Lara checked her watch. ‘In about ten minutes. I put a lot of stuff in the car last night, so it’s only my laptop, this mug, and a few other bits and pieces I need to pack.’ Lara held her favourite mug – the one Jenny had bought for her a few years ago – in front of the screen and then moved to the sink to wash it up.
‘I recognise that mug,’ Jenny said. ‘I wish I were coming with you.’
Lara glanced over her shoulder and smiled at her friend via the screen. ‘Me too. I’ll call you as soon as I arrive. I’m not sure what the internet connection will be like, so it may not be a video call.’ She grabbed a tea towel from its hook. ‘Oh! I’m not even sure the place is connected. I meant to check the details, but I forgot.’ She leant against the worktop as she dried the mug. ‘It must be though. Mustn’t it?’
Jenny shrugged and laughed. ‘Don’t ask me. I just hire and fire people. You produce beautiful illustrations that make every aspect of our business look even better than it is. Perhaps you should’ve got the tech gurus to check.’
‘Too late now. I’ll call you, anyway.’
‘Don’t call me anyway. My name’s Jenny.’
‘Funny.’ Lara screwed up her nose. ‘I’d better get going. Hopefully, I’ve avoided the drive to work crowd, and the take the kids to school run, so it should be about a two-hour drive. That’ll give me a good hour to check the place out before the electrician and the plumber I’ve booked, arrive. The bed, sofa, table and chairs, fridge-freezer, and microwave are all due this afternoon. I’ve bought a new toaster and a new kettle.’ She pointed to the new ones on the worktop. ‘I’m taking my old ones with me and they’re already in the car. Got to have my morning toast and coffee. I had a grocery delivery yesterday and I’ve packed what I’ll need for a day or two, and I’ve made sandwiches and a flask of coffee for today, to tide me over until the electrician and plumber arrive. Plus, I’ve packed several bottles of water, just in case.’
‘Is there a cooker?’
‘No. And I haven’t ordered one yet. I thought I’d wait until I saw the kitchen. I know the cottage has gas and electricity but I don’t know what connections there might be for an oven and a hob. I’ve been told that I can have those delivered within a couple of days, so it’s not going to be a problem. In the worst-case scenario, I can order takeaway deliveries for dinner every night, or maybe venture out for dinner.’ She shook her head. ‘Probably not. It’ll be takeaways. But I will go out for lunch tomorrow. Perhaps.’
‘Hmm. I think you should, Lara. I know you’re not a people person, and I know you’re only going to be there for a month, and then you’ll be letting the place out, or whatever, but it wouldn’t hurt to meet a couple of people. From the photos, the cottage looks a little … isolated. It might be wise to let someone know you’re there on your own.’
‘What? In case there’s a local axe murderer or something. Knowing my luck, that’ll be the one person I tell. No thanks. Besides, the village is only a ten-minute walk away. And I do have at least one neighbour. That cottage is just a couple of minutes from mine. The electrician I’ve booked told me that. He said he did some repairs to my neighbour’s cottage two months ago, and when I asked where it was, he said it was on the other side of the hill, and I’ll be able to see it from my cottage. So you see, I’ll be fine.’
Jenny leant forward and gave Lara a devilish grin. ‘Unless your neighbour is the axe murderer.’
‘Thanks!’
‘You’re welcome. I’ll say goodbye for now then and let you get going. Good luck, Lara.’
‘Thank you, Jen. Speak soon.’
Lara switched off the smart speaker and unplugged it from the socket before checking once again that she’d done the same with the kettle, toaster, and every other electrical appliance except for the fridge freezer. That, she would leave switched on.
Having then checked and ticked everything on both lists – twice, just to be sure, Lara picked up the cool bag containing her sandwiches and bottled water, together with the chilled items from yesterday’s shopping order. She’d already packed the canned and dried goods in the car along with things like teabags, coffee, biscuits, cakes and crisps, and a few bottles of wine as well as water, but items such as milk, cheese, and butter she had kept in the fridge until the last minute. She slung the long straps of her laptop bag and handbag over her shoulder, grabbed the flask of coffee, and headed into the hall, where she took one final look around before stepping outside and locking her front door.
She made her way down the flight of external stairs, a feature that was added when the house was converted, and she crunchedacross the gravel drive to her car, a few feet away, unlocking the boot with the button on her key fob as she walked.
She added the groceries, the cool bag, the flask, and her laptop bag to the three suitcases and the shopping already in there. Then she clicked the button to close it and she climbed into her car, placing her handbag on the passenger seat.
With one last look at her home, she took a deep breath, and with a smile on her face, she pressed the start button and gunned the engine. Then she turned from her drive into the road heading to the south coast and the seaside village of Bluewater Bay.
