There was no point asking Carly whether she’d considerrenting her flat out because, like mine, the access was through the business and having a tenant walking through her shop during or outside of opening hours wasn’t an option.
‘What will you do about your baking?’ I asked. ‘Come in early?’
‘I’ll have to. When we first discussed it, I got really upset at the thought of leaving my lovely flat but I’ve got used to the idea now. I want to be married to Liam and I want a family with him but that means living somewhere else. New chapter.’
She picked up her hot chocolate and looked around the room. ‘What about you? Could you see Jed moving in here with you at some point?’
‘Honestly, I don’t know. My head’s a bit of a mess about it. We haven’t discussed it yet but I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I’m in the same boat as you – the flat would be great for the two of us but we need it to fit a family. Putting up stud walls to create bedrooms for Erin and Lucy would break my heart.’
Carly grimaced. ‘I couldn’t imagine it not being open plan. Won’t Lucy be going away to university soon? Could you maybe create just the one bedroom?’
‘Lucy doesn’t think she wants to go to uni so she could be around for years. It wouldn’t be fair to give her a bedroom and expect her to share it with her sister, especially when Erin has a boyfriend. And it wouldn’t just be their bedrooms. Mine couldn’t stay open plan if we’re sharing a home so the whole flat would need reconfiguring.’
‘Why haven’t you talked to Jed about it?’
‘I don’t feel like we’re at that stage yet. I know that sounds backwards when we’ve already said we love each other and that we want to be together forever. I don’t think we’re quite ready for the practicalities.’
‘Or maybe it’s just you who isn’t ready,’ Carlysuggested. ‘This flat has been your sanctuary pretty much since you arrived in Whitsborough Bay. Leaving your safe haven is bound to be a big thing.’
Safe haven.That was exactly it! The flat had always meant so much more to me than a place to stay. It had been a place to hide. The thought of leaving it… I sighed, my heart feeling heavy.
‘Itisa big thing,’ I admitted. ‘And there’s the practicalities of it. If I lived elsewhere, I’d have to stop my early-morning swims because there’s no way I could find time for them, the travel to work and all the food prep without getting up at something ridiculous like four o’clock.’
Feeling myself spiralling, I took a deep breath and channelled my inner Pollyanna. ‘I’m glad I met Jed and I wouldn’t be without him so, when the time is right, I’m sure a solution will present itself that works for us all.’
‘I’m sure it will. Isn’t Jed a trained chef? Couldn’t he share the cooking with you? Two hands would mean you don’t need to be in so early and you could still fit in swimming.’
My heart leapt. ‘It’s certainly an option, even if it’s only for two or three days a week. I can’t believe I never thought of that myself. Thank you.’
‘My pleasure. I’m sure you’d have thought of it at some point but it’s usually harder to see solutions when you feel emotional about something.’
I sipped on my hot chocolate, nodding. Carly was right that I was too emotionally invested in the flat and the thought of moving out had meant I’d only focused on the problems it would incur rather than any solutions. Now that she’d mentioned Jed helping, I could see that another possibility was asking Sheila how she’d feel about early mornings. I knew she rose early because her husband, Eric, liked to go out fishing first thing. She might be willing to start earlier and finish earlier.Maria might consider one early morning a week too. Her husband, Marc, always did the school run so it was feasible for her.
‘So, tell me more about your ideal house,’ I asked, feeling much calmer about my situation. ‘Where are you looking?’
Carly listed a few villages they were considering as well as a couple of areas of Whitsborough Bay – the streets around Hearnshaw Park and the area near the Sea Rescue Sanctuary. They ideally wanted a four-bedroom detached property but would consider three bedrooms if there was space elsewhere for a home office.
‘We’d love to have two kids so it’s pointless looking for anywhere smaller,’ she said. ‘We did wonder about trying for a family as soon as we’re married, but we want some time to just enjoy being together as a couple first. It’s new and exciting so we want to make the most of it.’
‘You’ll both make such brilliant parents whenever it happens. Have you thought about what you’ll do with the shop then?’
Carly sighed. ‘It’s another reason why we want to delay things. If I was running a different type of business, I could find someone to cover my maternity leave, but Iamthe business. Bethany’s already proved she has no skill whatsoever in baking or cake decorating, not that she’ll be any help when she has a ba—’ Carly clapped her hand over her mouth and I clocked her guilty expression, my eyes widening as I realised what she’d stopped herself from saying.
‘Bethany’s pregnant?’
Carly removed her hand and scrunched up her nose. ‘I wasn’t meant to say anything yet but I know you can keep a secret.’
‘I won’t breathe a word. How far gone is she?’
‘She’s got her first scan on Thursday. She and Joshua weren’t planning on telling anyone until after that butshe needed me to order her bridesmaid dress in a bigger size so I’ve known since the day after we chose the dresses.’
‘Aw, I’m so pleased for them and for you. Congratulations auntie-to-be! That explains why she steered us towards looser-fitted dresses. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.’
‘Yeah, she told me she didn’t want a style that would draw attention to her baby bump and away from me. That’s not the way I think so I reassured her that she didn’t need to worry about it, although it was sweet of her to have thought about me.’
‘And a great example of how much she’s grown recently.’
Following a terrifying incident involving an estranged father with a knife at the nursery where Bethany worked, Carly had taken her on as an extra pair of hands but Bethany had turned out to be a liability. High maintenance and selfish, she’d lost Carly business and caused her significant rework but things came to a head a year gone December when Bethany went missing shortly before her wedding. Thankfully, Carly and Liam found her and Bethany sought professional help for PTSD and low self-esteem issues. She still worked for Carly but in a role far more suited to her skills and it had been lovely seeing the change in her and how much closer the sisters had become since then.
