Chapter Thirty-Nine
‘Hi, Hattie!’ said Xander, sounding surprised when he saw her parked outside the college where he couldn’t fail to see her. ‘I didn’t know you were picking me up. Or did I?’
Hattie laughed. ‘No, it is a surprise. Get in. I’ve got quite a lot to explain to you. But don’t worry, it’s all good.’
Xander was not convinced that going to stay with some random woman he’d never met instead of living with Luke was going to be anything but uncomfortable. He didn’t express his disapproval in quite that way but Hattie understood his misgivings.
‘Honestly, it won’t be for long. I’m looking into renting somewhere as well as seriously finding somewhere to buy.’
‘But why can’t we stay at Luke’s?’ Xander said for the nineteenth time.
‘Because I don’t think he can have a proper love life if we’re there!’ said Hattie finally, hoping her frankness would make her nephew stop asking that question. It did.
Sheila could not have been more welcoming.
She ushered Hattie and Xander into her kitchen.
‘Let’s have a glass and some nibbles, then I’ll show you to your rooms. Xander, I’ve got a good selection of soft drinks for you.
Would you like to go and look in the fridge and see what you might like?
I’m so utterly delighted to have you here! ’
‘There’s enough for a small shop here,’ said Xander, coming back with his favourite. ‘Thank you!’
‘I didn’t know what you liked, so I just got everything I could see on the shelf. I’ll go and get the food.’
It took several trips to and from the kitchen, even with Xander helping, to get it all to the table.
Sheila had gone to epic lengths to find things likely to appeal to Xander as well as Hattie.
There was charcuterie of all kinds, plain cold meats, several sorts of cheese, French bread, crackers, Scotch eggs and miniature quiches as well as olives and fancy crisps.
‘I was going to do supper as well,’ said Sheila when everything had been fitted on to the table. ‘But this is probably enough.’
‘For us and about twenty other people,’ said Hattie. ‘This is so generous of you!’
‘Yes,’ said Xander. ‘It’s amazing.’
‘You know me,’ said Sheila, half embarrassed and half pleased. ‘I like to feed people.’
To Hattie’s huge relief, Xander tucked in enthusiastically, any issues with food he may have had at one time long forgotten. She made a point of loading her own plate and, unusually, she allowed her glass to be filled a couple of times.
‘I’m so delighted Fi and Nick asked you to be celebrant,’ said Sheila, topping up her own glass. ‘I’ve always felt you brought them together in some way.’
Hattie nodded. Fiona had said the same thing. If only they knew she had done exactly that, she thought. ‘It’s lovely that they’re obviously so happy.’
‘I know! They both exude joy! It’s bliss.’
‘This food is bliss,’ said Xander, awkward but making an effort.
‘You are so welcome, darling!’ said Sheila.
‘But we must work out how we’re going to arrange things. We must pay you rent and contribute to housekeeping, cook meals sometimes.’
‘But I love cooking for people,’ said Sheila, in case Hattie and Xander had missed this about her.
‘Appreciative people. Malcolm doesn’t really like my cooking.
He only likes school food, not spice and nothing fancy in the vegetable line.
Which means he eats peas and carrots and sometimes green beans. ’
‘Oh.’
‘And as we have lots of veg in the garden it seems a shame. I’ll have some bread. It’s just possible I may have had too much to drink already.’
‘We could have some water. Xan? Could you get us some?’
Xander got up good-naturedly. ‘There are about three different kinds of sparkling water in the fridge.’
‘Anything will be fine,’ said Sheila. ‘I’ve got over-excited having cheery company.’
‘And we’re very happy too. But you must let me contribute financially.’
Sheila remained very resistant to the thought that Hattie might pay rent and so, after much haggling, it was agreed Hattie would help Sheila in the garden and Xander would take over the lawn mowing.
It wasn’t proper remuneration, Hattie knew, but it was the best deal she could get and privately she was grateful not to be spending any of her precious deposit money.
The days leading up to the wedding went quickly. Hattie had a lot of work on and she tried to fit in as much gardening for Sheila as she could.
Sheila seemed to be very busy with her daughter’s upcoming ceremony although actually Fiona and Nick had it all worked out.
Sheila was insistent that the village hall, which had only just become a wedding venue and where they were having the reception (or ‘bun fight’, as Sheila called it), should be decorated with flowers from her garden.
Although her garden was full of flowers, she felt there wouldn’t be enough sweet peas.
Hattie was happy to dig holes and put up wigwams for support although she and Sheila accepted they were pushing it a bit to expect many of them to be out in time.
Hattie found getting her hands in the soil soothing when her own house hunting was going badly.
There was simply nothing in her budget that made her heart sing. She was as bad as her clients.
Hattie went past Mary’s house once. The ‘For Sale’ sign now had ‘Sold Subject to Contract’ on it.
She could probably have used her contacts to find out who was buying it but she didn’t want to.
It was all too painful. Somehow her not being able to buy the house had become linked with things going wrong with Luke and the thought that she had let so much slip through her fingers was too painful to dwell on.
The next day she went down to see Mary, who was very pleased to see her.
‘I’m really quite content being here,’ she said when Hattie asked.
‘I didn’t realise the chef who was cooking was a substitute and the food has improved a lot.
And my first impressions of the staff were right: they are all very kind.
I’ve also found a wonderful woman who is a botanist. We have very interesting conversations.
But it is far away from you and all my friends.
The more elderly among them find it hard to visit me. ’
‘Is Clive looking into moving you somewhere nearer?’ Hattie asked.
‘Like the care home I had picked out for myself, you mean? He says he is. But apparently my house has to be sold before that can happen.’
‘He should have sold it to me, then,’ said Hattie.
Mary nodded. ‘He’s a bit too clever for his clogs sometimes, that young man. Apparently he’s negotiating to sell it to a developer.’
Hattie sighed. ‘Well, it’ll get a good price if they can get planning permission. I doubt that they could, frankly.’
‘Couldn’t you find out? A woman in your position?’
Hattie smiled ruefully. ‘I could possibly find out how likely they are to get planning, but will it change anything?’
Mary put her hand on Hattie’s.
‘And we want the very best price for the house, don’t we?’ Hattie went on. ‘If I can’t have it, you should get millions!’
Mary laughed. ‘And there’s no good crying over spilt milk, not at this stage. Now tell me, are you enjoying living with Sheila?’
‘I am. We all rub along together pretty well. Even though Malcolm came back from his golf trip unexpectedly early, he has learnt to tolerate me. He and Xander have quite long conversations about motor racing – of at least three sentences.’
Mary laughed obligingly.
‘And one night when Sheila was out, I made him scrambled eggs, and he loved the way I did them.’
‘I liked your scrambled eggs too,’ said Mary. ‘I loved our short time of living together. We had such fun.’
‘The best fun!’ Hattie’s throat closed with tears and she had to cough a lot, trying not to start sobbing.
Mary patted her hand again. It helped.