‘And if you need me to take you to your physio appointments, just ask. You’ve got my number.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Okay, then, I’ll be off. Take care, Walter.’
‘You, too.’
The exchange had been stilted and awkward, and by the time Beth had opened her car door, Walter had gone back inside the cottage.
‘You’re welcome,’ she muttered. After everything she had done for him, Walter hadn’t even thanked her. He’d waved her off without a second glance.
Irritated and feeling rather flat, Beth drove to her new house in the village. She had been looking forward to this day for such a long time, but now it seemed something of an anticlimax.
With a feeling of deja vu, Beth pulled into the kerb near the house on Hazelnut Road and cut the engine.
‘Here we go again,’ she said, seeing the van arrive in her rear-view mirror.
She had just unlocked the door and stepped inside, when she sensed someone behind her. Assuming it was one of the removal men, she glanced over her shoulder and was shocked to discover Dulcie and Maisie. And behind them were Otto and Adam.
‘We’ve come to give you a hand, Mum,’ Dulcie said.
Maisie added, ‘You didn’t think we’d let you move house on your own?’
It hadn’t occurred to Beth to ask for their help, but it was very welcome nevertheless, and she was touched that her daughters were here.
‘Nikki says she’ll pop in to see you after school,’ Dulcie said.
Beth felt the prick of tears and she swallowed hard. How could she have ever thought that her daughters wouldn’t want her living near them?
‘Where do you want this, love?’ a gruff voice asked, and everyone hurriedly moved out of the way as two burly men manhandled her sofa through the front door.
‘Just there, please.’ Beth pointed to a spot in front of the fireplace, and when they set it down, she shoved one end until it was at the perfect angle.
After that there wasn’t any time to think, as a succession of boxes, white goods and pieces of furniture were ferried into the house. Beth directed proceedings, darting upstairs and downstairs, then back again to ensure everything was placed where she wanted it.
In much less time than she had anticipated, the van had been unloaded and most of her things had been put away.
Adam was on his hands and knees connecting the telly, when Dulcie suggested a break.
‘I’ll put the kettle on,’ Beth said and bustled into the kitchen, wondering which cupboard held the mugs.
She needn’t have worried, because no one would be having a hot drink. Otto was opening a bottle of champagne, and the pop of a cork made her jump.
‘Here’s to your new home,’ he said, pouring the sparkling liquid into tall flutes. He handed the first one to her.
Beth took it, her lip wobbling. ‘I didn’t expect this.’
‘I know you didn’t,’ Dulcie laughed. ‘You had hoped to fly in under the radar, and you would have done if the ceiling hadn’t come down.’
Everyone looked up at it.
‘You’d never know.’ Adam said. ‘They’ve done a good job.’
‘They took their time,’ Beth grumbled.
Otto said, ‘I bet my dad is glad they did, otherwise you would have moved in sooner, and he would have ended up back with us.’
Beth said, ‘I bet he’s not. He couldn’t wait to get rid of me this morning.’
