Chapter 7
‘Mum, do you want to come and take a look at this? See what you think?’
Tess had been flicking through some craft magazines, looking at the latest ideas for Halloween and bonfire-night decorations.
She always liked to make something to mark the changing of the seasons: an autumnal wreath with natural foliage that she had gathered on her walks with Barney, golden leaves, pinecones, berries and conkers, or a centrepiece for the table.
Already she was brimming with ideas that she would get started on in the next couple of weeks, if she could find the time.
She eased herself out of the chair and went to join Hannah, who had been working on her laptop at the kitchen table.
‘It’s not finished yet. This is a first attempt, but what do you think to the overall design? We can change the template, which includes the background and the headings, if you want to.’
Tess peered over Hannah’s shoulder to see the first incarnation of the website for The Garden Retreat.
‘Wow, that looks amazing!’
‘You’ve got the main landing page, then a gallery of photos and then some information about the area and places to visit, plus a contact page.
’ Hannah clicked through the various pages.
‘We can always add additional pages at a later date if you need them, but this should at least be a starting point.’
‘Oh goodness, Hannah, you are so clever.’ She gave her daughter’s shoulders a squeeze. ‘Thank you, darling. After all the hard work of getting the lodge into shape, it actually feels as though the business is coming to fruition now. All I need is a few guests to book in.’
‘They’ll come. Especially when you get your name out there. And we’ll set up an Instagram account as well, which can showcase the local area. If you post regularly, then people will get to know about the place.’
‘Honestly, it looks so lovely. I’d be tempted to book myself in,’ joked Tess.
She was still staring at the pictures, in awe.
The shiplap lodge nestled into the lush greenery of Hollyhocks garden looked inviting, magical even, but she couldn’t take all the credit.
It had been a team effort. Tess had applied her creative design skills to create a cosy and peaceful escape, with her attention to detail lending a note of luxury to the accommodation.
Rob, with his professional camera, had taken lots of stylised shots of the retreat, both inside and out, that showed off the lodge to its absolute best, and Hannah had come up with a slick website and designed the business cards too.
Tess would start actively marketing The Garden Retreat soon with the intention of taking bookings from February of next year.
‘Just let me know any changes that you need to make and when you feel ready to go, we can launch it upon the world.’
‘Eek, it’s so exciting!’
Tess so appreciated Hannah’s support as while she was confident, if apprehensive, about welcoming guests to the annexe, the social-media side wasn’t her forte and filled her with dread.
‘Do you fancy a coffee, darling?’
‘Go on then,’ said Hannah with a grin, before crumpling her brow. ‘Anyway, why are you still here? I thought you were seeing Rob this weekend?’
‘I was, but we’ve put it off until next weekend.
We’ve got your gran coming round for dinner tomorrow, and there’s plenty of other stuff I should be getting on with too.
’ She said it airily so that it sounded convincing enough to her own ears, before adding.
‘Besides, I thought it would be nice to spend some quality time with my daughter.’
‘Is everything okay between you and Rob?’ Hannah asked, casting her mum a doubtful look.
‘Yes, all good,’ said Tess brightly, ignoring the sense of unease in her chest. After all, nothing had actually changed between them, nothing that she could put her finger on, at least, only her own sense of discomfort that something may have shifted in their relationship.
Besides, she didn’t want to offload any worries and insecurities she might have about Rob onto Hannah.
Her daughter was still hurting from her parents’ break-up, when Tess had done everything in her power to shield Hannah from her own heartache, grateful that she was out of the country when Charles announced he was leaving.
The last thing Tess wanted to do was to put too much emphasis on her new relationship in front of her daughter, until she was more confident that it would turn into something long-lasting, rather than transitory.
‘He’s lovely and we’re enjoying spending time with each other.
’ Eager to change the subject, she turned her focus on Hannah.
‘What about you? Are you speaking to Billy again?’
It had been almost two weeks since Billy had turned up and while Hannah had mentioned his name casually, a couple of times in passing, usually when talking about her time in Australia, Tess hadn’t wanted to pry any more than was absolutely necessary, working on the assumption that if Hannah wanted to talk about Billy, then she would.
Today though, while on the subject of relationships, it seemed like the perfect time to ask.
Hannah pulled down the lid on her laptop, pushing it to one side, before gratefully accepting the mug of coffee proffered from Tess. She lifted her head to look at her mum, a smile spreading across his face.
‘Yes, we’ve been messaging. He’s trying really hard to make amends.
He feels bad about the way he behaved in Australia, and wants to make it up to me, but…
’ Hannah shrugged her shoulders. ‘I’ve told him, it’s fine, he’s explained how it made him feel at the time and I understand completely.
Anyway, he’s moved into his new place in London so he’s not too far away.
I think we will probably meet up again soon. ’
‘Okay…’ It took Tess by surprise. ‘Well, that’s… good.’
‘Do you mean that? You’re not disappointed in me, are you?’
‘Don’t say that!’ Tess reached a hand across the table and placed it over Hannah’s. ‘Why would I be disappointed in you?’
‘Well, for giving Billy a second chance.’ She lifted her chin, her freckles from her time spent in the sun still visible on the bridge of her nose. ‘After everything that happened.’
‘That’s entirely up to you, my darling.’ She had her reservations but voicing them aloud to Hannah would only serve to have the opposite effect, pushing her closer to Billy. ‘You know Billy better than I do and it sounds as though you want him in your life.’
‘I think I do, Mum.’ She nodded. ‘The time apart from each other has made us both realise that what we had together in Australia was special. Now, we want to stay in touch. I don’t know where that will take us, but I’m interested to find out,’ she said with a curious smile on her lips.
It wasn’t lost on Tess that she and Hannah were both taking tentative steps into new relationships and learning to trust again, after being let down.
She felt a wave of trepidation for them both, but surely it had to be a risk worth taking.
Finding happiness and contentment with someone special meant opening up your heart to love, even if that meant making yourself vulnerable in the process.
She only hoped that they could both navigate this new pathway without risking a broken heart.