She checked the time. Ten minutes past one. He would still be doing his rounds. He might be in his van, driving. In fact, he probably was, so rather than phone, she would send him a message. It was safer. He could read it at his convenience.
God, that sounded so formal, and formal was the last thing she wanted.
She picked the phone up, then put it down again.
Was it too early for wine? A celebratory glass? This didn’t feel like a celebration, though.
It felt flat. Meaningless. A hollow victory. And it was that realisation which was the deciding factor.
The phone was in her hand again – it was time to make another call.
Post redirected?Tick.
Fridge emptied?Tick.
Windows locked?Tick.
Everything turned off?Tick.
Carla had a final scout around the house, hoping she hadn’t forgotten anything. The past couple of hours had been a blur of frenetic activity, but once she’d made the decision there seemed little point in putting it off until tomorrow. By tonight she would be in Picklewick, and her new life could begin.
It felt strange to leave the house she’d lived in since she was a child, the house she would always refer to as home. For the time being, she was moving into Beth’s rented house in the village until she found somewhere suitable in Thornbury. Living in the small market town was the perfect compromise. It wasn’t as big as a city, yet neither was it too rural. And after speaking to the temp agency earlier, she already had a job lined up for Monday.
Carla wandered through every room, drinking each one in, before scolding herself for being silly. It wasn’t as though she would never see this place again. As soon as her mum was back from the Caribbean, Carla would pay her a visit.
Locking up, she hurried to the car, now eager to be on her way. A new life beckoned, and she couldn’t wait for it to begin. Whether Ashton would be in it remained to be seen.
She hoped with all her heart that hewould.
It was late. Late for Ashton, but not late for most people. He had work in the morning and should be in bed, but unfortunately, he couldn’t settle. Thoughts and images whirled through his mind, spinning like a merry-go-round. Except there was nothing merry about them.
He had been glad to see the back of yesterday (saying goodbye to Carla at the train station had been so hard), but today hadn’t proved to be any better. He had waited in vain for a call from her, even if it was just to tell him the outcome of her meeting. However, his phone had remained silent: no call, no message.
Her lack of contact convinced him it was over. She was back in her old life, her time in Picklewick now nothing but a memory. And that hurt. He’d thought they had something special, but he’d clearly been kidding himself. And despite vowing not to let anyone else into his heart, he had fallen in love. The pain he’d felt when Lacey had dumped him was nothing compared to the heartache he felt now.
Wryly, he supposed he should be thankful to Carla for showing him what love truly was. He supposed he should also be thankful to Lacey for turning down his marriage proposal. If shehadn’t, he would have spent his life not knowing how love really felt.
It was both beautiful and awful.
Right now, awful was winning hands down.
His mobile beeped, and he hoped it wasn’t Lacey. She hadn’t taken his rejection well yesterday, and her tears had tugged on his heartstrings, but he’d held firm. It wouldn’t be fair on either of them if he settled for second best.
Ashton looked at his phone, and his heart lurched violently.
Carla. Finally.
Are you awake?she messaged.
Yes
He waited for a call, or even a reply. And he waited, and waited.
The ring of his doorbell made him jump. Who could this be at just gone nine on a Friday evening? It wouldn’t be his parents, because they knew better. Anyway, they were still touring Scotland in their camper van and would be away for a few more weeks yet.
He heaved his weary body out of the chair and went to answer it.
Carla was outside.
