Chapter 6 Mia
Mia
Mia’s tucked into a mountain of pillows on the feather bed in the gardener’s cottage, scrolling through her camera roll, her Sad Girl playlist playing quietly through the speaker.
It felt extra indulgent to slip into bed once John brought her luggage, and she has zero regrets so far.
It had been quite amusing watching John painstakingly move her luggage a few feet at a time, disguised in a bin bag in an attempt to draw less attention.
Now, the cottage is feeling like a downy fortress of solitude, and the quiet and space from the big house are giving her the courage to do a little mental decluttering.
Even though she’s just been here for a couple of hours, she’s already convinced that moving down here for the week was absolutely the right move, and true to his promise to give her privacy when she wanted it, there hasn’t been a peep from John since he brought down her things.
Having a bathroom to herself is also rather glorious.
Looking over the few pictures she’d taken of her and James, Mia can’t help the sadness creeping in.
The Mia in these photos is so full of hope.
Little did she know how quickly their relationship was going to crash and burn.
There’s the one from the night they met – standing together at Sally’s Halloween party.
James is looking at the camera, his dazzling grin and warm eyes sparkling, but Mia is looking up at him with a wide smile.
She’d been particularly drawn to James’s confidence that night, seemingly able to dazzle anyone he spoke to.
Whenever she had thought back on that night, it had made her feel like she’d chosen well – someone smart and articulate.
Then the selfie shortly afterwards in the park that – despite the ghosting – she still loves.
The trees are dressed in autumn colours and her outfit that day had been the epitome of cosy girl.
James had worn a huge, chunky knit jumper that Mia had desperately wanted to steal from him, and the light had been so beautiful all afternoon.
It had been James’s suggestion to meet up and cycle through the park, and by the end of the day, Mia had been over the moon.
She’d texted Lucy that night – I think he’s a keeper!
She scrutinizes the next picture, taken outside a cinema in front of a mural she’d always admired.
James’s arm is wrapped around her shoulders, and they’re both smiling at the camera.
They’d asked an older man to take it, and the gentleman had commented on what a cute couple they made.
Mia studies James’s body language. Were there clues, even then, that she’d missed?
Something that foretold he was only in it for a good time, and then he’d move on without another word?
Mia huffs out a frustrated sigh. She’s overanalysing all of this.
Lucy is always telling her to accept what the universe brings her way and hold everything loosely.
But Mia can’t stop herself from looking at the photo more closely.
Their bodies are pressed together in that comfortable and casual way of two people who find the other attractive and interesting.
And the goodbye kiss that night had been full of passion …
The next song on her Sad Girl playlist starts, and Mia wavers in her determination not to cry over James.
She still feels firmly that he’s not worth her tears, but the disappointment is burning through her.
She’d finally psyched herself up enough to take a chance on love again, and look at where it’s landed her.
She should have stuck with her tried and true first dates only approach.
She’s never caught feelings after one of those.
Mia swipes a few stray tears from her cheeks and tosses her phone on to the duvet.
She looks around the room, anxious for a distraction.
The bed is decadent – plush linens and a softly tarnished brass bed frame pushed up against a rustic stone wall.
The other walls in the room are plaster and have recently been painted a soothing sage green that makes the rich wood tones of the dresser and washstand glow, and someone has decked the room out with sprigs of fresh evergreen.
The subtle scent fills the air and she breathes it in, letting it soothe her ragged nerves as she gazes out of the window.
But just as she feels herself growing calmer, her eyes snag on a decidedly Penny-looking figure, trudging through the snow, clearly headed for the gardener’s cottage.
‘Oh, Mum, what are you doing?’ Mia mutters.
Not wanting to be caught in bed, she launches herself up and grabs her jumper from the hook on the back of the door, winding a scarf around her neck and pulling on her mittens as she heads down the stairs.
She’s just reached the landing when Penny wrestles open the front door.
‘Yoo hoo! Mia darling? Are you in here? Oh, there’s a fire! How lovely.’
Mia rounds the corner. ‘Hey, Mum. I’m here.’
‘Oh, there you are!’ Penny stands in front of the fire, blowing on her fists and stamping her feet. ‘I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Your room is empty!’
