Chapter 28
Bella broke the news to Marieke that evening over a pint of cider and a toasted sandwich in the small back garden of the house.
‘Wow!’ Marieke’s brows lifted. ‘That’s so out of the blue. I hope he doesn’t have an angle.’
‘Angle?’ Sometimes Marieke’s grasp of English was a little vague.
‘Yeah. I mean, postponing selling a very desirable cottage for a cat? There’s got to be more to it than that.’
‘The cottage needs work,’ Bella explained patiently, ‘and Noah needs someone on site. That’s all there is to it.’
‘And I’m not sure I’d be jumping for joy about him being able to come and go as he pleases,’ Marieke persisted, the objective Dutch voice of reason, as ever. ‘I mean, you barely know the guy and he’s asking to share your living space? Won’t that be a bit awkward?’
‘It’s no worse than moving into a house with someone I don’t know,’ Bella replied.
‘I mean, that’s always a bit of a risk, isn’t it?
And at this point, that’s the other option I’ve got.
Noah’s cottage is smack in the middle of the village, so it’s only a short walk from work – at both places.
Anything else I could afford is miles away from here. ’
‘Well, it does sound like the answer to your prayers,’ Marieke shrugged. ‘I don’t want you to jump into it because you’re worried I’ll kick you out. You know I wouldn’t do that.’
‘I know,’ Bella smiled, ‘but let’s face it, you’d move Gerard in tomorrow if you could.’
‘Not at your expense!’ Marieke protested.
Bella reached out and hugged her friend. ‘But this way, I’ll be a minute down the road, so you can keep an eye on me. If Noah turns out to be an axe murderer, you’ll be the first to know when I don’t show up for dinner once a week!’
‘Oh, you’ll still be doing that, then?’ Marieke deadpanned.
‘Abso-bloody-lutely. Don’t think you’re getting rid of me that easily!’
Marieke laughed. ‘Glad to hear it. So, when are you moving out?’
‘Noah’s asked if I can move in next weekend, the electrician is coming in the following week, so I’ve said I’ll move my stuff, and Monty of course, then.’ She paused. ‘Can I borrow your car to shift it?’
Marieke laughed. ‘Sure! And I’ll get Gerard to give you a hand.’
‘Want to get rid of me even more quickly?’ Bella joked. ‘I mean, that’s your Saturday night sorted, if Gerard moves in on the same day!’
Marieke grinned. ‘I wasn’t thinking that, but since you mention it…’
Bella sat back in her garden chair and smiled.
Noah’s proposal might have been a bit left field, but she had the feeling she was making the right decision, both for her and for Monty, who, hopefully, would be delighted to be back in his old home.
She was already feeling excited about having a whole cottage to herself – except for some weekends, of course.
What would it be like sharing with Noah part time, she wondered.
By the time she was sipping her second glass of cider, she and Marieke were in full flow and giggling about the different possibilities.
‘What if he’s really messy?’ Bella said.
‘What if he is? You’re hardly the tidiest of people.’
‘What if he’s a neat freak? Oh, God, I’m not sure I can cope with that!’
‘What if he has terrible hygiene habits? Clips his toenails in the living room? Leaves shaving soap around the sink? Pubes in the shower?’ Marieke, less used to cider, was openly snorting with laughter.
‘He doesn’t seem the type,’ Bella replied, ‘he’s always smelt nice to me.’
‘Oh, yes? Been sniffing your new landlord regularly, have you?’
Bella giggled. ‘Not if I can help it, but I can confirm he’s not unpleasant.’
‘A ringing endorsement!’ Marieke raised an eyebrow. ‘Do you fancy him, then?’
‘What?’ Bella’s response was quick, even to her own ears.
‘I mean, he’s a weekend wanker, really, isn’t he?
All posh jobs and London living. We’ve got nothing in common except a soft spot for Monty, and as soon as he manages to sell Jack’s cottage he’ll be back off to London, and even richer, and I’ll be looking for somewhere else to live. ’
‘You haven’t answered my question.’ Marieke’s eyes glinted.
Bella stroked the condensation off her glass thoughtfully. ‘Well, he’s not unattractive.’ She flushed as she recalled that when he’d asked her to be his impromptu tenant, he’d seemed kind, gentle and very concerned for both her and Monty.
‘Earth to Bella, come in, Bella.’ Marieke’s teasing tone cut into Bella’s reverie.
‘Sorry?’
‘You were miles away. Or maybe not? Maybe only a couple of roads away, imagining what it’ll be like to share a very small space with our Mr Hathaway?’
‘Oh, bugger off, Marieke, and do some clog dancing or something,’ Bella retorted lightly.
‘I’m not wrong, then?’
‘He seems like a decent bloke. As for anything else… well, that would be awkward, what with us being part-time housemates. Almost as awkward as hearing you and Gerard through my bedroom wall!’
‘Well, that won’t be a problem much longer,’ Marieke grinned. ‘Here’s to having our own space but still seeing lots of each other.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘You can bring Noah over for dinner, too, if you want.’
‘I don’t think so!’ Bella laughed. ‘I’ve no intention of subjecting him to your particular brand of scrutiny. He’s only my landlord, and that’s the way it’s going to stay.’
‘If you say so,’ Marieke replied. ‘But you never know…’
‘I do!’ Finishing her cider, Bella headed off to pack her things. She’d always travelled light, but over the time she’d been at Marieke’s she’d accumulated a surprising amount of stuff. Thinking about it, she’d been living in Lower Brambleton for longer than she’d ever stayed anywhere as an adult.
Having left home in her teens on a gap year that had become a gap decade, Bella was used to being itinerant.
Settling anywhere for too long seemed an alien concept, but having Marieke’s house as a base had meant that she’d acquired a few more things in addition to the guitar that went everywhere with her.
There was a selection of books, some additions to her wardrobe and various other items.
Surveying her room, she surmised that she was going to need quite a few boxes to pack it up.
She resolved to ask Paddy if he had any going spare when she was back at the pub tomorrow night.
Things felt as though they were changing, and, as ever with Bella, it wasn’t a conventional change, but it was one that she definitely felt optimistic about.