Chapter 5
Tilly came off the plane at Changi with no clue of local time or any time anywhere.
With her neck at an angle that didn't feel like it belonged to her and her hair sticking up on end, the flight had been long, cramped, bumpy and no more than a means to an end. Blighty was in her sights, and all she wanted to do was get home. If she’d been at the pointy end of the plane, it might have been a different story, but in her case, no such luck.
She’d been stuck down the back near the toilets next to a man who’d snored for the pair of them.
She’d slept for forty-five minutes against the window, and it was fair to say that Tilly was glad to see the back of leg one of her journey back home.
The exit plan was in full swing, so there was that to make her feel better.
Walking down the jet bridge from the plane and then along a long corridor, she made her way to an enormous green-lit central atrium with orchids, tropical greenery and more bright white lights than she’d thought humanly possible.
Tilly had been to Changi a handful of times, going to and from cruise ship contracts, and the pure vastness of the place always made it difficult to get her bearings.
Following the signs, she had four hours until the Heathrow leg of her flight, found an empty spot looking out over the runways, got herself a soft drink and sat down.
Watching the comings and goings with bleary eyes, she was very pleased to be halfway home.
As she stared at planes parked up next to gates, baggage trains zipping here and there, and crew in high-vis vests doing their thing, Fiji already felt a long way away.
Tapping her phone, she turned off flight mode, waited for the Wi-Fi connection and logged onto the airport system.
All at once, her phone started to ping. A text from Janine, the HR woman at the hotel, a message from her phone provider welcoming her to Singapore and in her inbox, an email from Margery. Tilly tapped and started to read.
Tilly, love, Bill has taken a turn for the worse, and I'm in the corridor outside ICU writing this on my phone, so apologies for the typos. He's stable now, but it's been a long few hours, and they're going to keep him in here.
I've thought about your offer, and I'm saying yes. I'm not going to mess about with it. I want it sorted. You sound right for the Shed, and I'd rather it went to you than sit empty for another summer.
I thought this option might suit you, if you like, because just say no to Budget Inns.
Go straight to Darling so you’re there to prepare for the season.
There's a key safe on the back wall by the side door.
The code is BM160247. All the utilities are on.
Go and start. Treat it like yours from the minute you turn the key.
We can do all the paperwork as we go and instruct solicitors, etc.
I'll be in and out of signal here for the next few days. Let me know.
Margery
Tilly read the email, turned her head to the side, frowned and then reread it.
Really? Margery didn’t know her from Adam, and she was prepared to let her rock up at the Boat Shed and get on with it.
Not knowing what to think, Tilly raised her eyebrows, wondering if it was some kind of scam.
There were so many scammers and con artists out there on the internet that she no longer had a clear mind as to what was real and what wasn’t.
Margery had sounded real enough. The story of Bill felt as if it were true, but had Tilly actually been speaking to someone who had been trafficked to a call centre purposely designed to carry out scams?
Go and start and treat it like yours from the minute you turn the key.
Picking up her drink, Tilly sipped and just sat watching a plane loading and getting ready for take-off in front of her. Her body might have been exhausted from the trip, but her brain was on fire as it zipped through the pros and cons of Margery’s proposal. What would her dad have said?
Follow your intuition, Tils. It’s always worked for me.
Nodding and blinking, Tilly thought about how there had been a feeling, a vibe, a sort of sixth sense since the moment she’d first come across the post. As if something had drawn her to it.
Not just that, it felt as if the planets had moved and were pointing her where to go.
Almost as if she’d been meant to overhear the Australian women and what had gone on in the bed.
Margery,
I'm so sorry about Bill. Thank you so much for accepting my offer. I will, as suggested, head straight to Darling Island. I'll be on the chain ferry by lunchtime-ish tomorrow. I'll text you when I'm in. Once I am back on UK time, I’ll get a solicitor in place, and we can proceed. Thank you so much.
Tilly
A reply came back almost at once, which surprised Tilly. The reply told Tilly everything she needed to know, and she couldn’t quite believe how easy it had been. There surely had to be a catch.
Thank you, love. Safe trip. Treat it like yours from the minute you turn the key.
As butterflies swarmed around in her stomach, Tilly shook her head at how fast things had moved.
One minute she’d sent a DM, the next she was on her way.
This was the sort of adventure she’d wanted.
Not sitting in a bar surrounded by tourists and sticky tropical heat, waiting for a man.
Yes, this sounded right up her street. A key in a box on the back wall of a building she’d never set foot in and a little foggy island on the other side of the world from where she was sitting, waiting to restart her life. Bring it on.