
“Is that her?” Lex asked, tilting her head to try and understand what was happening.
Alli looked at the large box that seemed to be walking itself toward the door. “Um, I don’t think so?” She tilted her head in the opposite direction. “Unless towels come in big boxes?”
The box bumped into the door, stopped, turned, bumped again, and finally settled on the floor. Josh walked out from behind it, pushing the door open. “Don’t help or anything,” he said. “It’s fine.”
“What’s that?” asked Lex.
“New massage table,” Josh beamed. He’d finally found his calling and had trained in record time to become the retreat’s massage therapist. “The best money can buy.”
“It’s still in a box,” observed Alli.
“Yeah, but it only arrived today.” Josh grinned at her. “I’ll have it up and running in no time. In plenty of time for the party, don’t you worry.” He eyed the door. “Well, providing it’ll get through the door, of course. Fancy giving me a hand?”
Alli was propping the door open as Lex and Josh struggled through with the box when Sid appeared from the back. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Lunch break,” sniffed Sid.
“It’s ten thirty and you’re not leaving this building until that hole is fixed,” Alli said. “Get back to it.”
He grumbled, but disappeared back to his work. Josh stood on Alli’s foot.
“Sorry!”
“I wish Bea was here,” Alli said. “This’d be easier if she were.” Everything was always easier with Bea around. Bea calmed her, made her laugh, made her smile.
She was smiling even now, just thinking about her. Thinking about how she of all people was starting a relaxation spa and how she’d never even have imagined something like this. Not without Bea around.
“She’ll be here,” Lex said, voice muffled by the box. “Now, can you get that door open a bit wider?”
**
The mechanic sucked air over his teeth. “Oh, I wouldn’t think so,” he said, shaking his head. “No, no, not today. Might have it done by the end of the week.” Another suck of air. “Best say Monday, though, just to be on the safe side.”
“But I need the car,” Bea said.
He looked at her. “You doubting my abilities?” he said.
“No,” said Bea quickly. “I’m really not.”
“Good, because I’ll have to take her apart, you know. Then there’s labor, it’s just me and Gary today, and I’ll need to get parts in.”
“Right,” Bea said. “Alright.” She was starting to feel faint. What were they supposed to do? They needed Benny. Alli’s expensive Mercedes had gone back to her old company at the end of its lease. They needed transportation.
“Gonna cost you a few hundred as well, I’d expect,” the mechanic said, looking over Benny.
“Right.” She felt even more faint.
“Well, you’d best leave me to it,” he said.
She took a breath. “Um, I really need a car,” she began.
“Not my problem, is it love?” he said.
And he was big and oily and, to be truthful, she was a little bit scared of him. So she started pulling the bags of linens out of Benny’s boot.
“She’s in good hands,” the mechanic said cheerfully.
“It’s a he,” said Bea, getting the last bag out .
“What’s that?”
She shook her head and sighed. “Nothing.” She looked around. She’d called for a taxi twenty minutes ago but it still wasn’t here.
There was nothing to do but wait.
She sat on the curb with her bags as the mechanic winched Benny onto the back of a truck. Why did this have to happen today?
**
“Where have you been?” screeched Alli as Bea stumbled through the doors with bags under her arms and more in her hands.
She rushed over to help.
“There’s a problem,” said Bea. “Um, slight problem.”
“What is it?” Alli knew that her voice was too high, could feel that her stomach was starting to turn acidic, her mouth tasted bitter.
“It’s fine,” Bea said. “Just, um, there’s been an issue with Benny. He’s at the garage now.”
“Oh god,” Alli said, just as Sid came around the corner.
“Hi, Sid,” said Bea. “What are you doing here?”
“Starving to death,” he muttered. “I’m going to get a sandwich.”
“No.”
Bea looked around.
Alli felt hot and flushed. “No,” she said again. “Absolutely not.” The words were on the tip of her tongue. “Get back in there and fix that hole.” There was so much more that she wanted to say, and she was struggling not to say it, struggling to keep herself together. She hadn’t felt this way for a long time.
All that therapy, all that work, and it was all for nothing. She was still angry, she could still lose her temper, she could still…
“Deep breath.” Bea’s hand caught Alli’s, squeezed it. “Deep breath,” she said calmly, almost hypnotically .
Alli breathed.
“You’ve got this,” whispered Bea. “We’ve got this.”
Another breath. The air around her was cooling.
“Now, what’s this about a hole?” asked Bea.
Alli told her.
Bea turned to Sid. “Go finish fixing it,” she said evenly. “It won’t take that long. Once it’s done, you can leave. Simple. If you’re hungry, I can order something in.”
Sid eyed her. “Burger?”
“Done,” she said with a smile. “Back to it then.” Sid went off quite happily and Bea squeezed Alli’s hand again. “Sorted.”
The grip around Alli’s stomach loosened a little. “Thank you.” Then she remembered Benny. “But what about the car? What about the canapés that you need to pick up? What about—”
“I’ll deal with it,” Bea said. She raised Alli’s hand to her face and kissed the back of it, her lips soft and warm. “I’m going to deal with it right now. You put away these towels and I’ll be back in an hour. No stress.”
Alli looked into her eyes. “No stress,” she agreed. And amazingly, she felt no stress. She felt calm and in control. Bea always had this effect on her. It was part of the reason she was so happy that they were going to be working together.
