Chapter 28
28
On a Friday morning two months later, my life changed dramatically. Seamus and I had spent every minute of every day working on the house. While Seamus was at work, I did the bits that I could. I’d become a dab hand at sanding floorboards, staining and painting. The shutters had been restored back to their former glory and I was incredibly proud of all that I had achieved on my own. Teamed with the amazing work that Seamus had been doing, not only had he rewired the entire house brilliantly, he’d also become an expert in plumbing (with a little help from a friend of his who he said owed him a huge favour) and plastering. Between us, we’d performed nothing short of a miracle. I was completely and utterly knackered, woke up most mornings aching from the work done the day before, and fell into bed each night exhausted. Every spare moment Seamus had was spent at the house with me and I can honestly say that I’d never worked so hard in my life. I could also say that it had probably been the best time of my life.
I had almost trained myself not to have romantic feelings towards Seamus any more. There was still a spark between us and we had become the best of friends and got on like a house on fire, settling into a companionable way of working together, each knowing exactly what the other was about to say. I had never enjoyed myself more.
We’d celebrated with a cup of coffee and we sat on the decking in the warmth of the evening sun, knackered emotionally and physically.
‘Congratulations, Jo Jenkins. Here’s to you and your new home and the next adventure.’ We chinked mugs.
‘Oh, Seamus. Here’s to you. There was no way in the world I could have done this without you. You’ve been…’ I searched for a word to sum up everything that I felt in my heart about him right now. If there had been something romantic between us, I know I would have said perfect, but it wasn’t so I had to find something else. ‘A marvel. An absolute bloody marvel.’ Maybe it was better this way. Better that I wasn’t linked romantically to him, because the feeling would have been utterly overwhelming.
‘Get off with you. If you hadn’t been as willing to try the things I’d suggested, and we hadn’t worked together to make it all work, it wouldn’t have been half as much fun. It’s been a real blast. I’ve enjoyed every single minute.’ He grinned at me and his nose twitched. I had noticed this little habit more and more and it was just one of the many things that I loved about him.
‘ Every minute?’ I tipped my hand to one side.
‘Well, obviously I didn’t enjoy the part when you hit my thumb with the hammer. God, that hurt.’
‘Ah, really? You should have said.’ We both laughed.
On that particular occasion, Seamus turned the air black and blue coming out with expletives that surprised us both but was still so kind towards me and never once blamed me. He was an incredibly kind soul and I was so lucky to have him in my life.
The slamming of a van door broke into my thoughts and the normal peace and solitude was shattered. Because Michelle and Emma had arrived, with all of their worldly possessions, ready to move in.
And within seconds, my house was a hive of activity. Outside, removals vans blocked the street, and inside, it was like Piccadilly Circus. I’d never made so many cups of tea in one day in my life or seen so many people in my home. It was total and utter chaos and I loved every second.
That evening, to celebrate, we decided to have drinks on the terrace. This was the area that I had been working on clearing myself while Seamus had been dealing with the important stuff on the inside that he didn’t need help with. I was determined that it was going to be our little sanctuary of tranquillity, where – thanks to the panoramic views over the sand dunes – we could watch the sun come up from one direction and go down in the other.
As I looked around me, I was super proud of all that I had achieved on my own. Well, mainly on my own. I’d only had to call in a bit of support from Seamus a couple of times once the landscaping company had erected the large aluminium pergola. It was an expense that I’d thought very carefully about splashing out on, but it seemed a shame to only be able to enjoy a magnificent view like that in the dry weather. At least this way, even if it was chucking it down, I could still wrap up in a blanket and be dry under the slide and tilt roof. I hadn’t realised how much I enjoyed being outside until I’d moved to the village. I’d spent more time outdoors than I did in these days.
I’d built the rattan lounge furniture myself, and struggled at first with the matching sun loungers but I persevered, and once I got the hang of the first one, the other two didn’t take too long at all. I removed the multi-coloured Moroccan-style cushions and throws from a big rattan box and decorated the furniture so that it looked colourful and bright. Festoon lights ran from one side of the pergola to the outside wall of the cottage and there were some huge palm plants in brightly coloured ceramic pots which complemented the Moroccan lanterns which hung from the canopy. It was the sort of terrace that I would have thought I was only capable of dreaming about in the past. But now, it was all mine. And my very special surprise for these two important ladies in my life.
‘Hell-ooooo! Oh! My! Fricking! God! Jo! I know you said you had been working here but who knew you’d created this little haven? You are so lucky to have this, you know.’
‘Thanks, Michelle, but this is what I created for us. I thought it could be like a little community place for us all to come together if we want to. We’ll all live individual lives in our own homes, but if we do feel like a bit of company then this could be the place to do it. I hope you like the idea.’ I handed her a glass of chilled Prosecco that I’d just poured.
