Chapter 34
I t was a few days or so later and the wheels on the situation had turned very quickly.
Miles had booked the cottage, his mum was out of hospital and the pair of them were on their way to Pretty Beach.
Daisy was standing outside the holiday cottage, looking down at the sea in the far distance and watching a few fishing boats bobbing up and down on the water.
She’d been liaising with Miles by text regarding his estimated arrival time and was waiting for him to come around the corner any minute.
The traffic on the approach road to Pretty Beach had not been great, but Miles and his mum were finally getting close.
Daisy had one hand tucked under the strap of her bag, the other holding the keys Holly had given her the day before and a bunch of flowers in the crook of her arm.
When she’d first arrived, she’d gone inside to check everything was okay and after pushing the door open, she’d nodded to herself; the cottage was so much better than okay.
Clemmie had done a very good job of just about everything.
The cottage was not only spotless, it was cosy and comfy and one hundred per cent Pretty Beach through and through.
A perfect place to get back to health and convalesce after being mugged by vile people in London.
Inside, the cottage had been cleaned and aired and everything about it felt lovely.
There was a paper-wrapped loaf of sourdough on the worktop and in the fridge, a huge container held chicken soup handmade by Lottie, who owned a small catering business in Pretty Beach.
The front had a little label taped to it.
LO chicken soup made with bone broth and no nasties.
Let me know if you need more. Lottie
Tucked next to the teapot, still warm and sitting in a blue-and-white tea towel, was an apple pie from Clemmie, the woman who cleaned the cottages.
Daisy had peeked in and her mouth had watered at what had greeted her: a proper lattice crust, sugar sprinkled on the top and a slightly sunken middle where the filling had settled. There was a note attached to that, too.
Hope this helps a little. Welcome to Pretty Beach.
Daisy smiled to herself as she thought about what was in the cottage and waited for Miles to turn the corner. The way the locals had turned up quietly without being asked, dropping off little things and not making a big show of it, was precisely why she loved the little town by the sea.
It wasn’t long before she saw the car and Miles parked halfway along the front of the cottage and turned off the engine.
Miles stepped out first, leaned over to open the back and helped his mum out slowly.
Elizabeth, Miles’s mum, looked tired, thin and very frail, but her eyes appeared alert, and she was bundled up in one of Miles’s thick jumpers under a navy coat.
Miles beamed and kissed Daisy as she walked around to the back of the car. ‘Hey, Daise.’
‘Hi.’
Elizabeth smiled. ‘Hi Daisy. Thank you for sorting out all of this for me. It’s taken us a while to get here, but we’re here now. I am sorry to hear about the problem with that big chain threatening to move in. Miles has told me all about it.’
‘Hello. Yes, it’s not pleasant. We’re very pleased to have you. Welcome to Pretty Beach.’
‘Miles showed me the website.’ Elizabeth turned to the cottage. ‘Ooh, it looks lovely and just what I need.’
‘Go on in. It’s all set up. I think you’re going to love it. I think I might have to move in with you for a few weeks.’
Miles helped Elizabeth up the path and inside. Daisy followed, shutting the door behind them and gesturing to a chair in the sitting room. ‘That one’s the comfiest by the looks of it and you can see the sea from there. I’ll make some tea and put these flowers in water.’
‘We need tea.’ Elizabeth smiled as she took her coat off and sat straight down in the chair. ‘What a view. I’m not moving from here for a while. Yes, this is just what I needed. I thought I wanted to go back to the flat, but no.’
Miles followed Daisy into the kitchen. ‘This is perfect. Thanks for doing it.’
‘How was the drive?’
‘Long. She slept through most of it, which helped. The motorways were packed until we turned off. The traffic is nuts on a Friday. We should have thought about that. Anyway, we’re here now.’
‘It’s all ready for you here, so there’s nothing you need to do except help her get back to health. There’s soup from Lottie, pie from Clemmie, and bread from the bakery. Plus, I got you milk, butter, jam, biscuits, bacon and eggs. You don’t need to worry about anything.’
‘You didn’t need to do all that.’
‘Not at all. I didn’t do anything, really. Word got around about what happened to your mum and this is what happens. I’d get used to it if I were you. This town runs on casseroles and baked goods when the going gets tough, despite the GayesBooks of the world. You’re in the right place.’
‘Thank you.’
Elizabeth called through from the sitting room, ‘You can’t see this sort of view in London! Not even from a penthouse and I’ve been in a penthouse or two in my time.’