Six months ago, Bea had moved into Alli’s flat when her lease was up. Having Bea around every evening, every night, was better than Alli could have imagined. But when they’d started talking seriously about the retreat, Bea had worried that spending too much time together would be bad for them.
Alli couldn’t have disagreed more. Being with Bea made her feel like a better person. Spending all day with Bea was going to make her into the best person she could be.
She pulled Bea closer to her now, pressed her body against hers. “Just don’t be long,” she purred.
Bea’s eyes sparkled. “Think we might have a little spare time before the party?” she whispered.
“No, no, and no,” Josh said, coming around the desk. “You two need to be business focused. Not like two teenagers sloping off to the bike sheds for a quickie when the rest of us are working our fingers to the bone.”
Bea laughed. “Fair enough, I’m out of here.” She blew a kiss at Alli. “Don’t forget Sid’s burger.”
“Ooo, burgers,” Josh said.
And Alli watched Bea disappear back outside, confident that she’d take care of things.
**
“I need a car,” Bea said.
She was fully out of her element in a dirty garage full of loud equipment. The mechanic was wiping his hands on an oily cloth and she could see Benny parked in a corner of the car park, abandoned and alone.
“Didn’t I just tell you back at the tow site that I can’t do anything about that?” he said.
Bea took a deep breath. “Okay, I need you to take a quick look, see if it’s something that’s easily fixable. If it is… maybe we can come to some arrangement.”
He glared at her, then sighed, and waddled over to where Benny was parked. A second later, he had the bonnet open and his head was inside Benny’s engine.
Bea crossed her fingers and hoped. She’d been terrified walking in here, so scared that she didn’t know what she was doing, what she was talking about. Then she thought about Alli’s face, the way her nose screwed up when she was fighting to control her temper, the way she worked so hard to change herself. And she’d known that she had to do this, had to fight a little bit every day to be the kind of person that Alli deserved.
The kind of confident and independent person that Alli deserved.
“Nah, it’s no good,” said the mechanic, standing up again. “You’re going to need a good overhaul here. It’s a two, three day job, even if I start now. ”
Bea wavered a little. “Right,” she said. “Um, can I get a second opinion?” Her insides felt watery, he was going to lose it with her any second, she was pushing her luck, he’d think she was stupid or weak or demanding or something and then—
The mechanic started to laugh.
“What?” Bea asked, surprised.
He shook his head. “You really need some help, don’t you?”
“Well, yes, that’s why I’m here.”
He recovered himself. “Alright, well, you can get a second opinion if you want one, there’s nothing wrong with that. But you’ll need to get the car towed somewhere else and it won’t get done any faster than it’ll get done here, you’ve got my word on that.”
Bea groaned.
“But let’s see what we can do,” he said. He beckoned her with his head. “Come over to the office.”
She followed him to a grimy office piled high with papers. He pulled a set of keys off a rack by the door and handed them to her.
“Now, that’s our run around car. She’s no great beauty, but she runs like an angel. We usually reserve her for our VIP customers, but since you’re in need, you can take her for two days. Bring her back Thursday morning and your car’ll be ready by then. What do you say?”
“Thank you,” gushed Bea. “Thank you so much.”
She felt the thrill that she always felt when she successfully stood up for herself. And it surprised her, like it always did, that it was so easy.
“Just don’t crash it,” the mechanic said with a merry gleam in his eye.
**
“Look at this place,” Izzy said, spinning around in a circle. “It’s as posh as anything. I’d never be able to afford to come to a place like this. ”
“You’ve got an open invitation,” Alli said. “Any time you need a break from the kids, you just pop by for a massage.”
“Hey, what about me?” Charles asked.
“The two of you can share a babysitter,” said Alli. “And you’ll be in good company.”
“We will?” asked Izzy.
“I’ve already signed up for an old fogies weekend,” Julia said, joining them.
“I think you mean our mature person's relaxation package,” said Alli.
Julia rolled her eyes. “Fancy words, that’s all. Where’s Marcus?”
“Trying out Josh’s massage skills,” said Alli. “And Leslie’s around here somewhere. She’s bought half the police department with her.”
“She deserves a night off,” Julia said. “Did you hear that Luke got sentenced last week?”
Alli nodded. “No more than he deserved. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got investors to wine and dine.”
She looked around the room, searching out Bea and finding her almost immediately. She was shining in a dark blue sparkling dress that clung to every curve and made Alli’s mouth water. She made her way over to her.
“I told you everything was going to be fine,” Bea said as Alli leaned in and kissed her cheek.
“Because of you,” Alli said.
“Because of you,” countered Bea. “You put in all this work. This could never have happened without you.”
Alli looked down at her and suddenly knew something in the very depth of her being. She could see them, could see them getting old together, could see them chasing their children together, could see them lying on the couch, walking on the beach, could see every moment of a life shared.
“What is it?” Bea asked.
Alli blinked away a tear. “Nothing,” she said. “Nothing and everything.” She looked out at the crowded room. “Look at what we created together,” she said.
“Together,” agreed Bea.
Alli looked back down at her. “And think of all the beautiful things we’re going to create together.”
Bea reached up and cupped her face. “Do you mean that?”
“I can’t wait,” Alli whispered. “I can’t wait to see what we’ll do.”
Bea pulled her head down and brushed her lips against Alli’s. “It might be a wild ride.”
“I’m ready for it,” Alli said, wrapping her arm around Bea’s waist. “I’m mad about you.”