‘Darling, are you OK?’ Always conscious not to be the needy mother, she just stopped herself from saying that she missed her checking in on her so often now.
‘Just so busy, but the money is flying in so that’s very nice. Weddings by Sennen will be going international at this rate.’ The young woman laughed.
‘I’m so pleased, darling, and you sound happy?’
‘I am, Mum, don’t worry about me. I’ve had a couple of dates with one of the photographers I use. So, Alex who? He can do one. Are you OK? How’s it all going?’
‘It’s all going well. A fun group and they all seem to be enjoying it. I’ve had a couple of confirmed bookings for next month too. I’ve decided to run shorter retreats. A month is bit intensive, to be honest.’
‘I did think that, but I know you needed the money, so I let it lie. Thom told me he’d popped in.’
Rita’s voice flattened. ‘Yes, yes he did.’
‘You don’t sound very enthused.’
‘He wants me to sell the farm,Sen, and I don’t want to.’
‘That again – don’t listen to him. You know what he’s like.’
‘Shit!’ Rita suddenly exclaimed as she looked down towards the house.
‘What is it, Mum?’
‘Sorry, darling, but talk of the devil, that brother of yours has just pulled into the courtyard.’
‘Oh. Oh yes, he’s on his way back from his work thing, I think.’
‘Sen, has he ever mentioned anything about your father’s will to you?’
‘No, why?’
‘It’s nothing… I’d better go. Love you, darling. Talk when you can and when you get a bit of a break come down and let me wait on you.’
‘What, like last time?’ Sennen laughed. ‘When you were so hungover I had to cook breakfast, and your best mate killed Nigel.’
‘Be gone with you.’ Rita was laughing now too.
‘Twice in one week and it’s not even my birthday.’ Rita tried to keep her voice level as she handed over a steaming mug of coffee to her only son.
‘I felt I couldn’t travel home without popping in.’
‘Event go well?’ Realising that big talk would be distressing for her, Rita continued with the small until she was ready to take the plunge.
As Thom took a sip of coffee and sat back in his chair she felt a pang go right through her heart. Not just because he was the spit of her Archie but because she couldn’t believe the way he was treating her right now.
Here was the boy/man she had nurtured and cherished through endless nappies, two schools, braces, exam nerves and first love heartache. The boy/man whose bad dreams she had kissed away and who she’d sat up all night with in A&E whenhe had broken his leg playing rugby. Where had this person in front of her come from? She definitely hadn’t brought him up to be this kind of unfeeling monster.
Thom ran his hands through his short hair. ‘I take it you got the letter.’ Rita remained silent. Thom sighed. ‘Look, I’m not trying to be the bad guy here, Mum. But the farm needs to be valued. It’s only fair. You can’t just hold on to it like it’s not part of Dad’s estate. You know how this works.’
Rita was curt. ‘Yes, I do, actually. I’ve had a bit of legal advice. Proper legal advice.’
Thom hesitated. ‘Who from?’
‘One of my guests.’ She extended the truth slightly. ‘He’s spent thirty years sorting out messes like this.’
Thom’s jaw shifted. She could almost hear the gears turning, recalculating his position.
He spat back without thought. ‘Well, that’s… fine, but he… he wasn’t Dad’s solicitor.’
