Twenty-One
Sally sat at her little table inside Herbie’s cat run. Her ginger fluff monster was sprawled out on one of the climbing shelves Matt had so considerately placed for him to clamber upon. Although at this moment, Herbie was still sleeping off the sedative she’d had to give him for the journey to the farm. As such, with Matt and his workers now finished for the day, she was here on her own for the first time. Matt had asked her if she’d like to join him and Flora for dinner but she’d declined. Tonight, she needed to be alone.
The sun was setting and its warm glow settled upon her as she sat back in her seat and raised her face towards it while she revelled in the lack of man-made noise. No neighbours calling out, no children screaming, no car engines revving or doors slamming, no music being played louder than was really necessary. All she could hear were crickets chirping in the long grass of the nearby field, bees buzzing among the flowers which had taken over from whatever had once been planted there and a plethora of birdcalls echoing through the trimmed-back trees.
Matt had been true to his promise – the land management company had taken great care when they’d cut back the overgrowth and thinned out the trees. The area now looked better but hadn’t lost any of its natural appearance. And going by all the sounds around her, the local wildlife didn’t seem to have a problem with it either.
Sally took a sip of her wine and let the lazy, calm, country air seep through to her bones. For the first time since Steve’s death, she no longer felt wound up tight enough to break. She understood that, for most of the human race, moving house was one of the most stressful things to go through but it hadn’t been for her. Instead, it had given her a purpose. A good reason to get out of bed in the morning. She fully appreciated that her hurdles had been minimal compared to what other buyers had to deal with but there was still a lot on her plate to contend with.
She mentally worked through her vast to-do list, smiling at how long it was and how much she was relishing getting on with it.
Her first two tasks, while she waited for the house to be ready, was to make the acquaintance of the local vets, discuss her future plans with them and then see if she could get them on board to help her interview potential candidates. From the information she’d gleaned from Sukie, and the research she’d done online, Davies & Davies was a father and son outfit and she really hoped they wouldn’t be too miffed at her muscling in – albeit just a little bit – on their territory.
Well, in two days’ time, she’d find out.
A little sigh of contentment slipped from her lips as she leant forward to refill her glass. One of the first things Essie had shown her in the motorhome was the plastic, no-ice required, ice bucket and she was making full use of it now. An ice-bucket but without the slushy mess? That worked for her.
Her mind wandered back up the M40 towards home and she wondered how Chris and Evaine were settling into her old house. Her dilemma over what to do with it had been solved when her brother had announced his engagement to Evaine last month. She’d gifted the house to them, safe in the knowledge that Steve would have approved. When her parents had asked her about her financial position to be able to be so generous, she’d simply led them to believe that Steve’s life insurance and compensation was enough to cover everything. As she’d never told them the values awarded to her, they didn’t question her any further.
So, while Chris and his mate had helped to move her belongings today, Evaine had moved into the semi-detached with her parents’ help. Tonight, everyone was sleeping under a new roof although, in her case, under two roofs!
‘Come on, Herbie,’ she gave the still-slumbering feline a gentle stroke before gathering him up in her arms, ‘let’s go and make ourselves comfortable inside Marvin. I’ve got a tuna salad in the fridge which I’m sure you’ll be happy to share.’