‘Yes, we moved – well, I moved – my stuff earlier this morning. There’s just a bit more quiet and relaxation down here.’
‘But I’d prefer everyone to be together—’ Penny begins, her eyebrows knitting together across her forehead.
‘It’s so nice over here, and I haven’t been inside in ages,’ Mia hurries to interrupt. ‘You and Dad have done such a beautiful job restoring the cottage.’ Mia gestures towards the toile print curtains. ‘Did you sew these yourself?’
Penny smiles, smoothing her hair as she walks towards the window. ‘No, I hired a girl in the village. It really is coming along, isn’t it? Your father had the stone repointed this summer, and it made such a difference. The cottage was so terribly draughty before, you know.’
With the renovations her parents have overseen, the cottage is now the perfect little getaway spot. Romantic, even. Despite herself, Mia is hit with another wave of disappointment. She really wishes James were here.
‘Well, the cottage is just so cosy now,’ Mia says, shaking off her disappointment and donning a bright smile.
The trick to Penny was to keep her distracted, and when necessary, ply her with a glass of white wine.
Penny always had ideas of how things should go, and she could be impressively stubborn.
But Mia had discovered years ago that she was easily swayed to another’s opinion as long as she was buttered up with a few well-worded compliments.
‘I’m sure the cottage will be a smashing success.
You really have an eye for these things, Mum. ’
Penny beams, her eyes crinkling up. Her mascara is just a little bit clumpy, and her blush is too strongly applied. But that’s how Mia’s mum has always preferred her makeup. And in a world where Mia can’t even count on a man to return her texts, she finds that continuity comforting.
Mia’s stomach rumbles impressively, and Penny chuckles. ‘Oh dear. Someone’s hungry. Oh, and that’s why I was looking for you!’ Her sweet, high voice echoes slightly. ‘I wanted you to make one of your soups for lunch today. Something warm and delicious that will feed a crowd.’
Mia raises an eyebrow. ‘A crowd? Please tell me you haven’t planned another party.’
Penny pats her on the shoulder, and then tugs her towards the door.
‘Of course not. But there’s you and I, and your father, and of course Charlie eats like a horse.
And then Sam, and Aunt Gertie, and I told Mabel she could stop by at some point today.
And no one knows when Molly is coming up.
Charlie said her little sister’s birthday is the 22nd, and she wasn’t sure if she should come up before or after the celebration.
But she doesn’t live that far away, so I don’t see why she couldn’t come up now, and then come back for our Christmas dinner. ’
Mia follows her mum outside. The cottage ghost’s comment from earlier comes to mind, and she can’t help asking, ‘So are we assuming Molly is a real, live person?’
Penny giggles. ‘Of course we are! What, do you think your brother is making her up?’
‘I just think it’s awfully convenient.’ Mia steps in the footprints her mother made on her way down.
The wind is blowing away from them, which makes conversation a little easier.
‘As far as I know, no one has met this girl, and she has very plausible reasons to not be able to be here with us. You and Aunt Gertie were pretty merciless with him last year about his lack of a significant other. I wouldn’t put it past him to invent someone just to keep you off his back this year. ’
Penny tsks in dismay. ‘Mia. That’s just silly.
Of course Molly is real. Charlie said he was video calling her just the other night!
Besides,’ she continues, elbowing Mia in the ribs, ‘your brother is not clever enough to pull off that kind of deception.’ Her frown deepens.
‘And when have I ever pushed you children romantically? I know better!’
Mia chuckles, but sobers when she realizes that neither last year nor this year has she been subjected to the same scrutiny as Charlie.
In fact, her family seems to avoid the subject of her love life like the plague.
Does that mean they’ve written her off as a lost cause?
James may have ghosted her, but she’s only twenty-eight, for Pete’s sake.
They tumble inside, shutting out the cold and unwrapping all their layers.
Penny ushers Mia into the kitchen and hands her an apron.
‘There are all kinds of fresh ingredients in the fridge. I’m sure you can pull something fabulous together.
Just don’t add too much salt. Your father needs to watch his sodium. ’
‘Sure, Mum,’ says Mia, leaning in to peck her mother on the cheek.