Rick raised his hands. ‘Hey, it’s okay, I should have kept quiet. I apologise. How about Tom and I clear the table and leave you three girls to chat amongst yourselves? How does that sound?’
‘Good idea,’ said Tom, on his feet and gathering up the empty plates. He probably couldn’t wait to escape.
While the two of them ferried everything inside, Naomi bided her time. She was trying very hard not to overreact, to keep her angry disappointment in check. Just how ancient did her daughters think she was?Did they have a care home lined up for her as well? It was so ludicrously absurd she could almost laugh. Hearing the French doors behind them being discreetly shut, she took a deep breath.
‘I appreciate you both giving my welfare so much thought,’ she began, ‘and I’m sure you believed you were doing the right thing, thinking about me in my old age, but—’
‘It’s not about you being old, Mum,’ Martha cut in, ‘it’s about accepting that life changes.’
‘I couldn’t agree with you more.’
‘Well then, when you become a grandmother won’t you want to be on the doorstep so you can spend time with your grandchild?’
Naomi frowned. ‘I thought you said you weren’t pregnant?’ Immediately she regretted the comment; it was needlessly hurtful to her eldest daughter.
‘I’m not,’ Martha said evenly. ‘But I hope that I will be one day in the not too distant future. And it’s that “one day” that I’m thinking of. Because one day you will be less able, Mum, and I want you near to us so we can look after you. It’s what Dad would want for you, isn’t it?’
Naomi turned to look at Willow. ‘Is this what you want for me too?’
Willow’s face had none of the certainty that her sister’s had. ‘I just want you to be happy, Mum,’ she said.
‘And I am happy. Living here. In the house where you both grew up, and which I love.’
‘But you could be happy in a sweet little cottage with a more manageable garden, couldn’t you?’ As though gaining in confidence, Martha went on. ‘Don’t be cross with me, Mum, but I went online and found some beautiful houses for you to consider.There’s one that is literally just a few miles from Tom and me. It would be perfect. It has a nice-sized garden which you could soon make your own and four bedrooms, so you’d have plenty of space for visitors. Including,’ she added, with a smile, ‘your grandchildren.’
Feeling as though she were being thoroughly ambushed by Martha’s reasonableness, Naomi forced herself to remain calm. ‘There was no need for you to research property on my behalf,’ she said, ‘and please don’t think you can bully me like your father did.’
‘Dad never bullied anyone!’ Martha remonstrated.
Naomi sighed, regretting once again her choice of words. Staring out to sea where a number of boats were sailing towards the sharp line of the horizon, she decided there was only one way she could convince her daughters that she was happy right where she was and what was more, she had plans of her own. It was not how she had wanted to break the news, but she had been backed into a corner.
‘Girls,’ she began, ‘there’s something I have to tell you. You see, I’ve met somebody. His name is Ellis, and this might come as a shock to you, but we’re very much in love. So you really don’t need to worry about me.’
Chapter Eleven
It was now May and a week had passed since they’d all been down at Anchor House and Mum had dropped her extraordinary bombshell.
In the days that followed, Willow was bombarded with texts and emails from Martha. She refused to acknowledge any of them until her sister apologised for being rude to Rick. Which eventually she did. Her tone on the phone was grudging, but Willow, who really didn’t like conflict, accepted the apology with good grace. Rick had claimed he hadn’t been offended by what Martha had said to him, but he must have been. He’d been made to feel he didn’t belong. ‘How can I make it up to you?’ she’d asked several times.
His response was the same. ‘The only thing I want you to do is move in with me.’
It was so sweet how eager he was for her to do that; he couldn’t wait for Simon and Lucy to fly back home.
For the time being, and instead of staying the occasional night with her, Rick now spent most nights with her. He kept his clothes on the bed in the spare room and was fastidious about shutting the door to keep out Simon and Lucy’s cats.
This morning, and having walked to Victoria Park, Willow and Rick were enjoying a lazy al fresco Sunday brunch at her favourite café overlooking the lake.She had just asked Rick if he would come with her to what Martha was grandly calling a family conference that afternoon.
‘But I’m not family,’ he said, sipping his black coffee. ‘Martha won’t want me there. She’s made her views very clear on that score.’
‘But I want you there, with me.’
He shook his head. ‘Your sister has her agenda, family business is family business, and I have to respect that.’
‘Not many men would be so understanding,’ Willow said.
‘Hopefully your sister will think the same and award me a few brownie points. But you know, I’m not so sure it’s even a good idea for you to go. All Martha is likely to do is complain that your mother doesn’t know what she’s doing. I should like to know what gives Martha the right to be so high-handed.’
‘It’s just her over-the-top way of showing concern. She’s always been like it. It’s a character trait she inherited from our father.’
