‘I almost did. I can’t believe that yesterday I was in New York and now I’m back here, in Brook Bridge village.’ I grinned at Grace, ‘It’s so surreal.’
‘That’s what aeroplanes are for! How’re you feeling about seeing the village again, this place?’
‘I didn’t know how I’d feel, but now I’m here, I have to admit I’ve missed this place more than I realised. And Marley …’ I shot him a glance, ‘I never thought I’d ever see him again.’
Connie and Grace both smiled at me.
‘It’s great to see you back here,’ Connie chipped in.
‘It feels so right to be back, it’s been far too long. The only upsetting thing is, I wish Mum was with me.’
Grace gave me a sympathetic smile before sipping her tea.
For the next half hour, we reminisced about life before New York: our trips to the sweet shop to buy penny chews and the time we’d got stuck up the old apple tree in the orchard and the fire brigade was nearly called out to rescue us.
‘Are you up for the pub later? No pressure if you’d rather chill and grab a bottle of wine and put your feet up?’ asked Grace when we’d finished our drinks.
‘I’m up for the pub,’ I replied, remembering the Sunday afternoons I’d be sat by Grandie’s side while he enjoyed a game of dominoes with his friends – such fond memories. ‘But I’ll apologise in advance if my head suddenly droops and you find me fast asleep at the table.’
‘You just shout up when you’ve had enough.’
‘What’s the plan now?’ Connie interrupted. ‘Shall we head back to yours, Grace, or do you want me to rustle you up some food here?’ she asked, taking the empty mugs and rinsing them out in the sink.
‘What’s Jim doing?’ Grace turned towards her.
‘He’s sorting himself out tonight, so I thought I’d grab a bite with you girls.’
‘Shall we eat back at mine, then, and get you settled in?’ Grace turned back towards me.
‘That sounds like a perfect plan,’ I beamed, standing up. ‘I still can’t believe I’m back,’ I said, repeating myself and taking in my surroundings once more.
‘There’s no place like home,’ Connie smiled, grabbing the car keys from the table. ‘Come on, you pair, I’m ravenous and you must be too, Alice?’
‘I am, now you come to mention it. I managed to miss all the food on the plane.’
‘You probably didn’t miss much,’ grinned Grace.
Marley was now fast asleep in his bed at the foot of the Aga. Kneeling down, I patted his stomach and he peeped out of one eye before shutting it firmly again. ‘See you very soon.’
After locking up the farmhouse we clambered into the car, Grace sitting in the back with me. Connie started the engine and we began to drive towards the wrought-iron gates.
I glanced back over my shoulder and glimpsed the farmhouse once more before the car manoeuvred through the open gates on to the lane. I shuddered at the thought of leaving it behind again and that’s when I knew. The tiny niggle deep in my brain had finally worked its way to the surface after all this time. The overwhelming feeling of security and contentment had enveloped me the second I stepped off the plane. Deep inside, I knew I didn’t have any intention of returning to New York. I’d come home, and all I had to do now was convince Mum to do the same.
‘Here we are,’ Grace jumped out of the car and smiled proudly. ‘Welcome to my home, Wild Rose Cottage.’
She opened the gate and we headed up the path.
The front garden was utterly gorgeous, striking in fact. There were so many flowers blooming, the beds were bursting with colour. ‘This is so beautiful and quaint,’ I said, admiring the pink roses straggling through the hedgerows. ‘Very English countryside.’ It was a far cry from my own front garden in New York, mainly because I didn’t have one. The door to my block of flats was grey with a chrome keypad to enter the darkened stairwell, and I didn’t even have the luxury of a flowerbox hanging from my front window. Where I lived was completely dull and colourless.
‘Look at those roses … simply stunning.’ I leant forward and inhaled the rich scent from the prized flowers that danced in the light breeze.
‘I worked hard on this little piece of paradise when we bought this place and never in a million years thought I’d end up living on my own here after such a short time,’ Grace said, fishing the keys out of her bag. ‘It was difficult at first, but I’ve made it just the way I want it. It’s my home and I love it.’ She pushed open the door and we followed her into the small hallway.
‘Meet Harry.’ Grace knelt down and scooped up a long-haired black-and-white cat. ‘He’s the only reliable man in my life and that’s the way it’s staying – well, for now, anyway,’ she grinned, handing me the cute bundle of fluff who immediately purred and butted his head gently against my face.
‘He’s adorable,’ I exclaimed.
‘Let me take your suitcase and show you up to your room. Follow me,’ Grace insisted, hanging her coat on a peg and climbing the stairs while Connie disappeared down the hallway.
‘There’s a bathroom in there and that’s my room,’ she nodded towards the door at the far end of the landing. ‘You’re in here,’ she said, pushing open the door with her foot while dragging the case behind her. I put Harry down on the floor and he immediately jumped up on to the bed and gently padded the duvet with his paws. I took in my surroundings.
‘Look at this place, very shabby chic.’ On the bedside table there was a lamp and a small vase of colourful flowers. The antique rose bouquet bedding looked so inviting on the single bed and lengths of triangular floral bunting featured strongly, as did the twinkling of fairy lights draped across the light-pink pastel walls, giving the room a very homely feel. There was a single wardrobe, a dressing table and a pink stripy rug that lay on the exposed wooden floor and an idyllic view out of the bedroom window. ‘Now this is what you call a room with a view,’ I said in utter amazement, staring out on to the fields beyond. Again, so different from the view I was used to back in New York.
‘It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?’ Grace stood by the side of me and looked out of the window. ‘Eventually, this room was going to be a nursery, but how things change in such a short space of time!’ She spoke with a twinge of sadness to her voice.
‘I don’t know what to say,’ I admitted, thinking of how happy Grace had seemed when she’d announced the news that they’d finally got the keys to this place.
‘What can you say? Finn wasn’t the person I thought he was. Within hours of finding out he’d been having an affair, I stripped the house of all his belongings and changed the locks. You’d never have known he’d ever lived here. He moved straight in with her and signed the house over to me.’
‘Guilt?’
Grace nodded, ‘Probably. At times, the mortgage is a struggle with the type of work I’m in. Things can get a bit tight, but I’ve had a good run with Mamma Mia and managed to save enough for the next couple of months, in case I find it difficult to get work.’
‘Have you got anything else lined up?’ I asked, lifting my case on to the bed. I thought back to my own dreary flat in New York, so unlike the soft comfort of Grace’s home. I could cope with