Chapter 30
I didn’t hear anything from Erik that evening but given how worried I was about Grandad George, Erik’s lack of response wasn’t something I fretted over.
It wasn’t all that late when Rafe, along with Hugh, arrived back from Cavell Care, but I felt like I’d been waiting for hours, so had kept myself occupied by tidying up after our interrupted dinner and finding the perfect spots for the extra decorations and pumpkins I’d come back from Wynbridge with.
‘So,’ I asked, the second the front door opened. ‘How is he? Really.’
‘Fed up,’ Rafe smiled. ‘He’s insisting everyone’s overreacting, but he isn’t really on top form.’
I puffed out my cheeks and blinked away the tears that were threatening.
‘If he rests up with a little more grace he’ll recover all the quicker,’ my father continued. ‘Perhaps you could find a way to convince him of that tomorrow, Skylar.’
‘I’ll make it my top priority,’ I promised.
‘Tell him we didn’t move here one season for him to pop his clogs the next,’ Rafe then suggested mischievously.
‘Rafe!’ Hugh gasped and tapped him on the arm. ‘That’s not helpful.’
‘But it is a demonstration of his humour,’ I told Hugh. ‘If you’re here for the long haul then you’ll need to get used to it. I find phasing him out or ignoring him from the off helps.’
‘Hey!’ Rafe objected.
‘Thanks for the tip,’ Hugh smiled. ‘And now I’m going to go. The Uber is waiting.’
‘And I’m going to bed,’ I said. ‘I’ve really enjoyed meeting you, Hugh.’
‘Likewise, my lovely. I hope I’ll see you again soon.’
‘I wouldn’t count on it if you’re going to gang up on me,’ Rafe huffed and Hugh and I both laughed.
I arrived at Cavell Care the next morning and sat in the chair next to Grandad George’s bed.
He was fast asleep, his breath slightly laboured, but the carer I had spoken to when I arrived promised that he’d had a comfortable night and seemed quite his usual self when he was given his breakfast. I couldn’t help thinking he looked tiny in the bed, frail and pale too, but then the linen was white so that didn’t show him at his best.
‘Well, this is a fine to do,’ I heard him say and I jerked awake. ‘Who’s visiting who here? Would you like my bed?’
It took a moment for me to get my bearings and the crick in my neck suggested I’d been out for a while.
‘Sorry,’ I croaked and sat up straighter.
‘How long have you been here?’
‘All night,’ I fibbed. ‘I’ve been keeping a vigil.’
‘That’s a tall tale if ever I heard one because I breakfasted alone.’
‘A couple of hours,’ I said truthfully.
A glance at the bedside clock showed a time I wouldn’t have believed possible, because it felt like no time since I’d arrived. I guessed the weekend had caught up with me.
‘I daresay you’re catching up following your trip away,’ Gran-dad George said, echoing my thoughts. ‘Did you have fun?’
‘Never mind my weekend,’ I tutted. I was sure I hadn’t told him I was going away, so Rafe must have mentioned it. ‘I want to know how you are?’
‘A lot of fuss over nothing,’ Grandad George sniffed, then proceeded to bark out a cough. I gave him a look. ‘Still coughing up a lung,’ he conceded, ‘but sound as a pound otherwise. Help me sit up a bit, will you? That’ll help.’
‘Better?’ I asked, once his pillows were plumped up and he was more upright.
‘Much. Parched though.’
‘I’ll go and make us some tea, shall I?’ I suggested.
‘Good idea. Then you can tell me where you’ve been.’
By the time I returned, the door was closed because the doctor had arrived.
He wasn’t long and when he came out, and once I had told him who I was, he was happy to report that Mr Harding was much improved and could stay out of hospital as long as he remained in bed for a few days and followed the carers’ instructions.
‘I’ll make sure he does,’ I pledged.
‘And when Skylar isn’t here,’ said a voice behind me. ‘I’ll keep him on the straight and narrow.’
‘Thank you, Freddie,’ I said as the doctor went to check on someone else.
‘Can’t have the only decent chess opponent in the place shuffling off,’ he smiled. ‘What would I do for kicks then?’
‘I can hear you out there, Fanshawe!’ Grandad George called.
‘Nothing wrong with his hearing then,’ Freddie laughed.
‘I’ve just made tea,’ I said and picked the tray back up from the trolley I’d rested it on. ‘Would you like to join us?’
‘No,’ he said, ‘I’ll leave you to it, but I’ll be straight in when you go. See you later, Harding!’
‘That sounds like a threat!’ Grandad George called back.
Poorly or not, the banter never stopped and I was very happy about that.
‘Now, come on,’ I said. ‘Drink this before you talk yourself hoarse.’
While we shared the tea, I told Grandad George that he had to take heed of what the doctor had said.
