Chapter 2 #2
‘Good,’ he said and closed the gap between us to give me a hug. He kissed the top of my head and I felt myself relax. He felt strong and solid and knowing I could depend on him was a huge comfort. ‘Good,’ he said again.
He looked bright-eyed when I stepped away, so I went to make a fuss of Plato and, with perfect timing, Lisa walked by and waved when she spotted us through the window.
Life in Nightingale Square was going to be extremely different to what I was familiar with, but I’d soon get used to it, wouldn’t I?
The beds arrived a little later than expected and just as the van pulled up to deliver them, my mobile began to ring.
‘Oh,’ I said, no doubt sounding surprised. ‘It’s Mum. I’ll ring her back once the beds are up.’
‘No, don’t do that,’ Rafe insisted. ‘Talk to her now. I can manage this. It’s only a case of telling the driver and his mate where we want them set up. Say hi to Faye for me.’ And with that, he went to let them in.
‘Mum,’ I said, as I closed my sitting room door and answered her call. ‘Hi, how are you?’
‘Skylar!’ she answered. ‘I’m fine! How are you? It’s today, isn’t it? Moving day, I mean. How are you feeling? Was it a wrench to leave Highfell?’
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Tact had never been Mum’s strong point.
‘It could have been worse,’ I lied. ‘And it’s not as if I haven’t had time to prepare for it, is it?’
‘I suppose not,’ she sighed. ‘But even so…’
My departure had been in the offing for months, so it wasn’t as though the change had been sprung upon me.
My former employers and the owners of the hall, Madeline and Tobias, had decided they were ready to slow down and retire abroad – both well into their seventies that was hardly surprising – but, with no children to pass it on to, that meant Highfell had to be sold and the new owners weren’t interested in holding events there.
It struck me then that as well as losing my former home and place of work, I’d also lost the found family that Madeline and Tobias had become.
The hall was quite isolated and consequently we had been close.
My time living there had given me an idea of what it felt like to be part of a normal family, and I’d often wished my mum hadn’t been quite so flighty and that I could have experienced a similar kind of stability when I was growing up.
‘How’s the house then?’ Mum asked, when I didn’t elaborate on my feelings.
I looked around the room as the sound of boxes being lugged upstairs reached me through the door.
‘It’s absolutely beautiful,’ I told her. ‘The former owners clearly loved the place and even though they’ve done some quite extensive remodelling, they’ve kept loads of original features.’
‘I still can’t understand why Rafe wanted somewhere so old and so central to the city,’ Mum commented. ‘His place in LA was modern and practically rural. I hope he’s going to like it, for both your sakes.’
‘He already loves it,’ I insisted. ‘And you do know why he picked here, Mum. It’s so he can be near to Grandad George.’
He was also keen to embrace some genuine community spirit but not knowing if he’d shared that desire with Mum, I decided not to mention it. I had the feeling she’d find that rather amusing.
‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘Of course. And I know I sound a bit negative for someone who usually looks on the bright side.’ That was putting it mildly because on any given day she could usually give Pollyanna a run for her money!
‘But I’m worried about you, Skylar. I know you’re not going to find the transition easy, especially when you’ve got nothing to keep you occupied while you negotiate it. ’
I couldn’t help rather uncharitably thinking it was a little late in the day for her to find some deep maternal feelings.
I had always known Mum loved me, but as she had always been caught up in her own dreamy world, I had become independent at quite a young age.
That made the fragility I was currently experiencing feel even more unsettling, and I felt blessed that Rafe was willing to nurture me through it.
‘I’ll be fine,’ I said. ‘As Rafe keeps reminding me, it’s been far too long since I took some time off, so the luxury of not having to worry about looking for and starting a new job straightaway will give me the chance to properly bed in here and explore the area.’
By the time I’d taken an extended holiday I was certain I’d be raring to go again and ready to take on a new job, but I was going to keep that thought to myself.
‘You sound more like me than I do,’ Mum teased. ‘Who’d have thought it?’
‘Not me, that’s for sure.’
‘Well,’ she said, sounding more like herself, ‘as long as you really are okay, I’d better let you go. I bet you’ve got loads to do and I should get back to work before I’m missed. It’s heaving in the bar tonight.’
Ducking out at an inopportune moment sounded more like her.
‘All right,’ I said. ‘Thanks for checking in.’
‘Don’t worry if you don’t hear from me again for a while, will you?’
‘I won’t,’ I told her.
I was so used to her flitting in and out of my life, it would have been more of a worry if she’d said she’d call again next week or even next month!
‘Take care.’
‘You too.’
And with that, she was gone.