Chapter 58
Bridie unlocked the shop door and let Oliver inside first. She’d just stepped into the shop when she heard footsteps on the cobbles. It was just as she thought – Isobel and Reggie were heading home across the yard together too.
She watched Reggie open the shop door. Reggie paused and turned around to look in her direction. He waved. Isobel turned around and waved too.
‘Night, night,’ Bridie called across the yard.
Isobel and Reggie called back, ‘Night, night, sweetheart.’ Isobel stepped inside the shop, but Reggie lingered at the door a moment, staring in her direction, as though there was something on his mind.
Bridie was about to step forward, wondering what was up, when he gave her another wave and then joined Isobel.
The shop door closed, and a moment later the light went on in Reggie’s flat upstairs.
‘What is it?’ Oliver asked, noticing her still standing at the door.
‘I never saw the other photo in Isobel’s locket. I would have thought there were two.’
‘Oh, right. I don’t know who the baby was, but Jack told me he recognised the other person in the photo, even though he was a lot younger.
’ Oliver grinned, taking in Bridie’s surprise.
‘Yeah, we were actually chatting like two normal human beings for once, rather than coming to blows, and that’s when he mentioned the locket and what he’d seen inside.
‘So that …’ he pointed at Reggie’s flat, indicating the visitor he’d brought home, ‘doesn’t surprise me. ’
Bridie turned around. ‘I don’t understand …?’
‘It was Reggie. The other photo was of Reggie. I wonder what happened to the baby?’ Oliver said before turning his sights on the coffee maker.
Bridie stood by the door, staring across the yard.
‘I’m going to make us a coffee,’ Oliver said, approaching the cosy corner at the back of the shop. ‘Are you closing that door?’
Bridie slowly closed the door.
‘Everything all right?’ Oliver asked as she walked into the shop.
‘Isn’t life strange, Oliver? One minute everything is pretty normal, albeit with its ups and downs, and suddenly—’
‘The love of your life appears out of nowhere,’ said Oliver, taking her in his arms.
They were about to kiss, when she heard a howl. ‘Ah, Barney heard the shop door. I’d better go up there.’
Oliver nodded. ‘I’ll make the coffee.’
‘You can come upstairs, you know.’
‘I know, but I’ll hang here for a moment.’ He raised his eyes to the ceiling. ‘Do you know how long I’ve waited for this moment – us together.’
Bridie knew it wasn’t a question. She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘You know, I think I’ve been waiting for this all my life too. I just didn’t know it.’
Bridie was just walking down the stairs, after giving Barney a fuss and some dog treats, when she heard Oliver on the phone.
‘You have got to be kidding, Jack.’
Bridie raised her eyebrows as she stepped into the shop. Jack? Why was he on the phone to Jack, of all people? She felt her stomach lurch at the thought that it was starting again – Jack coming between them. And they hadn’t even been together five minutes.
Oliver was sitting on the sofa. He looked up and smiled at Bridie, still talking on his phone. ‘Yes, of course I’ll tell her. Yes, you have a good night too, mate.’
Bridie said as soon as he got off the phone, ‘Did you just call Jack, mate?’
‘Oh, yes.’
Oliver leaned forward and put his phone down on the coffee table. ‘Life is complicated sometimes.’
Bridie’s gaze shifted to the shop window, and Reggie’s shop, where her parents were settling down for their first night together since, she imagined, she was conceived.
‘Tell me about it!’ Her gaze shifted back to Oliver.
And then his phone. ‘When you said life is complicated, were you talking about the three of us?’ Bridie knew Oliver understood she was talking about Jack.
‘Yes, but you know I think life has a funny way of leading us back to where we’re meant to be and who we are meant to be there with.
Bridie couldn’t agree more. She was still looking at Oliver’s phone, feeling a little anxious. ‘Are you going to let me in on what Jack asked you to tell me?’
‘You need to sit down first.’
‘Do I?’
‘I think so.’
Bridie took a seat on the sofa next to Oliver. She turned to him. ‘He’s not leaving Jade after all, is he?’ Bridie didn’t want that. She didn’t want their relationship to be over just because of her.
‘Not at all. They lost sight of each other, and now they’ve found each other again.’
Bridie smiled. ‘Thank goodness.’ She paused. ‘So, what was so important that he phoned you at this hour?’
‘He wanted me to give you the news.’
‘And what news is that?’
‘The cottage next door to the theatre. He’s going to renovate it from top to bottom.’
‘Oh, I see. That’s kind of him to let me know.’
‘Yes, he said that he will carry out the works outside of the performance times to cause as little disruption as possible for your new business.’
Bridie nodded. ‘Great.’ She breathed a huge sigh of relief. ‘Is that all? He didn’t have to let us know tonight, though. It could have waited.’
‘No, actually it couldn’t. You see he wants you there first thing in the morning so he can draw up plans for the works.’
