Chapter 13
Tilly had taken loads of before and after shots of the shed and had loaded them into The Properlies WhatsApp group.
After all the work she'd done, she could certainly see the potential of the place, but underneath, she wondered what she’d committed to.
It all looked very good in theory, investing in a rosy-posy shed by the sea, but on one’s own, each little job had taken it out of her.
Sitting on the newly cleaned, dust-free sofa with a cup of tea, she pressed send on the last of the photos and waited.
The verdict of The Properlies committee was pending, and Tilly wasn't at all sure which way it would go.
Pia replied first.
Pia: STOP. Tils. The view! OMG! Is that the actual view from the window?? As in, you get to wake up to that. On my way…
Tilly: That's the view. It comes free with the mould.
Jasmine: Just seen the pics. Calling in 5. Don't move.
Pia: Yep, we need to chat re this. x
Five minutes later, Tilly's phone lit up, and two faces appeared. Pia on a terrace in Provence and Jasmine in a dressing-room with a mirror surrounded by lightbulbs and a wig on a block beside her.
Jasmine nodded. 'Okay. I've been through them all twice. The view is outstanding, but the rest of it? Tils. What were you thinking?'
'I know.'
'There’s an actual boat in there.'
Tilly sighed. 'Tell me about it. The boat's not going anywhere, and I am in no position to move it on my own. It has squatter's rights.'
Pia chimed in. 'I zoomed in on the bathroom. The before shot. I'm going to need you to confirm that you’ve disinfected everything.'
'Yep, and the resident occupant in the bath, which was a large spider, has been rehomed.' Tilly made a funny sound.
'You said there was a horrible smell in there in your messages.'
Tilly nodded. 'Well, the whole place is now powered and scented by Dettol, which is a huge improvement. I haven’t stopped. I guess cleaning hotel rooms stood me in good stead for this. I’ve certainly had a lot of practice.'
Pia narrowed her eyes. 'The after photos have so much potential. I love the little kitchen with the shelves and the view. You can’t even put a price on the view, Tils, it's gorgeous.
It's like something off one of those Insta accounts.
Fixer-upper-by-the-sea. People would kill for this opportunity, but yeah, it needs a lot of elbow grease. '
Tilly shook her head. 'People haven't smelt it.'
Jasmine smiled. 'It just needs work. It’s a shame neither of us can come and help you get stuck in at the moment.'
Tilly laughed. 'It genuinely does look better now, but I'm sitting here thinking I came here via a Facebook post, so what should I expect? I had one phone call with a woman in a hospital corridor. There’s so much work to do. What have I actually done?'
Jasmine made a wincing face. 'Have you done anything legally yet?'
'Not yet. The ball is rolling regarding putting solicitors in place and all that stuff, but it's not anywhere near. I could pull out, technically. That's the bit that keeps going round my head.'
Jasmine held up a hand. 'Right, here's what I think.
You don't decide yet. You give it a proper go with a deadline.
Give it a few more weeks, and then you'll see if the place fits.
If, at the end of it, you're standing there thinking I want out, then you ring the solicitor, and you pull the plug before completion. You'll have lost some Dettol money and gained a very weird story. I don’t think you owe that Margery woman anything. She wasn’t quite honest with you. '
'I guess that’s a plan. To be fair, she’s got a lot on her plate.' Tilly nodded.
'Put a date in your phone. You're a woman who likes an exit plan.'
Tilly looked at the screen and smiled. Jasmine had always been the sensible one, and she loved to lecture. ‘I might.’
Pia got on board. 'It’s a good idea. Tils, put a date in your phone right now while we watch.'
Tilly tapped the calendar on her phone. 'Okay, yep, done. I’ll regroup in a few weeks. I guess I don’t owe anyone anything.'
Jasmine smiled. 'You do not. You might love it once you settle in a bit more. At the end of the day, you’ve flown around the world to get there, so you have to give it a go.
Anyway, send some more photos. That bedroom looks lovely already.
Honestly, put some nice sheets on that bed, dress it up, and it could be in a magazine. '
'Okay. I’ll regroup in a few weeks. I suppose, as you say, I don’t owe anyone anything.'
‘You don’t, and you’re there now. Okie-dokie, ladies, I have to shoot. Chin up, Tils.'
Pia nodded. 'Yep, chin up. You’ll be fine. It could be a lot worse.'
Tilly chuckled. 'Thanks, you’ve made me feel more positive, actually. You’re right, the views are great, and it does have potential. The Properlies to the rescue. See you both. Thanks.'
The call ended, and Tilly felt a bit better about what she’d gone and done. Now that she’d made a decision to dig in for a few weeks and see what happened, at least there was some sort of end point, or beginning point as the case may be, to her new start by the sea.