Chapter 2 #2
So Noah had been surprised to receive a call from his dad two months previously, although shocked to hear that his father was now seriously ill.
Noah had rushed up to Manchester to spend those last few days with his dad in hospital before he had finally succumbed to liver failure.
Numb with grief, Noah hadn’t expected anyone to show up for the funeral.
After all, his father had made few friends over the years and there was hardly any family to inform either.
But he had let his Uncle Walter know what had happened to his nephew and Noah had been surprised that both his Uncle Walter and Aunt Dorothy had come to the funeral.
After all, they hadn’t been close to his father or himself either.
Noah had only met his great-uncle and -aunt a handful of times growing up.
Normally only when his dad had needed to borrow money whenever things had got too tight.
They would stay a night or two in Cranley before swiftly moving on once the loan had been received.
Noah remembered Maple Tree Lodge as being a warm and happy family home, something that he knew nothing about.
After the funeral, Noah had talked briefly to his uncle and aunt and had found their kindness touching, at a time when he had felt even more alone than ever.
Walter had told him that there was something for him at the lodge. ‘Something that’s yours by right,’ he had said.
Noah had tried to put it out of his mind. Family was for other people, not him. And yet, the thought that he had something of his father’s to inherit was too alluring for him to stay away.
So he had finally turned up late that evening at Walter’s small cottage in the grounds of the hotel. There had been a power cut, Walter had explained, but there was always a spare room in the family quarters of the hotel. He could stay there and be shown his legacy in the morning.
Not wanting to get involved with any small talk, he had asked for privacy and Walter had given it to him, avoiding the rest of the family who had been gathered in the kitchen, and leading him through what appeared to be a very nicely appointed hotel.
Thick carpets underfoot, soft mattresses, flowers and fresh-smelling candles.
It smelt like money and luxury, both of which he knew nothing about.
‘The Jacksons aren’t my real family, of course,’ carried on Beth.
‘But I like to think that they’ve adopted me.
Aren’t they wonderful? So supportive.’ She yawned.
‘Look, I know it’s all a bit awkward but everyone else has gone to sleep and I’m shattered.
Plus I don’t want to wake up the large but terribly friendly dog who’s in the room next door.
Apparently there are no other rooms available tonight so this is literally the only option.
Do you mind terribly if I just sleep on the floor in here tonight?
I’m not a stalker or anything but I’m just so tired. ’
‘You want to sleep on the floor?’ he asked, staring at her. She was quite unlike any person he had ever met.
‘I’ve done it loads of times and at least this time it’s not the cold hard ground outside but a lovely thick carpet,’ she told him, pulling out her hair from the two braids she had been wearing, and he was temporarily distracted by the luscious dark locks spilling over her shoulders.
‘Unless your girlfriend is likely to get jealous,’ she added, frowning.
‘I’d hate to ruin somebody else’s relationship. It would be too awful.’
‘Actually I’ve just broken up with someone,’ he found himself saying.
‘I’m sorry,’ she told him, sounding as if she genuinely meant it.
‘I’m not,’ he replied, truthfully.
Clara had been fun company for the couple of months that he had stayed in his last job in Brighton.
But as usual, he never let anyone see the real him.
Relationships were passionate, fun and fleeting, not serious and certainly not for trusting anyone with serious soul searching. That would never happen.
‘You’re not sorry?’ Beth was staring at him in shock. ‘Most people are normally pretty upset after a relationship breaks up.’
‘Not me,’ he told her, with a shrug.
‘That’s amazing,’ said Beth, sinking back against the pillows, still looking at him. ‘It takes me ages to get over someone.’
‘You break up with lots of boyfriends?’ he couldn’t stop himself asking.
She grimaced. ‘More often than you’d think.’
‘Perhaps it’s them and not you,’ he told her.
After all, despite her chatty nature, she appeared to be fun and he couldn’t deny how pretty she was.
‘That’s what my friends keep telling me,’ she said, nodding ruefully to herself. ‘And yet, here I am, heartbroken over yet another lying, cheating idiot this evening. I need to break the cycle of falling in love over and over.’ She sighed heavily.
‘That’s where you’ve been going wrong,’ he told her. ‘I don’t believe in love.’
‘You don’t?’ she spluttered as she sat up. ‘Seriously?’
He waited for her to tell him that he was wrong but instead her face lit up into a smile. ‘Wow! That’s brilliant! You are my new relationship hero!’
Noah had never been anyone’s hero before now and didn’t quite know how to respond.
Thankfully Beth carried on chatting. ‘Remind me to take some notes from you in the morning when I’m more awake.
I need that attitude in my life right now.
’ She looked around the room before her gaze settled on the sofa by the large picture window.
‘Thank goodness! I’d forgotten that there was a sofa in these bedrooms. I’ll sleep on that. ’
She stood up and walked over to the brown leather sofa which had a couple of soft throws over each arm. He noticed that the bottoms of her baggy pyjama trousers were rolled up a couple of times, despite her long legs.
Feeling a little guilty, Noah found himself saying, ‘You can take the bed if you want.’
‘Oh, no!’ she said, sinking onto the sofa and putting her feet up on the arm rest. ‘This was your bedroom first. I just feel bad for disrupting your night’s sleep. I promise you won’t hear a wink out of me for the rest of the night. And I don’t snore apparently either.’
‘Okay,’ said Noah, running a hand through his hair, somewhat perplexed by the late-night conversation he had just been a part of.
‘I really am very tired,’ said Beth. ‘Do you mind switching out the light now?’
‘Of course,’ he replied, lying down on the bed and leaning over to find the light switch.
The bedroom was plunged into darkness but as his eyes adjusted, he remembered that he hadn’t drawn the curtains. Outside, the full moon had moved across the sky and was shining down onto the lake and lighting up the picture window next to where the sofa lay.
He still felt somewhat guilty about Beth sleeping on the sofa, despite her being fair that it had been his room to start with. He sat up. Maybe she felt nervous about sleeping with a strange man in her room. Perhaps he should have just gone downstairs and slept in the lounge instead.
Either way, he felt bad about the situation. But as he opened his mouth to insist that she take the bed, he realised that Beth had fallen fast asleep already.