Emma strode across the terrace to us and took the glass I offered.
‘Thank you, darling. Sorry for earwigging but I heard that and I think it’s a wonderful idea. We’re all used to living on our own nowadays, so this is the perfect compromise. And honestly, Jo.’ She swept her glass free arm around. ‘It’s bloody gorgeous. I don’t think I want my flat any more. Can I live on this terrace instead? Oh, you know what we should do? Cocks on Friday!’
We both spun round. Emma laughed at us. ‘Your faces. Honestly. I just thought we could do regular cocktails on a Friday night. We could all come together and tell all about how our weeks have been. The good parts. The bad parts. One of the many things I’ve missed since I’ve been a widow, apart from the sex of course, is sharing how my day or my week has been. It’ll be so nice to have someone who gives a shit about me.’
I grinned back at her. ‘I think it’s a fantastic idea. Here’s to Cocks on Friday.’
Michelle guffawed and shouted loudly, ‘To Cocks!’
As our glasses clinked together, we heard a little cough in the background.
‘Gosh. Have I come to the right place? I thought there were three sensible middle-aged women living together in this big old house, not three old slappers from Love Island toasting to, well, you know…’ Seamus seemed to struggle to use the word in front of us.
‘Oi! Less of the old, if you don’t mind.’
I laughed at the fact Michelle was more upset by the fact he’d called us old than the fact he’d called us slappers.
‘You can come and join us if you like,’ I said. ‘I can go and grab another glass.’
‘That’s very kind of you, Jo Jenkins, but I was just coming to find you to say that I’m getting off now. I’ve finished up in the kitchen and will be back tomorrow if that’s OK. I’ll leave you ladies to celebrate. I reckon you’ll all be very happy living here together, you know. Have a good evening, all.’ He mock-saluted and gave me a cheeky little wink before he went back through the side gate, Theo trotting along by his side.
Michelle came and stood next to me and nudged my shoulder.
‘Talking of cocks, I’d quite like to…’
My head snatched round to face her.
‘Too much?’
I nodded. ‘Yep, too much.’
She slung her arm around my shoulder. ‘Come on, did I see some nuts to mop up some of this Prosecco? It’s making me feel quite squiffy. Do you think we should rename our little group The Lonely Hearts Club?’
‘God! That just makes us sound like a bunch of losers,’ I replied.
‘On the contrary, Jo.’ Emma grinned. ‘I think it makes us sound like a wonderful group of people who, despite having really big hearts, are alone in life for different reasons, who have found friendship and solace and who are helping each other to overcome their loneliness.’
‘Well, when you say it like that, it doesn’t sound so bad and probably is better than Cocks on Friday.’
‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Michelle laughed. ‘That has a certain ring to it.’
Laughing with friends is one of life’s best therapies. Originally, I’d been wondering if I was doing the right thing by inviting two women that I hardly knew into my home. Yet at that moment, I was so very pleased with my decision. My world had once again spun and I had finally started to believe that everything was going to be OK. Better than OK in fact. It was feeling really good. The friendship that we’d formed, three strangers who had become firm friends, you could even say had been life-changing for me.
I wondered how many other people there were out in the world who felt the same way. We were literally three women from different walks of life, who would probably never have met under different circumstances. How many other people woke up every day, wondering if they’d speak to another person that day? Have any contact with the outside world? You just assumed that everyone was OK really. What if they weren’t? What if they were all experiencing some sort of mental health crisis and were terribly lonely and too afraid to tell anyone?
For some reason, Dame Tessa sprang to mind. She’d been alone for years, living in that big old house on the hill. I wondered if she had days when she felt that they would go on forever. When she’d love to go out for a meal with friends but, now she’d lost Aunty June, had no one to go with and must be feeling it even more. How would someone of her age cope? Maybe I would have to make more of an effort to get to know her.
Before I came to Sandpiper Shore, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to work through my feelings of loneliness; how I could ever start afresh and change my mindset. However, since I’d met these two special ladies, I felt like maybe the tide was turning and that I did have a fine future ahead. I could sit and wait for the future to happen to me, or I could put myself out there and make things happen for me. And maybe not just for me too. Maybe I could not only change my own life, but change others’ lives too. I just had to find my ‘brave’.
‘Err, Jo. Did you hear me?’ Michelle’s voice brought me back to the present. ‘You OK there? You drifted off for a minute.’
I smiled, my heart suddenly filling with joy with a feeling that I’d finally found a purpose.
‘Do you know what, ladies, I actually am fine. And I think I’ve just had a really good idea that I might need your help with.’