‘It’s the Nightingale Square Christmas lights switch on soon,’ I told him. ‘And Rafe and I would love you to be with us for it, but there’ll be no chance of being granted a night-time trip out if you’re not completely better.’
That seemed to do the trick.
‘Now, tell me about your weekend away,’ he requested after he’d promised he would do as he was asked. ‘Rafe said you went with a friend.’
I rolled my eyes and felt a pang of frustration which I didn’t try to hide.
‘Yes,’ I huffed, and carried on in a sing-song tone. ‘That’s right. I went with Erik and no matter what Rafe thinks, there’s no romance between us. We really are just friends.’
Grandad George looked rather taken aback.
‘Your father didn’t specify who you’d gone with,’ he told me. ‘And I’ve no idea what he thinks about the parameters of your relationship with Erik.’
‘Oh,’ I swallowed as my cheeks flushed crimson. ‘Right. Sorry.’
‘I take it you and Erik didn’t get on while you were away?’
‘Why would you say that?’
‘Because your mention of him seems to have put you in a rather grumpy mood.’
‘That really is Rafe’s fault,’ I tutted. ‘Because he keeps inferring that Erik and I are, or have the potential to be, more than friends.’
‘I suppose those photos in the newspaper have helped him jump to that conclusion.’
I blushed even brighter. ‘I appreciate that, but they were deceiving and not at all reflective of what was really going on. Do you mind if we change the subject?’
‘Not in the slightest. So, tell me, now you’ve met him, what do you make of Hugh?’
Once we’d exhausted the topic of how lovely we both thought Hugh was and Grandad George had eaten most of his lunch, his conversation trailed off and he began to look drowsy. I didn’t want to leave while he was asleep, so I said farewell before he properly dozed off.
‘I’ll come back tomorrow,’ I told him, but he said Rafe was visiting then.
‘And don’t worry about Wednesday either. You’ll be here on Thursday anyway, so let’s leave it until then.’
‘But that’s a couple of days away,’ I said uncertainly.
‘Exactly,’ he smiled. ‘You’ll notice a real change in me by then and you’ll be able to congratulate me on the progress I’ve made.’
‘All right,’ I agreed reluctantly. ‘Behave yourself and I’ll see you Thursday.’
He was asleep before I’d left the room and I felt, despite my earlier annoyance with my father, a rush of gratitude for Rafe who had not only offered me a wonderful home but also provided a base that ensured I could visit my much-loved grandfather on a regular basis.
Having still heard nothing from Erik, I decided to head over to Prosperous Place early the next day. There were a couple of things I wanted to do that cold and sunny Tuesday morning. The first was tell Kate and Luke that I was going to accept their job offer.
Having been certain I would take the position the moment they offered it, my weekend with Erik, more specifically the passionate night with Erik and his subsequent radio silence, had made me doubt my decision because something was obviously off.
However, Grandad George’s illness had been a jolt and made me determined to stay close to both him and Rafe and this job would facilitate that.
Hopefully a straightforward conversation with Erik would set us properly back on the friendship path, so I planned to get on with that, too.
The other item on my agenda was spending some time in the Grow-Well.
I hadn’t worked there for a while and wanted to catch up on the hours I’d missed.
Graham had said there would be less to do now November was in full swing, but I knew there would be something I could help with.
And I’d also check on the bulbs. It wouldn’t be long before they’d be distributed and hopefully once inside in the warmth and light of everyone’s homes they’d start to grow in earnest and be blooming around Christmas day.
What a happy thought that was. Definitely one of my more inspired ideas.
‘Anyone home?’ I called when I arrived at Prosperous Place.
It struck me then, that if it was just Erik in the kitchen our conversation would happen sooner rather than later. I hoped I could find the words. Perhaps telling him about Grandad George’s illness would smooth any awkwardness way…
‘Yes,’ Kate called. ‘We’re here. Come on through.’
I found her and Luke sat at the table with Freya. There was no sign of Erik.
‘Am I interrupting?’ I asked. ‘I can come back.’
‘No,’ Luke said, ‘you’re fine. We were just going through the dates when Freya will be giving guided tours of the Winter Garden.’
‘Are there many?’ I enquired. ‘I wouldn’t mind joining one myself. I love looking around the garden on my own, but my plant knowledge is woefully lacking, and I’d love to know what’s there so I could dazzle Rafe with some Latin.’
Freya laughed at that. ‘The tours get booked up pretty quickly but there’s a list of dates here,’ she said and pointed at a sheet of paper, ‘and you’re more than welcome to come along to any one of them. Just follow on from where we all gather at the gate.’
‘That’s great. Thank you.’
‘And now I’d better get on,’ she said as she stood up. ‘I want to make the most of the sunshine and I’m going to check the tree ferns today. It won’t be long until they’ll need their winter coats putting on.’