Daisy smiled. ‘It’s a different pace, that’s for sure.’
‘Exactly what I need.’
Daisy glanced back at Miles, who was looking around the kitchen and rolling his shoulders in an attempt to let go of the long drive.
There was a tiredness about him, not sleep tired, but more the stressed sort that came from holding everything up.
Daisy handed him a cup of tea and opened a small white paper bag in which a box held cinnamon buns.
She popped them onto a plate. ‘Are you okay? You look tired.’
Miles nodded. ‘Just catching up with myself.’
Daisy gestured to the sitting room. ‘You go and sit with her. I’ll bring the tea and buns in. It looks like you need to rest nearly as much as your mum does.’
By the time Daisy went through with a tray, Elizabeth had pulled a cushion behind her back and was looking around the room like she was sizing it up for a few weeks of serious recovery.
Daisy chuckled. ‘You’re going to be very spoilt here.’
‘So, I’ve gathered. I thought I’d hate the idea of being looked after, but it turns out I’m not above it.’
Miles smiled. ‘See? You’re in good hands. I knew you’d like it here.’
Elizabeth took a sip of tea, sighed and sank further into the chair. ‘What a treat. You’ll have to give me a list of local walks I can do once I’m back on my feet. I’ll need something to aim for.’
Daisy nodded and pointed out the window. ‘There’s a loop from here that goes down a little back lane, past the old cricket pitch and through a lovely orchard which is gorgeous at this time of year. It’s mostly flat and you can see the sea almost the whole way. You’ll love it.’
‘That sounds heavenly. I am so glad I came now, Miles. Thank you for suggesting it and for looking after me. I don’t want to be a burden on you, darling. I cannot stand the thought of being a burden on my two boys.’
Miles brushed the comment off. ‘A burden? Don’t be silly.’
The room went quiet for a moment. Daisy sat on the arm of the sofa, watching as Elizabeth blinked at the view as if she was absorbing it in pieces.
‘I think being somewhere that doesn’t smell mildly of food smells, antiseptic and bleach will help me enormously.’ Elizabeth joked.
Daisy chuckled. ‘Give it a few days and you’ll be sick of fresh air and coastal kindness.’
‘Not possible.’
Once they’d finished their tea, Daisy grabbed the mugs and went back into the kitchen to put them in the dishwasher.
Miles followed her, Daisy smiled, jerked her thumb in the direction of the sitting room and lowered her voice.
‘She seems to like the view, but gosh, she looks so tiny and frail, and the bruising is still visible on her face! Honestly, it’s disgusting!
I can’t believe what those hideous excuses for human beings did to her.
She seems to be just sitting there getting on with it. Grrr.’
‘I needed to get her away from that flat. There is no way she could go through that again. I don’t think her body would cope with it again.’
‘You’ve done the right thing.’
Miles gestured at the kitchen. ‘You didn’t need to do any of this.’
‘I didn’t need to, I wanted to. That’s different. Your poor mum has been through so much. She needs home-cooked food and real care by the looks of it.’
Miles looked around at the fresh bread, the apple pie in the tea towel and then looked out the window.
‘I get now why you don't ever want to leave this place. There’s something about Pretty Beach that just makes you feel like there’s room to think or something.
As soon as we passed the town sign, I thought that.
I can’t believe GayesBooks think they can be part of it. ’
Daisy nodded. ‘Exactly.’
‘I think it’s going to help her, being here even if she complains that she misses her flat.’
‘Let her. There’s good complaining and there’s bad complaining.’
‘I’ve missed you. It’s so good to see you.’
‘Same.’
‘So, how does the next few weeks pan out? Have you got a lot on?’
‘I have, but that’s fine. I think you two here need to take it a day at a time, I guess and let things settle. Let her settle. I’ll check in and bring pie and soup. We need to fatten her up a bit.’
Miles put his arm around Daisy. ‘I love you, Daise. I want this to be our life.’
Daisy closed her eyes. ‘I know.’
‘Like together.’
‘I just need to think about Margot and Evie.’
Miles straightened. ‘Yep, I know, you’ve said multiple times.
We’ll talk about it. Right. I’d better get her suitcase from the boot.
She’ll want her slippers and stuff.’ He exhaled and looked around the room.
‘This place. You. It all feels like a bit of breathing space after the last god knows how long.’
‘That’s what Pretty Beach does. It makes you feel better, but you're not sure how or why.’
‘Are you able to stay for a bit?’
‘I was planning to.’
‘Great.’
‘I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.’