She sighed and smiled. ‘Not for the moment.’
‘Cup of tea?’
She smiled properly this time. ‘Always. I’ll be down in a tick.’
They sat together on the sofa looking out into the garden. Frank and Fearless were settled at their feet. Frank was trying to sneak his way up on to the sofa. Hattie fully intended to let him. Luke cleared his throat and Frank retreated.
‘I’d like you and Xander to move in with me for a while, until we know Lance has left the area,’ said Luke.
‘I’m ahead of you. I’ve just emailed my landlord telling him I need to move. I’m fairly sure he’ll have somewhere he’ll be happy for me to move into.’
‘He certainly owns a lot of property,’ said Luke. ‘I’ve worked on lots of it.’
Hattie nodded. ‘And luckily he’s generous about me borrowing it. Although I always pay rent.’ Luke knew this, but she felt obliged to remind him she wasn’t a freeloader.
‘Empty property is hard to insure.’ Luke put down his empty tea mug. ‘Well, if he’s got somewhere, he’ll tell you, and if he hasn’t, we’ll have to make another plan.’
Hattie wasn’t quite sure about the ‘we’. She was used to looking after herself, and others. Luke considering where she might live as a joint problem was strange to her.
‘And for now, how would you feel about staying here for a bit? I’ve got to go back down West to finish a few jobs and having you here to look after Frank and Fearless would be a real help.’ He paused. ‘Although it won’t be much fun living on a building site.’
‘It’s hardly a building site, Luke! You’ve not got much left to do.’
Luke laughed. ‘I wish! I’ll finish it sometime. We’ll get the rest of your stuff tomorrow.’
As she lay in bed, trying to get to sleep, wearing an old shirt of Luke’s that was soft with washing and still smelt slightly of him, although it was clean, she realised she felt safe and peaceful. Just before she drifted off she wondered if the perfect home wasn’t about location but about who you were with. Could she hope to make the perfect home for herself on her own?
After collecting what Hattie and Xander needed from her house the next morning, Luke set off to Cornwall. Hattie focused on work: she had severaltricky negotiations on properties under way, not least Nick’s possible new home. After a busy few days she plucked up courage to ring Sheila and ask about Lance. She didn’t want to tell her that he’d come to her home the previous weekend, but she did want to find out what was going on.
‘He was angry, Hattie,’ said Sheila, obviously glad to talk to someone about it. ‘Very angry. I am just so grateful that Fiona isn’t married to him. I think even Malcolm is beginning to understand what he’s really like.’
‘Do you expect to hear from him again?’ Hattie hoped he’d left town.
‘I couldn’t say. He’s very unpredictable.’
Hattie bit her lip. ‘Have you heard from Fiona?’ she said.
Sheila’s voice brightened. ‘She’s having a lovely time. That Nick is being so lovely to her. Although, to be honest, I knew she was feeling better after she spent the night with you. The strain seemed to fall away almost immediately.’
‘That’s so good to hear! And she’s happy being with Nick, given they don’t really know each other?’
‘Very happy! They’re seeing the sights, spending time in lovely little cafes, walking hand in hand.’ She paused. ‘I almost think she’s falling in love!’
‘I hope it’s not too soon after Lance—’
‘I don’t think she was ever properly in love with Lance,’ said Sheila. ‘But they’re talking about extending their stay – a week isn’t very long. Maybe hiring a car and travelling south. Apparently Nick can work from anywhere. It would seem he has fallen in love with Fi already. But he doesn’t try and control her, weigh her,or any other of the dreadful things that Lance did, and I didn’t know about, until nearly too late.’
A bit more conversation convinced Hattie that her vision hadn’t let her down and that Nick and Fiona were destined to be together. And a little later, she had a text from Fiona.I am so happy! Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me. I can’t thank you enough. Lots of love, Fiona. PS Nick sends best wishes too.
It was Friday afternoon before Hattie’s landlord called. She really hoped he had something for her. Luke was due back later and she didn’t want to impose the two of them on him for longer than she had to. Being able to say she had somewhere to live would be great.
‘Hi, Hattie,’ Aiden said. ‘I got your email. Not quite sure why you want to move on, but it’s a seller’s market at the moment so I could sell. I’ll probably rent it though.’
‘And so – have you got anywhere else I could live? Don’t worry if you haven’t. You’re not responsible for providing me with accommodation.’
‘As it happens, I have just acquired an old lodge. It’s tiny and needs a lot of work.’
‘Is that all?’ She smiled.