‘Oh, I don’t have to be there.’
‘Ah, but you do. He was rather hoping I’d be there too.’
Now Bridie was really confused. ‘I’m not sure why he needs us there.’
‘Ah, he told me why. You see, he needs us to sign some paperwork.’
‘I’m not signing any more paperwork with Jack,’ Bridie said, her eyes wide.
Oliver leaned over and took her hand. ‘Believe me, you’ll want to sign this.’
‘Why?’
‘Because Jack is gifting you the cottage.’
‘What?’ Bridie shot out of her seat. ‘He can’t do that!’
‘They already did. But they have some legal paperwork for you to sign.’
Bridie narrowed her eyes. ‘Who’s they?’
‘Jack and his wife, Jade.’
‘Jade agrees with this?’ Bridie couldn’t be more surprised if she tried.
‘Apparently, it was her idea.’
‘Now, I really do need to sit down.’
Bridie resumed her seat. She remembered commenting that Jack and Jade had seemed deep in conversation when she’d seen them pause outside the cottage and she’d wondered at the time whether they were discussing what to do with the property now that Jack wouldn’t be moving into it.
Oliver continued, ‘You know, she had an idea you wouldn’t accept another gift, so Jack told me she’d suggested gifting it to you anonymously, but he vetoed that idea. You’ve already got one anonymous benefactor who has yet to be revealed. He didn’t think you’d appreciate another one.’
Bridie laughed out loud. ‘No, he was right there.’
Oliver couldn’t help but laugh too. ‘Yes, I couldn’t agree more.
So Jack told me to tell you that he wants more than anything for you to accept this gift.
He only bought the cottage to tear it down and build something in its place to make money, and the fact that it happens to be next door to the theatre makes it feel like it’s had your name on it all along.
Not that a property could ever make up for the way he behaved … ’
Bridie disagreed. ‘It absolutely can.’
Oliver smiled. ‘Yes, I told him that. But he did say something a bit … strange.’
‘What was that?’
‘The property comes with a caveat.’
‘A what?’
‘A condition.’
Bridie sighed, ‘Not again.’
‘Huh?’ Oliver looked at her askance.
She explained, ‘The theatre came with a caveat too – remember?’
‘Oh, yes.’ Oliver chuckled. ‘Jack isn’t after you staging a play there – if that’s what you’re thinking …’
‘Then what does he want me to do?’
‘That’s the strange part. He wants to do a lot of the work himself – as much as he can do, anyway.’
Bridie smiled. ‘Did he ask me to muck in and help roll walls?’
‘Yes, actually. How did you know?’
Bridie smiled.
‘Is it like some sort of private joke?’ Oliver leaned forward in his seat. ‘Should I be worried?’
‘Not at all. You can join in too.’
‘Actually, he did mention something about me picking up a paint brush and mucking in too.’
Bridie understood. He wanted the three of them to do one last thing together. She took his hand. ‘We’ll both meet him in our soon-to-be new home tomorrow.’
She suddenly had a thought. ‘But what about your cottage.’
‘My cottage?’
‘Yes.’
‘It’s not technically my cottage. Well, it is for as long as I want to rent it.’
‘Oh, I thought …’
‘No, I haven’t bought it. I would love to buy a home. It has always been my dream, somewhere to raise a family.’
‘Well, now your dream has come true. Our dream has come true.’
‘Thanks to Jack,’ Oliver said. He looked downcast.
Bridie looked at him. She guessed what he was thinking. He wanted to provide them with a home himself. ‘No, thanks to The Little Theatre by the Sea.
‘But Jack—’
‘Like you said, Oliver, life has a funny way of taking you where you’re meant to be. Jack might have bought the cottage next door, but it was the theatre that led to him gifting the property to us – and don’t you forget it.’
‘I won’t.’ He smiled. ‘You can be quite bossy when you want to be.’
Bridie grinned. ‘Oh, you have no idea.’
‘That’s why you make an exceptionally good theatre producer and business owner. The theatre is going to be quite the success. I just know it.’
‘Funny thing is,’ said Bridie. ‘So do I.’ With the love of her life by her side, Bridie knew she could achieve anything.
She moved closer to Oliver on the sofa.
‘I can’t believe it’s just you and me, here, together,’ said Oliver, leaning towards her.
‘Yes it’s just you and me.’
A howl pierced the air.
Oliver raised his eyes to the ceiling. ‘And Barney.’
Bridie laughed. ‘Yes, and Barney.’
There was a sudden rap at the shop door. Bridie looked at Oliver. He said, ‘You weren’t expecting anyone, were you?’
She shook her head and walked over to the door. When she opened it, Reggie and Isobel were standing outside. Reggie said, ‘We wanted to check you were okay after … well, after the revelations today.’
‘Won’t you come in? I was just making coffee.’